Datasets:

yoonLM
/

decoding_llama3

Dataset card Data Studio Files Files and versions Community

Split (1)

train · ~970k rows (showing the first 140k)

decoded_text stringlengths 4.18k 47.6k
works for the network at various NRL games as a sideline commentator and analyst. "I can't describe it any more than our parents didn't pigeonhole us because we were boys or girls, they just wanted us to be active so they got us involved in everything," Ruan said. "I couldn't have asked for a better childhood. I didn't know what The Simpsons was until I moved out of home. "You had to [hold your own], five kids fighting at the dinner table for the nice food and fighting it out in the backyard to survive. The grocery bill would've been phenomenal for mum and dad, I believe that's where my love of carbohydrates started at a very young age. Loading "Mum and Dad won't take any credit for it because that's the people they are but we've achieved what we've achieved because of the way they brought us up and we've become who we are because of our siblings and our family and our parents." The women's Rugby League World Cup pool games and semi-finals will be played at Southern Cross Group Stadium in Cronulla, while the decider will be played before the men's final in Brisbane on December 2.Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.35 percent. “Bond yields nudged mortgage rates slightly lower this week, with the fixed-rate mortgage rates falling to three month lows,” said Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac vice president and chief economist. But FBR's Paul Miller pegs it more on the government buying mortgage backed securities. "If the Fed backed out of a liquidity stance, treasuries would scream," says Miller. "I think the government will try to keep it right around 5 percent." That's because the government needs low mortgage interest rates to support a housing recovery, especially now, as the first time home buyer tax credit expires Nov. 30. But will rates go any lower? Or did we all miss the boat last spring, when rates hit record lows? "Treasury yields and mortgage rates have pulled back on concerns about the sustainability of the economic recovery, particularly with household income and consumer spending weak," says Bankrate.com's Senior Financial Analyst Greg McBride. "However mortgage rates are very dependent on the Fed's purchases of $300 billion in Treasury debt that will expire in October and $1.25 trillion in mortgage bond purchases that will expire at year-end. Unless the economy stumbles, we're likely to see higher rates in the fourth quarter."THE Liberal premiers have let politics get in the way of helping the disabled. That was the only conclusion to be drawn yesterday when only Labor leaders were willing to stake up some dollars for trials of the proposed national disability insurance scheme. No wonder Ted Baillieu and Barry O'Farrell looked defensive; even Queensland's Campbell Newman, who had been the most bolshie before the meeting about providing no money, stressed (with a hint of apology): ''Do we want to put more in? You betcha. Can we put more in right now? Well, I'm afraid we can't.'' Prime Minister Julia Gillard meets with students during her visit to Black Mountain School. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The premiers know that their communities are likely to think badly of them for not chipping in. Just consider: Victoria was being called on to provide just $10 million a year for four years. Not to put too fine a point on it - that's peanuts in a state budget. The Victorian government was being asked, for the people in the trial, to increase its current annual spending of just under $16,000 a head to about $20,700, with the federal government topping up to about $35,000. The Victorians had worries about compliance setting a precedent for future funding (they were told it doesn't) and, when discussion turned to possible compromise, that there was not enough time to work through it before they were hassled to a joint news conference. But surely there had been lots of opportunity for negotiations before yesterday's formal meeting.I feel like I have written variations of these words hundreds of times over the last few years; too many times I have typed them to online friends who have just lost their child in pregnancy or stillbirth. I strive to find the right words to comfort the newly bereaved, knowing words are never enough but they are all I have to work with. Dear New Loss Mother, I am so very sorry for your loss. Whether you knew you were pregnant for a few days, a few weeks, carried to term a baby that was born still, or lost your sweet child any time after birth, that was your child that was lost. I grieve with you the loss of your beloved child, the loss of your hopes for your child, and the loss of the future you envisioned for your child. Your emotions are likely all over the place and that is understandable. Over the coming days, you will experience a range of emotions. Forget what you learned in high school psychology; grief does not have linear defined stages. You may find yourself angry one minute, depressed the next, and you will discover that numb is an emotion too. Give yourself permission to feel whatever it is you feel. Don’t deny those feelings but let yourself experience them as they come up. I will ask you to fight one feeling, though, and that is the feeling of guilt. Almost every loss mother I have spoken with tries to blame herself, at least a little. If only I had called the doctor sooner, stayed on progesterone longer, taken this medication or stopped that medication. Those “if only’s” will crush your soul if you let them. You did the best you could. No one could have loved your child more than you. You are not to blame. It is not your fault. I know you are arguing with me already. I’ve argued with that sentiment too, desperate to find something or someone to blame, even if it’s myself. But you didn’t cause your baby’s death. You did the best you could with the knowledge you had. Please take those words to heart and remind yourself of them during the dark times. I wish I could give you a timetable of when the dark times will end and you will start to feel more like the old you. The reality is that you will never go back to being the “old” you but you will find a new you over time. The process won’t be linear. Even two years out from my last loss, there are times the grief takes a stranglehold on my heart. But the times do go fewer and farther between. Allow yourself the time to grieve and the freedom to grieve. Don’t try to rush the process. Most especially, don’t allow others to rush you. Surround yourself with those who will support you in your grief, whether it is family, friends or online support. Those who ask you if you are “over it yet” can be (not so) politely told to do unspeakable acts with farm implements to themselves. There are some things that you never “get over” and losing a child certainly tops that list. Distance yourself from those that just don’t understand and aren’t capable of empathy. Allow yourself to be “selfish” in your grief. Too often we women put pressure on ourselves to always be there for others and put ourselves last. This is the time to put yourself first. Don’t let others push you to do things you aren’t ready for, like attending baby showers. Protect your heart from unnecessary pain and free yourself from feeling guilty over skipping family events that just serve to highlight your loss. Be gentle with yourself. Do not expect yourself to carry on with life as normal. There may be days where breathing is all you can accomplish. And if you made it through that day, then you did well. Understand that grief can affect you in ways you may not expect, like a lack of focus. Set your expectations of yourself low. Grieve with your husband, when possible. He is grieving too, so encourage him to grieve with you.. It may be a generalization that men are “fixers” but it is often true. So your husband may be feeling helpless that he can’t fix this. So tell him how to help you grieve, whether that’s just to hold you while you cry or to help you plan a memorial. Above all, seek out those who will support you in expressing your grief, for as long as you need. Find a safe place where you can let those feelings out. Find support with your friends, a local support group or join an online support group. There is a sisterhood of women who have experienced a loss like yours who will sit with you in your grief. It seems simple but there is comfort in knowing you are not alone. We grieve with you.A Triumvirate of Gods Liquid C9 Mang0 (4th): Mang0 is hot off a first place finish at Super Smash Con. It wasn’t looking too good for Mang0 after EVO, placing 3rd at Mang0(4th): Mang0 is hot off a first place finish at Super Smash Con. It wasn’t looking too good for Mang0 after EVO, placing 3rd at Clutch City Clash after losing to SFAT back-to-back. But he has since regained his composure, striking vengeance in winners’ semifinals against SFAT, beating him 3-1 at Super Smash Con. He went on to take the tournament without dropping a set. His combo game and aggressiveness were unbelievably on point against Hungrybox, and it showed. FOX MVG Gatekeepers PG G2 Tempo WFX Key Holders Secret Won't be attending EVO this year. Instead I'll be working 10+ hour days, mostly in the burning sun ;_; — otto bisno (@SilentWolf444) July 1, 2016 Selfless CLG M2K and SFAT at SSC, a superb Melee set CLG SPY Tempo Wildcards DNL Kingsmen This weekend, from August 26th to 28th, “Shine” will see its series debut in Boston, MA. Over 1600 players from all over the country will meet in Southern Boston to compete in.,and. Thecompetition is looking fierce, with juggernauts such as Joseph “” Marquez, Juan “” Debiedma and Jason “” Zimmerman in attendance among a cohort of other Top 100 players.Shine 2016 is a superb finisher to the month of August, and as this September is to be a stagnant one in terms of tournaments, all players are looking to end the month with a bang before entering the hiatus. Below are summaries detailing the more recent performances of all the competitors mentioned above. It is up to you to judge the information provided and decide who has that best chances of taking the tournament.Hungrybox(2nd): Coming off his huge EVO win, Hungrybox suffered a crushing defeat against Mang0 at Super Smash Con. Hbox lost to him 3-1 in winners’ final only to lose to him again in Grands with a decisive 3-0. It was utterly one sided, but a great set nonetheless.Mew2King(5th): Mew2King has been having a fantastic August. He won his first National in 3 years ( Clutch City Clash ), tore through losers bracket at Super Smash Con before losing to Hbox in losers’ final, and placed first at Endgame, a recent Illinois regional.Plup(7th): Plup has competed in one tournament since his 3rd placing at EVO, Polarity, where he placed first after beating Colbol in Grands. He did not lose a single set. At Evo Plup beat Hungrybox 2-0 in winners’ semis before losing to Armada and having to face him again in losers’ finals. That time Hungrybox took the set 3-1. Plup has one of the most refined Shieks in the game, having taken sets off 5 of the Top 6, with the lone exception of Armada.Westballz(8th): Westballz has been having an okay month. He placed 7th at Clutch City Clash, taking out Lucky 2-0, The Moon 3-1, and S2J 3-1 before Mang0 delivered a fatal 3-0 in losers’ final. Westballz was sent to losers early by Texas smasher by the name of MT in winners’ round 2. At Super Smash Con, Westballz was sent to losers by Eric “ESAM” Lew in Phase 2 of pools. He again made an impressive losers run, beating Sami “Druggedfox” Muhanna, Mustafa “Ice” Akcakaya and James “Mafia” Lauerman before being stopped by M2K in Top 8. Westballz has never beaten M2K.Axe(9th): We saw an impressive showing from Axe at Super Smash Con. After losing to Mafia in pools, he commandingly beat Stephen “Abate” Abate, MacD and Justin “Wizzrobe” Hallett, securing himself a spot in Top 8. There he beat PewPewU and Shroomed until he faced his demon in Mew2King and lost 3-2. He placed 4th. Axe has always struggled against M2K, with last years set count being 12:4 in Mew2King’s favor. However this year they are even at 1:1. Can he win a set at Shine against M2K and have the set count advantage for the first time in his career?Shroomed(10th): Shroomed placed 5th at Smash Con after losing 3-1 to Hungrybox in winners’ semis and 3-1 Axe losers’ quarters. Despite what the game count may suggest, Shroomed played extremely well versus Hungrybox and it was in fact not all too one sided. However, Axe was a different story. Shroomed would have gaping leads against Axe but then he would allow him to comeback and win the game. It seemed as if Axe had Shroomed’s number. Shroomed’s journey to winners’ semis was impressive, but he had a relatively easy bracket getting there. This weekend we will see if he will be able to pull it off again.Silent Wolf(11th): We last saw Silent Wolf on July 23rd at Emerald City 4, where he took first against Theodore “ Bladewise ” Seybold. Being unable to attend EVO due to “an intense school program”, it has been a while since Silent Wolf has picked up the sticks in tournament. We will see how this dry spell affects him this weekend. He has one of the most premier Fox’s in the game, having taken sets off Mew2King, William “Leffen” Hjelte, and Kevin “PPMD” Nanney in the past.Lucky(12th): Lucky’s last tournament foray was Clutch City Clash. After losing 2-1 to SFAT in winners’ quarters, he was sent to losers to face Westballz, who eliminated him with a 2-0. Lucky finished at 9th place. If Lucky wants to place well this weekend, he’ll have to develop a new strategy against the other players near his rank, as he has a negative set record against SFAT, PewPewU and Silent Wolf.SFAT(13th): After beating Mang0 back to back and attaining 2nd place at Clutch City, SFAT went on to place 5th at SSC, beating S2J and PewPewU in the process. He was stopped short of his run in winners’ semis by Mang0 although it was a very close set, and had to face his bane in Mew2King in losers’ quarters. Despite their set count being heavily in Mew2King’s favor, the set was extremely close and SFAT had a decent chance of winning had his spawn points not been so unlucky. Although he doesn’t look like too much of a threat on paper, SFAT is more than capable of taking down most of the competition at this tournament, and I daresay even a god.PewPewU(14th): PPU, a 7th place finisher at EVO 2016, had something of a breakout performance at Super Smash Con. He pulled a decisive 2-0 victory out of his hat against Mew2King’s Sheik in pools, something that would appear to give him huge momentum the rest of the tourney. And it did, somewhat. He managed to reach winners’ quarters where he unfortunately had to play SFAT, someone he has constantly struggled against this year. He lost 3-2 and moved into losers’ bracket where he beat Masaya “aMSa” Chikamoto to advance to Top 8. Waiting for him was Axe, whom has a history of utterly decimating PPU in tournament, beating in 3-0 in virtually every set they’ve played. Unfortunately for him, this time was no different as PPU fell out of the tournament after a 3-0. This by no means indicates he is out of the running, though. PewPewU has shown notable improvement in his gameplay so I would not be surprised if he reached Top 8 again.MacD(15th): MacD has been sporadic with his tournament appearances, before Super Smash Con we last saw him play at GOML earlier in May, where he finished in the Top 16. At SSC he again placed in the Top 15, losing to Axe in Losers Round 2. His best placing this year was at EGLX, where he placed 4th. Do you think we will see another EGLX-esque performance from MacD this weekend?S2J(16th): S2J has one of the most renowned Falcons in Melee and at 16th, is the highest Falcon player on the rankings. After a stellar 5th place performance at EVO 2016, beating Westballz in a set for the first time ever before losing to Hungrybox, he attended Clutch City Clash, where Westballz got his revenge. S2J finished 5th after a 3-0 by Westballz. At Super Smash Con his luck wasn’t much better as he lost to Kalindi “KJH” Henderson in losers round 1, placing below top 20. All in all though, S2J is having a good year and hopefully he is able to negate his last placing with a better one at Shine.Duck(22nd): We haven’t seen his Samus since his 9th place finish at EVO, but it is certainly still a threat. And with his recent joining of Denial, we can expect to see all sorts of things from him. We have seen how in the past how a sponsor can launch a player into better performance, and Duck is no exception.The Moon(28th): The Moon has been having a solid month, placing 7th at Clutch City Clash and an impressive placing at Heir 3, placing only second behind Adam "Lindgren. He reached winners' finals without dropping a set prior but Armada took him out with a swift 3-0. Waiting in losers' final was Daniel "" Rodriguez who, after an intense 3-2 set, ultimately loss at the hands of The Moon. The Moon played extremely well and on point the entire tournament and he will be riding the momentum of this placing well into the weekend.Swedish Delight(31st): Placing 9th-12th at EVO 2016, Swedish Delight has since ceased to attend any tournaments, Shine 2016 being to be his first since July. He has one of the best Sheiks in the game, having placed fourth at Pound 2016 after forcing Mang0 to Game 5 in losers' semis and he double eliminate Mew2King at Smash N' Splash 2. He is a top contender who I believe capable of defeating a sizable chunk of the Top 20.VwS Professor Pro(34th): Hailing from London is Professor Pro, who is currently ranked 1st on Englands Melee PR. He placed 3rd at Dreamhack Summer 2016 and 5th at Heir, losing to Ice and RobertoIglesias, respectively.So now that you know all about the biggest threats at this tournament, who do you think has the best shot of winning it? Or who would you like to see win the most? Tell us in the comments!The cold-weather months may be light on road racing, but they do provide an excellent opportunity to take stock of the big performances of the past season with an eye for future potential. Looking at the big picture of races from January all the way up to October, we can get a pretty good idea of the riders that made the most emphatic arrivals this season, and also of those already-known up-and-comers who took clear steps forward into the spotlight with high-visibility results. This sort of prospective retrospective is always nice to have in the middle of the following season, as a barometer of which rising stars are on track in their progression, and which have fallen short of expectations. It’s hard to see anyone other than Fabio Aru as the year’s most emphatic arrival. He had been touted as Italian cycling’s next big thing for some time (in last season’s post-year retrospective, I named him as a likely break-out candidate), but he’d never even been on the podium in a WorldTour race before this year. Hard to believe, given that he’s now a three-time Grand Tour stage winner and two-time Grand Tour Top 5 finisher at age 24. A pure climber with an aggressive streak, Aru has the right combination of talent, racing acumen, and guile to pick up victories with bold long-range strikes on the sport’s most challenging slopes. The long, flat time trials are a major weakness in his game, but as chrono-light routes become more and more en vogue, Aru should continue to thrive in the Grand Tours. Interestingly, he doesn’t have much in the way of one-week stage race results to his name, but his skillset would seem well-suited to those too. In short, Aru should be primed for plenty more success as he continues to develop, and continue to develop he will: he doesn’t turn 25 until after the 2015 Giro. Teammate Vincenzo Nibali may have gotten the lion’s share of Astana publicity this season (and his Tour de France victory certainly represents a worthy career progression), but Aru really took a quantum leap forward in his two Grand Tour appearances. Where Aru made his arrival the in three-weekers, newly crowned World Champ Michal Kwiatkowski made his statements in the one-day and one-week races, racking up a slew of stellar performances in the early part of the season (winning in Strade Bianche and putting in big rides in Pais Vasco, the Ardennes, and the prologue of the Tour de Romandie, his first WorldTour victory) and then coming back with a vengeance in September, winning a stage in the Tour of Britain en route to 2nd overall and then, of course, taking the rainbow jersey in Ponferrada. It’s more of a giant step-up than an arrival, as Kwiatkowski did flash serious ability in 2013, but he turned Top 10s into podiums and victories this year. For all-around talent, Kwiatkowski rivals Alejandro Valverde in versatility. Pais Vasco was an early expression of that versatility for the young Pole: he was 2nd to Alberto Contador on the General Classification thanks to his climbing legs and his stellar ITT, but he also won the Points Jersey after being in the Top 3 in five of the six stages of the race. After narrowly missing out on the Top 10 in last year’s Tour de France, Kwiatkowski’s ride from Leeds to Paris this season was a bit of a disappointment, but it may be that Kwiatkowski just isn’t a Grand Tour GC contender at this point in his career, and with the way he has performed in the shorter races, that may be okay with him given his ability to contest all manner of one-day and one-week events. Giant-Shimano’s Tom Dumoulin was another 1990-born all-round talent to take several steps forward this season. Dumoulin, like Kwiatkowsi, showed promise with several big rides in 2013, but he took his game to a new level in 2014, racking up a few time trial victories in big races (including the Eneco Tour) and taking third in the ITT World Champs, and also delivering several strong road race performances. Wins eluded him, but he came very close in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec, passed by Simon Gerrans just a few meters before the line. He also climbed well enough to hold onto 5th overall in the Tour de Suisse after getting into good position on GC early in that race with strong chrono rides. His time trial has been his biggest strength throughout his young career, but he made significant strides on the hills and at the finish line this season, and looks primed for big things on all sorts of profiles in 2015. Alexander Kristoff has enjoyed a textbook progression over the last few years, steadily earning more and more success as he has carved out a niche on the road; in last season’s post-year impressions piece, I said that he had “established himself as a serious contender for hardman sprinter’s races going forward.” He delivered on that promise this season, winning a Monument Classic and two Tour de France stages and picking up plenty of other big results on the way. John Degenkolb, another hardman sprinter (who should challenge Kristoff on the tougher profiles for years to come), took a major leap forward this season as well. The German announced himself with five Vuelta stage wins in 2012 and had a strong 2013, but his victory in Gent-Wevelgem this spring, along with a runner-up ride at Paris-Roubaix, another collection of stage wins at the Vuelta, and several other major successes cemented his position as an elite rider on the tougher sprinters’ days. The emergence of Kristoff and Degenkolb will be a major challenge for Peter Sagan to overcome in the sprinter-friendly classics moving forward. Stepping away from WorldTour teams, the Europe Tour provided a down-to-the-wire battle for overall supremacy between two of the year’s biggest arrivals: Topsport Vlaanderen’s Tom van Asbroeck and Bardiani – CSF’s Sonny Colbrelli. Both riders put in impressive performances at major WorldTour events early in the season (van Asbroeck in Gent-Wevelgem and Colbrelli in Milano-Sanremo), and top result after top result in the bigger Europe Tour races on the year. WorldTour-level action was limited for both of them, but the talent (and top-end speed) is there: Van Asbroeck has a bright future in the classics, especially those where fast finishes are likely, while Colbrelli looks well-suited for bumpier sprinter-friendly days. Van Asbroeck should have plenty of opportunities to go up against prime competition next year, having signed a two-year contract with Belkin, who will appreciate his addition to their classics squad with the departure of Lars Boom. Colbrelli will stay with Bardiani – CSF, but he should continue to have chances to shine in MSR and the Giro, among other races. 23-year-old Tim Wellens has been with Lotto Belisol since 2012, but something clicked for him this season. The Giro offered the first hints of an impressive puncheur’s engine lurking under the hood; Wellens was active in long-range moves in Italy and came close to victory on multiple occasions, though a pair of 2nd places was all he had to show for his efforts. However, he didn’t have to wait too long to make good on that promise. Sitting 16th overall and 49 seconds down on GC, Tim Wellens struck out for glory from afar on Stage 6 of the Eneco Tour and held on for a decisive stage win and, ultimately, the time gap necessary to secure overall victory. He again put those punchy legs on display with a Top 10 in Plouay, and a 4th place finish in Il Lombardia among very impressive company. Lotto Belisol will be able to mount a potent two-pronged attack with Wellens and Jelle Vanendert in next year’s Ardennes and other hilly classics. Orica-GreenEdge was able to enjoy the highly visible arrivals of multiple squad members. The Australian outfit knew that they were getting a wealth of talent when they signed the Yates twins, and both showed ability this season, with Adam Yates in particular having a breakout year. The 22-year-old took a stage and the overall victory in the Tour of Turkey and kept the foot on the gas for his next several starts, landing 5th in the Tour of California and 6th in a hotly contested Criterium du Dauphine (ahead of Tour winner Vincenzo Nibali). He won Italy’s GP Industria & Artigianato and was in prime position in a leading group of five in the final kilometers of the Clasica de San Sebastian before a crash took him out of contention. With explosive climbing legs and a willingness to take chances, Yates had plenty of success in 2014 and looks ready for more in 2015. OGE saw yet another major breakout season with Johan Esteban Chaves, a pure climbing talent with an affinity for the tough mountains. Chaves had a promising 2012 but his 2013 was derailed by an early-season crash that left him with a number of serious injuries (including a fractured collarbone and cheekbone). He got back on track in style this year, climbing to stage wins in the Tour of California and 3rd overall in the Tour of Beijing. He likely still needs to get some mileage as a WorldTour pro before he can put in a challenge in the Grand Tours, but he’s ready to contend in the one-week races right now. Suddenly Orica-GreenEdge has multiple options in the mountains. French cycling enjoyed a renaissance year, and Romain Bardet‘s emergence as a top-level threat was a big part of that. After a strong 2013, his progression wasn’t necessarily unexpected, but a nation of cycling fans was pleased to see him deliver on his early promise. His impressive climbing legs took him to 6th overall in the Tour (he was a flat tire in the final ITT away from 5th), and he also displayed a surprising knack for one-day success, landing in the Top 10 in Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the GP Montreal. He has a surprising kick and should make waves in the shorter climber-friendly races as he continues to develop for the Grand Tours. Cannondale may be going through a merger/takeover, but the final year of the team as we know it saw a few impressive stage racing performances from rising stars. Neo-pro Davide Formolo, just 22, climbed to 4th in the Tour of Turkey and then a month later, against several top GC-style riders nearing their Tour de France peak form, he finished 7th overall in the Tour de Suisse. He strung together a nice collection of results in smaller one-day races as well. He should continue to develop with the new Garmin-Cannondale squad. Meanwhile, another Italian talent wearing Cannondale green took major strides forward in the Vuelta. Damiano Caruso had never been in the Top 10 in the General Classification of a WorldTour race until this season, but he picked up his first WT Top 10 in style at the Vuelta a España, where he consistently hung with the best climbers in the bunch most of the way up that race’s toughest mountains. BMC, running a bit low on GC guys as Cadel Evans retires and Samuel Sanchez nears the end of his career, will be glad to have the infusion of talent as he joins them for 2015. Speaking of BMC, Silvan Dillier put together a nice season, picking up results in a wide variety of races and contributing to his squad’s World Championship TTT ride as well. He thrives during hard days in the saddle and has a fast finish to boot. The same could be said (and more emphatically) of the skillset of Garmin-Sharp’s Ramunas Navardauskas. He picked up an impressive win with a late attack in the Tour de France, and he was 3rd in Quebec and 4th in Montreal. He’s always been an aggressive rider with a knack for getting clear on the harder profiles, but an improved finishing kick allowed him to contest a number of sprint finishes this year. He’s now won two Grand Tour stages, and at age 26, he’s just hitting his prime. Michael Valgren of Tinkoff-Saxo gets the final mention. The 22-year-old has been a high-profile prospect for some time after delivering several big results in U23 and national events, but this season he sailed to a convincing victory in the Post Danmark Rundt and put in several other strong rides in big races. He was a visible figure at the Worlds Road Race, taking several shots from afar. He has a wide array of talents and a lot of raw power in the tank, and at just 22, he should be on track to land plenty more big results in 2015. This is, of course, not an exhaustive list, but hopefully it makes for a useful catalog of the year’s biggest arrivals and most improved up-and-comers. For many of them, breakout success will lead to more focused scrutiny in 2015, which should offer plenty of interesting storylines for the upcoming season as these young rising talents try to cope with pressure to perform. To face that challenge, they will hope to get in as much recovery this offseason as possible, but January and the start of the WorldTour in Australia get closer every day. -Dane Cash Photos by Alberto Brevers and moz278.WA wave energy project turned on to power naval base at Garden Island Updated The world's first wave-energy farm connected to the electricity grid has been switched on in Western Australia. The project by Perth-based Carnegie Wave Energy will provide renewable electricity for Australia's largest naval base, HMAS Stirling, on Garden Island. The same system is also used to run a small desalination plant, which will be used to supply up to one-third of the base's fresh water needs. Carnegie has placed buoys beneath the ocean surface off Garden Island and when waves move the buoys, it creates hydraulic pressure that is delivered to a plant onshore to be converted to power for the base. The project cost about $100 million and has two operating units, with a third to be added, for what will be a three-megawatt project. Carnegie CEO Michael Ottaviano said the units provided enough energy to power the equivalent of between 1,500 to 2,000 households. "It's the only operating wave power station in the world," he said. "We're really excited to be putting power into the grid to supply HMAS Stirling on Garden Island. "It's a culmination of about 10 years work, about $100 million in funding, most of it from shareholders, and also with the support of the Federal Government and the State Government of Western Australia, and the Department of Defence." Challenge is about'scale and cost' Mr Ottaviano said it was not easy to secure financing. "It's never a linear path to get to a point like this when you're developing a new technology," he said. "Eight, nine years ago we were an idea in need of about $100 million and some serious innovation, and that's really what we've been able to deliver. "Through the ups and downs - we've had the global financial crisis in the midst, we've had renewable energy supported, not supported, and in amongst all that, the team has been able to deliver a world first." The CEO said wave energy provided a very reliable source of energy 24/7. "The challenge from here on is really about scale and cost. We need to make the technology bigger, we need to make our projects bigger because that's what allows you to get your costs down," Mr Ottaviano said. "If you built a one-megawatt coal-fired power station, it would be the most expensive... in the world. "Likewise with wave energy - we need to be building 20 megawatts, 50 megawatts, 100, 200 megawatt power stations and we would be cost-competitive. "We've specifically designed the technology to be scalable and one of the main aims of this project was to show you could plug multiple wave units together and have them operating in sync. "So, if you can do it with two or three, and it's actually harder to do it with two or three than it is with 100 because the variability is quite high - if you've got 100 units, it's much to easier to control and the footprint's very small." He said the WA site was chosen specifically. "Our wave resource in Western Australia is the best in the world, and theoretically the resource that hits our coastline every day could power the state 10 times over," Mr Ottaviano said. "Across the country, it's the best in the world as well, and the resource there could power the country twice over, so the opportunity is huge and Australia should be a world leader in this particular technology because we've got the best resource." WA's Energy Minister Mike Nahan said the plant could operate in a variety of conditions. "This technology... can operate in a variety of water depths, swell directions and seafloor conditions and can generate power for both onshore and offshore consumption," he said. The WA Government had contributed $9.96 million from its low-emissions energy development fund towards the development of the technology and the project. Topics: alternative-energy, tidal-energy, electricity-energy-and-utilities, garden-island-6168 First postedTwo years ago, journalist Anand Giridharadas took the stage at the TED Conference and told the attendant techno-solutionists that they were, in fact, part of the problem. Literally, that’s what he said. Here, I’ll quote him directly: "If you live near a Whole Foods, if no one in your family serves in the military, if you're paid by the year, not the hour, if most people you know finished college, if no one you know uses meth, if you married once and remain married, if you're not one of 65 million Americans with a criminal record – if any or all of these things describe you, then accept the possibility that actually, you may not know what's going on and you may be part of the problem." Seen from today, as Donald Trump is sworn in as
in wide areas are also important, and as mentioned earlier, in interpretations with box to box central midfield players, the ability to break from deep and make runs in behind the opposition back line. We would love to hear your views and experiences, both good and bad, of utilising a three at the back formation in the comments below.Image copyright ognianm Have you vowed never to go back to a company because of their unsatisfactory customer service? Ryanair has come under pressure from customers after cancelling flights, and train operators, supermarkets and telecom companies have all faced the prospect of losing people's custom. But when United Airlines was heavily criticised for its treatment of a passenger on one of its flights in April, figures showed the company's profits were unaffected by the incident despite social media users calling for a boycott. James Doman-Pipe in London says he will not use South West Trains after a delayed journey. "In January, I booked a train from Weymouth to London to visit family," he says. "Three weeks before the journey we saw a tweet about engineering works. This meant the journey would now take an hour longer. "I phoned to complain and at first they made it seem like it was my fault for not checking. They would only offer a refund and no alternative journey, which meant being stuck in Weymouth. "We ended up taking the refund and hiring a car - we've not used them since." In a statement First-MTR who last month took over services for South West trains said: "Stagecoach was operating South West trains at the time of this passenger's journey, so we are unable to comment on the details, however it is sad that he felt unable to use the service again. We hope he will return and give our new service a chance in future." 'I pay more for flights but it's worth it' Image copyright LiudmylaSupynska It's not just train companies that are being avoided - airlines have also faced harsh criticism. Sally Hooker in London booked flights with low cost airline Wizz Air. But she says she will no longer use them. "I'm diabetic, and was charged to be able to take my insulin in a handbag, as well as taking my carry on. It was an insulin pen and a packet of glucose, which can't be put in an overhead locker in case I need it immediately," she explained. "The carrier has a system of charging which means that you can take a handbag that fits under your seat, or an overhead bag, but not both without paying more. "I have been chasing them for six months, and they have refused to refund me despite others on the flight not being charged for taking extra hand luggage on board. "I've just booked flights to Lithuania, and it was about £40 more with another airline, but worth it." Wizz Air said: "Only one piece of cabin baggage is allowed on board as part of our standard baggage policy which must comply with our size regulations. Any additional or larger cabin baggage and all checked-in baggage are subject to fees." Image copyright anyaberkut Irene in Ghana says she will not fly with British Airways even though their flights are the most convenient for her. She did not make an official complaint to BA at the time. "They're the only airline with a direct flight to Accra, Ghana at the moment and due to this monopoly I think they have seen this as a way to give atrocious customer service. "I'd rather suffer flight changes and longer waits at the airport but I won't use my own money to buy their ticket," she says. "That's the power of choice, it's my money and I'll exercise my choice as a consumer, even if it'll inconvenience me!" In response British Airways said: "On the rare occasions when our service falls below expectations, we will always do our best to resolve the situation as quickly and smoothly as we can. "We would encourage this customer to make contact with our customer relations team to look into her concerns." 'The checkout operator called me darling' Image copyright Image Source Beth Bellamy decided to stop shopping at Tesco because of how she was addressed by a checkout operator. "I was fed up with being called sweetheart, darling and babe by checkout operators at my local Tesco," she explains. "So I told the young checkout lady that I would rather she didn't call me that as it was patronising, and that I found it offensive. She replied that if I didn't like it I was free to use a different checkout operator. "The checkout operator I chose was one at a completely different and cheaper supermarket." In a statement Tesco said: "We always do our best to offer customers the best possible service and it's never our intention to cause any offence. "If this customer would like to discuss how we handled this situation, we'd ask them to get in touch so we can look into what happened." The missing ironing board Image copyright Clerkenwell Philomena Robson cancelled her 10-year Argos account and has not used the company for the past three years. "I ordered an ironing board and was promised delivery later that day, but nothing arrived. Despite being really cross, I waited in again the next evening but again nothing turned up. "When I told the person on the phone that with osteoarthritis I had depended on them and I was cancelling my account, they responded that I could do whatever I wanted. "I won't let anyone buy me anything from there and I won't go near the place. So far, the family have boycotted it too." An Argos spokesperson said, "We work hard to give our customers the level of service they should expect from Argos. "We serve millions of customers every year and, inevitably, things will go wrong from time to time. What's important is we'll always do our best to put things right." By Rozina Sini, BBC's UGC and Social News teamOn a small Danish island of 114 square kilometers (44 square miles), sustainability and renewable energy seem almost common place. Yet, Samso cannot be called anything but unique. Seven years ago, it became the first island to use renewable energy for 100 percent of its electricity needs. Now, 16 years after first deciding to transition towards clean energy and sustainability, the traditional farming communities on Samso are moving towards organic farming and an entirely fossil fuel free future. In response to the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, the Danish Ministry of the Environment announced a competition for local communities or islands to submit plans for 100 percent self-sufficiency through renewable energy. Despite winning this competition, Samso’s future was not clear. The master plan still needed the support of Samso’s residents, most of whom were conservative farmers. For Soren Hermansen, architect of the island’s transformation and director of Samso’s Energy Academy, this meant using a grassroots approach to educate citizens about the benefits of a sustainable future. Through public meetings, featuring copious amounts of free beer, Hermansen garnered support for Samso’s master plan. As a result, 11 onshore wind turbines now generate 100 percent of the island’s electricity, while ten offshore wind turbines generate enough renewable energy to offset the carbon produced by the island’s transportation and agricultural sector. With wind turning on their lights, Samsings use solar thermal panels or biomass to generate heat for their dwellings. Samso’s bottom up approach to energy resulted in this success. The wind turbines, solar thermal panels, and biomass heating plants belong to farmers or the municipality. While critiques often cite the noise and aesthetic disruptions caused by wind turbines, Samsings see beauty in the turbines that produce electricity and income for the island. Hermansen explained,"if you own a share in a wind turbine it looks better, it sounds better. It sounds like money in the bank." Ten percent of residents own part of a turbine and its profits, while barley farmers generate additional revenue by selling their straw by-product to the district heating plants. Despite the global recognition received by Samso for their energy transformation, residents still express fear for the future. Most of the young people raised on Samso do not intend to remain on the island and have no interest in farming. According to Hermansen, "my son, who is 16 years old, thinks it is dead here and lives in Copenhagen; for the survival of the island we need more jobs and a better local economy." At the same time, the cost of land on Samso remains high, making it unappealing to young individuals who might consider moving to Samso. Get the Monitor Stories you care about delivered to your inbox. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy A focus on organics, however, might just provide the solution to this problem. Most farms continue to rely on pesticides, but a growing emphasis on organics could, if accompanied by financial aid, draw in young farmers. In 2012, organic farmers on Samso and visiting experts established Organic Samsoe to provide financial and educational resources to farmers and consumers. Organic Samsoe seeks to establish a foundation that can buy land to then lease to organic farmers of all generations. Yet, this forward thinking, wind-blown, organic-growing island is not done. Samso now hopes to achieve fossil fuel free status by 2030 by phasing out the oil, gas, and coal used in their transportation and agriculture sector. Already lauded as a shining example of the importance of renewable energy in creating self-sufficient communities and in helping transition farmers towards sustainable practices, achieving this new goal will only continue to help Samso become the healthy, farsighted community it envisions.Thirty-two million fewer people would have health coverage, health insurance premiums would double and the insurance market would destabilize over the next 10 years under legislation the Senate may take up next week, according to a report the Congressional Budget Office published Wednesday. Both the House-passed American Health Care Act and the Better Care Reconciliation Act sought to erect new health insurance systems and new, less generous forms of financial assistance as well as eliminate many of the Affordable Care Act’s regulations and consumer protections. The Obamacare Repeal Reconciliation Act, by contrast, would merely eliminate the Affordable Care Act’s tax credits for private insurance, funding for its Medicaid expansion, the individual mandate that most Americans obtain health coverage or face tax penalties, the mandate that large employers offer health benefits to workers, and the taxes on wealthy people and health care corporations. The result of those policies, the Congressional Budget Office projected in its report Wednesday, would be vastly more uninsured people and an unsustainable health insurance market. Taking away financial assistance for private insurance and funding for states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act would cause millions to lose coverage, including 17 million next year alone. But the damage to the health care system would go deeper. Absent the individual mandate ― which encourages low-cost healthy people to enroll in coverage ― and the tax credits for insurance policies sold on the exchanges, insurers would be forced to increase premiums to cover the expense of treating those customers who are sick enough that they are motivated to buy coverage. That’s largely because the bill would leave in place guarantees of coverage for people with pre-existing conditions as well as regulations that make coverage more generous. And that mix of policies would create a nightmarish scenario for insurers, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Kevin Lamarque / Reuters Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnnell and Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn and South Dakota Senator John Thune speak to reporters after U.S. President Donald Trump's meeting with Senate Republicans to discuss health care at the White House, July 19, 2017. The outcome, the Congressional Budget Office expects, is health insurance companies would exit the segment of the market for people who buy their insurance directly or through an exchange. About three-quarters of the country’s population would live in geographic areas with no health insurance providers by 2026, the report says. These consequences would be even more severe than those the Congressional Budget Office projected for the House-passed bill and McConnell’s legislation. Under the American Health Care Act, 23 million fewer people would have health coverage by 2026, and under the Better Care Reconciliation Act, 22 million fewer would be covered. At times, Trump and GOP congressional leaders have called for a two-step legislative process ― dubbed “repeal and delay” ― that would entail first passing legislation like the Obamacare Repeal Reconciliation Act that undoes major parts of the Affordable Care Act, and then subsequently enacting a “replacement” bill.Cosa Nostra's "boss of bosses," who was serving 26 life sentences as the convicted mastermind of dozens of murders of rivals for power on his Sicilian turf as well as prominent anti-Mafia heroes, died Friday in an Italian hospital prison ward. Salvatore "Toto" Riina's passing, a day after his 87th birthday, is likely to trigger a scramble for power among Mafia clans in Palermo, the traditional hub of the crime syndicate's leadership. Nicknamed "the beast" for his ferocity, Riina leaves behind a significantly weakened Cosa Nostra after his ferocious killing campaign eventually backfired, triggering a fierce government crackdown aided by a small army of turncoats who broke with the centuries-old Mafia "honor" code and started collaborating with authorities. Still, experts described the Sicilian Mafia as very much a vital criminal force, now focused on growing revenues gained through extortion and other traditional lucrative rackets. A farmer's son from Corleone, a medieval Sicilian hill town that was home to the murderous Corleonesi crime clan, Riina orchestrated a bloody strategy of eliminating Palermo-area rivals to climb to the top of the syndicate's leadership as "capo di capi" — boss of bosses. Nino Labruzzo / Associated Press Salvatore Riina, "boss of bosses," at police headquarters in Palermo, Italy, shortly after his 1993 arrest. Salvatore Riina, "boss of bosses," at police headquarters in Palermo, Italy, shortly after his 1993 arrest. (Nino Labruzzo / Associated Press) Even after his capture in 1993, a year after twin bombings snuffed out the lives of Italy's two leading anti-Mafia prosecutors, Riina continued to hold the scepter of power despite imprisonment under a special regime of isolation reserved for Mafiosi that allows little contact with relatives and other links to the outside world. "He was still considered the 'boss of bosses,' even in prison," top anti-Mafia prosecutor Franco Roberti told The Associated Press. Former Palermo anti-Mafia magistrate Alfonso Sabella agreed. "Up to 3:37 a.m." — the time of Riina's death — "he was still the 'capo' of Cosa Nostra," he told Sky TG24 TV. Helping Riina keep the respect of his henchmen was his steadfast refusal to repent or in any way cooperate with law enforcement, authorities said. "His death will lead to a power struggle at the top of the Cosa Nostra," Roberti said, even though the severe restrictions on outside contacts during his decades in a Milan prison cell ensured he no longer had any day-to-day operational influence. Much attention is focused on Italy's No. 1 longtime fugitive boss, Matteo Messina Denaro, as a possible successor, whose power base is the Trapani area of western Sicily. But a report by Italy's special multi-force anti-Mafia investigative agency DIA noted that the various Sicilian Mafia crime families would likely oppose having someone not from the Palermo hub command their clans. Agreeing with that assessment was Riina's former driver and bodyguard, Gaspare Mutolo, who became one of Italy's most prominent "pentiti," or turncoats in 1991, offering to give his intelligence to top anti-Mafia magistrate Giovanni Falcone, who along with fellow prosecutor Paolo Borsellino was killed in the 1992 bombings masterminded by Riina that also took the lives of their numerous bodyguards and Falcone's wife. "Usually, the Mafia chieftains are almost always in Palermo," Mutolo, who was freed several years ago after serving a lengthy prison term, told a gathering of the foreign press corps in Rome. Asked what qualities kept Riina at the helm of the Cosa Nostra for so many decades, Mutolo replied: "Riina didn't seem so intelligent but he was evil inside." Arriving in a ski mask that showed only his eyes and lips to disguise his identity, Mutolo noted that Riina was the first to break with the Mafia's code of conduct barring the killing of women or children. It was during Riina's reign, that, in a failed bid to stem the steady growth of turncoat ranks, the 15-year-old son of one of those collaborators was murdered, his body found dissolved in acid in 1996, two years after the boy was kidnapped. Convicted of killings that began in the 1950s, Riina carved out a particularly ruthless reputation in a crime syndicate notorious for its ruthlessness. Rival bosses were mowed down in the 1970s and early 1980s at a rate of practically one a day in the Sicilian capital as Riina orchestrated his rise to power. Captured in 1993 in Palermo, where he had been holed up in an apartment hideout, Riina was convicted in 1996 of conspiring in the murder of Borsellino and five bodyguards, followed a year later by his conviction in the deaths of Falcone, Falcone's wife and three bodyguards in a bomb blast along a highway near Palermo's airport. Riina didn't seem so intelligent but he was evil inside. — Gaspare Mutolo, driver for Salvatore "Toto" Riina Born in the central Sicilian town made famous by novelist Mario Puzo, who borrowed the town's name, Corleone, for the main character in his 1969 novel "The Godfather," Riina went into hiding that same year after being ordered by the state to leave Sicily after he had finished serving a five-year prison sentence for Mafia association. He married a local woman 14 years his junior, Antonina Bagarella, who was trained as a schoolteacher and was the sister of two alleged Cosa Nostra bosses. Riina was handed his first life sentence in 1987 after being tried in absentia on murder and drug trafficking charges. In the years since Riina's capture, Cosa Nostra has witnessed a degree of marginalization when compared to the Calabrian-based 'ndrangheta organized crime syndicate that, awash in cocaine trafficking revenue, has spread northward through Italy and across much of Europe. "But as always happens, these periods alternate and there are changes. We are now seeing an increase in activities on a financial level by Cosa Nostra subjects," Roberti added. "We are monitoring this." The DIA intelligence offered a similar assessment. "Cosa Nostra is shaping up as a still very viable organization, with a pragmatic approach to business, aimed at profitable investments of dirty money, the creation of laundering enterprises to guarantee solid footing even to their own heirs and to filling coffers that were significantly impoverished by the blows inflicted by the state" through confiscation of ill-gained property and other wealth, it said. Although noting "growing signs of impatience with the Corleonesi leadership," the agency said the death last year of another top Corleone-native boss, Bernardo Provenzano, failed to trigger any rustlings of rebellion among Mafia dons. Riina, who died hours after the Justice Ministry had agreed to allow family members at his bedside, had been in a medically induced coma following two surgeries in recent weeks in the prison wing of a hospital in Parma in northern Italy.22 Shares Pin Reddit 15 Being a vegan was once widely believed to be a “white thing”. But that sentiment is being challenged by the slow but steady spread of the health benefits the lifestyle offers in the black community. A recent article on the many NBA players who have gone vegan highlights the health benefits these top notch athletes have gained from leaving out all animal products from their diets. One of the platforms helping spread the movement is Blackvegansrock.com. When founder Aph Ko wrote “#BlackVegansRock: 100 Black Vegans to Check out” for Striving with Systems in 2015, she wasn’t expecting to be bombarded with emails from black all over the world asking to be added to the list. Wanting to create a bigger platform for this underserved group, Aph launched Blackvegansrock.com, a website that features and connects black vegans around the world. Part of the mission statement reads as follows: “We aim to bring the Black vegan community together by focusing on our diversity, rather than our differences. While we might all be vegan for different reasons, and while we might each be at different phases in our activist/vegan journey, we aim to highlight just how powerful we can be when we unify and celebrate our brilliance.” The blog section of the website features black vegans who have taken up the lifestyle for various different reasons, including physical wellness and advocating for animal rights. Some of the recent profiles include a basketball officiant, a politician, and a raw vegan chef. If you are a black vegan and have something to share with fellow vegans, you can contact Black Vegans Rock to get featured.An engaging and entertaining TED talk on mindfulness by the irrepressible Andy Puddicombe, a former buddhist monk and the voice of Headspace, an organisation dedicated to demystifying the experience of meditation and getting as many people in the world as possible to take 10 minutes out of their day for the specific purpose of ‘doing nothing’ Traditionalists and meditation aficionados may gnash their teeth, but personally I’m something of a fan and if the prospect of only having to meditate for 10 minutes gets people to explore their inner landscape a little bit then that’s got to be a good thing…..no? After all the practice of mindfulness is cumulative, so whether you sit for 10 or 40 mins a day it all adds up and in time, much like the water level in a bucket, the benefits of practice begin to spill over and seep into everyday life. That said and after a little reflection, I think I’d rather be filling my buckets with a hosepipe than with a teaspoon.Lit 101 Class in Three Lines or Less 1984 WINSTON: Don’t tell the Party, but sex is way better than totalitarianism. EVERYONE: Surprise! We’re the Party. WINSTON: Oh, rats. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe C.S. LEWIS: Finally, a utopia ruled by children and populated by talking animals. THE WITCH: Hi, I’m a sexually mature woman of power and confidence. C.S. LEWIS: Ah! Kill it, lion Jesus! Paradise Lost ADAM: Paradise has arbitrary dietary restrictions? DEVIL: They’re really more like guidelines. GOD: Incorrect. Moby-Dick ISHMAEL: I’m existential. AHAB: Really? Try vengeance. ISHMAEL: I dig this dynamic. Can we drag it out for 600 pages? The Great Gatsby NICK: I love being rich and white. GATSBY: Me, too, but I’d kill for the love of a woman. DAISY: We can work with that. Oliver Twist OLIVER: Poverty ain’t so bad, what with all the Cockney accents and charming musical interludes. ME: Thanks to movies, no books were read in the passing of this class. PROFESSOR WATERMAN: You’re half right.The Netflix documentary short tells a true crime story that’s definitely stranger than fiction. When Juan Catalan was arrested for the murder of a teenager in 2003—a crime he did not commit—he faced the possibility of the death penalty. Catalan’s attorney, Todd Melnik, needed proof to confirm his client’s alibi: he was at a Los Angeles Dodgers game with his daughter. As Melnik explains in the trailer for Long Shot: “I needed to place my client at Dodger Stadium on that night. Juan remembered they may have been filming something there that day.” SOMETIMES truth is more bizarre than scripted comedy could ever be. Seriously, have you ever seen something as out there as a TV show exonerating an accused murderer on any scripted program? That’s something that actually happened in real life, and Netflix’s upcoming documentary Long Shot has the details. Back in 2003, Juan Catalan spent the day at a Los Angeles Dodgers game with his daughter. When they got back home, the police were waiting to arrest Catalan for the murder of a 16-year-old girl. Catalan knew he was innocent (I reiterate, he’d been at Dodger Stadium with his kid), but fate kept conspiring against him. Not only was he charged with murder, he was going up against a prosecutor that had never lost and regularly angled for the death penalty. The defence’s only hope was to prove that Catalan was in the stadium, preferably with a video. Cue the Curb Your Enthusiasm theme. It turns out, that was the day that Larry David’s HBO comedy was filming at Dodger Stadium; as David explains in the trailer, “That episode was that I picked up a hooker in the carpool lane and took her to Dodger Stadium.” Could the defence find evidence placing Catalan at Dodger Stadium in that Curb footage? This doco follows the court case from its shocking beginning to its I-can’t-believe-this-is-real end. Long Shot arrives on Netflix on September 29 This article was originally published on The DeciderBy Gary Anderson February 8 - The island that has produced the curling stones for competition at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games is available to buy with an asking price of £1.5 million ($2.4 million/€1.8 million). Curling stones produced from the rock of Ailsa Craig are used in all major international competitions and will be used during Sochi 2014 also ©Getty Images Ailsa Craig is an uninhabited island which lies around 10 miles (16 kilometres) off the Scottish Coast in the Firth of Clyde and is owned by Scottish peer Archibald Angus Charles Kennedy, the 8th Marquess of Ailsa.The Marquess originally put the island up for sale in May 2011 reportedly due to the escalating costs of its upkeep with an asking price of £2.5 million ($4.08 million/€3 million).However, a lack of serious offers has led to £1 million ($1.6 million/€1.2 million) being knocked off the sale price.The island has a two mile (3.2km) circumference and rises more than 1,100 feet (300 metres) above sea level, and is home to one of the largest gannet colonies in the world, with about 36,000 breeding pairs.Ailsa Craig is also famous as the source of the majority of the world's curling stones which are hewn from common green granite, red hone granite and the special blue hone micro-granite used for the bottom running layer of quality curling stones.Specialist stone manufacturers, Kays of Scotland, have an exclusive lease to harvest granite from the island for the next nine years.The company extracted 2,500 tons in 2013, some of which was used to produce the Sochi 2014 stones."It's the only island to have won a gold medal in the Olympic Games," said Farhad Vladi, a spokesman for the property agent involved in the sale process."Anybody can purchase the island."Any interested party is free to make an offer but I know that the owner is very selective."Vladi added that any decision to issue permits to continue harvesting precious granite for the stones would be the prerogative of whoever buys the island.A spokesman for Kays of Scotland revealed that the company has enough granite from the island to fulfill orders for the next 12 years and suggested that the firm would be interested in taking up a renewal option with the new owner until 2050.Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]DALLAS (Reuters) - Three detention officers are facing termination for failing to render emergency aid in connection with the March death of an inmate at Arlington City Jail, police said on Tuesday. Police in Arlington, west of Dallas, recommended that its detention officers Pedro Medina, Wes Allen and Matt Fisher be fired over the death of Jonathan Paul, 42, who was found unresponsive in his cell on March 10, a day after his arrest. Paul died three days later at a local hospital. The police also recommended that Sergeant Frank Vacante, who was the jail supervisor during the incident, be suspended for five days without pay.The officers, who were not immediately available for comment, can appeal the recommended punishments to the police chief. Five other officers were cleared of wrongdoing during the internal investigation, according to police. Medina and officer Stephen Schmidt, who retired in October, were indicated last month on charges of criminally negligent homicide. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner ruled Paul’s cause of death as “in-custody death with application of physical restraints,” with “acute psychosis” as a significant contributing factor. Police said officers responded to a disturbance call in March and arrested Paul after they discovered he had outstanding warrants for traffic tickets. Surveillance footage released by Arlington police shows Paul pacing and howling inside his cell, before stuffing his pants down the toilet, flooding the area. Officers are seen rushing into the jail cell, dragging Paul outside as he makes choking sounds and weeps. The internal investigation found Medina used a high level of force on Paul by continuing to pin his legs to the ground even after he stopped resisting, according to a disciplinary report. Paul was transferred to another isolation cell, where he was later found unconscious. Allen and Fisher watched through the jail cell window as Paul lay face-down and motionless but did not enter, despite being part of the earlier struggle where they used pepper spray to subdue him, the report said. Paul’s family filed a wrongful death federal lawsuit in May against the city of Arlington and the police department. The incident comes as Texas lawmakers are looking into deaths in jails after a black woman was found hanged in a county jail north of Houston this year, renewing questions about racial bias in U.S. policing.Announced back in March at Mobile World Congress, the Alcatel Hero 2+ was to be the next powerful Cyanogen OS phone, following up on the OnePlus One after that partnership basically died. While Cyanogen OS has been announced for some budget phones, the Google-killers had yet to show off new mid-range or high-end hardware powered by their mostly-Google-anyway software at the time, and the Hero 2+ looked like it might add some legitimacy to the Cyanogen Inc. portfolio. Well, now it won't, because it's not being made. Here's the official statement from Alcatel: OFFICIAL STATEMENT RE: HERO 2+ FROM ALCATEL ONETOUCH AND CYANOGEN INC. ALCATEL ONETOUCH and Cyanogen, Inc. have made a mutual decision to forgo the release of the HERO 2+. At its announcement, the goal of bringing this device to market was to offer the most advanced hardware and software at an affordable price. The bar was set high and unfortunately the device does not have a clear Android 5.1 upgrade path. We therefore are committing to refocus our joint efforts on a next-generation product that can exceed the expectations of end users. Our teams remain dedicated to releasing an ALCATEL ONETOUCH device powered by Cyanogen OS, and are looking to share an update when we have more details to share. The reason provided is that the Hero 2+ had no clear Android 5.1 upgrade path. What does that mean, exactly? You'd have to ask Cyanogen or Alcatel, and predictably, they aren't discussing specifics (not that companies ever really do when it comes to canceled products). If you want some speculation, read on - I might have something for you. The Hero 2+ was going to be powered by a very odd chip, the MediaTek MT6592. While it's used in a variety of Chinese and other Asian smartphones in the budget segment, this "true octacore" product from MediaTek never saw much mainstream adoption, and most of the devices it has shipped on are still stuck on KitKat. As far as I could tell, a single phone with this chip has received Lollipop, and that seems to have been through back channels and community assistance. Most such phones lack custom development communities almost entirely because of MediaTek's terrible track record complying with GPL publication requirements, a complaint that is often echoed when discussing the OEMs using those chips. In fact, MediaTek is widely rumored to require manufacturers to pay for source code for their chipsets - meaning providing software upgrades may cost manufacturers yet more licensing money. No MediaTek MT6592 device, by the way, has received Android 5.1, and the vast majority never made it to Lollipop. Given this particular chip's middling popularity, it seems entirely possible MediaTek has simply abandoned it at Android 4.4 or with partial Android 5.0 support, so the Hero 2+ may have never had a chance in hell of getting Android 5.1 at all. So, while it's easy to blame Cyanogen or Alcatel for this fumble, in this particular scenario, I wouldn't be terribly surprised if a third party was at play. MediaTek has a reputation in the software development community for a reason - and that reputation has never been particularly good. Whether Alcatel and Cyanogen make a second go of it remains to be seen, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that, either.Regarding the Aug. 8 Metro article "Liquor regulators may help oversee medical marijuana in the District": The Fenty administration's plan to place the Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board, rather than the D.C. Health Department, in charge of the medical marijuana program is flawed and should be reconsidered. This proposal contravenes the design and intent of the law passed unanimously by the D.C. Council, and the 1998 initiative approved by 69 percent of District voters, which envisions a pharmacy model for dispensing medical marijuana to seriously and terminally ill patients. The Health Department is best suited to regulate and monitor dispensaries to ensure that qualified patients such as people living with HIV/AIDS or cancer have safe and affordable access to medical marijuana. It is also equipped to identify potentially harmful effects of medical marijuana in patients and provide referrals for substance abuse treatment if needed. The ABC Board, by contrast, regulates bars, nightclubs and liquor stores. It lacks the experience and institutional knowledge to address complex health issues and the needs of the District's patients. It is also a politically unwise choice to manage the program. When a new Congress takes office in January, medical marijuana will be a ripe target for social conservatives, and the District's law could be overturned. Having the ABC Board in charge bolsters the false accusation that D.C.'s medical marijuana effort is not about helping patients but is instead a "stalking horse" for the legalization of recreational marijuana. Wayne Turner, Washington The writer is a longtime AIDS activist and was the sponsor of the 1998 medical marijuana ballot initiative.Story highlights At least 15 women have accused President Donald Trump of inappropriate conduct Rep. Lois Frankel of Florida spearheaded a letter calling for an investigation (CNN) A group of Democratic congresswomen is calling Monday on the House Oversight Committee to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct against Donald Trump, adding to a growing drumbeat of voices drawing fresh attention to accusations leveled against the President by numerous women. In a letter to the panel's chairman, GOP Rep. Trey Gowdy, and the committee's top Democrat, Rep. Elijah Cummings, 59 female House lawmakers have signed on to a letter that said that "the American people deserve a full inquiry in to the truth of these allegations." "In the time of 'Me Too,' women across the country are coming forward with their own harrowing stories of sexual harassment and assault," says the letter, which was shared with CNN on Monday. "Members of Congress have also come under scrutiny and investigation, with some resigning, for improper sexual conduct. We cannot ignore the multitude of women who have come forward with accusations against Mr. Trump." Trump responded to the call for an investigation Tuesday morning, calling it "fake news." Read MoreCastel Valer, a historic fortress nestled in the foothills of the Dolomites mountain range in northern Italy, is going under the hammer Sept. 8. This is the first time the property will change hands in nearly 650 years. Built over half a millennium, from 1200 to 1700, the castle combines architecture from the Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque eras, according to Concierge Auctions, the luxury real estate auctioning house based in New York. Although it has undergone restorations to incorporate all modern facilities over the last 20 years, the castle still retains a cloister of pillars dating to the 16th century Council of Trent, in addition to an octagonal tower used as a World War I artillery base for German and Italian military. More: Why More Luxury Homes Are Being Sold at Auctions Count Spaur zu Flavon und Valer, whose family has owned the castle since the 14th century, did not disclose reasons for the sale. “The home holds a lot of history for both my family and my country. I especially love the details in the Gothic chapel and have a fondness for the Ulrich hall, which was named after my ancestor,” he said in a statement. “I hope the new owners of the home will enjoy the property as much as I have and further add to its fruitful timeline.” The castle sits on 18.5 acres of terraced gardens, orchards and forest overlooking the valley below. The 35,520 square feet of living space comprise more than 80 rooms, including 15 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms, five kitchens, a banquet hall, a library and two chapels. The Late Gothic-style Saint Valerio chapel, embellished by frescos from 15th century Italian masters Giovanni and Battista Baschenis, has been designated Europe's Best Renovated Chapel by Christie's and Europa Nostra. More: Texas Mansion With Three-Floor Closet Is Up For Auction Being sold fully furnished, the castle is fitted with bespoke antique furniture, glass chandeliers and Venetian mirrors. The auction is being held without reserve, which means there is no minimum bidding price and the highest bidder will become the new owner. Concierge Auctions has begun previews of the property. Interested bidders typically are required to wire a deposit between $100,000 and $500,000 in addition to a reference from banks or other financial institutions to prove their wherewithal. The money is refunded if they don’t have the winning bid. The property was previously valued at €35 million (or $38.8 million), according to Concierge Auctions. The castle’s location affords immediate access to beautiful lakes, quaint villages and a world-famous ski resort. Also within easy reach are
event. Entries officially close at 5:00pm Today (Friday 15 December). 31 GT3 cars will battle for the outright and BRM Chronographes Pro/Am class victories in class A with Australia’s top GT outfits to be joined by some of the world’s best. Meanwhile, 13 GT4 cars showcase the massive growth of the category in the last twelve months. “We are very pleased with the entry list and the depth of competition in every class,” Event Director John Casey said. “The spread between outright and BRM Chronographes Pro/Am contenders in class A is pleasing and will see fantastic competition for both trophies within the GT3 class. “Meanwhile the growth in the GT4 class mirrors the evolution of the category on a global stage. That class will be a serious highlight next February with each brand having several potential winners. “Entries remain open for a day and we are expecting a few high-profile additions to the current list before the final grid is settled. “Fans looking to attend should book their tickets now to make sure they don’t miss what will be a remarkable field tackling the Mountain next February.” Audi are well represented with 10 examples of the Audi R8 with the local and New Zealand entries bolstered by the addition of high profile international outfit, WRT. The Belgium-based team has been one of the most successful teams in GT3 racing, winning the Blancpain Endurance Series Pro Cup in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015, and the Sprint Cup team’s title every year since its inception in 2013. The team will run two high profile entries with driving combinations to be announced in due course. Bentley Motorsport will return to give the current Bentley Continental GT3 its final fling before the new 2018 model is launched later in the year. The British brand has been on the podium the last two years and will aim to farewell the original Continental with a Bathurst victory next February. Three BMW M6 GT3s will compete – including a two-car outfit from BMW team SRM and a single-car entry from the iconic BMW team Schnitzer from Germany. New Zealand team Trass Family Motorsport will represent Ferrari with their 458 GT3, while three Lamborghini’s will tackle the mountain – including two Gallardo’s and a Huracan GT3 for Trofeo Motorsport. McLaren will look to return to the top of the podium following their 2016 success with three entries, while Mercedes AMG will be stronger again with no less than six of the thundering AMG GT3s represented. Newcomers Strakka Racing will make their first trip to Bathurst to kick off their Intercontinental GT Challenge campaign with two cars, while Scott Taylor Motorsport and Mark Griffith will enter their locally-based entries. Porsche has a host of international representation, including Manthey Racing from Germany and the US-based entries from Black Swan and Competition Motorsport. While several key driver combinations are yet to be confirmed, those announced already include Supercars stars Tim Slade and Lee Holdsworth and international talent like Timo Glock and Jeroen Bleekemolen. Five Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Cars will battle it out for Class B honours, while class C – for GT4 cars – has seen enormous growth this year. 13 cars make it the biggest ever representation of GT4 cars in the Southern Hemisphere with the field evenly spread across the key brands competing in the class. Four of the brand-new BMW M4 GT4s are entered – including one from the USA – while the same number of Ginetta’s will contest the race representing the local arm of the brand. Two KTM X-Bows and three Porsche Cayman GT4s round out what is a highly anticipated class battle. The Invitational class is now 11-strong and includes three of the new MARC II racers alongside six of the existing cars, plus the two Daytona Sportscars entries. Following withdrawals, both pre-event and during practice and qualifying, 52 cars started the 2017 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.WASHINGTON – With the goal of making voting easier and more accessible to all Americans, three Oregon lawmakers introduced a bill to expand Oregon’s vote-by-mail system nationwide. U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and Representative Earl Blumenauer, introduced the Vote By Mail Act, along with Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island. The bill requires all states to give registered voters the opportunity to vote by mail. Voters would receive ballots in the mail several weeks before elections. “Too many states are making working Americans, people of color, young people and those with disabilities go to absurd lengths just to exercise their constitutional right to vote,” Wyden said in a news release. The Vote By Mail Act also expands on Oregon’s automatic voter registration program. It requires states to ensure that anyone who gives identifying information to their state’s department of motor vehicles is automatically registered to vote. “Instead of making it harder to vote, as far too many states across the country have done, we should make it easier – just like in Oregon,” said Merkley. “Automatic registration combined with vote-by-mail eliminates the absurd obstacle courses that face would-be voters in too many states.” The Unites States Postal Service would help states with the costs of mailing ballots to voters. Wyden has long been an advocate of voting by mail. In 2000, Oregon became the nation's first state to adopt a vote-by-mail system for all elections. “Government can never truly represent the American people if citizens don’t have the opportunity to have their voices heard at the ballot box,” Wyden said. The American Association of People with Disabilities, American Civil Liberties Union, Common Cause and National Association of Letter Carriers all announced their support for the Vote By Mail Act.WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Energy Department on Wednesday said it plans to provide up to $84 million in funding for geothermal energy projects. The department said it plans to award as much as $35 million for 20 or 30 research proposals addressing development of advanced geothermal technology. In addition, up to $49 million will be provided for five to 10 domestic projects demonstrating enhanced geothermal systems that generate at least 5 megawatts of electricity a year. “President Obama has laid out an ambitious agenda to put millions of people to work by investing in clean energy technology like geothermal energy,” Energy Secretary Steven Chu said in a statement. “The administration is committed to funding important research like this to transform the way we use and produce energy and reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil,” he added. Obama has pledged that the United States will get 10 percent of its electricity from renewable sources such as geothermal energy by 2012 and 25 percent by 2025. Geothermal energy, from heat sources deep in the earth, can produce electricity with few carbon emissions, or can be used directly to heat buildings, greenhouses or other facilities. The United States is the world leader in geothermal electricity generation. Some 29 geothermal power plants operate on federals lands, with total generating capacity of 1,250 megawatts, enough to power 1.2 million homes. More information on applying for the department’s funding for geothermal projects is available at www.grants.gov.It has been more than 3 months since I got my mac book pro and still not very comfortable in taking screen shots. Every time I tend to get confuse with the key combination on Mac OS X. Accomplishing the same on MS Windows is way too simple with the click of a simple ‘Print Scrn’ for whole screen while ‘Alt’ key with ‘Print Scrn’ was for capturing the current window. This is one area where Apple can really improve the usability. May be providing a simple function key similar to ‘Print Scrn’ would help to a great extent. For the benefit of all those who have been struggling with taking screen shots on Mac OS, here is a comprehensive set of available options that you can use for taking screen shots. Built-in Mac OS X Screenshot Commands Key Combination Result Command+Shift+3 Capture entire screen and save as a file Command+Control+Shift+3 Capture entire screen and copy to the clipboard Command+Shift+4 Capture dragged area and save as a file Command+Control+Shift+4 Capture dragged area and copy to the clipboard Command+Shift+4 then Space bar Capture a window, menu, desktop icon, or the menu bar and save as a file Command+Control+Shift+4 then Space bar Capture a window, menu, desktop icon, or the menu bar and copy to the clipboard If there are any such tips and tricks for Mac OS, feel free to share :)I am a proud feminist, as well as a man. Don’t worry. I don’t expect a parade to be thrown in my honor for that statement. But today, it seems like two distinct camps are forming among my fellow men: those who are proud feminists and those who are fiercely anti-feminist. This rift concerns me. Part of me feels like this rift has formed because there is confusion about the many facets of feminism. And maybe this confusion is understandable. The most visible branch of feminism deals with the empowerment and independence of women. This branch focuses on the idea that there are underlying social factors that cause women to be underrepresented in positions of power, the workforce, or in other areas usually dominated by men. It is the branch of feminism pushing forward the truth that women, like men, can be CEOs, construction workers, engineers or doctors. If this were the only branch of feminism, then I could possibly understand how men would be less inclined to call themselves “feminists,” at least in any capacity outside a supporting role. I could even maybe understand the rationale behind the fears of some men that feminism is an attempt to strip away their power. If feminism’s overarching goal is to put more women in positions of power, or even on equal footing with men, then obviously man’s position will weaken. Right? That’s the conclusion reached by some men today. But this erases key components of feminism. Feminism is not “anti-male,” as much as anti-feminists attempt to paint it as such. At its root, feminism is a critique of traditional gender dynamics, but especially so a critique of misogyny. Despite the usual rhetoric on the topic, the definition of misogyny should not be confined to simply a hatred of women or an ingrained prejudice towards women. That definition might be clean and easier to comprehend for some, but it’s deeper than that. Misogyny aims to deride and demean “femininity” and “femaleness,” painting it as weak and less powerful in the face of masculinity. Women are undeniably the main victims of misogyny; it is designed to make life harder for them. But men, the very group that misogyny seems to benefit, are inevitably ensnared in the teeth of misogyny along with everyone else. It impacts the social forces that shape the type of men we become. We have been conditioned to view the expression of emotions as a feminine expression. We can rarely show emotion or cry or feel despondent without being mocked or scolded. When a man shows weakness, he is told to “grow a pair” or “man up,” as if these are cures to depression or unemployment or heartbreak. Men who play traditional sports like football or baseball fulfill the manly ideal: strength, aggressiveness, competitiveness. Sex and dating are viewed as competitions. Every sexual encounter is a “conquest.” No need to explore the deeper emotional connection. It only matters that you got laid. Men who openly express acts of love or romance often see their manhood attacked. “Pansy” was a common refrain when I was younger. At times, it was another p-word. Misogyny affects our behavior just as much as it affects our thought processes. Society has conditioned us to believe that men will never truly understand women. Why bother having a meaningful conversation with your girlfriend when you can just as easily write her off as “crazy” to your guy friends? Even our conversations with our guy friends are restrained. Why talk about our mental health or insecurities or our fears when we can just talk about football or some other “manly” sport? We can’t be sympathetic. We can’t ask for help. Hell, we can’t order a fruity cocktail without it immediately being labeled as “girly.” Because of misogyny, we are forced to constantly guard our “manliness.” Any encroachment of femininity is ridiculed by both men and women alike. It is like we are living with only half of our personality. No man is perfectly masculine. Some part of us, no matter how small or large, is feminine. As such, misogyny confines us to a cage, alongside women. Maybe a different cage, but a cage nonetheless. My intention is not to lessen the impact that misogyny has on women or make feminism solely about men. That would be unfair and misguided. Rather, I want to present a case to my fellow men that feminism is vital for us as well. Misogyny is a way to manipulate, marginalize and control men and women alike. By not taking up the banner of feminism, we are not only failing women, but failing ourselves as well. We are ensuring that we must live in constant fear of any expression of femininity. Men need feminism because we need to recognize this dynamic and fight to break misogyny’s hold on all of us. As long as women are not free from misogyny, men will never be either. Nathan Campbell is a junior majoring in environmental engineering. His column runs biweekly.Another in the occasional series on contemporary accounts of events in the history of London. Early Anglo-Saxon London, or Lundenwic, which was situated immediately without the walls of the old Roman city of Londinium, and to the west, between Aldwych and Westminster, became subject to increasingly frequent and savage raids by the Vikings by the ninth century. According to the “Anglo-Saxon Chronicle”, in 839, “… there was great slaughter in London … ”, and in 851, “ … came three hundred and fifty ships came into the mouth of the Thames; the crew of which went upon land, and stormed … London … ”. Then, in or around 867, the city was actually captured and occupied by the Norsemen under Halfdere, who installed a garrison there (and a mint). Its strategic significance was such that it was vital for the Anglo-Saxons to recapture it as soon as possible, to regain control of the Thames and its crossing points. This they finally did under Alfred the Great in 886, when the Vikings were forced to withdraw to the east of the River Lea. Again according to the “Anglo-Saxon Chronicle”: “In the same year, Alfred, King of the Anglo-Saxons … honourably rebuilt the city of London, and made it again habitable”. He rebuilt the city within the walls of the old Roman City of Londinium, renovating not only the walls but also the waterfront, and incidentally also setting out the street plan that still in essence survives to this day, centred on Cheapside and Eastcheap; and he renamed it Lundenburg. He then gave his custody of the City, and command of its militia or burgwara, to his son-in-law Ethelred, Earl of Mercia “ … to which … all the Angles and Saxons … voluntarily turned and submitted themselves … ”. The raids continued, though. In 994, “ … [the Norwegian] Olaf [Haraldsson] and [the Danish King] Swein [Sweyn Forkbeard] came into London on the Nativity of St Mary with 94 ships, and they proceeded to attack the city stoutly and wished also to set it on fire; but there they suffered more harm and injury than they ever thought any citizens would do to them. But the holy Mother of God showed her mercy to the citizens on that day and saved them from their enemies”. And in 1009, “ … they … took up winter quarters on the Thames, and lived off … the shires which were nearest, on both sides …, and … attacked the borough of London”. Then, in 1013, the city fell again to the Vikings, albeit again only temporarily, being retaken the following year by the English King Ethelred II, “the Unready”, in alliance with Olaf, who had previously sided with Sweyn (when, according to the “Olaf Sagas”, Olaf destroyed London Bridge and the Viking army assembled on it by pulling it down with ropes tied to his long-boats). Incidentally, Olaf went on to become King Olaf II of Norway in 1015, and Saint Olaf or Olav(e), to whom a number of London churches were to be dedicated, after he was martyred at the Battle of Stiklestad in 1030. Finally, in 1016, the Viking Cnut, son of Sweyn Forkbeard, son of Harald Bluetooth, decisively defeated in battle Edmund II, “Ironside”, to become King of England as well as Denmark. Cnut was in turn succeeded by his sons Harold I, “Harefoot”, in 1035, and Hardicanute, in 1040. The Anglo-Saxon Edward “the Confessor”, the son of Ethelred II, “The Unready”, became King when the Viking Hardicanute died, leaving no heir, in 1043; and the ill-fated Harold II, in 1066.For Media: [email protected] Section 1 - Project Recap The phrase “cold-case” has no set definition, but rather is defined by respective police departments and is usually based on the assignment of resources from a police dep artment ( Smythe, 2009). We define a homicide case as cold if after 72 hour s of report the case does not have a suspect identified. The bulk of cold-case homicides are not solved because a new piece of tangible evidence becomes available, like finding the murder weapon or a n ew latent fingerprint, but rather because someone comes forward with new information tying someone to the murder (Canter & Youngs, 2009). The Profiling Project (PP) became involved with the Seth Rich homicide after reading the Washingtonian story “DC Lobbyist Will Hire Actors to Reenact Seth Rich’s Murder” 3 which ran March 2, 2017. The Profiling Project offered t o provide a volunteer and autonomous team of professionals and graduate students to review the case, offer insight, and with an u ltimate goal of providing the Washington, D.C. Police Department (MPD) with one, new, actionable piece of information. On May 8, 2017 PP accomplished its’ goal by locating an additional security camera at the Flagler Market which was observed on May 4, 2017 to have a clear view of the intersection of W St. NW and Flagler Place NW. Our Process After communicating our intent with MPD and ensuring no conflicts, PP established our governing principles, which were deemed our “Six’C’s” (Appendix A). With these principles, we endeavored to learn all we could about Seth and the events around his homicide through publicly available information. The goal of PP was to create as str ong a profile of Seth Rich as possible. That profile would then be compared to the various profil es of the t heories surrounding Seth’s death. PP understood that the bulk of our information would be second and third-hand accounts, reporting’s and statements. To assess validity of such information, PP established a weig hted tool (Appendix B) to give value to the credibility, reliability and validity of the statements and information reviewed. We conducted statement validity assessments for any st atements or inf ormation we were presented (See Appendix C for example). PP was given no special access to any materials, evidence or persons and due to case sensitivity, conducted only informal, limi ted interviews. The bulk of our report is based on statistics, prior research and Logos. Data was retrieved from DC Police Crime Mapping interface 4 . The website allows the public to query historical and current data from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPDC) database for r eported crime statist ics. The team downloaded the data from all seven police districts, using the time parameters of 1/1/2012 - 4/6/17. All data were downloaded into Excel spreadsheets, merged into one file, and then exp orted into a statistical analysis software system, SPSS, for more thorough analyses. Data was organized by date of offense, type of offense, and police district. 3 https://www.washingtonian.c om/2017/03/02/dc-lobbyist-will-hire-actors-to-reenact-seth-richs-mu rder/ 4The 2014-15 National Hockey League season opens Oct. 8. Here are some of the players who will be settling into new teams: Ducks general manager Bob Murray again worked his magic by acquiring one of the more sought-after players in the off-season. The 29-year-old Kesler is known for his strong two-way play and probably will be a huge help to an Anaheim outfit that ranked 14th of 16 playoff teams in faceoff percentage. He’s battled injuries in recent years but had 73 points in the 2010-11 season. The six-foot-three, 220-pound centre got his wish to leave Ottawa and now many fans will be looking for him to make an impact with the Stars. Spezza, 31, was the Senators’ top-scoring forward last season with 23 goals and 66 points so he should bring plenty of skill to Dallas’ second scoring unit. Spezza will make $4 million US this season. The Blues turned to the former Avalanche forward after failing to make a trade for Jason Spezza. Stastny, 28, grew up in St. Louis and is the third Stastny to play for the Blues, following his father Peter and brother Yan. Paul Stastny, who collected 25 goals and 60 points in Colorado last season, is expected to centre a line with Alex Steen and David Backes. Stastny had 458 points in 538 games with the Avs. The Canucks filled a glaring weakness in goal by signing Miller for three years and $18 million. The 34-year-old joins his third NHL team after splitting the last season between Buffalo and St. Louis, where Miller and the Blues were eliminated by Chicago in Round 1 of the playoffs. Miller had a.897 save percentage in the playoffs but had a 2.64 GAA and.918 save percentage overall last season. At 37, the former longtime Calgary Flames captain finds himself with his third team in as many seasons. Iginla still possesses a great shot and finishing touch around the net that enabled him to lead Boston with 37 goals last season. The six-foot-one, 210-pounder is expected to be put on a line with the two youngest Colorado forwards, centre Nathan McKinnon and left-winger Gabriel Landeskog. Iginla has scored 30 or more goals 12 times. This might be one guy in the NHL who will flourish with a change of scenery after being traded by Edmonton to Tampa Bay and hours later to Arizona. Gagner, 24, has been dogged by trade rumours and criticism for much of his NHL career. While he has never matched his 49-point rookie season, Gagner might be a valuable player for the Coyotes in the faceoff dot and by showing his improved speed. He had 37 points in 67 games last season. A playoff disappointment for Montreal last spring when he found himself benched at times, Vanek joins Minnesota, where he lives and played for two seasons for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers. The 30-year-old left-winger is expected to play on the first or second line after recording 27 goals over 78 games with Buffalo, the New York Islanders and Canadiens last season. He will make $5.5 million this season. How happy is the ex-Philadelphia Flyers forward to be in Columbus? Well, Hartnell waived his no-movement clause to join the Blue Jackets in an off-season trade. He wants to win and feels Columbus, coming off only its second playoffs in franchise history, is moving in the right direction. The 32-year-old left-winger had 20 goals and 52 points last season, playing primarily on the Flyers’ top line. The one-time 40-goal scorer will attempt to reach that plateau with a Predators team that could use his offence after it tied for 18th in the NHL last season in goals per game at 2.61. Neal, who ranks third in the league in goals over the past three seasons with 88, dipped to 27 goals and 61 points in 59 games with Pittsburgh in 2013-14. The 27-year-old left-winger had 18 power-play goals in the 2011-12 season. Like Sam Gagner, discussed above, Hiller might thrive with a change of scenery. He first lost his job to rookie Frederik Andersen. Then, Hiller found himself below 20-year-old John Gibson on the depth chart in the playoffs. Still, the 32-year-old Hiller put together a strong season in Anaheim with 29 wins, 2.48 GAA and a.911 save percentage. He will battle Karri Ramo for the starting job in Calgary.A short, stout, hairy older man with an ample black mustache leans over a nude woman in what appears to be an exam room of sorts. The doctor’s coat he’s wearing would seem to further indicate that he’s a physician — so too would the brightly lit, sterile office conditions. He probes the woman’s genitals with a variety of implements that range from the conventional (e.g., a speculum) to the unorthodox (e.g., a glowstick). He maintains an easy conversation with her as he proceeds, eventually calling in a nurse for assistance. Not long afterward, the three of them start fucking on the exam table. The scene, “Yaniyorum Doktor Şahin” (loosely translated to “I’m Burning, Doctor Şahin”), is part of a long-running porn series called Istanbul Life. Many of the scenes star Şahin K, who in this particular installment plays the titular Doctor Şahin. He is, by all accounts, the Ron Jeremy of Turkey. That resemblance alone easily makes him the most famous male porn star there. Şahin’s presence notwithstanding, all of the dialogue in “Yaniyorum Doktor Şahin” is in German. And the scene itself, along with most of Istanbul Life, was probably filmed in Frankfurt, where the production company that funded it (Trimax) is located. Şahin, who has retired from porn, doesn’t even live in Turkey anymore; he’s relocated to Russia. Today, he visits the country that made him a star infrequently — most famously to star in a commercial by Hotspot Shield, a VPN service that allows users to securely access blocked websites. It’s a perfect pairing, since Turks currently can’t access any of Şahin’s work without a VPN—all porn sites are blocked inside the country. They’re not, however, illegal. In fact, Turkey remains just one of three Middle Eastern countries (or Middle Eastern adjacent countries) where porn isn’t banned outright. Lebanon and Israel are the others. Overall, Turkey is relatively progressive, given the social leanings of its neighbors. For instance: It legalized homosexual activity in 1858; it gave women full political rights, including the right to be elected for office, in the 1930s; and it’s allowed trans people to legally change their gender since 1988. In keeping with those liberal tendencies, modern Turkey embraced the “Porno Chic” era of American filmmaking in the 1970s, and American imports of films like Deep Throat and The Opening of Misty Beethoven were popular enough to inspire Turkish filmmakers to try their hands at explicit movies. “From the 1970s to the 1980s, porn was produced in Turkey,” says Bugda Savasir, a psychotherapist in Istanbul and one of the few people within the country willing to talk to me. (People in Turkey aren’t open about this sort of thing — particularly now that the political climate has grown more and more stifling.) “There were sex films — feature-length films and shorter films,” she continues. “Even some well-known actors were acting in them.” The first such film — Öyle bir Kadin Ki (translated as either She’s Such a Woman or A Woman Like That) — was Şahin’s breakout role in 1979. While a military coup in 1980 strictly outlawed sex on camera, by 1984, low-budget, underground productions had been revived. “We [also] used to have lots of printed magazines,” recalls Savasir. “At some point in the 1990s, you could go to a store and see all these magazines with tits and bottoms and everything in the stores. [Later], you could watch it online as well. But [at some point], it became diminished from our lives.” For one thing, production was never particularly robust in Turkey. Even at the height of its popularity — when Turks were watching porn in public theaters — it was never entirely acceptable to be involved in making such films. It wasn’t necessary, either. “In the presence of professionally done pornographic abundance, mostly American, semi-professional Turkish productions [had] no chance to compete economically,” says Veronika Tzankova, a researcher who has written about porn consumption among Turkish women. And, she continues, “The aesthetics of Turkish porn productions don’t seem to match the preferences of most consumers,” limiting its export options. Barbaros Şansal, a Turkish fashion designer and LGBTQ activist, agrees. “The pornography in the United States and in Europe are professional productions with lighting, nice bodies and attractive women and men,” he says. “In Turkey, you cannot get those. So when you see the Turkish pornography, it’s this ugly, terrible, fat man with an ugly, terrible, hairy woman, speaking Turkish!” (He is, of course, referring to Şahin.) Much of this has to do with the Islamic value systems that dominate the country — progressive as they might be compared to others in the region or other countries with a strong Islamic moral compass. “Islam isn’t just a religion, but a cultural system that structures the social realm and daily lives of anybody in the territory of Turkey,” explains Tzankova. “As such, the moral norms of Islam have always had influence over believers and secular Muslims. Sexuality is a domain highly regulated by religion, and consequently, by society in general. Because sexuality is so stigmatized, dealing with the practicalities of porn production is a challenge. Finding producers [and] actors willing to participate — especially women, because in a case of recognition they may even face physical violence by their families” — is difficult, to say the least. All of this has only intensified since 2002, when the Justice and Development Party (known by its Turkish abbreviation, AKP) took control of the country by way of a democratic election and ushered in a new era of religiously oriented authoritarianism that’s been condemned by human rights organizations. And while the AKP hasn’t concerned itself that much with pornography, smut is one of many freedoms that have deteriorated under the AKP’s watch. For instance, in 2006, four erotic television channels from the Turkish satellite TV provider, Digiturk, were blocked. The next year, the Internet Act of 2007, under the guise of protecting family values and minors, allowed the AKP to censor broad swaths of the Web. A decade later, tens of thousands of websites are now banned across the country. “The ban [on porn] began gradually, with the permanent or on-and-off blocking of many sites, not all of which [were] pornographic,” says Tzankova. “When widely used online platforms — such as Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, or sites advocating Darwin’s theory of evolution — get blocked on a regular basis and at a mass scale, people become desensitized to the incremental limiting of their freedoms.” Still, porn production and consumption are technically legal in Turkey. It’s just that making it or owning porn is difficult. Case in point: Distribution of “obscene materials” — an ill-defined term — can result in a prison sentence of anywhere from six months to three years. And in 2015, Turkey’s Constitutional Court deemed the production, dissemination and ownership of sexual entertainment that included “unnatural acts” a criminal offense, punishable with a fine of 100,000 liras (about $35,000) and one to four years in prison. The “unnatural acts” in question? Oral, anal and homosexual sex — or the backbones of most professional and amateur porn available in the world today. In other words, producers, performers, distributors and consumers of most pornography could end up in prison in a country where inmates are reportedly tortured, and where Barbaros Şansal says he was kept for 56 days in isolation without so much as access to daylight for criticizing the government in a video he put online. And so, any production company that had clung to existence in Turkey in the new millennium has fled for less restrictive climes, particularly Germany, where millions of Turks and their descendants have lived since the 1960s. It’s also the home base of the most popular female porn star in Turkey — Sibel Kekilli, who performed in two dozen or so German porn films in 2002 before going on to star in several seasons of Game of Thrones as Tyrion Lannister’s love interest. Kekilli is a German citizen, but her Turkish roots — her parents immigrated to Germany in the late 1970s — made her an “exotic” subject of interest in that country, and her subsequent fame has brought renewed interest in her porn career, despite the fact that it all seems to have been shot in Germany. Like everywhere else in the Middle East, people in Turkey watch her scenes via VPNs — a suitable workaround to the government’s attempts to block explicit tube sites like xVideos, Pornhub and xHamster. As an expat from Pakistan who now lives in Istanbul and prefers to be referred to as “Ali” tells me, “Every porn site is banned, but nothing is inaccessible.” A good proof point: In 2015, Google found that Turkey had the eighth most porn searches in the world — trailing only its Muslim brethren Pakistan, Egypt, Iran, Morocco and Saudi Arabia (in first, second, fourth, fifth, and seventh, respectively). People in the Middle East, religion and legality aside, are also making more of their own amateur porn than ever before. Within xVideos’ “Arab” category alone, there are more than 10,000 videos (7,000 of them are tagged as “Turkish”), which are overwhelmingly homemade — with the notable exception of Mia Khalifa’s American-made work. Those scenes very much lean into her Lebanese heritage, as evidenced by the hijab she wears in several of them—despite the fact that she was raised Catholic. Tzankova says that the rampant consumption and production of amateur pornography in countries that repress sexual expression make sense. “Introducing sexuality into the realm of public discourse becomes a form of alternative political expression, resistance and collective agency, which are otherwise hard to exercise in the political climate of Turkey,” she explains. Or as she told a French culture magazine this summer: “The more sexuality is regulated at the government level, the more attractive the transgression of the rules becomes.”It’s a hot topic on film blogs everywhere: 48 frames per second. Hollywood’s current standard of 24 frames per second dates back to the 1920s and 30s, when engineers were trying to figure out how to encode sound within celluloid film. In recent months, filmmakers such as Sir Peter Jackson, Mr. James Cameron, and Mr. Douglas Trumbull have been proponents for an increased frame rate of 48fps, which would eliminate strobing, flickering, and other artifacts present in most modern day films. Many argue that these artifacts are fundamental to the experience of cinema as we know it, and that their elimination would result in the disappearance of the undeniable magic found in film. However, an argument in either direction cannot be made without experiencing several films in both mediums. And as it stands right now, our sample sizes are a bit lopsided. Sir Jackson aim to remedy that situation, and has captured his latest film – The Hobbit – at 48fps. The response to that knowledge has been mixed, to say the least. Some like it, many hate it, half don’t even know what it means, and the only people to have actually seen any Hobbit footage at 48fps are those lucky enough to have attended a special screening at CinemaCon. I thought it time to assist in the matter, and give the average person a chance to see how the final product might look. So as a personal project, I converted The Hobbit’s teaser trailer into 48fps. While it doesn’t truly reproduce the effect you’ll see on the big screen in December, it helps to demonstrate how The Hobbit will be different from a normal 24fps film. “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.” Since there aren’t any online services currently available for streaming high frame rate footage, you will need to download the video clip in order to watch it. Due to the sheer quantity of data stored in each second of 48fps footage, many computers will struggle to play it smoothly. For this reason, I have provided three different download links to choose from: High Quality – for those with fast computers. Medium Quality – for those with average speed computers. Low Quality – for those with slower computers. DISCLAIMER: This video is an UNOFFICIAL presentation of the trailer in the 48fps format, and contains occasional visual distortions that are a result of the conversion process. This footage does NOT truly demonstrate how the final version of the film will appear; it merely helps to demonstrate how it will be different from a normal 24fps film. The High Quality video is presented as an FLV file, so you’ll need to get the popular VLC Player (free for both Mac & Windows) in order to watch it. Reducing the Strain What did you do upon hearing that The Hobbit would be presented in 48fps? I jumped for joy, as it would relieve a problem I’d dealt with for the last several years: eye strain. Anything with a flicker caused me to go cross-eyed: CRT monitors, fluorescent lights, even the strobing seen in a film. The thought of watching a movie without hurting my eyes was exciting to say the least. But what would it look like? I had experienced a higher frame rate on the small LCD screen of my Canon 7D, but I’d never shot anything serious in that format, nor had I seen any kind of professionally crafted footage at that speed. This curiosity intensified in December of 2011 when the first teaser trailer for the Hobbit
that seems to indicate Disney was cool getting a movie that wasn’t just like all the rest of the Star Wars saga chapters. He told Flicks in the City: “On ‘A New Hope,’ the good guys were really good and the bad guys were really bad. And so [‘Rogue One’] is really about a time where that black and white is more [morally] grey. Good guys are doing bad things, bad guys are doing good things. And it’s a little bit more about the nature of war and what it takes to do something important for the greater good. What’s great about everyone at Lucasfilm and Disney is they’re encouraging [about being a bit more free, more brave]. So I think this film is going to be quite different… and you should expect the unexpected.” So unless Disney just didn’t like how different it was, these reshoots shouldn’t be making drastic changes to the project. However, even if they are, as our own Peter Sciretta wrote earlier this week, reshoots aren’t necessarily a bad thing for a movie. One Lucasfilm source echoed those sentiments by saying: “This is a normal part of our filmmaking process. We’re working and tweaking and making sure it’s right. This is how you build something in layers.” Another source opted to reassure the audience by saying that Rogue One will not be a disappointment to fans, saying, “People will go insane.” However, for this being a normal part of the filmmaking process, some interesting names have been brought in to help with this part of production. Find out who is helping on the reshoots on the next page.The case, with bizarre and conflicting details as if from a Richard Price novel, has emerged to highlight, affirm and upend common biases surrounding urban poverty. A father and his teenage daughter were drinking together on a Thursday night, in the park; you can hear the refrain of good liberals telling themselves that this would never happen among the chess-playing families of Park Slope. Some of the suspects said the father and daughter were having sex, a claim one law enforcement official felt the need to point out would not mean that the woman “was not a victim of a pretty horrific attack.” What seemed to go unrecognized was that if the assertion turned out to be true, she would already have been horribly victimized. Beyond that, two of the suspects were turned in by their mothers, women clearly unafraid of difficult lessons in consequence. The gesture provided an image strikingly different from what we received at the hands of Tonya Couch, known to the world as the affluenza mom, who was accused of helping her privileged son leave the country to avoid probation for killing four people in a drunken-driving accident. Although the events that unfolded at the Osborn Playground on Jan. 7 are still unclear, what seems obvious, as it did in the case of Akai Gurley, mistakenly shot to death in a dark stairway in the Louis Pink Houses in East New York when a light bulb was out, is the inconsistency with which “broken windows” policing is practiced. The philosophy behind it is that safety and civility arise as a function of well-maintained public spaces, and yet, not surprisingly, it is the challenged neighborhoods that are the most poorly tended. Playgrounds in Brooklyn Heights, for example, are locked at night, precisely, one assumes, to protect the well-established from whatever might erupt if the ill-behaved were to congregate there.3829 Fire Nation Ship is an Avatar: The Last Airbender set released in 2006. It consists of Zuko's Fire Nation Ship, which appeared in the Avatar: The Last Airbender TV series. It includes a prison cell, a catapult that launches red bricks, Zuko's ship tower and a small steam-powered riverboat, as well as five Minifigures: Aang, Katara, Zuko, a Firebender, and a Fire Nation Soldier. Contents show] Description The hull of the Fire Nation ship is entirely brick-built. The superstructures and some other features can easily be detached from the hull to allow access to the interior. Right behind the bow is a prison cell which is usually recessed in the hull, its roof flush with the main deck. The cell segment can be taken out from the hull to get easier access. Behind the jail is a another detachable deck segment with a catapult on it. In the middle of the main deck sits a segment that consists of the larger superstructures, comprising the conning tower and one of the two smokestacks. When detached, this segment can be flipped open via hinged bricks to gain access to the interior. The conning tower has four levels including the ground floor. The ship's bridge is on the top level and contains a steering wheel, some of the other rooms are decorated with Fire Nation flags but otherwise empty, save the room below the chimney which contains a brick with a lion head carving, which seems to represent the room where Aang's glider staff was kept in the episode The Avatar Returns. The space in the hull beneath the superstructures contains the boiler room with a fireplace containing coals. In the aft hull of the ship is a docking place for the small steam-powered riverboat, covered by another detachable segment with a smokestack. Background Although simply called "Fire Nation Ship", this set actually contains a model of Prince Zuko's ship, which played a significant role in the events portrayed in the episodes of Book I: Water, until it was finally destroyed in the episode The Waterbending Master. Basically, it is an antiquated Fire Nation warship, with little in the way of special modifications for the Prince's convenience, and was soley used by him to travel around the world, searching for the Avatar. It is relatively small and light, smaller than even the standard Fire Nation battleships, and fast enough to be able to pursue a Flying Bison. The ship was destroyed when Admiral Zhao paid a group of pirates to blow it up. The small riverboat was used by Zuko to try to capture Aang, and get past Zhao's ship through a smoke cloud in Winter Solstice Part 2: Avatar Roku. It was later destroyed when it was commandeered by pirates and fell down a waterfall in The Waterbending Scroll. Notes This is the only set that included Katara and Prince Zuko, as well as the large Fire Nation flag. Although most promo pictures show the prison cell on top of the main deck, it's actually inside the hull and needs additional fixing to be visible all the time. LEGO.com Description This is a description taken from LEGO.com. Do not modify it. ( ) 3829 Fire Nation Ship Prince Zuko has sworn to capture the Avatar, and with the unstoppable Fire Nation Ship on his side, he just might succeed! Can Aang and Katara use their incredible powers to escape the mighty ship’s fire-hurling catapult and secret prison cell? If so, they’ll still have to get past the smaller ship hidden inside! Set includes Aang the Avatar, Katara, Prince Zuko, Firebender, Fire Nation soldier and more. Minifigures included GalleryTHE world is a much-changed place from when Aneurin Bevan made his momentous U-turn on nuclear weapons in 1957. Bevan – the father of the NHS, scourge of the Tories and implacable opponent of the nuclear deterrent – caused many of his followers to gnash their teeth when he suddenly decided that not to have them “would send a British Foreign Secretary naked into the conference-chamber”. You can speculate endlessly about whether Bevan, if he were around today, would have maintained that position or not. In 1957, barely a decade after the Second World War, the concept of mass destruction was not merely an abstract horror which few believe will ever occur any time in the near future. In that war, more than 60 million people were killed - around 3% of the world’s population. While the creation of the old European Common Market stemmed from a shared desire never to repeat this evil there was also a very strong sense among ordinary people that some things were worth dying for. The Suez crisis the year before had almost pitched Britain into one of the most bizarre and ill-advised wars in its priapic military history. Our inevitable and humiliating retreat from Egypt was the beginning of the end of Britain as a significant force in the world. So you could understand why some might have felt in defiance that while we still possessed nuclear weapons we still had to be taken seriously. Moreover, since the fall of the Third Reich and the Potsdam Agreement, the US and its implacable cultural enemy the Soviet Union had been lobbing diplomatic hand grenades at each other with such increasing ferocity that many were genuinely fearful of a third world war in which cities and not armies would be on the front line. It might have seemed to have made a bit more sense being in the nuclear club at a time like this. Nearly 60 years later who now seriously believes that Britain – broken, indolent, deluded and self-indulgent Britain – is a significant world power and that we are threatened by the bombs of three dodgy Asian regimes? Yet 471 English, Welsh and Northern Irish MPs voted to renew the Trident weapons system at a cost of £205bn. One Scottish MP joined them, the Tory David Mundell. Thus, and hugely ironically, the vote to retain Trident following closely that to leave Europe has probably brought Britain nearer to disintegration than ever before. It is now inconceivable that Nicola Sturgeon will not call for a quick second independence referendum. And it is laughable that a country, so reduced by Brexit and the loss of a quarter of its realm, will still commit itself to spending £205bn on nuclear weapons. Every one of the 56 MPs elected to represent the SNP voted against renewing Trident and it’s clear that, just like the EU referendum, a clear majority of the country has similarly rejected England’s extraordinary act of turning in on itself and circling the wagons. In the EU referendum a tiny, hard-right cabal persuaded ordinary, working people to swallow a series of lies and myths. In the Trident debate mainly English MPs are committing £205bn on the back of another set of myths. Nuclear weapons have never helped to keep the peace while their possession renders us much more vulnerable. Britain’s security and the health of its people is threatened more by terrorism, cyber-strikes and disease than by a nuclear strike. And there have been hundreds of wars throughout the world since 1945. It is only by luck and by God’s good grace that no nuclear weapons have been deployed in any of these. They do not drive any part of the UK’s economy to any significant degree while their cost restricts growth and investment in other more sustainable sectors. Margaret Thatcher nearly bankrupted the country paying off almost the entire mining industry to pursue her dream of a jungle society where only the fittest would survive. She had to use the receipts from North Sea oil to help her write cheques of £200k for long-serving mineworkers. The UK has around 11,000 civilians dependent on nuclear weapons. You could write each of them a cheque for £1m and it still wouldn’t touch the sides of the financial hole left after you pay for Trident. We do not have sole control over them and our possession of them and possible future deployment of them may yet be determined by the whim of Donald Trump. The USA will become the most unstable rogue state on the planet if Trump gains the White House later this year. The enemies of most working people in this country aren’t North Korea, Iran or Iraq. None of these has been responsible for low mortality rates, high unemployment, slave wages and a widening gap between rich and poor in a land of plenty. You can’t blame these so-called rogue states for the fact that hundreds of thousands of children in the UK do not know where they will be sleeping tonight or if they will receive a proper meal. The government of only one country presents a clear and present danger to the health of hundreds of thousands of our poorest people and that’s the Conservative government of an increasingly unhinged UK parliament based at Westminster. For the first time in more than a century these people don’t even have a party to fight for them at Parliament. The Labour Party is dead, buried under a stampede of careerist, insipid Blairites who completed the job that Thatcher began in 1975. I don’t doubt the sincerity of Theresa May’s Christian faith and I understand why she said she wouldn’t hesitate to push the nuclear button. “The whole point of a deterrent,” she said, “is that our enemies need to know that we would be prepared to.” It’s just that I value more the Christian position adopted by the Church of Scotland which has stated that “nuclear weapons are so destructive and so harmful to civilians and the natural world that they are inherently evil; to possess, threaten or use such terrible weapons of mass destruction is a dreadful concept which fundamentally threatens the future of humanity as a species. The Churches are convinced that lasting peace comes about not through threatening destruction but through reconciliation and shared prosperity.” 'Tories are out of touch with Trident obsession'Neal Casal Circles Around The Sun (Neal Casal) - Interludes For The Dead (2CD) The mystery of just who was behind those freewheeling tunes that kept the crowds groovin' during Fare Thee Well's intermissions has been revealed! Circles Around the Sun, a band convened by guitarist Neal Casal, formed specifically to record just for the shows and the results were so captivating, and the audience response so overwhelmingly positive, we decided to give the music a proper release. The project began when Casal was asked by video director Justin Kreutzmann to compose and record more than five hours of original music to be played along with the visuals Kreutzmann was preparing for the Fare Thee Well intermissions. ""The idea was to not only show reverence for the past but to ultimately, move it forward. If there's anything to be learned from the Grateful Dead, it is to dissolve your boundaries, push your limits, and discover your own voice in this world,"" explains Casal, the lead guitarist and co-lyricist for The Chris Robinson Brotherhood and part-time member of Phil Lesh and Friends. Casal was joined in the studio by keyboardist Adam MacDougall, a fellow member of Robinson's Brotherhood and Lesh's Friends. The balance of Circles Around The Sun consists of bassist Dan Horne (Beachwood Sparks, Jonathan Wilson) and drummer Mark Levy (The Congress). All of the music on INTERLUDES FOR THE DEAD was written collectively - with nothing prepared beforehand or added afterward - and recorded live by engineer J.P. Hesser. INTERLUDES FOR THE DEAD will be available digitally and as a 2-CD set on November 27. In addition, a 180-gram vinyl version on two LPs will be available as a limited edition of 5,000. And finally, as mentioned, all the music heard in Chicago will be included in the dead.net Complete versions of FARE THEE WELL. Track Listing Disc One 1. ""Hallucinate A Solution"" 2. ""Gilbert's Groove"" 3. ""Kasey's Bones"" 4. ""Space Wheel"" Disc Two 1. ""Ginger Says"" 2. ""Farewell Franklins"" 3. ""Saturday's Children"" 4. ""Scarlotta's Magnolias"" 5. ""Hat And Cane"" 6. ""Mountains Of The Moon""February 03, 2009 21:03 IST T he 'world's cheapest laptop', developed in India, was unveiled by Union Minister for Human Resources Development Arjun Singh at the Tirupati temple on Tuesday evening. The laptop, jointly developed by several organisations, such as the University Grants Commission, the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, and the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, will be priced at around $10 to $20 (about Rs 500 to Rs 1,000), officials said. S K Sinha, joint secretary in the ministry for education, giving a demonstration of the device which is smaller than the normal laptop, said that it will need some more fine-tuning. He said the laptop is expected to reach the market in about six months. Arjun Singh had an interaction with the vice chancellors of the remote states like Jammu and Kashmir and Manipur to prove the point that the device will be able to bring about high quality networking among the various institutions of higher education and also increase the skills of e learning of the students in rural areas. The project has already created a buzz in the laptop industry across the world. The laptop has 2 GB onboard memory with wireless Internet connectivity. To make it useful for the students, especially in the rural areas, the scientists have made it low power consuming gadget. The mission was launched at a huge gathering of academicians and the officials from across the country including thirty vice chancellors of central and state universities at the campus of Sri Venkateshwara University Tirupati. Like the National Mission on Education through ICT, the laptop is also aimed at improving the skills of students, both at the school and higher levels. Under the mission the government also intends to provide high-speed Internet access to the schools to download e-books and e-journals and other material. Students will be able to download the material through the 'Sakshat' portal. The goal of the national mission is to increase the enrollment in higher education in the country by 5 per cent over the next five years. The government will subsidise 25 per cent of broadband connectivity costs for private and public colleges. The $10 laptop is being seen as India's reply to One Laptop per Child's XO and Classmate of Intel. The XO, created by scientist Nicholas Negroponte and MIT Media Lab was originally targeted to cost only $100 but by the time it was ready to enter the market its cost went up to $188. The Classmate notebook PC from Intel was priced at $ 300 a piece. In contrast, the Indian government's effort to market lap top at only $10 has caused a flutter in the international laptop market and many players are curious to know the details of the costing and how Indians managed to keep the cost so low. Nicholas Negroponte is not fully satisfied with the cost projection. "I fear it is not serious. We'd love a $20 laptop but the display costs more," he was quoted as saying by <EM>Boston Globe</EM>.0 Only on KIRO 7: Man speaks about being shot by own gun after coming home to burglary SNOHOMISH, Wash. - Matthew Haight was face-to-face with a burglar inside his home. "I was absolutely terrified,” said Haight. "He was looking around and we made eye contact, and we both froze,” he added. It was the night of the Super Bowl, and Haight had come home to an unlocked front door at his Snohomish apartment. Haight says he acted on instinct by running to his closet to grab his gun and load it. "Unfortunately for me, everything went south,” said Haight. The burglar followed him and they struggled. "When he grabbed my wrist and grabbed my gun, he was twisting it,” said Haight. "When that bullet hit me, I was immediately on my knees, holding my side,” he said. The bullet passed through his stomach and colon, then out through his back. "I think I see a bullet hole on the wall behind me,” Haight told a dispatcher during the 911 call. After a week in the hospital, Haight is now bedridden. "When I breathe, it causes a sharp crack of pain in my side,” he said. He hopes somebody knows something about the man who dropped the gun- and left Haight in a pool of blood. "Afterwards he backed up with his hands slightly in the air, turned around and ran,” said Haight. Haight describes the man who ran away as a white male wearing blue jeans and gray hoodie and had a pockmarked, acne-ridden face. Haight says he's terrified to come back to the apartment and his family plans to move him out. Haight’s family has set up a gofundme.com account. Mathew is insured under his parents, but insurance only covers 80 % of medical costs. They told KIRO 7 that his ambulance trip and week in the hospital – plus roughly six weeks off, unpaid, from his job as a security guard – will be extremely difficult financially and asked us to share this link: http://www.gofundme.com/mhaight Want to talk about the news of the day? Watch free streaming video on the KIRO 7 mobile app and iPad app, and join us here on Facebook.How to Compare Photos of the Solar Eclipse using Python & SunPy The following post was written by Steven Christe of SunPy. A Rare Opportunity to View the Solar Corona A solar eclipse presents a unique opportunity for us to view the solar corona or solar atmosphere. In visible light, the corona is about one million times fainter than the sun, or about as bright as the moon. Hence, the solar corona is nearly impossible to observe when the solar disk is visible. Don’t be fooled by what looks like rays extending from the Sun that you might see during the day—that is actually sunlight scattered by our earth’s atmosphere. When the moon gets right in front of the sun and blocks out the solar disk, we can then see something very different: the sun’s light scattering off of its own atmosphere! Unlike Earth’s atmosphere, the Sun’s is very dynamic and shows off the complex structure of the Sun’s magnetic field. Understanding it and its evolution is still an area of active study. Align & Compare Photos of the Solar Eclipse using Python This year, the United States is very lucky because a total solar eclipse crosses the entire country on August 21st. Many people will be able to see the beauty of the solar corona with their own eyes and many are likely to take photos. Many citizen science projects are have been organized to provide advice and to gather those photos including the Eclipse Megamovie Project. With so many photos likely to be taken, it will be a challenge to align them to each other to compare them. One way to do this might be to find their relative alignment by comparing coronal structures. This might be done by cross correlation. This technique has its limitations though, what if the structures don’t match or you’d like to compare to a picture of the solar disk taken by a satellite such as the AIA imager on the Solar Dynamics Observatory which will not be in eclipse? What is required then is a determination of the absolute coordinates of your photograph. The primary coordinate system for solar observations is helioprojective coordinates. This is a coordinate system whose origin is at the center of the solar disk with the y axis aligned with the solar north pole. The units of the coordinates are angles usually expressed in arcseconds. As viewed from the earth, the sun is a little more than half a degree or 1900 arcseconds across, so the rightmost edge of the sun is at about 980 arcseconds (or half of the width of your little finger at arm’s length). The exact value varies throughout the year as the earth moves through its elliptical orbit around the sun. We first need two important pieces of information about your photograph, namely (1) where the center of the sun is, which is the center of the helioprojective coordinates, and (2) how big is the sun, which determines how big each pixel is projected on the sky. As mentioned in a previous blog post, Python is a great language for science and astronomy. Finding the Sun is equivalent to finding a circle, and this can be done straightforwardly by first taking the derivative of the photograph by using the Sobel filter in scipy.ndimage. This gives us the edge of the Sun and then we can use the Hough transform (provided by scikit-image) to fit the circle. We then have the radius of the Sun and its location in pixels. We next need some information about the sun. SunPy is a Python package whose purpose is to support retrieving and analyzing solar data. We have just released a major new version (0.8 Expected Eclipse) with major updates to the sunpy.coordinates package which is designed for exactly this problem. We need the distance between the earth and the sun so that we can calculate how big it should be appear in the sky. This is provided by sunpy.coordinates.get_sunearth_distance. On the day of the eclipse the sun’s radius will appear to be 948.0 arcsec. Next we need to determine the solar rotation angle, which tells us how the solar north pole is oriented. This is trickier, as it depends on where you are located on the earth. If you are on the earth’s equator you will see the Sun at a 90 degree angle relative to a friend of yours observing the sun from the North Pole. Again, SunPy (with help from Astropy) makes this easy through the sunpy.coordinates.get_sun_orientation function combined with a properly defined EarthLocation. One final piece of information is needed and that is the B0 angle which represents the tilt of the Sun as viewed from Earth. The Sun’s equator does not lie in Earth’s orbital plane, so we can see the north pole of the sun for half of the year and the south pole of the sun for the other half. This value is provided by sunpy.coordinates.get_sun_B0. With all of this information, we can create a properly filled out header to initialize a SunPy Map using your photograph. We can then easily create the following plot (in addition to doing all kinds of other fun things). With this workflow, any two photographs of the eclipse can be compared to each other as well as to scientific images of the sun. All of these steps are implemented and provided in a Jupyter notebook inside a GitHub repository. If you have any suggestions for improvements, please submit an issue or pull request! We plan on adding more tools and workflows over time. Have fun, and share your solar eclipse photos with us on Twitter @SunPyProject and @NumFOCUS! Support SunPy by becoming a NumFOCUS member or making a donation to the project.An Instagram picture is a relatively easy way to share what’s going on in your life with friends and family. Instagram is quickly becoming one of the most popular and fastest growing social networks in the world. In this day and age of self-promotion, more internet users are flocking to Instagram where they can share images and videos of themselves or their products. One of the most common complaints about Instagram is that you cannot easily save pics posted by other users. Typically, screenshots are used to capture the image. This is not ideal because you must then crop the image and it could lose quality. So is there a way to save this media without having to take screenshots? There is a relatively simple way to save any Instagram image from a computer which I will outline for you here. (Note: this tutorial works for desktop only, not mobile. This method has been tested in both Chrome and Firefox). The first thing you will need to do is locate is the URL of the image. If you are viewing Instagram from a profile page, you can click on any image on the profile and it will take you to the direct URL. If you are viewing your Instagram timeline, you can click on the time-stamp of any image and that will also take you to the direct URL (see the time-stamp circled in the example below). Once you have gone directly to the URL of the image you want to save, the next thing you will want to do is to find the image file by viewing the page source. This can easily be done by right-clicking the image itself and then clicking “View Page Source”. Now that you have selected “View Page Source” you will be taken to a new tab that shows the source code for the Instagram photo you want to save. It should look something like this: The next thing you’ll want to do is find the URL inside of the source code for the image file you wish to save. This can easily be done by pressing Ctrl+F and searching for “jpg”. The search will return multiple results for “jpg”, you will only need to locate the first result. It will be a URL located under the username and caption text for the image: Once you have located the URL for the Instagram picture you want to save, highlight the URL and paste it into the address bar of a new browser tab. You will then have access to the image file you wanted to save. Right click the image and click “Save Image As”. You can now save the photo to your hard drive. That’s it! Pretty easy right? Now you know how to easily save photos in high quality from Instagram without having to take a screenshot. One thing to note: photos taken by the original poster are copyright of the owner. Please be sure not to republish any copyright photos without permission. Thank you to “Toro” for being our Instagram picture example today! Share this... Google+ Linkedin Pinterest RedditSoldiers in the Central African Republic lynched a man they believed to be an ex-rebel, minutes after hearing the new president pledge to restore security as she reinstated the country’s army. At a ceremony in the capital Bangui, President Catherine Samba-Panza praised an armed force that had effectively disappeared from view during nine months of rule by the mainly Muslim Seleka rebels. “Within a month, I would like to secure the majority of the country,” she said. “Everyone will be responsible for their acts. I am warning troublemakers who continue to sow disorder.” Despite the presence of peace keepers, Samba-Panza faces a challenge. Christian militias formed after abuses by the mainly Muslim rebels, have waged a revenge cycle of bloodshed. The inter-religious violence has left over 2,000 people dead according to the United Nations. And no sooner had the president spoken and left to a round of applause, than some troops showed reconciliation was the last thing on their minds. In front of dozens of witnesses, including journalists, a group of soldiers lynched a man they believed to be a former rebel with Seleka, which was disbanded after Samba-Panza’s inauguration last month. His lifeless body was then dragged nearly naked through the streets before reportedly being dismembered and set on fire.TIRANA, Albania (JTA) — Israel’s Foreign Ministry has protested the naming of a school in Bosnia for a Muslim Nazi collaborator who incited anti-Semitic hatred during the Holocaust before he was executed. The Mustafa Busuladzic Elementary School in Sarajevo dismissed the criticism over its August name change, saying that Israel “has no right to give moral lessons to others” because of the building of Jewish settlements, according to an article that appeared last month in the Klix news site. Busuladzic, a philosopher and educator, wrote in favor of “fighting the Jews” and their “spirit” in 1943, when thousands of Balkan Jews in what is now Bosnia and beyond were being hunted down and murdered by the pro-Nazi Ustase forces, which comprised Muslim Bosnians, Catholic Croats and ethnic Germans, of the Croatian puppet state. Whereas “Jews and their deception and speculation disappeared from the marketplace” thanks to “people fighting against the Jews,” Busuladzic wrote in 1943, “in the bazaar remained Jewish spirit of speculation, imposing, charging price and usury to the extent that the corruption of certain traders, regardless of religion, eclipses that of the missing Jews.” Citing these and other anti-Semitic writings by Busuladzic, who was executed shortly after the end of World War II by communists, the Israeli Embassy expressed its disapproval of the honor in a letter to the regional government. “The Embassy of Israel reiterates its sincere regret that the Authorities of Sarajevo Canton approved such a move especially considering the fact that the vast majority of the Bosnian Jewish community was brutally killed by the hand of the fascist and Nazi occupying forces with which Mr. Busuladzic identified himself,” the embassy wrote. But the school rejected the criticism of Busuladzic. “Multi-ethnic Sarajevo, which you mention in your letter, is multi-ethnic because of Mustafa Busuladzic and other Muslims who, with their tolerant attitude towards others, made this city multi-ethnic,” the school’s letter reads. “Busuladzic was not an anti-Semite; as an intellectual, he was speaking about poor Jewish qualities, but also about other, non-Jewish merchants, who were speculating on overpricing. The current situation in the world, where similar banking practices are causing an economic crisis, shows that Mustafa was right,” it added. Amid rising nationalism that is fueled by Russian expansionism, the veneration of individuals who fought against communism and Russian troops alongside Nazi Germany is a growing phenomenon across Eastern Europe. Israel, which enjoys friendly ties and robust trade both with Russia and with the region’s other countries, rarely comments publicly on such cases.The American League West is a mess. Well, not the Astros, but we knew that coming into the season. Here, I took a screenshot of my predictions before the season, in case you don't believe me. The other four teams, though, are a mess. All four would be in last place in the AL East, which isn't exactly filled with teams on a roll, and only the White Sox and Indians have been worse in the American League. The AL West was supposed to be one of the more competitive divisions in baseball. What happened? It's still early. There's still plenty of time for all these teams to turn their seasons around, so it's time to play doctor and see what's wrong with them. No, oh no, wait, put those back on, it's time to play mechanic and figure out how to get each team moving again. Oakland A's What's wrong with them? Almost all of the new acquisitions are flopping or, even worse, doing what you might have expected. Mark Canha has been good, and Marcus Semien still looks like a building block, but those were some of the low-profile additions. The high-profile additions -- Billy Butler, Brett Lawrie and Ben Zobrist -- haven't contributed as much as they would have expected, and there are different worries about all three. Lawrie looks absolutely confused at the plate, striking out 32 times and walking just thrice in 112 plate appearances. We've covered an awful night previously, but it's worth noting that things aren't getting better. Don't look at what Josh Donaldson is doing, DON'T LOOK AT... I just told you not to look. Lawrie might be fine, but this is increasingly looking like something that will need to be fixed somewhere other than the starting lineup. The plate discipline is alarming. Zobrist has been hurt, dealing with a banged-up knee that required surgery, and he'll miss at least a month, maybe two. This is the first problem he's had with his knee in his career, and it's messing up the A's something fierce. All of the best-laid plans went through Zobrist and his ability to play different positions and switch-hit. Now they're dealing with a whole lot of Eric Sogard again, when it seemed like the point of the offseason was to avoid that. Butler has been hitting like Butler, which sort of makes you want to see the notes that convinced Billy Beane that things would be different. Oh, and the bullpen has been a pail of laundry detergent in the dishwasher. Get a mop, it's a mess. Other than Evan Scribner, every reliever can pitch much better than this. Can it be fixed? Maybe. Probably? Zobrist (and Coco Crisp) coming back will help quite a bit, as will the return of A.J. Griffin and Jarrod Parker, from a depth standpoint. Stop me if you've heard this one, but the A's are substantially underperforming their expected won-loss record. If they keep outscoring other teams, they'll be fine. They just have to allocate the runs better. They can't control that, but the odds are that the universe will do it for them. Gimme one weird stat that sums their season up In 200 at-bats against left-handed pitchers, the A's have hit.222/.288/.289. That's good for a 577 OPS, which is exactly what Yovani Gallardo had in 2011, as well as what Oliver Perez had in 2009. When a left-hander is on the mound, the A's collectively turn into a lineup of pitchers. What's wrong with them? Hey, let's call this glass half-full. They have Mike Trout! He's whapping dingers and swiping bases, and he's also playing the heck out of the outfield. There's nothing wrong with the Angels that a little Trout can't fix. Except for the everything else, at least. Chris Iannetta is lost when he's behind the plate or standing next to it with a bat. Matt Joyce has been one of the worst hitters in either league. Jered Weaver is pitching like Livan Hernandez bit him, and it's not like you can expect C.J. Wilson to make up for everything. Matt Shoemaker is looking hittable, which is a huge concern, considering that he's spent most of his professional career looking hittable, save last season. And Albert Pujols is old, slow and creaky. Let's just... /drives to Starbucks /orders mocha /waits for drink /puts a dash of nutmeg on it /takes sip /spits coffee everywhere thinking about that damned contract Never gets old. I mean, he does. Looking at just how much is left on the contract, though. Never gets old. Can it be fixed? I'm much less optimistic about this one, if only because it's harder to see where the cavalry is. Some players clearly aren't going to be this awful all season (Erick Aybar, Joyce), but it looks like this is the real Weaver and Pujols. Tyler Skaggs will help, but they'll need more than that. Triple-A catcher Jett Bandy isn't supposed to fix everything (or be anything more than a backup), but I'd like to believe that somewhere, Jett Bandy is in a locker room and thinking, "Jett Bandy can fix everything. Just give Jett Bandy that chance." Gimme one weird stat that sums their season up In the six games in which the Angels have scored six runs or more, their pitching has been at its best, with a 2.68 ERA. That's kind of a waste, fellas. But it does offer some hope, seeing as that specific permutation is unlikely to continue. Eventually the good pitching will come in the games they need it. What's wrong with them? First, a mea culpa for Nelson Cruz. I was wrong. I was very wrong. He is not a failure, and my breath is awful. I can't express just how wrong I was. The rest of the Mariners hitters are doing their thing, though. Low
difference between the original probability of receiving a downgrade and the estimates with the lower ROA (for the SR-SABR model estimated as of year-end 2011). Only 2 percent of the firms in the four largest size cohorts experience an increase of 1 percentage point or more in the probability of receiving a downgrade. The impact from the earnings reduction on the smallest banks is slightly larger—12 percent of these firms experience an increase of 1 percentage point or more in the likelihood of an adverse rating change, and 2 percent would see an increase of nearly 5 percentage points due to the earnings reduction. We also examine the change in the forecasts from the SR-SABR viability model resulting from substituting the lower earnings for banks projected by our baseline regulatory cost reduction for banks’ actual earnings. These changes are immaterial for most community banks. Indeed, 99.5 percent of all community banks with assets above $50 million would see their failure probability increase by less than a single percentage point. However, the impact is noticeably higher for banks with assets under $50 million. Over half of these firms would experience an increase of at least 1 percentage point in their failure probability, and more than 30 percent would see their failure probabilities rise by more than 5 percentage points. Finally, to provide additional data on the potential effect of regulatory costs on the smallest banks, we report descriptive characteristics for the smallest banks whose ROA falls below either 0 or 40 basis points as a result of the regulatory change relative to banks that do not breach these standards. In short, the two populations are quite similar. Additional details are reported in Appendix 4. Measuring the Materiality of the Profitability Reductions—An Alternative Cost Structure Scenario In addition to the scenario described above, we also tested an alternative cost structure in which larger firms hire a disproportionately higher number of employees than smaller firms. Table 5 reports the staffing levels that were used as inputs in the alternative cost structure (compensation costs were kept at the same values as in the baseline scenario) along with the percentiles of the distribution of changes in ROA. As expected, the disproportionately higher employee levels for larger firms result in them incurring the largest reductions in ROA. Table 6 reports data on the materiality of the profitability reductions in a format analogous to Table 4. Importantly, we find that the smallest size cohort still comprises a significant share of both the newly unprofitable firms and the firms whose ROA falls below 40 basis points. Indeed, banks with assets below $50 million are still one of the most likely groups to breach the two profitability thresholds. Additional historical data for the alternative cost structure are available in Appendix 5. Note EndnotesBy DAVID GREEN Load and go. That’s what Dick Buehrer remembers as the motto of Fayette’s Eagle Funeral Home ambulance service when he assisted Bob Eagle back in the 1960s. “You got them bandaged and loaded and you got them to the hospital,” said Gary Rice, another ambulance helper. First aid and advanced first aid certification required about 30 hours of training, Dick said, adding that, “Things are a whole lot different now.” In Morenci, Chris Fink worked with his father, Charles, at Fink Funeral Home, and they knew their first aid knowledge had its limits. “Our job wasn’t to treat them on the scene,” he said. That came years later when EMTs learned advanced techniques that could be used in the field. Chris remembers a lot of improvising, such as carrying a person downstairs in a chair. “A magazine works good for a splint,” he said. “People always had a Life magazine or a Saturday Evening Post lying around.” Charles Fink also had a couple of people around town that he would call for assistance, before Chris joined the business. “Harvey Schoonover and Pinky LaNew helped, and I did, too,” said Charlie’s wife Wilma. “I never went on emergency runs, but I went along to transfer patients.” Stop the bleeding and tie a splint, if needed, she said—those were the basics of the ambulance crew. Sometimes in the rush of the response things got a little mixed up. “I remember one time Charlie put the splint on the wrong leg,” said Wilma. Not a money-maker All funeral homes operated ambulance services in the past, Wilma recalls, and it certainly wasn’t done as a money-making venture, at least not directly. “We only got about $10 to go to Ann Arbor,” she said. “It was more of an advertisement for the funeral home.” If Fink Funeral Home got the ambulance run instead of Ackland Funeral Home, then Fink was likely to get the funeral business. “I remember one Sunday Charlie went to Ann Arbor four times,” Wilma said. “He’d just about had it.” And when the Palm Sunday tornado struck in 1965, Charlie was busy all night transporting victims to hospitals. Chris said the rate for driving to Ann Arbor reached $25 before the service ended, with trips to Adrian paying $7 to $10. But that doesn’t mean everyone paid. In the final year of service, he managed to collect on 50 percent of the runs made—and that stood as the best collection rate ever. From the limited funds collected, the funeral home director paid his volunteer staff, bought supplies and covered maintenance—both on the vehicle and for chores such as washing sheets. Looking for helpers For Morenci’s service, patients with the more severe illnesses and accident victims with the worst injuries were transported to Ann Arbor. They were often taken to Morenci Area Hospital first for stabilization. Charlie would wait at the hospital, then load them up and take off again. Sometimes the trips were much longer than Ann Arbor. “Bob Eagle called me one night and wondered if I wanted to make a trip to Chicago,” Dick Buehrer said. “It was a rather long night.” Bob wasn’t pushy about getting help. “He’d call to see if you were available,” Dick said. “If you couldn’t go, he’d say that it was all right and he would find someone else.” That someone might be Mick Schaffner, who started helping with ambulance calls in the late 1950s. “When he needed help, he’d give me a ring,” Mick recalls. “Either I’d meet him at the funeral home or he’d pick me up if he was going in that area.” “You’d get into all kinds of situations—wrecks, everything. You’d never know what it was going to be.” Gary Rice was on Bob’s list of helpers and he would sometimes receive a phone call in the middle of the night to help pick up a body. Gary remembers when his service started. He received a call from another helper, Leonard Morr, who wanted assistance retrieving a body from the hospital. That went all right, but when they got back to the funeral home, Gary had his introduction to the business. Bob asked Gary to go into the next room and get some sheets and pillow cases. “It was the first time I’d gone into the room and there was a dead lady lying there. I went back out and told Bob, ‘If you want those sheets and pillowcases, you get them yourself.’” “Bob told me, ‘She won’t hurt you.’ I went back in and never had a problem after that,” Gary said. There’s no shortage of stories about Bob Eagle. “You had to know Bob Eagle and his sense of humor,” Gary said. “If he could pull a joke over on you, he’d get the biggest kick out of it.” Gary remembers him as a lot of fun to work with. One day Bob was working on a body when he got a call to take someone to the hospital. When Gary arrived to help with the run, Bob turned to the body and said, “Don’t go away. We’ll be right back.” There was a little sliding window that separated the driver from the back of the ambulance. One day Dick was in the driver seat transporting a patient in a critical state. Bob slid the window open and yelled, “I thought I told you to put the pedal to the metal.” There were many terrible situations that ambulance services encountered, from traffic crashes to the odd accident, such as a gas field explosion, Wilma recalls. A woman was once returning home from work with a large soup kettle of grease in the back seat, and her car went off the road and into the ditch, sending grease everywhere. The rescue was enough of a challenge because the woman was quite large, Charlie told her later, but it was compounded because the victim was slick with grease. Chris recalls a drunken man threatening to shoot his girlfriend. She took the gun away and shot him. The victim was taken to Ann Arbor for treatment, he said, and he dropped the girlfriend off at the Sheriff’s Department in Adrian on the way home. No one ever paid for that transport. On another occasion, the ambulance arrived and the patient walked onto the porch and sat down on the stretcher. “He just wanted a ride to the hospital,” Chris said. Not the best job Bad pay and inconvenient. That’s Chris’s description of the job. “You had to be tied to the phone really closely,” he said. “You had to be available now and not in 15 minutes.” Eventually, stiffer regulations forced funeral homes out of the ambulance business. “They did us a favor by getting us out of it,” Chris said. “At first I was a little disgruntled because you don’t like to be told what to do.” But it didn’t take long to realize the freedom he had been granted. “There aren’t a lot of what you’d call good memories,” he said. In 1963, Morenci Fire Department members started training to become certified for ambulance duty and in 1964 they purchased a vehicle from the Ackland & Fink Funeral Home. Eventually, the funeral home owners returned the money to help the department upgrade the vehicle. An oxygen mask and tanks were needed, along with a cutting torch and first aid items. The department already owned a resuscitator and that was also placed in the ambulance. A similar process got underway in Fayette. Gary Rice believes it was the early 1970s when the fire department took over. He recalls the first Medicruiser ambulance arriving in 1976, replacing the original pea-green Dodge van they started off using. That marked the end of the undertaker as first responder, and that eventually led to a higher level of skill for ambulance crews. It was an interesting time, Chris Fink says, but not something you’d want to do again.Defending specific customers (we will retain the P&G account, we will be the place where Bob gets his morning coffee) Defending specific locations (we will dominate the Omaha furniture market, we will dominate the West coast boxed chocolate business) Defending specific times (we will account for the majority of U.S. box office on the 1st weekend of May, we will get a large number of sci-fi fans into theaters on one weekend in February) Those with pricing power And those with low costs Growth Return on Investment Earnings Yield Someone who reads my articles asked me this question Warren Buffett is interested in a company's return ontangible assets.I’ve never heard Buffett say exactly how he calculatesBut I can give you a pretty good approximation. It’ll work for almost any company. And it has the added benefit of focusing you on the business rather than how the company is financed.The best approximation of unleveraged return on tangible equity — for Buffett — is probably something like:EBIT/(Receivables + Inventory + Property, Plant and Equipment) - (Accounts Payable + Accrued Expenses)I'll use the 2011 and 2012 numbers for Wal-Mart. We'll average them:Receivables: $5.089 billion and $5.937 billion averages out to $5.51 billionInventory: $36.318 billion and $40.714 billion averages out to $38.52 billionPP&E: $107.878 billion and $112.324 billion averages out to $110.10 billionAccounts Payable: $33.557 billion and $36.608 billion averages out to $35.08 billionAccrued Expenses: $18.701 billion and $18.154 billion averages out to $18.43 billionSo, Wal-Mart’s average net tangible investment last year was: ($5.51 billion + $38.52 billion + $110.10 billion) - ($35.08 billion + $18.43 billion)Which works out to $100.62 billion. This is a lot less than your estimate of $166 billion in invested tangible assets.That’s because it’s theinvestment that matters. Some of those assets are offset by current liabilities — payables and accrued expenses — that Wal-Mart does not have to pay interest on.These liabilities don’t cost shareholders anything. And they allow Wal-Mart to finance over $50 billion in productive assets.Without this ability, retailing would be a pretty lousy business. There are a few exceptions. Some retailers can make money even if they paid everyone instantly. But that’s not usually the case. And, luckily, no one expects instant payment.If you look at Wal-Mart’s net tangible investment – you’ll notice it’s not working capital. The stuff they aren’t funding through current liabilities is all really property, plant and equipment.Many companies that compete with Wal-Mart do not own as much PP&E as Wal-Mart does. They lease it.The same rule applies here that I mentioned within an earlier article. Although Wal-Mart is an inferior business to Copart from a pure ROI standpoint, it’s still earning good returns on its investment.Whether you are earning 17% on your unleveraged tangible equity or you’re earning 27% on your unleveraged equity (Copart is closer to 27%) — you’re obviously earning way, way more than the kind of unleveraged returns folks make by owning real estate.So the fact Wal-Mart owns a ton of its properties is interesting. It’s worth noting. But is it a good reason for increasing your estimate of what the business is worth?Wal-Mart may be a safer investment because it owns property. But it isn’t necessarily a more valuable business.Why not?Because Wal-Mart’s properties are being put to better use inside the Wal-Mart system than they would be if they were sold to someone else.By counting the company’s earnings, you are already valuing the real estate at its best use.That doesn’t necessarily mean Wal-Mart couldn’t operate more efficiently by owning less of its properties. But we’re really talking about financing here. It’s the same discussion we’d be having if we were asking whether someone should borrow at 5% for 30 years simply because they can arrange that today. Maybe they should. But it’s not a business discussion. It’s a finance discussion.Let’s leave corporate finance out of this for now.Wal-Mart’s EBIT last year was $26.56 billion. So, that's $26.56/$100.62 = 26.40% pre-tax return on net tangible assets. Assuming about a 35% tax rate, this would leave Wal-Mart with a normal return on unleveraged tangible equity of about 17%. This is probably an accurate estimate of the company’s earning power.So, why do you get such a low number when you calculate the company's return on invested tangible assets?Well, for one thing you use free cash flow. Free cash flow is good. But some value investors focus on it too much. The idea is to build wealth over time. Usually, a business that produces free cash flow is going to compound wealth quite well compared to a business that doesn't.And, personally, I have some doubts about Wal-Mart's long-term ability to sustain its ROI. I am much more negative on all retailers with physical locations than most people.has such a clear future. And it is not a good future for guys with stores.I would not invest in retail stores. We obviously have too many of them in the U.S. We have too much offline retail capacity. This is not good for the long-term returns in the retail business.Anything that can ship, doesn’t spoil quickly, and doesn’t need to be bought every few days to a week — anything like that is something where Amazon can eventually beat you both on price and definitely onUnless you are a grocery store or Nebraska Furniture Mart — eventually Amazon is going to hurt you a lot.and Wal-Mart are going to lose ground to Amazon over time.So I have more doubts about their future ROIs than a lot of investors do. These companies reinvest a lot. So, it’s kind of a huge question for shareholders to ponder — what kind of returns on investment will I be getting in 2022? This stuff matters.But if you have reason to believe a dollar retained by a business is worth as much as a dollar paid out to you — and in Wal-Mart's case it clearly is for now — then why would you prefer free cash flow to retained earnings?If a company makes $1 and it retains that $1 and it increases next year's earnings by 15 cents because it retained that $1 — isn't that $1 better off in the company's hands than it would be in your hands? Do you really think you will — on average — make more than 15 cents for every dollar of dividends you get from a company?Most investors will make nowhere near 15% on the money they themselves invest. If they manage to make 10% a year — starting today — over the long term, I will be surprised. Stocks are not priced for double-digit returns.So, reinvestment in businesses with sustainable double-digit ROIs is a better place for your money than dividends paid into your brokerage account.I know a lot of people don’t feel that way — they always like dividends better — but the math is the math. If you can’t earn 10% and the companies you own can — you should leave your money with them. Not ask for it back. Warren Buffett is interested in compounding his wealth — not necessarily in free cash flow. He has often bought businesses that generate more cash than they can redeploy. This is an unfortunate fact. He'd rather find companies that can redeploy that capital. But it's not easy. It's usually much, much easier to find a company that earns a high return on its unleveraged tangible equity than it is to find a company that earns a high return on its unleveraged equity and can increase the size of that tangible equity meaningfully over time.That's not easy. And so Berkshire has often had to redeploy capital from great businesses that can't use a lot of capital growth to somewhat less great businesses that can use a lot of capital growth. That tends to be the pattern. It is hard to find businesses that generate high returns on capital and can continue to reinvest in their business for a long time.The first number you should look at when you're worried about return on invested tangible assets is:EBITDA/(Receivables + Inventory + PP&E) - (Accounts Payable + Accrued Expenses)This tends to put companies on even footing. If you can go back 15 to 20 years or so and find the range of that number, the median, etc. and how much of these EBITDA tends to be converted into net income and/or free cash flow you will have a very good idea of how profitable a business it is.Now, Buffett himself disparages EBITDA. And he’s not wrong to do that. EBITDA is definitely not net income (or free cash flow).But this is a complicated issue. Buffett is thinking about something called owner earnings. Well, free cash flow is not owner earnings. If you only count the cash that is generated after a company grows, you will be punishing companies that grow 10% a year so severely that you will pass on many good, growing businesses simply because they are growing.That's not a good idea.So Buffett may not like EBITDA. But he doesn’t pay a lot of attention to reported earnings either. You want to get at the economic reality of the situation. Something like owner earnings. Which is basically EBITDA minus what you need to grow the business (both in terms of cap-ex and additional working capital).So, it’s okay for some companies not to produce a lot of free cash flow.Having said that, it’s only okay if they are earning good returns on their investment. Really good returns. When in doubt, err on the side of actual free cash flow today over dreamt of profitable growth tomorrow.You need to see a gap between the return on net tangible investment the company tends to earn - in my view the long-termfigure is more useful because reliability is key and high ROIs are really only interesting to the extent they are backed up by consistency or moats — and the hurdle rate you have for your own investments.If you think you can make 10% a year in your own investments, then it does not make sense for you to invest in companies that are earning less than let's say 15% a year after-tax on their unleveraged tangible equity. Without a gap like that, it’s hard to see why you would prefer retained earnings to paid out earnings.A dollar paid out to you can be reinvested — we'll ignore taxes here for a minute — at let’s say a 10% return. This is not a guarantee. I think making 10% a year may be harder today than most investors think. The number you can actually make is probably lower (I’d say no more than 7%). But it’s definitely not higher — for investors as a group — than 10%.The value of money depends on the rate you can compound it at. So, a dollar in your pocket can compound at 10%. Well, if a dollar in Wal-Mart's pocket can't compound by more than 15% a year — we have a problem. Several actually.The problems are:1. You probably know yourself better than Wal-Mart2. Wal-Mart's past is probably better than its future will be3. Net income probably overstates owner earningsTo sum these points up: No margin of safety.Generally, if you are investing in a business for its profitable future growth you want that future growth to be something like 150% of the annual growth you think you could provide using the same money. This extra 50% provides you with a margin of safety in your future compounding.Now, of course, that is not enough. You also want to focus on businesses where you feel the ROI is not only high but reliable.Reliability is key.So, if you thinkhas a very reliable business, than DNB at 12 times earnings or 9 times enterprise value divided by EBITDA — or whatever — is a lot more attractive than some other businesses trading at the same multiples. It's like the difference between a safe bond yielding 6% and a very risky bond yielding 6%. They both offer the same return —. Yeah, they pay the same amount this year. But, they do not both offer the same reliability.Over time, the more reliable return will compound better than the less reliable return.So, you want to find a company with an ROI that is — I would say — at least 1.5 times the return on investment you yourself think you can achieve. And you want that ROI to be as reliable as possible.The most reliable ROIs tend to be in businesses built around a habit. A cigarette company has a highly reliable ROI. Starbucks has a highly reliable ROI.Sure, they can screw things up. Any business can. But if you go to the same Starbucks every morning you’ll notice everybody’s brain is on auto-pilot. There is not a conscious decision being made in that store.Other things equal, that’s the kind of business to bet on. One where the customers don’t think. They just do.A habit is usually the best way to insulate a customer from competition. Habits are the first line of defense in business. When you lack a habit (which is the best — most personal form of customer protection) you have to rely on less effective competitive strategies like defending an entire market from entry.To use an analogy, this is like protecting a VIP with a perimeter instead of a bodyguard. I’m not saying it can’t work. I’m just saying it’s not the only strategy to consider.Industry-wide defenses are often the only competitive strategies economists and investors talk about. But such a wide defense is far from ideal. It's really a fall back plan for when direct defense of customers is prohibitively expensive.The best businesses often have more direct defenses like:As you know, Warren Buffett basically invests in two kinds of businesses:In theory, both of these kinds of businesses are better insulated than most businesses when it comes to the damage done to them by the idiocy of their competition. Mistakes made by competitors are most dangerous when your prices, costs, and customers are similar to those competitors. If you and your competitor have different prices, costs, and customers - you are obviously going to be harmed less than if you share these 3 things.One reason I don't like the cell phone business is that I think companies tend to share these three things — potentially — if not actually. I think a hit phone has rather similar economics to different companies. And I feel customers are definitely willing to entertain the idea of switching phones (much more so than say carriers).The point is that these qualitative factors combine with a quantitative margin of safety to give you a certain view of a company's return on investment.In the case of Wal-Mart, I think Warren Buffett believes the company's domestic business has low costs. And it has a reliable ROI because of those low costs. Basically, it can operate profitably at gross margins where its competitors can not.Obviously, I'm less comfortable with Wal-Mart than Warren Buffett is. I personally am buying more and more things from Amazon that I used to buy from Wal-Mart (and I literally pass a Wal-Mart on the way home from work — so that’s a pretty clean test of my shopping preferences).Here’s my problem. Over the next five years, Wal-Mart's customers will increase purchases from Amazon at a faster rate than they will increase purchases from Wal-Mart.I’d be willing to make that bet today.When your best customers are flirting more and more frequently with a competitor — that’s an awful sign.Buffett is a lot more comfortable with retailers than I am. I feel their competitive advantages can vanish pretty fast. Now, he tends to focus on some very specific retailers like Nebraska Furniture Mart that are pretty unique. They sometimes have very big cost advantages. He doesn't usually buy retailers for any other reason besides big cost advantages.So I'm sure he calculates Wal-Mart's return on investment as being in the teens and being very reliable. That is why he likes the stock.Also, he is getting a good earnings yield. That is critical.Your return in a good business — if you hold it— is going to depend on:In other words:· What quantity of earnings are you purchasing today?· How much room is there for reinvesting those earnings in the future?· And what will you earn on those reinvested earnings?That's what Warren Buffett cares most about. Not just how much a company is earning today. He cares about the value of the earnings they retain.He wants every dollar of retained earnings to be worth more than a dollar. Not less.Now, obviously, buying Wal-Mart's earnings today is not very expensive.For every $1 you pay, you get 7 or 8 cents of earnings.That may not sound like a lot. Don't many companies trade around 13 times earnings?But it's the reliability of that equity "coupon" that Buffett is getting in Wal-Mart and the belief that each dollar of reinvested earnings will be worth at least a dollar.So, you are buying a 7% or 8% bond with a safe coupon and low reinvestment risk. That is how Buffett sees Wal-Mart.That's an attractive combination.I bought Dun & Bradstreetyesterday for the same reasons.The earnings yield is now high enough to justify an investment. I think it has a safe equity "coupon." And I think the reinvestment risk is low. Basically, you are buying something that yields around 10% in terms of normal free cash flow where I think whatever earnings they retain will not be worth less than it would be if they didn't retain it.It's the same logic Buffett applies to Wal-Mart.I should point out that while DNB’s free cash flow is high — it would definitely not be worth less to me if that free cash flow was lower. In fact, I’d love for DNB to have the opportunity to produce less free cash flow while reinvesting more earnings in its core business.But it can’t. The prospects for reinvestment at DNB are absolutely minimal.That’s not the end of the world. It’s not like Berkshire has grown See’s a lot in real terms.If you can retain customers, raise prices, and not add capital to a business — you can make a lot of money without having much real growth.The fact that these businesses need very little additional investment to expand is good. But the fact they aren’t expanding is bad. You’d always rather a highly profitable business was growing.Buffett would’ve loved to take See’s cross country. If he did that, it would’ve had less free cash flow for a while. But the business would’ve been worth more over time.is a brand that travels. See’s is not. Coke is certainly not worth less because it invests in growth. It is only worth less to the extent it invests in growth that doesn’t add more value than you could using the same money in your own brokerage account.So, don’t just look at free cash flow and assets.Look at earnings andtangible assets.In the future, if you want to understand Buffett's investment decisions I'd start by looking at:EBIT/(Receivables + Inventory + PP&E) - (Accounts Payable + Accrued Expenses)Rather than just Free Cash Flow/Total Assets.NLRB Denies Northwestern University Football Players' Bid To Unionize Enlarge this image toggle caption Jeffrey Phelps/AP Jeffrey Phelps/AP In a unanimous decision, the National Labor Relations Board has rejected Northwestern University football players' petition to form a union by declining to assert jurisdiction in the case. The decision effectively overturns a 2014 ruling by an NLRB regional director that found the athletes meet the broad definitions of employees under federal law and thereby could form what would have been the nation's first student-athlete union. In a statement Monday, the NLRB said the five-member board did not determine whether players are "statutory employees" under the National Labor Relations Act. The board, it added, "held that asserting jurisdiction would not promote labor stability due to the nature and structure of NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision." "The idea being that allowing one school to unionize could upset the balance of competition in the NCAA, because the NLRB has no jurisdiction over state-run colleges, which constitute the vast majority of the country's football programs," NPR's Nathan Rott reports. As the Two-Way previously reported, football players at Northwestern, a private university outside of Chicago, brought suit against the university "to have a voice at the table," according to NPR's David Schaper. "They argued that they received very little compensation, while the university and other employees raked in money. Another reason for the suit was health care. David explains that athletes receive health insurance for the time they are in school, but they no longer receive health care once they're gone." In a statement, Alan K. Cubbage, vice president for university relations at Northwestern, said the school is pleased with the latest NLRB ruling. He said the ruling means that a union election players conducted last year is moot, and that any votes cast by Northwestern scholarship football players will not be counted. Cubbage continued: "As the University has stated previously, Northwestern considers its students who participate in NCAA Division I sports, including those who receive athletic scholarships, to be students, first and foremost. We applaud our players for bringing national attention to these important issues, but we believe strongly that unionization and collective bargaining are not the appropriate methods to address the concerns raised by student-athletes." Kain Colter, a former Northwestern Football player who helped bring the case to the NLRB and is now a free agent in the National Football League, said Monday on Twitter: "Disappointed by the NLRB ruling. But can't deny the positive changes that were brought up by athletes standing up. Proud of those guys." There have been some changes recently in regard to player compensation at the collegiate level. The Associated Press reports that the NCAA has allowed five college athletic conferences to give student athletes stipends in addition to their scholarships to help with expenses, ranging from $3,000 to $5,000 at some schools.The Indian men’s team continued their winning streak by clinching the fifth Kabaddi World Cup title, while the women’s side bagged the crown for the fourth consecutive time, here today. At a grand finale held at Guru Gobind Singh Multipurpose Stadium, the Indian men’s team defeated Pakistan 45-42 for the fourth time, while the women team beat New Zealand 36-27 for the second time in a row. History repeated itself as both teams in the men and women sections had clashed during the finals of Fourth Kabaddi World Cup at Ludhiana last year and in both the matches, India had emerged victorious. The men’s finals between India and Pakistan was always going to be a close contest and it turned out to be one as is evident from the scoreline. It was raiders Sandeep Singh Surakhpur (16) and Sandeep Luddar (10) who were the top scorers, while stopper Yadwinder Singh Yada “Surakhpur” also registered 5 points and Gopi secured 3 points respectively to help India’s cause. For Pakistan, raiders Shafiq Ahmad Chishti, Mohammad Irfan and Akmal Sajjad Dogar scored 15, 13 and 6 points respectively, while stoppers Musharaff Javed Janjua secured 4 points for his team. In the women’s final, the Indian eves started on a positive note and lead right from the beginning. Their dominating performance helped them to lead 18-14 at the half time. Indian raiders Priyanka Devi and Ram Bateri scored 8 points each and Sukhwinder Kaur scored 7 points, while stoppers Anu Rani secured 4 while Ritu and Jasvir secured one point each. For Kiwis, raiders Lani Perese scored 12, Motu Elizabeth secured 9 and Pomare registered 4 points, while stoppers Titu and Tekawa scored one point each. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Sarbananda Sonowal were also present. In women’s section, the best raiders were Ram Bateri and Priyanka, while best stopper was Anu Rani. They were awarded with a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh each. New Zealand raider Lani Perese and stopper Tito were also awarded with a special cash prize of Rs 1 lakh each. The best raiders of men section are Sandeep Surakhpur (India) and Shafiq Ahmad Chishti (Pakistan) and best stopper was Yadwinder. They were awarded with Preet Tractors each. In this event, 11 teams in men section and eight teams in the women section had participated. The 11 teams of men section included India, Pakistan, Argentina, United States of America, England, Canada, Australia, Iran, Denmark, Spain and Sweden. In Women section, eight teams participated including Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Mexico, New Zealand, United States of America, England, Denmark and India. The winner of men section, India, bagged a prize money of Rs 2 crore and first runners up, Pakistan won Rs 1 crore, while the winner of women section, India, were rewarded with a prize money of Rs 1 crore and first runners up, New Zealand, won Rs 51 lakh. In men section, the Iran team has stood third and won a prize money of Rs 51 lakh, while in women section, the Pakistan team stood third and won a prize money of Rs 25 lakh. Meanwhile, Parkash Singh Badal inaugurated the ultra modern stadium constructed with a cost of Rs 16 croreWhen the TSA brought nude body scanners to the airports, demanding that the citizens allow the government to photograph them naked in order to get on a plane, there were some who said, “If you don’t like it, don’t fly!” That we should give up some of our liberty in order to “keep us safe,” because airports are where all the terrorists are. When the TSA started paying visits to Amtrak and Greyhound stations, there were some who still didn’t see the problem. After all, “I’ve got nothing to hide!” Now the NYPD has asked us to accept body scanners on the streets, allowing them to peer under your clothes for “anything dangerous” — guns, bombs, the Constitution — from up to 25 yards away for, you know, our safety. (And someone please think of the children!) I’m pleased to have filed the first lawsuit against the nude body scanners after the TSA deployed them as primary screening in 2010, and I’m pleased to announce that today I filed suit against New York City for its testing and planned (or current?) deployment of terahertz imaging devices to be used on the general public from NYPD vans parked on the streets — a “virtual stop-and-frisk.” My civil complaint, Corbett v. City of New York, 13-CV-602, comes attached with a motion for a preliminary injunction that would prohibit use of the device on random people on their way to school, work, the theater, or the bar. It is unfortunate that it seems that government at all levels is always in need of a fresh reminder that the citizens for whom it exists demand privacy, and that each technological advance is not a new tool to violate our privacy. However, as often as proves to be necessary, we will give them that reminder. Corbett v. City of New York II – Complaint with Exhibits Corbett v. City of New York II – Motion for Preliminary InjunctionCelebrated author Paulo Coelho has said superstar Shah Rukh Khan deserved an Academy Award for his performance in the film My Name is Khan, if Hollywood fraternity was not biased. The 69-year-old novelist took to Twitter to praise the actor on the seventh anniversary of the Karan Johar-directed film. The Alchemist author also posted a screenshot from his Facebook page, where he also wrote that the 2008 movie was only the time he had watched any of Shah Rukh’s acts. "My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist" Congratulations @iamsrk for the 7th anniversary of this wonderful movie! pic.twitter.com/6IlqFtGfMl — Paulo Coelho (@paulocoelho) February 11, 2017 Shah Rukh too tweeted saying that it was sad that such films are “still relevant” and was grateful to the cast and crew for giving him such a great film. Thank u so
Walker and Davies weren’t so central. Their advancement up the pitch allowed Eriksen to occupy spaces higher up the pitch (thus breaking up this stale line of 5) and this was also a much more luring prospect for the Brom midfield to press or at least engage with. However with the flat 5 midfield line and Janssen struggling to pin the more combative Brom CBs, Spurs primary form of penetration came via the wings and through 2nd balls. With Brom’s man orientated defensive shape, competing for 2nd balls off crosses was the easiest way for Spurs to guarantee momentary freedom from their markers high up the pitch. With the ball being out on the wing, the Brom man markers would struggle to keep their eyes on both the ball and whoever they were meant to be marking creating greater potential for blind-side movements from the Spurs attackers and as I said increase the moments of temporary freedom as the chaos of the 2nd ball would again distract and lure Brom players out of a disciplined position. Had Spurs been using their fullbacks to create the width, they may have enjoyed more success in terms of creating scoring chances off 2nd ball battles as this would allow Lamela and Sissoko to operate inside the pitch, inside the West Brom defensive shape and perhaps allow these guys to get on the ball (or allow Alli and Eriksen more freedom to do the same) and “make something happen”. Spurs’ structure wasn’t appropriate for creating scoring chances upon an offensive transition sparked by a 2nd ball as the Spurs wingers were too wide and the FBs remaining too deep and perhaps not as central as they should’ve been, leaving Spurs with minimal chances to take advantage of the chaos caused by a 2nd ball as only Alli, Janssen and Eriksen were in positions to fight for it inside the Brom block. There was perhaps more of a call for a direct/wide-play orientated approach vs West Brom in order to create the same chaos as Spurs did vs Man City, Wanyama was always free to remain close to the midfield line as West Brom always left Rondon to press the Spurs CBs on his own meaning Wanyama had no reason to drop deep (West Brom were hardly likely either to allow themselves to be conditioned into a 4-4-2 shape so there was no point in Wanyama dropping to create a back three). In reality, there wasn’t so much inherently wrong with Spurs’ play, they just lacked the quality inside the Brom block (the ‘needle’ players). Spurs played with the ball inside West Brom’s half for most of the match and there were many times when they were able to find a ball inside this shape, problem was, was that the ball was found by Janssen, Alli, Sissoko and Lamela and these players lack the quality to play through these shapes on the regular or in the right ways (case in point, Sissoko’s hashed chance in the 62nd minute or better yet, his performance the entire game). In these tight defensive spaces, even the slightest misplay will be punished and the attack will break down and that can be caused by any innocuous bobble, minutely over-hit pass or just controlling the ball with the wrong surface etc. These spaces must therefore be widened and enlarged with quicker play and therefore you need to crowd your starting line-up with “quick” players, give me Leandro Paredes instead of Wanyama, give me Harry Winks for Sissoko and a less clumsy forward than Janssen and I might be happier. Create chaos Pochettino, not with Wanyama but with Messi, give me quick, direct vertical play, it can exist with little guys and it was from chaos that we scored our equaliser with little guys running around in that Brom box! It was perhaps my emotional response to games like these which led to me to question Pochettino’s long term position at Tottenham in the piece I linked above and by the end of this piece I’ll know if I still stand by that point. Pochettino smells of Old Spice 4.1 Stale possession leads to stale results (and the specifics for providing width) Alderweireld’s injury sustained during the game against West Brom prompted Eric Dier’s return to the RCB role with Dembele regaining his starting spot in the team in the ‘2’ alongside Wanyama in the 4-2-3-1. Again, watching these games I find myself dying a little inside with the personnel set up within the 4-2-3-1 and how the decision making of some players screws over the rest of the team. Without again touching on Wanyama, whose first touch is rarely ever progressive (or his second touch!), I find myself always crying out for the wide men to position themselves higher up the pitch and act differently when receiving the ball in these areas. Son’s introduction into the team will always result in a little bit of chaos because that’s the player he is, a direct and hard-running, two-footed shooter whose first touch will usually always run a little away from him. When positioned as a wide man in a 4-2-3-1 he will usually disrupt the movements of our FBs and therefore the build-up down whatever flank he happens to be operating on. His preference to receive the ball close to the touchline will usually prevent the FB from moving forward and often means they’ll stay deep and (though they rarely do so) have to utilise their skillset within the half-space as part of the midfield line however as I said they rarely do so as they’re reluctant to give up their territory on the flanks. What’s even more frustrating about this is that whether it is Sonny or the FBs on the flanks, they’re never high enough up the pitch to have the ideal effect upon the opposition and thus open up space in the centre for your creatives (…and Wanyama). In order to best do this, and to take advantage of this action, the wide player must be receiving the ball along the line of the defence and ideally, high up the pitch towards the by-line. This is so, (with the idea being to pin the opposition into a back six) you can threaten running in behind the opposition and thus luring their focus away from the central players only to then cut the ball back into the space opened up in the centre and half-spaces as the opponents move towards their own goal in panic. In the first phase of the build-up, the same principle applies; you pass wide in order to create time on the ball for yourself as a central player and the higher up the FB, the further back the opposition winger, thus stretching the opponent’s first line of pressure thus creating space. Back to Spurs, there were simply too many times when one of Walker, Rose or Son were deeper than they needed to be and often meant they weren’t the highest positioned players entering the opposition final third meaning any pass into the central players was often made when the opponents defensive line had full sight of the ball and the receiver meaning the player receiving the ball was often in a position with his back to goal or his body wasn’t ideally positioned to turn on the ball or make a quick progressive action (also meaning he was forced into a shielding action and unable to turn). Spurs didn’t react nearly aggressive enough to these passes as when you make a forward diagonal pass from the wide areas into the centre you limit yourself into an up-back-through routine as a way to break the opposition shape and as I said Spurs didn’t seem to identify these scenarios and thus act appropriately. This is because, as I said, the opposition have an easier time of focusing on both the ball and the man and can pressure the ball receiver as he will most likely be receiving not entirely facing the goal. What is ideal, is for the wingers/wide players to be positioned as the highest attackers within the opposition final third, to threaten the backline with a dribble in order to create panic and attract the opposition midfield and defensive line towards their own goal and redirect their focus onto the ball out on the wings before cutting the ball back to a central player who should’ve positioned themselves as such within the half-spaces or central channel where they’ll have a moment to exploit the space afforded to him if he’s move correctly and potentially the spaces opened up as the opposition’s defence shifts again in panic. As an example of how devastating this can be, just re-watch our two goals in our 2-0 home win over Chelsea, as Eriksen exploits the space created for him in the right half-space after Walker receives the ball and threatens to attack the by-line before playing the ball back into Eriksen to cross for Alli. 4.2 Why we struggle when pressed Again, Bournemouth’s pressing within a narrow 4-2-2-2 structure also created difficulties for Spurs as their wide midfielders would prioritise defending the half-spaces and preventing Dembele and Eriksen from receiving the ball at the “risk” of allowing Wanyama and the FBs easier access to the ball. Their energetic pressing within the wide areas where they forced us made for a scrappy game which again created issues with tempo and structure. A general trend again resurfaces when teams actively press Tottenham high up the pitch as we’ll often see Eriksen drop deep in an attempt to ease ball circulation and escape pressure however what this frequently results in is Spurs occupying the space high up the pitch with less players. This thus makes it harder to battle for any 2nd balls should our defenders be forced into a clearance as there’s less players around to win the 1st or retain the 2nd ball, this also makes it easier for the opponents to press us as they can now commit one more player to the high press as Eriksen is now operating deeper and this also means we can’t utilise the skillsets of Alli, Kane or Son as they’re also further away from the opposition goal. A possible solution to such an issue is to perhaps in these games where we are pressed, simply leave Wanyama higher up the pitch and drop Eriksen deeper and then use Wanyama as a wall pass or hold up player. Alternatively you drop Wanyama altogether and you sign Leandro Paredes (too bloody late now) however if you’re Pochettino and you have little faith in the pressing-resistance of your players, then I suppose you need these “scrappers” to make your life easier during the constant transitions and turnovers. By including these “scrappers” however, you guarantee a scrappy game much like the one against Bournemouth where nothing but nonsense turnovers in wide areas occur every 30 seconds. 4.3 The ‘3’ at the back is born (or born again) vs Arsenal 3 consecutive Premier League draws after the win against City and after not scoring from open play in 5 matches across all competitions, Spurs’ form prompted a change of system for the game against Arsenal. Pochettino seemingly threw together a 3-4-1-2 with Eriksen, Son and Kane forming the inverted triangle up top. The introduction of an orthodox back three changed very little in terms of Spurs’ structure during the build-up bar the FBs having greater license to get forward as well as Eriksen enjoying more space and time in the centre of the pitch. What did massively change for Spurs was how their structure conditioned the opposition to defend in a 4-4-2 shape as the starting positions of the players lent itself to the 3-4-3 build-up structure so instead of having Wanyama umming and ahrring about when and where to drop off, Spurs were already lined up with a back three. This forced Arsenal into a 4-4-2 shape as they were never going to let Sanchez press on his own and what’s more, they had to adopt this shape for the entirety of Spurs’ build-up and with Kane and Son occupying the back four, Arsenal’s FBs couldn’t push high up the pitch and squeeze the midfield line. Also with Son always threatening to run in behind the Arsenal back line, the back four were hesitant to push too far up the pitch thus in turn meaning Arsenal’s midfield line did the same creating large gaps in between Arsenal’s lines and on a pitch the size of the Emirates, Dembele and Eriksen enjoyed frequent touches on the ball in large areas of space, conducting our possession upon an extremely vertical orientation. With three at the back and two striker formations, there is sometimes the worry of being outplayed and outnumbered down the flanks however if the two strikers position themselves correctly then this isn’t an issue. To pin a back four with two strikers, the two strikers must occupy the spaces in between the opposing CBs and FBs thus creating a difficult situation/scenario if the opposition FB attempts to move forward as this will either leave a lot of space down the flank for the striker to attack or threaten to open up space in the middle if the opposition CB chooses to move over to cover the advanced FB. In this game, this meant Rose and Walker were free to occupy Walcott and Iwobi thus stretching the midfield line of four for Arsenal leaving Dembele to dominate a number of 1v1 battles vs Coquelin and Xhaka again ensuring a quick and vertical tempo to Spurs’ possession. Spurs didn’t always position themselves like this however and so did not maximise the potential this structure could create for them and perversely they instead (at times) positioned themselves with narrow strikers (no greater than the distance of the opposition CBs) and high and wide FBs, conditioning a wider defensive line and narrower midfield line for Arsenal. This created an extremely difficult 4-4-2 defensive block to break down for Spurs as Arsenal could easily overload the central and half-space channels making penetration near impossible, in other words, we at times, through simple positional deficiencies conditioned Arsenal to defend like Atletico Madrid and doesn’t that make you feel a little sick! This is of course an exaggeration and an unforgivable comparison for Atletico Madrid however this scenario was the consequence of a drastic change in attacking structure after less than three days of training time and the change in pace associated with a North London Derby. Another issue with this formation was how we defended in a low block, in a 5-3-0-2 formation, with Eriksen dropping into the same line as Dembele and Wanyama. The three man midfield was easily overloaded on a number of occasions and Arsenal enjoyed a lot of good possession on the edge of our box and against a more prepared opponent Spurs would’ve been punished more severely. This defensive flaw meant this formation was unlikely to be a long term solution for Spurs’ issues with getting a positive result from games and was merely a one-off experiment. Spurs duly switched system again in time for the next game against West Ham switching to a 4-1-2-1-2 diamond formation as well as handing Harry Winks his full debut in the Premier League as the LCM. 4.4 The diamond vs West Ham The diamond in midfield created issues for West Ham in the way of stopping them from defending high up the pitch. West Ham defended in a 5-1-3-1 formation with Pedro Obiang man marking whichever Spurs midfielder operated within the ‘10’ space. This meant that West Ham’s midfield line of three had to defend deep and narrow as there were still three central Spurs players to consider and with Rose and Walker staying high and occupying the West Ham WBs (Antonio and Cresswell), Dier and Vertonghen could easily between them (+ Wanyama and Lloris) pass rings around the lonely Sakho. This gave Spurs easy access to the halfway line where they could ensure appropriate structure for a defensive transition or at the very least make any potential West Ham offensive transition even harder thus guaranteeing a lot of possession during the game. It was from being able to apply good pressure on the ball carrier upon a West Ham offensive transition due to appropriate structure upon losing the ball that Spurs were able to regain the ball to start the move that resulted in their initial equaliser. Spurs’ issues then quickly became apparent against the West Ham low block as with Obiang making life difficult for Eriksen, Spurs struggled for passing options centrally and many attacks broke down once the ball was played into the physical battle Kane and Janssen were engrossed in with the West Ham back three. Rose and Walker as well, did very little to threaten in behind (by staying deeper) though at times this could’ve been a ploy to open up space to attack behind the Ham WBs as our two strikers and midfielders attacked this space on a number of occasions without any real success. Although Spurs went into the second half 1-0 down, only minor tweaks were needed to ensure Spurs could break down the opposition shape on a more regular basis including: 1) Speed up the tempo of our play and 2) Push Harry Winks into the space between Ham’s midfield and defence. These two changes would overload the opposition defensive line thus opening up spaces on the wings as well as giving Spurs a fair chance on converting scoring chances from crosses. These tweaks allowed Spurs to overload the space Obiang was marshalling which brought the opposition midfield deeper however they were kept narrow by Dembele and Wanyama giving Walker and Rose greater license to get forward with Kane, Winks, Eriksen and Janssen occupying the Ham back five. It was the result of this which gave Rose the space to attack down West Ham’s right and put in the ball for Janssen to shoot and for Winks to convert the rebound. With Spurs looking good after the half-time changes, Pochettino inexplicably switched Spurs back to a 4-2-3-1 with the introduction of Alli for Janssen. With the wider attacking midfielders and with the double pivot in play, Walker and Rose seemingly became more hesitant to move forward and Sonny’s introduction didn’t help matters and Spurs lost a lot of their dynamism and momentum they’d built up. Pochettino’s saving grace in this game came in the last five minutes of regular time when Pochettino dropped Wanyama into a permanent back three, changing Spurs into a 3-3-3-1 variant. The back three restored Walker and Roses’ license to get forward and gave Winks freedom of the centre whilst also creating space for Dier and Vertonghen to drive forward with the ball thus speeding up our build-up play. Walker and Rose maintaining a higher position up the pitch (as well as it being so late on in the game with y’know attacking mentalities n’all that) Son was restrained to the width of the penalty area and Eriksen, Alli and Kane were able to again pin the opposition back five and midfield. Spurs then enjoyed a lot of space in dangerous channels in West Ham’s half and the new dynamics late on the game duly delivered Spurs with two chances to enter West Ham’s box and punish West Ham accordingly so a good result for Spurs after a mixed performance. 4.5 Familiar faces with new scars (4-2-3-1 vs Chelsea) The big news emerging from Tottenham’s starting XI pre-Chelsea depicted a starting line-up with Kevin Wimmer returning to the team in the LB position with the rest of the team picking itself, with Son on the left and Eriksen floating right. The immediate thing to notice in this game was just how wide Son was playing out on the left, almost never coming into the centre like how Pochettino usually prefers his attacking midfielders to play. With no Danny Rose and with Victor Moses still adjusting to his new RWB position for Chelsea, it made sense to stretch the pitch in this area and if possible isolate Moses 1v1 and after Sonny’s performance as a winger against Sunderland, it was worth a try to see if he could recreate a similar performance against the League leaders. Eriksen and Alli offered Spurs a strong presence in between the Chelsea lines and their movement was fantastic as they constantly interchanged and roamed and linked with the flanks to create overloads in order to help Spurs maintain possession in Chelsea’s half. Wimmer staying deep and wide in this game created an interesting dynamic for Spurs down the left hand side as his occupation of Pedro, alongside Hazard’s passivity over on the right hand side, stretched the Chelsea midfield line creating a crude 2v2 in the middle. Dembele again enjoyed his 1v1 battles and with the Chelsea midfield line stretched it didn’t so much highlight Kante’s or Matic’s defensive skills and instead left them rather troubled. Spurs still weren’t controlling the game however and their lead was hardly justifiable (and it seemed to make Eriksen go mad as he wasted a few decent possessions with stupid long range shots after his opener). Spurs’ press was slightly more intense than it had been in previous games (perhaps understandable due to the proximity of the two clubs as well as their previous encounter) however it stretched the midfield line terribly and Chelsea were able to play through it/around it several times which made it harder for Spurs to offensively transition effectively outside of an out ball to Son who was doing an impression of 15/16 Sonny. Alongside a number of well-timed fouls, Spurs limited the amount of times this happened however and this maintained an impression of control at least as Spurs could then setup in their mid/low block shape. Spurs also struggled to penetrate Chelsea’s penalty area and a lot of shots came from outside of the area as Kane didn’t do enough to unsettle the Chelsea back three by dropping off, instead merely trying to pin one of them or occupy just the two. Ultimately a mad moment from Dembele led to a chain of events which ended with Pedro’s equaliser. Frustrated by Kante’s tactical foul, Dembele tried to restart play quickly with Eriksen and Walker not appropriately set up to support him on the right hand side leaving Dembele to run into a cul-de-sac where upon losing the ball Spurs didn’t appropriately invest in their own press. Tired towards the end of the half and with the midfield line disorganised with Dembele out right and Eriksen central, Matic easily found an incisive pass into Pedro who produced a moment of magic on the edge of our box to level with Chelsea’s second attempt of the game. I can’t necessarily slate Son for not tracking back for the Moses winner as his instructions seemed to tell him to stay high in an attempt to pin Moses or exploit his offensive tendencies and thus the winner came as a result of a poorly dealt with cross and a gamble that paid off for the Chelsea WB. Through tiredness or tweaks, Spurs played less intensively in the second half of the game and Chelsea took the initiative away from Spurs and threatened to run away with the game early on after the restart. All of Spurs’ issues became exaggerated in the second half as they produced a rather pathetic display akin to a bottom six side merely making up the numbers in clashes against the top four. It was perhaps the cherry on top to be placed upon the cake of poor form that Spurs wallowed in towards the back end of 2016 which prompted the publication of a number of doom-and-gloom tactics articles from myself, Nathan Clark (@TTTactics) and Jake Meador (@jake_meador) just in time for Christmas. As aforementioned, I even called into question Pochettino’s long term position at Tottenham Hotspur as his emphasis on defensive concentration and rigidity seemed at odds with our youthful side’s inexperience and flair. The 3-4-2-1 5.1. A change in build-up structure (and why it’s Vertonghen – Alderweireld – Dier) As addressed when first reviewing our switch to a three at the back formation for our 1-1 draw against Arsenal, the starting positions of the players streamlined a lot of Spurs’ positioning and thus their circulation. We now had capable ball players like Dier and Vertonghen stretching the opposition’s 1st line of pressure and operating (and at times) driving into the half-spaces with Wanyama providing the tip of a diamond which gave our CBs the option of a quick 1-2 or wall pass in order to find space. Both Dier and Vertonghen have experience playing as FBs and aren’t shy to take on their man or drive with the ball and coupled with Dier’s crossing ability, this gave Spurs a new dynamic in possession and the potential for a new threat which is hard for the opposition to defend as if you press a CB, you are most likely leaving open a midfielder or forward. I’ve previously explained some benefits to operating deep in the half-space in my first tactical profile of Pochettino: “This tactic allows our midfielders easier access to the ball from our CBs and allows (the ball receiver) the chance to drive/pass diagonally infield. From this angle, (the ball receiver) has a greater view of the field and the play ahead of him and is therefore also able to make a better decision and hurt the oppositions shape. By driving diagonally in towards the centre of the pitch, this forces the opposition to drastically change their shape, having to drop both horizontally and vertically, therefore creating more disruption (as opposed to reacting to a vertical long ball, the opposition would only have to drop vertically, taking a few steps back). This also allows (the ball receiver) to pick up the ball in more space as the opposition are unlikely to press him in this area and risk losing their shape.” It is also important to analyse why Toby Alderweireld is positioned as the central CB in this shape and the answer is relatively simple. Toby is, without question, the CB who possesses the greatest range of passing in our squad and who can be relied upon to not only see a defence splitting pass but also pull it off with laser-like precision. So, if Alderweireld possesses the ball in the central channel of the pitch, then the opposition’s shape will likely be at its most stretched as Toby has access to players both on the right and left side of the pitch. With the opposition’s shape at its most stretched, ideally you’d want your most dangerous passer on the ball in order to exploit the existing gaps as well as giving him the freedom to dictate the direction of our play where he can ping a ball to the left or right as he so pleases. With Wanyama also restricted within the central channel due to the advanced nature of our wide CBs his lack of appreciation for structure is minimised and again he is limited to operating merely as a wall pass for our more purposeful passers. This also gives him quicker access to all channels on the pitch upon a defensive transition where he can work his (for the sake of it) “magic”. With the WBs still operating as the sole width-providers in this formation, this leaves open space higher up within the half-spaces for Dembele and Eriksen to work within. With the five channels already now occupied during our build-up structure, Alli and Kane are free to move about the ‘10’ space and drop-off or pin the opposition’s defence and create as much havoc as they see fit. Our new build-up shape is illustrated below. The above illustration is a little deceiving however as it indicates that we keep this 3-1-4-2 shape once we enter the opposition’s half or final third which isn’t usually the case. Upon entering the opposition’s half, generally our shape will change to a more traditional 3-4-3 or 3-2-5 with Wanyama stepping up alongside Dembele and Eriksen joining the forward line so as to occupy the five vertical channels high up the pitch as well as providing us with a steely counter-pressing double pivot which will help us circulate possession, prevent counter attacks and ultimately, control the game. The danger defending this build-up shape for the opposition comes mainly from how to defend against the CBs who are bold enough to drive into midfield. After conditioning the opponents into a 4-4-2 with our three CBs and with Alli and Kane occupying the back four, we outnumber the opposition midfield 5v4, which not only keeps them pinned but opens up areas in the half-space for our CBs to drive into where they can either be left alone to put a ball into the box or be pressed at the risk of opening up receiving space for the WBs or forwards. The greatest example of how difficult it became for teams to defend against us came in our 4-0 thrashing of West Brom at the Lane. With Walker, Rose, Kane and Alli pinning West Brom into a back six, West Brom were defending the edge of their area with a very narrow three man midfield who simply couldn’t defend the space they needed due to the speed at which Tottenham Hotspur were playing. This was helped by Vertonghen and Dier joining the midfield line, confident Alderweireld could defend any (if any) hopeful ball cleared to Rondon, therefore easily allowing Spurs to outplay and overload the West Brom midfield three with the help of Wanyama, Dembele and Eriksen. The rate at which West Brom’s midfield three were getting overloaded prompted panic from the West Brom low block and this led to a number of occasions where a defender from the last line was forced into a late reaction, leaving his line to press the ball carrier opening up gaps to exploit. At times one of the wide men was forced into a hurried press, opening up an angle for our WBs to receive in time and space and even for our opener where McAuley was hurried into pressing Eriksen leaving Kane open to receive and hammer home his first of the day. Our shape and positioning was leaving the West Brom defence in tatters and it was as beautiful to watch as it was horrifying knowing there were teams in the English Premier League being thrown about like a ragdoll. This shape also lent itself to our high-pressing game as with the three CBs offering protection, our WBs could really push up the pitch and press without fear and squeeze the opposition’s shape. Dembele would also often step up and join in with the squeezing of the opposition, especially in games like our 2-0 win over Chelsea where he would man-mark Kante during the press. Likewise Spurs’ wide CBs would usually break out from their line to press one of the Chelsea attackers who would be receiving with their back towards goal, knowing the four other defenders or Wanyama would close up and cover for them. 5.2. A horror show vs City Spurs’ man orientations during their press however still had the potential to cause them issues such as in the 2-2 draw away to Manchester City in January. Spurs attempted to press City’s back line man for man with Alli and Kane on the two City CBs and one of Eriksen or Dembele would be responsible for Toure however Claudio Bravo was the ace up City’s sleeve and his composed nature on the ball helped lure the likes of Dembele, Kane and Alli away from their man opening up space. Even if Bravo was forced long, his passing ability usually meant he was able to find a City player which caught Spurs out a number of times due to the nature of their pressing/marking. With Toure’s movement separating Eriksen/Dembele from the midfield line, De Bruyne and Silva often easily found the space to receive the ball as they would venture into the half-spaces where Wanyama and Dembele were rarely willing to follow due to the risk of creating too large a gap in the middle. City would also throw their FBs forward early as well, putting Sterling, Sane and Aguero right up against our CBs which gave City’s attackers the advantage when attacking long balls in behind due to the speed advantage they had over our CBs. City’s front five meant Wanyama was often being dragged deeper and deeper which forced us to defend in that dreaded 6-2-2 shape as Alli and Kane maintained a high position whilst we were defending, perhaps anticipating a clearance but meant we were overloaded with ease in midfield. With City maintaining a similar man for man structure during their press with their front three on our back three Spurs struggled to maintain any possession or create a meaningful attack as our CBs weren’t free to dictate the play and with Silva and De Bruyne covering our double pivot, Spurs struggled to find Eriksen or any of our forwards with a clean pass leading to structural issues upon any transition. Within 20 minutes Spurs had switched to a 4-3-3 variant with Dier moving into midfield which whilst it made it easier for us to defend in a low block, it hampered our offensive transitions as the FBs now had less protection and license to go forward. This meant we struggled to create any width offensively and thus made it easier for City to press us as we didn’t stretch the pitch or attack with appropriate numbers again meaning we struggled to keep possession of the ball. Upon surviving the first half, Pochettino committed to changing back to the 4-2-3-1 with Son coming on for Wimmer, which again, whilst making it easier for Spurs to defend in midfield as we now could defend with better horizontal coverage in a 4-2-3-1/4-1-4-1 mid/low block, we struggled to threaten City with any central presence and again most of our possession occurred in wide areas where we were easily pressed and lost the ball. Later on in the game, when Wanyama had to fill in for Toby at CB and Winks was introduced, Pochettino changed our defensive shape to a 4-3-1-2 shape in an attempt to split the pitch and perhaps prevent City from circulating the ball across the width of the pitch considering Sonny’s lack of defensive work ethic when placed on the wing. This switch provided some temporary offensive relief for Spurs however as the inverted triangle at the top of our defensive shape could quickly pin the opposition back four into a narrow shape and Sonny’s introduction further enforced this, thus opening up space on the wings from where Spurs created some decent chances, one from which they converted for Dele’s goal. 5.3. Please stop this 4-2-3-1 nonsense. Within minutes of watching our game against Sunderland I’m vomiting again. 4-2-3-1, Wanyama not splitting the CBs, FBs wide but deep and wingers inaccessible with a lack of strong central presence, do I have to say anymore. To watch me watch these games where we played the 4-2-3-1 in this manner would most likely resemble Gordon Ramsey throwing up some trash served to him as all red faced he screams, “BLAND! RAW! DISGUSTING” I tell you what as well, it’s these games I remember more than anything else because the solution is not so simple except it is. There’s more to a game than a one team playing 3-4-3 in possession and thus the other 4-4-2 out of it however you dismantled West Brom by overloading their back line and opening up the half-spaces and in this game, you barely attempted to and we had boring old stale Tottenham that couldn’t break down a team bound for relegation. Against Middlesbrough in the next game as well, it was the same! These are games which kill our title challenge and where I question a man who’s broken records and giving us two of our best seasons in recent memory. 5.3 Liverpool nullify Tottenham’s most effective tactic Against Liverpool, Pochettino switched Alderweireld and Dier around at CB, placing Alderwiereld on the right and Dier left perhaps knowing he could use Toby’s diagonal pass to the left of the pitch as an escape from Liverpool’s press. Dier does try but can’t pull off the pass with the same accuracy or trajectory often making the usage of this redundant. Perhaps it was also a ploy to cover Ben Davies against Mane’s pace however that didn’t bloody work. Like City, Liverpool didn’t so much care for creating space for their attackers away from our defenders as they knew the speed of their attackers would find them that space if they could find the right ball in behind. Liverpool applied little subtlety to their attacks and often hit the channels early upon winning the ball back seeking to exploit any gaps in our shape upon transition, avoiding Wanyama and Dembele (a crucial tactic for Liverpool and one that had several consequences for Spurs) and looking to best exploit the space left behind our back four. These passes created plenty of issues for Spurs as their attackers were forced into sprinting retreats and with Dembele and Wanyama unable to counter-press successfully Spurs struggled again upon offensive transitions. Not only this but when Davies failed to hold the defensive line, he let Mane run inside and behind him to score the opener. It was also threw the positioning of Liverpool’s attackers (narrow and central) that space was opened up for Liverpool on the flanks where Clyne in particular found the space to attack to allow Liverpool to play more of these direct attacks which forced Spurs into disrupting any potential structure appropriate for an offensive transition. Spurs’ 4-2-3-1 rarely threatened Liverpool’s defensive shape and why would it due to its acknowledged flaws. With Wanyama and Dembele unable to create through the counter-press, Spurs could never disrupt Liverpool’s defensive shape and struggled to create good quality chances. Pochettino changed next to nothing in the second half and the game turned into a bore fest in the second half and Spurs whimpered to a 2-0 defeat. Spurs didn’t help themselves in this game as they failed to match Liverpool’s intensity, too many times they handed Liverpool the initiative by failing to advance up the pitch quick enough after a clearance forward. With Son out on the left and Davies hesitant to get forward this often meant Son stayed wide on the left, again meaning Spurs struggled to provide a strong enough central presence offering a route of penetration through Liverpool’s centre. This left Wanyama and Dembele struggling for passing options which made it easy for Liverpool to press our midfield and regain the ball in order to launch a counter. Liverpool’s style of press upon our build-up again created a chaotic tempo and this disruption led to inappropriate structure for Spurs upon transition and no sustained period of possession from which to progress up the pitch. With Firmino deep and the near side ‘Pool wingers pressing our CBs from the line of our FBs Spurs were often forced long and left barren for options during the build-up. The over and underlapping runs from Liverpool’s 8s also created a number of marking issues for Spurs as Wanyama and Dembele were often forced to track back into the defensive line for fear of letting Wijnaldum and Lallana run behind our backline freely again meaning Spurs were often inappropriately structured to form an effective offensive transition. Spurs again switched to a 4-1-2-1-2 diamond around the 25th minute and it helped to create Spurs a couple of chances for a few minutes through Ben Davies who now had room to move into ahead of him with Son now partnering Kane up front. This also prompted Spurs to defend again in a 4-3-1-2 shape perhaps to again split the pitch and stop Liverpool from exploiting under
The South. “ The diamond was found by a slave girl named Rosa* in 1853, at the Bagagem River in the city now called Estrela do Sul Diamond Mines in Brazil. It was handed over to her master, Casimiro de Moraes, who rewarded her for finding the diamond by granting her freedom and a pension for life.” -Wiki. Rosa is actually the Latin form of the name Rose. Now I understand the diamonds are a lot like the masters of the gems, who follow them sort of like slaves. The Diamond Of The South is actually white but with rose tint. Which makes me wonder that this is way too similar to actually be a coincidence. But that’s not the only thing making me wonder about if this diamond symbolizes Pink diamond. Take a look at this. What do you see? I see all three diamonds being symbolized here. And for those of you who don’t know. South is always depicted at the bottom of the compass. This is why I believe Rose is not using Pink Diamond as a weapon. She’s using her by giving her to White Diamond possibly for an exchange for freedom. Now, I really had to write this theory out a little quickly considering the battery on my laptop. But I hope I made a bit of sense.Sometimes you're browsing around Facebook and discover the page of a random friend you hadn't thought about for years. That just happened to us, except instead of a friend it was our horrible ex-president. George W. Bush is on Facebook! George W. Bush currently has 36,358 fans, somehow. His first wall post reads: Since leaving office, President Bush has remained active. He has visited 20 states and 8 countries; given over 65 speeches; launched the George W. Bush Presidential Center; participated in 4 policy conferences through The Bush Institute; finished the first draft of his memoir, "Decision Points"; and partnered with President Clinton to establish the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund... The Washington Post says that the third-person voice suggests "the page is being maintained by someone other than the president." Whoever it is must have spent the entire afternoon today untagging dozens of pictures of Bush motorboating Yale coeds and chugging beer out of flower vases.Pasadena to pay $1 million to settle voting rights lawsuit Mayor: Best to 'get this suit behind us' New mayor Jeff Wagner greets Cesar Espinosa after being sworn into office at Pasadena City Hall, Saturday, July 1, 2017. (Annie Mulligan / Freelance) New mayor Jeff Wagner greets Cesar Espinosa after being sworn into office at Pasadena City Hall, Saturday, July 1, 2017. (Annie Mulligan / Freelance) Photo: Annie Mulligan, Freelance Photo: Annie Mulligan, Freelance Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Pasadena to pay $1 million to settle voting rights lawsuit 1 / 1 Back to Gallery Pasadena Mayor Jeff Wagner on Friday asked the City Council to settle a voting rights lawsuit that led to national portrayals of the Houston suburb as an example of efforts to suppress Latino voting rights. The proposed settlement with Latino residents who sued the city in 2014 over a new City Council district system calls for the city to pay $900,000 for the plaintiffs' legal fees and $197,341 for court costs. The item will be on Tuesday's City Council agenda. "While I strongly believe that the city did not violate the Voting Rights Act or adopt a discriminatory election system," Wagner said in a statement, "I think it's in the best interest of the city to get this suit behind us." READ ALSO: Pasadena voters choose new mayor in heated election C. Robert Health, who represented the city a protracted battle in federal court, agreed that if the council votes for the settlement, it's in the city's best interest. However, he argued in court and he still believes that the city did not intentionally discriminate against Latino voters, even though Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal determined it did. "We felt we had a good case and we had not discriminated," he said. "The system operated in such a way that I don't think it produced or diminished Hispanic representation." Patricia Gonzales, one of a handful of voters who filed the lawsuit through the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund prompted by drastic infrastructure inequities across the city, said she was thrilled to hear the news. But she was not surprised. "We knew this was a winning fight. We prayed on it and we fought on it and we knew it was the right thing to do," said Gonzalez, a part time phone operator recently formed a community advocacy group on the structurally faltering north side of town. "We can't be bullied anymore," she said. Councilman Cody Ray Wheeler, who testified in the lawsuit and was a vocal advocate for removing what he saw as power grab by longtime Mayor Johnny Isbell, said he's relieved the city is putting an end to fighting the ruling. "There was kind of an underbelly in Pasadena of this power network and good old boy system that wanted to keep Pasadena run by this group," he said. "The lawsuit changed that. It really put the power back in the hands of the voters and the citizens of Pasadena." He said based on conversations among city council members he's confident the majority will approve the settlement. Approval of the settlement would end the city's appeal of Rosenthal's January ruling that the new council system intentionally diluted Latino voting strength. Voters approved the new system, which added two at-large council positions and removed two district seats, in a 2013 charter change election initiated by the former mayor. Rosenthal ordered the city to use the previous system of eight district positions in the city elections last May. The city has paid more than $2 million to attorneys for the trial and appeal. Wagner, a former Houston police officer who had served one term on the City Council, won election to replace the term-limited Isbell, who had led the city off and on for decades. Statements by candidates during the city election campaign, and by council members since then, have shown little appetite for continuing the appeal of the case. The lawsuit "has been extremely divisive and focused our attention on issues of the past," Wagner said in his statement. "It is time to devote our full attention to the future and to ensuring that Pasadena's future is one in which all parts of the city are united."Donald Trump invoked the increase in homicides in many major American cities last year, stating that the spike was the country’s biggest in nearly a half-century. “We have an increase in murder with inner cities, the biggest in 45 years,” Trump said. Trump was correct that murders have gone up across the country. As the FBI reported last month, violent crimes and homicides both went up nationwide last year. This uptick was largely fueled by increases in a number of big cities, including Chicago, Baltimore and Washington, which accounted for most of the spike seen in major cities. Still, overall violent crime rates nationwide remain near historic lows, and the increase last year is so jarring because it follows two decades of declining crime nationwide. As Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch noted in her statement when the crime numbers were released, “It is important to remember that while crime did increase overall last year, 2015 still represented the third-lowest year for violent crime in the past two decades.” Experts caution against drawing too great a conclusion from a single year’s data. And Trump’s remarks on crime often involve cherry-picked data and arbitrarily selected numbers, as when he claimed in the last debate that murders were up in New York City, even though they were up last year but down this year. (One criminologist said of Trump’s speech when he accepted the Republican nomination over the summer: “A good illustration of how to lie with statistics.”) When Trump said tonight that the increase last year was “the biggest in 45 years,” he was technically correct if you use one specific way to measure the homicide increase — the year-to-year percentage uptick in homicides. But last year’s increase was less extreme if you look at other measurements, and it also paled in comparison to what the country saw just a quarter-century ago. For instance, there were about 1,500 more murders last year than the year before, according to the FBI, which said the number of reported murders went up to 15,696 in 2015 from 14,164 in 2014. In sheer numbers, there was a larger year-to-year increase in 1990, when nearly 2,000 more murders occurred than the year before — and when the population was far smaller. That year, 23,440 killings were reported, exceeding the 21,500 a year earlier. In 1990, the murder rate surged to 9.4 per 100,000 residents; last year, that number was 4.9 per 100,000 residents. While there were more than 15,000 murders last year, the country saw roughly the same number in 2009, when there were 14 million fewer Americans. The gulf is even larger between the America of last year and a quarter-century ago: In 1990, there were about 8,000 more homicides than the country saw in 2015, even though the country’s population increased by about 72 million Americans over that span.After his beginnings as a gentle, melodic baroque folk-rocker, Buckley gradually evolved into a downright experimental singer/songwriter who explored both jazz and avant-garde territory. Starsailor is the culmination of his experimentation and alienated far more listeners than it exhilarated upon its release in 1970. Buckley had already begun to delve into jazz fusion on late-'60s records like Happy Sad, and explored some fairly "out" acrobatic, quasi-operatic vocals on his final Elektra LP, Lorca. With former Mother of Invention Bunk Gardner augmenting Buckley's group on sax and alto flute, Buckley applies vocal gymnastics to a set of material that's as avant-garde in its songwriting as its execution. At his most anguished (which is often on this album), he sounds as if his liver is being torn out -- slowly. Almost as if to prove he can still deliver a mellow buzz, he throws in a couple of pleasant jazz-pop cuts, including the odd, jaunty French tune "Moulin Rouge." Surrealistic lyrics, heavy on landscape imagery like rivers, skies, suns, and jungle fires, top off a record that isn't for everybody, or even for every Buckley fan, but endures as one of the most uncompromising statements ever made by a singer/songwriter.Actress Jada Pinkett Smith became the latest celebrity to weigh in on the renewed #OscarsSoWhite controversy over the weekend, when she took to social media to ask if minorities should boycott the awards ceremony after the Academy nominated exclusively white actors in top categories for a second straight year. “At the Oscars… people of color are always welcomed to give out awards… even entertain, but we are rarely recognized for our artistic achievements,” the wife of actor Will Smith wrote on Twitter Saturday. “Should people of color refrain from participating all together?” At the Oscars…people of color are always welcomed to give out awards…even entertain, (pt. 1) — Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapsmith) January 16, 2016 But we are rarely recognized for our artistic accomplishments. Should people of color refrain from participating all together? (pt 2) — Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapsmith) January 16, 2016 People can only treat us in the way in which we allow. With much respect in the midst of deep disappointment. J (pt 3) — Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapsmith) January 16, 2016 “People only treat us in the way in which we allow,” she added, signing off: “With much respect in the midst of deep disappointment. J.” The #OscarsSoWhite controversy first emerged last year, when many critics blasted the Academy for failing to recognize Selma director Ava DuVernay and actor David Oyelowo for awards in their respective categories. After this year’s nominations were announced Thursday, the controversy was renewed again when critics pointed out that films like Straight Outta Compton, Concussion, Beasts of No Nation, and Creed had failed to secure any nominations for their minority cast and crew members. Pinkett Smith is just the latest to criticize the Academy for its award voting this year; in a promo for the upcoming February 28 broadcast, host Chris Rock referred to the awards ceremony as “the white BET Awards.” The Rev. Al Sharpton also blasted the award show and the Hollywood film industry in general, which he said perpetuates a “fraudulent image of progressive and liberal politics and policies.” “Hollywood is like the Rocky Mountains, the higher up you get the whiter it gets and this year’s Academy Awards will be yet another Rocky Mountain Oscars,” Sharpton said. “Yet again, deserving Black actors and directors were ignored by the Academy — which reinforces the fact that there are few if any Blacks with real power in Hollywood.” Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs swiftly responded to the controversy, telling Deadline on Thursday: “Of course I am disappointed, but this is not to take away the greatness [of the films nominated]. This has been a great year in film, it really has across the board.” At the Academy’s Governor Awards last month, Boone Isaacs announced a new diversity initiative called A2020, a five-year mentorship and training program that aims to bolster diversity efforts across the film industry.Electronic Arts has released a new video for FIFA 13, the next installment in the FIFA series scheduled to be available on September 25th 2012 (North America) and September 28th (Europe), for PC, PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, PSP, PS Vita, Wii, 3DS, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and other mobile platforms. Players now possess the intelligence to create, curve, or alter runs to capitalize on openings as they occur, make runs that pull defenders out of position to open passing channels for teammates, and better position themselves for new attacking opportunities. Inspired by the world's best player, Lionel Messi, Complete Dribbling enables players to face their opponent and use precise dribble touches combined with true 360° mobility with the ball. Players change direction quicker, are more explosive accelerating with the ball, and are more effective shielding defenders for longer stretches. FIFA 13 1st Touch Control transforms the way players control the ball, eliminating near-perfect touch for every player on the pitch, and creating variety and uncertainty around ball control. Factors such as defensive pressure, trajectory of the ball, and velocity of the pass now impact a player's first touch, creating more opportunities for defenders to win back possession. A playable demo is now available via Origin, Xbox LIVE and PlayStation Network.The Eagles' offense is primed to make another leap. (Simon Bruty/Sports Illustrated) The Eagles' offense is primed to make another leap. (Simon Bruty/Sports Illustrated) Offense Among the many perks of having a great scheme is you don’t have to put up with a problem child, even one capable of posting 1,332 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. When Chip Kelly released DeSean Jackson, he didn’t “send a message” to his team. He simply shrugged and turned his back on a guy who wasn’t always fully invested in the greater cause. Kelly knew he could easily find a replacement for Jackson. True, the 27-year-old’s tremendous speed and quickness fit the scheme. But the scheme doesn’t need players with an abundance of these traits, it needs players that simply have them. Kelly’s play designs can take care of the rest. Don’t be surprised if many of Jackson’s touches are assumed by Darren Sproles, a 10th-year running back acquired from New Orleans for a fifth-round pick. The Eagles claim Sproles will be a runner first, receiver second, but it’s going to be tough to take carries away from LeSean McCoy. The two running backs will be most dangerous when on the field together anyway. (How would a defense match up to this? Base personnel? Nickel? A hybrid dime front?) Aside from Jackson’s vertical prowess he and Sproles are very similar. Both do their damage on catch-and-runs off east-west movement (think quick screens and shallow slants). Because Sproles is not a pure wideout, the Eagles also spent a second-round pick on Jordan Matthews, projected by many as a starter, and a third-rounder on slot jitterbug Josh Huff, who played for Kelly at Oregon. And they’re also getting back Jeremy Maclin (ACL) who, stylistically, fits the system. Chip Kelly's offense relies on tempo and intelligent play designs rather than gimmicks. (Al Tielemans /Sports Illustrated) Chip Kelly's offense relies on tempo and intelligent play designs rather than gimmicks. (Al Tielemans /Sports Illustrated) The only guy returning from a 2013 receiving corps that finished in the top five in catches of 20-plus yards is Riley Cooper, a resoundingly average but familiar player. Surprisingly, he was given a new five-year, $22.5 million contract ($10.5 million guaranteed) in February. As for the system that will allow all these receivers to prosper... contrary to popular belief, it’s not particularly complex. Kelly doesn’t feature many concepts the NFL hasn’t seen before. What’s different is the way the concepts are presented. The formations are different and the accelerated tempo, even in today’s increasingly no-huddle-centric league, is different. Simply put: the Eagles’ offense is easy to figure out but difficult to play against. The closest Kelly’s play designs come to unconventional are some of the read-option concepts, sprinting backfield motion off the snap (something Jackson used to do and now Sproles will do) and a few of the route combinations out of exaggerated plus-split alignments (i.e. receivers spread outside the numbers). Kelly does a great job with balancing the field and crafting intertwined routes to create clear progression reads for his quarterback. The fact that Nick Foles was the highest-rated passer in the NFL last year (119.2) is a testament to this. Entering his third season, Foles is still in the relatively nascent stages of his mental development, while physically he has good but not great tools. Right now, Foles is the definition of a system quarterback. In Kelly’s system, that’s okay. If Foles can become more comfortable late in the down, and with making throws from a crowd, he has a chance at stardom. Even if he doesn’t, he can be a solid enough game manager to lead this team to another NFC East title. From The MMQB’s Greatest Hits: Jenny Vrentas on Chip Kelly’s Mystery Man Quarterbacks like Foles really benefit from a vibrant running game. Some thought that without Michael Vick’s mobility, Kelly’s rushing designs would falter. Indeed, Kelly did get away from some of his read-option and rolled pocket concepts. But he still ran the gangly Foles on these just enough to make defenses account for it. And he dialed in more of his other run concepts that have read-option characteristics and are still space-oriented. That’s an easy choice to make; in LeSean McCoy, Kelly has the best home-run hitting back in football. But just like the receivers, McCoy also benefits from the system—and not just in the passing game (where he’s very good). You’ll notice that a lot of Kelly’s widest spread alignments come on first and second down. That’s in order to force the defense to spread out, leaving a lighter box. Often, McCoy finds himself running against just six defensive linemen and linebackers. That’s terrific for a player with his lateral agility and quickness. Overlooked in this offense is a front five that is perhaps the NFL’s most cohesive and consistent (which, by definition, would make it the best). The same starting five is back and should be even better in Year 2 under Kelly. Jason Peters is the man everyone talks about, and understandably so. Despite being 32 and having some injuries in his past (including an Achilles in 2012), the 340-pounder remains one of the most athletic blockers in the game. But more important than Peters is center Jason Kelce, who also brings plus athleticism. Kelce has the mobility and body control to consistently reach the perimeter, not just in the running game but, more importantly, Philly’s rich screen game. If the Eagles had a center who was only modestly athletic, huge parts of their system would not work. Peter King on Chip Kelly "The five or six things Chip Kelly said that made me think." FULL STORY Between Peters and Kelce, Evan Mathis remains an upper echelon left guard. The 32-year-old is looking for a new contract, but the team’s attitude is, “we just gave you a deal two years ago.” (Perhaps Mathis, or his agent, should have recognized that if he’d waited a little longer for the new TV money to boost the salary cap, he could have scored more cash. But it’s always a risk for a guy in his 30s to wait.) Nevertheless, Mathis isn’t thrilled with his $5 million salary, but he swears it won’t be a distraction. The only experienced player Philly has behind Mathis is journeyman Allen Barbre, who in seven years has never corralled a starting role. Barbre will, however, start at right tackle the first four games while Lane Johnson serves a PED suspension. Johnson struggled early last season, though with each game he showed more of the talent that got him drafted fourth overall. Offensive tackles tend to make big leaps from Year One to Year Two; there’s no reason to think Johnson won’t. At right guard, Todd Herremans has had ups and downs in pass protection, but he can often compensate with veteran savvy. 5 Things I Think I Think about the Philadelphia Eagles, by Greg Bedard Occasionally aiding the linemen is Brent Celek, whose blocking the coaching staff holds in high regard. Celek also remains a good receiver down the seams, and he’s viable on the tight end screens that are called with some regularity. But if the Eagles eschew dual tight end sets and again use three-receiver personnel an NFC-high 72% of the time (according to Football Outsiders), Celek could find himself on the bench behind 2013 second-round pick Zach Ertz. Cedric Thornton has become an anchor for Philly's stout front seven. (Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) Cedric Thornton has become an anchor for Philly's stout front seven. (Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) DEFENSE All the focus paid to a new-age offense makes it easy to overlook an Eagles defense that got markedly better throughout last season. Only two teams scored more than 22 points against them after Week 4: the Vikings, with 48 points in Week 15, and the Saints, with 26 in the wild-card playoffs, when Philly was eliminated at home. If the defense continues on its current trajectory, it may get to skip past the wild-card round altogether this postseason. Kelly is not a defensive guy, but he knows what he wants here. He has instructed coordinator Billy Davis to do whatever’s necessary to generate pressure and, just as important, the illusion of pressure. To do this, Davis uses a mix of 3-4 one- and two-gap principles plus 4-3 sub-package and amoeba looks. He’s aggressive with double-A gap blitz concepts, slot blitzes and green dogs, where his linebackers and safeties are well-trained to rush the passer when their man stays in to help block. Eagles Training Camp Report: Greg Bedard on-site at an Eagles practice GM Howie Roseman has given Davis plenty of resources to keep generating pressure. Trent Cole, 32 in October, is showing hints of decline but is still capable of getting into the backfield, be it from low leverage and speed or sheer tenacity working laterally down the line of scrimmage. Cole figures to play fewer snaps in 2014 to make room for his eventual replacement, first-round rookie Marcus Smith. That is, if Smith can beat out Brandon Graham right away. Injuries early in his career prevented Graham from fully living up to his 2010 first-round billing. But in a part-time role, he still shows burst from not only a standup position but also as a 4-3 end. Another player with these attributes is Vinny Curry, a second-round pick in 2012 who is developing into a real force when coming out of a three-point stance. Curry can take snaps away from defensive tackles in nickel (Davis’s preferred sub-package). Cole, Smith and Graham, on the other hand, will likely all compete for the same snaps because starting outside linebacker Connor Barwin almost never comes off the field. Barwin is stellar rushing the passer and even better dropping into coverage, something Davis, who strongly believes in doubling the opponent’s best receiver, puts to great use. It’s possible Barwin will be used less in underneath coverage now that this secondary is solidified. The addition of ex-Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins corrects what’s been by far the Eagles’ biggest weakness in recent years. And it gives Davis a versatile chess piece, as Jenkins is a rangy centerfielder who can also cover the slot (and blitz from there). Fortunately there is no dire need for help in the slot, as 24-year-old Brandon Boykin blossomed into a top inside defender last season. Boykin is an interception threat in zone coverage and can also lock receivers in man. That frees Jenkins or Earl Wolff, who will likely replace the unreliable Nate Allen as the second safety, to be a free defender or focus his help on the outside, where corners Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher have vastly improved. More Deep Dives See all of Andy Benoit's Deep Dive Previews for the 2014 season. Archive Good as this defense can potentially be against the pass, it has a chance to be outright voracious against the run. It depends on how inside linebackers DeMeco Ryans and Mychal Kendricks perform behind what’s turning into a very stellar front line. While Fletcher Cox has done almost enough to justify his 2012 first-round status, the real monster up front is Cedric Thornton. The undrafted fourth-year pro is a dominant playside run-stuffer with a motor that allows for run and chase. Between Cox and Thornton is Bennie Logan, who has bulked up his squatty frame and has the lateral movement skills to become a premier nose tackle. SPECIAL TEAMS Kicker Alex Henery made a respectable (but only respectable) 23 of 28 field goals last season, and he must get stronger on kickoffs. Donnie Jones’s 40.5 net punting average tied for seventh in the league. In the return game, Josh Huff has impressed this preseason.Hip, hip,hip Rudan! GCS General overview : a technical success for Europe! GCS International Qualifiers was really a key event for Netease expansion program. They really want to expand their tournaments towards European players. This first major live test started quite hectically, with players not being aware of their invitation. After Neo and I worked on getting the best 14 players roster possible for Europe in a week or so, chaos continued with many players forfeiting because the gaming conditions were considered unacceptable due to foreseen ping issues (Cechi, Wan, Passion). With Believe also forfeiting, we had a very exciting group F to follow! Neo and I were quite worried beforehand, with a couple of players complaining a lot, even though they still played (and qualified for day 2 ed). Overall 9 Europeans players qualified for day 2. The only eliminated were death grouped Hawk and Happy and Lubber/ AtheistP which were in a 100% European group. Anima forfeited once more (duh) so So.In advanced : that would lead to one of the biggest suprise of the tournament. * Actually Anima did not forfeit, he knew he could not play on Sunday, made the admins aware of it and they allowed him to play on Monday if his 3 opponents agreed on it. One of his opponents refused so Anima dropped. I stand corrected! And I wish some would show more sportsmanship. . GCS Results : Work Work! Day 1 : Europe doing great I am not going to comment all the groups of day 1, just check the full results here : GCS Results Group A : Rudan starts straight up with a 0-2 loss against Agatha and a swift elimination is to be expected. Foggy cruises to qualification through the winner bracket and surprisingly, Rudan overcomes Agatha 2-0 is the loser bracket to qualify as well! Europe 2-0 Korea. Group C (AKA group of death #1) : Hawk did his best and beat Bany 2-0. Then the legends Lyn and Moon qualify as expected. Not a lucky draw for Hawk, like during WCA for the matter... Group D (AKA group of death #2) : What a stacked group! Lawliet and Focus prevails with authority over Happy and Remind, going both to the WB then Focus beating Remind in the LB. Sonik qualifies with Fov in a 3 ways group, as Anima does with Lucifer in another 3 ways group. But Anima drops so the quite unknown Korean player So.In, that got eliminated in a 3 ways group with a total score of 0-4 - against opponents that are not counted the favorites - qualifies for day 2 and... . Day 2 : Rudan and So.In on steroids With such a performance, you expect So.In to end his run on something like a 0-6 score in a group with Foggy, Sonik and Sok/Emalfans? Think again! After crippling Foggy's chances with a 2-0 win, he went on to beat his last two opponents 2-1 and qualified for GCS!! Amazing run! It shows that in Warcraft nowadays, no result can be totally presumed before the game is played. It shows also that forfeits are changing the face of any tournament there is. Probably Rudan and So.In are both using the same drugs, or they had dinner together the day before because... . Hip, Hip, Hip Rudan! I do not know much about Rudan so Neo filled me in. He called him a "natural Warcraft talent". He does not train much, is a cool and relaxed player nice to hang with. I presume he likes Night Elves mirrors and playing against UD. He just took out the best NE in the world, Sir Lawliet himself 2-0 in the Final game of the group. He is nicknamed the "Serbian Prince", so I had fun googling his picture on internet. The Serbian Prince with his wife, preparing to go to Shanghai for GCS Next time I hear that Europeans cannot take on Koreans on Netease at Tournament hours because of the ping, I'll forward them some VOD of our magnificient Rudan that just did the job. This has to be one of the best European performance of the year and I really hope that I can make a coverage of his exploits in Shanghai! Orcs are not dead! In a scene that usually show Orc taking beatings outside China (except for Lyn in Korea and Orcworker at a lesser level in Europe), this International event ended with 3 orcs qualifying out of a 32 players roster with only 5 representatives. Rudan was the only non-orc to qualify. Lyn (yes the best player in the world atm mind you) qualified also, so did Focus with a nice victory over Moon. . Happy gewinnt MooCup #50! Quite unfairly put into an impossible group for GCS, Happy responded brilliantly during MooCup #50. The event had a nice 200 Euros prize-pool for the occasion. It also had a full German shoutcast crew with Neo, Marsimoo and Ena. Sokol reaching the final was also a nice moment. You can find the full grid here : http://challonge.com/MooCup50 Epic FFA for Doyou / Yuwan Cup During the ongoing Doyou Cup (called Yuwan Cup by Neo, not sure why : tell me please!) they had one of the greatest idea to organize the solo event's grid! Organizing a FFA that would allow the winner to get the first pick to chose his round 1 opponent! Then the second best could pick his own and so on. The winner received 1000 RMB in the process, about 150 Euros. Would be cool to reproduce this idea in European tournaments! Players were anonymous like during FFArena games. It was played in a cheerful atmosphere with everybody pretending to be someone else. I will not spoil who won, I have the VOD for you guys to watch : I also have the replay if somebody wants to cast it so if anybody is interested, you can ring my bell-ell-ell, ring my bell! PS : if a chinese embed video does not appear for you, click on this link : FFA VOD The cast : red : Infi, yellow : Moon, grey : Lucifer, blue : Focus, Orange : WFZ, dark green : Ted, brown : Th000, purple : Fly100%, teal : Lyn and light blue : Lawliet Many played off-race, none chose. They tried to be as sneaky as possible! Colorful strikes again Colorful wins his second Ifeng Cup in a row, eliminating Xiaokk and Focus in the process. He is fully ready for WCA next weekend! And that's it for this week. Next week is super stacked with Panda TV "Faith Cup", Doyou/Yuwan Cup, Ting/Tod invitational and WCA S3 China Qualifiers. I also hope to bring you interviews of Rudan and So.In. Rudan if you read this...In successive financial boom-busts over the past 30 years, the Fed undertook smaller versions of what Ben Bernanke did over the past 12 months. In the Latin American debt crisis of 1982, the savings-and-loan crisis of the late 1980s, the Asian financial crisis and the collapse of Long-Term Capital Management in 1998 and during the bursting of the dot-com bubble in 2001, you saw the same pattern: First, of course, the financial system grew rapidly, bank profits were large and a bubble emerged. At a certain point, we reached the market peak and stared down the mountain. Bankers frantically called the Fed, and it dutifully stepped in to prevent an economic collapse — by lowering interest rates and providing credit to “maintain liquidity.” In his speech last week, Mr. Bernanke indicated that interest rates are now likely to stay low for a long time. That means that if you are running a major bank, you have good reason now to take on more “leverage” (debt). If collapse threatens again, bank executives know the Fed will support them. And lenders know that it is a far better risk to make loans to banks supported by the Fed than to firms that can go bankrupt, like automakers or high-technology companies. All of this facilitates a short-term recovery, of course, and is the cornerstone of Mr. Bernanke’s strategy. But it also feeds a new financial frenzy — making it harder to sustain real growth, and also making it less likely that a broad cross section of society will benefit. There is nothing wrong with having the Federal Reserve in place to deal with financial shocks. This was the original idea that emerged from the 1907 financial crisis, and from the subsequent National Monetary Commission reports — that the United States needed a central bank to manage downturns. At that time, Democrats were rightly suspicious that the commission, led by Senator Nelson Aldrich, Republican of Rhode Island, was looking for a way to give private banking interests influence over federal money. Photo When it was created in 1913, the Federal Reserve was meant to be a compromise — a way for private bankers to have a say in the operation of the national bank but also a way for the government to keep private bankers in check. And that is how it worked from 1935 to 1980, when the Fed and other agencies ensured that banks’ activities did not put the public purse at risk. Both before 1935 and again after 1980, however, the Fed’s financial regulation was and has been weak. At the heart of this weakness are the large profits that can be earned by taking advantage of lax regulation in the financial sector. The phenomenal growth of the derivatives market over the past 30 years, for example, has made all our big banks far more interconnected, and hence systemically risky; if one bank falls the others fall with it. Yet our regulators, many of whom remain in office today, watched as this time bomb grew and then exploded with the collapse of the American International Group. Since our top regulators are political appointees, it should be no surprise that, in the face of heavy lobbying by the financial sector, they often turn out to be regulatory doves. We’ve permitted our mid- and high-level regulators to revolve between jobs in finance and officialdom. To name just two examples, during the Clinton administration, Robert Rubin left Goldman Sachs to become secretary of the Treasury, then returned to the industry to take an oversight role at Citigroup, while Henry Paulson, the secretary of the Treasury during the last years of the George W. Bush administration, came straight to government from Goldman Sachs. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content, updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. A high-level position at the Federal Reserve, the Treasury, the White House National Economic Council or at a Congressional committee overseeing banking can be a ticket to riches when public service is done. The result is that our main regulatory bodies, including the Fed, are deeply compromised. Rather than act as the tough overseers of the public purse that we need — and that we had before 1980 — they have become cheerleaders for the financial sector. Advertisement Continue reading the main story These cheerleaders, in turn, generate financial cycles by letting our financial system grow too fast, with far too little capital for the risks it takes. When the Federal Reserve inevitably bails banks out, it receives great applause (particularly from the financial sector). Yet with each cycle of failure and bailout, the financial system grows ever larger and more dangerous. Not all of this, of course, is under Ben Bernanke’s control. Like Alan Greenspan before him, when he
nearly $500,000 to the election campaign of McCabe's wife, shortly before he helped oversee the FBI "investigation" into Clinton’s email use. Campaign finance records show Mr. McAuliffe’s political-action committee donated $467,500 to the 2015 state Senate campaign of Dr. Jill McCabe, who is married to Andrew McCabe, now the deputy director of the FBI. The Virginia Democratic Party, over which Mr. McAuliffe exerts considerable control, donated an additional $207,788 worth of support to Dr. McCabe’s campaign in the form of mailers, according to the records. That adds up to slightly more than $675,000 to her candidacy from entities either directly under Mr. McAuliffe’s control or strongly influenced by him. The figure represents more than a third of all the campaign funds Dr. McCabe raised in the effort. The newly disclosed documents, presented in their entirety below, reveal that McCabe did not recuse himself from the long-running investigation until Nov. 1, 2016, just six days before the probe was officially ended and eight days before Trump defeated Clinton in one of the greatest upset victories in modern presidential politics. After months of inexplicable delays, the chairman of the House Judiciary and Oversight committees, Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), announced a joint investigation into how the Justice Department handled last year's investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email server. The Senate Judiciary Committee had announced its own investigation weeks earlier. The bureau’s decision to release the documents is a sign that new FBI Director Chris Wray, is attempting to build his own relationship with Congress amid multiple oversight investigations. 363476127-JW-v-DOJ-McCabe-Pt-2 by zerohedge on ScribdSelect Item Any Accelerator Crate Champions Crate 1 Champions Crate 2 Champions Crate 3 Champions Crate 4 Elevation Crate Ferocity Crate Golden Egg Golden Gift Golden Pumpkin Haunted Hallows Crate Impact Crate Key Nitro Crate Offer Overdrive Crate Player’s Choice Crate 1 RL Beach Blast Crate Secret Santa Crate Spring Fever Crate Triumph Crate Turbo Crate Velocity Crate Victory Crate Zephyr Crate Aero Mage Aether Alchemist Almas Apex ARA-51 Asik Asik: Infinite Asterias Balla-Carra Capacitor I Capacitor II Capacitor III Capacitor IV Carriage Cauldron Centro Chakram Christmas Wreath Chrono Clockwork Cruxe Daemon-Kelpie Demon Disc Dieci Diomedes Discotheque Doughnut Draco Dynamo Equalizer Falco FGSP Finny Fireplug FSL Gaiden Gearlock Gernot Goldstone (Alpha Reward) Grimalkin Gripstride HX Gripstride HX: Inverted Hikari P5 Hiro Holiday Hearth Hypnotik Illuminata Infinium Invader Jayvyn K2 Kalos Kyrios Libertine Lobo Looper Lowrider Lustrum X10 Madness II Masato Meridian Moko Neptune Ninja Nipper Octavian OEM Peppermint Photon Plasmatic Polychrome Psyonix Pulsus Pyramidia Pyrrhos Quimby Raijin Rat Rod Razzle Reactor Reaper REEVRB Revenant Rhino Rocket Forge II Rocket Forge II: Holographic Roulette Santa Fe Saptarishi SARPBC-10 Septem SLK Sovereign A/T Spiralis Sprocket Sprocket: Infinite Spyder Stern Sunburst Teller Thread-X2 Trahere Triplex Troika Troublemaker I Troublemaker II Troublemaker III Troublemaker IV Tunica Turbine Veloce Voltaic Vortex Watermelon Wonderment WWE Yamane Yuzo Z-Plate Zeta Zomba Zowie Zowie: Infinite ZT-17 Binary Blazer Candy Cane Discotheque EKG-OMG EQ Friction Hallowtide Hot Rocks Laser Wave I Laser Wave II Laser Wave III Lightning Lightspeed Luminous Rainbow Tachyon III Toon Hydro Winter Storm Zigzag Ball King Battle-Cars Anniversary Beaten Egg Birthday Bash Blueprint Bob's Ramen Burnout Calculated Call Sign RL Camo Circuit Board Cold Sweater Dead Serious Dendritic Doughnut Eater Frostline Gamer Pad Ghost Story Gold-Plated Hat Trick Hearts Hoagie Howler Ice Pop Junk Food Lift-Off Lucky Stars Maximon MDGA Migraine Moai Mrs. Avocado Narwhal Nice Slice Pigeon RL Esports Rockat Rocket Labs S'mored Salty Shark Attack Shattered Shooting Star Soccar Nebula Soccer Ball Soccer Splash Solar System Starbase ARC Sticker Bomb Sushi Roll Tagged Trash It! Tread Heavily Triplicate Turtle Unicorn Vice Winning Streak Winter's Warmth WWE WWE Monday Night RAW WWE NXT WWE SmackDown Live! WWE WrestleMania 34 Zombie Atomizer Ballistic Beach Party Butterflies Dueling Dragons Electroshock Fireworks Happy Holidays Hellfire Juiced Party Time Poly Pop Popcorn Quasar III Reaper Singularity Solar Flare Sub-Zero Supernova I Supernova II Supernova III Toon Vampire Bat Animus GP Artemis GXT Breakout Breakout Type-S Centio V17 Cyclone Diestro Dominus GT Endo Imperator DT5 Jager 619 RS Mantis Maverick Maverick G1 Maverick GXT Merc Nimbus Octane Octane ZSR Road Hog Road Hog XL Samurai Takumi RX-T Twinzer Venom Werewolf X-Devil X-Devil MK2 Blast Ray Candy Corn Cirrus Cloudburst I Cloudburst II Cloudburst III Cold Fusion Comet Dark Matter Datastream Enchanter Feather Fireworks Flamethrower Fractal Fire Frostbite Geo Soul Glitch Gold Rush (Alpha Reward) Hearts Helios Hexphase Hot Rod Hypernova Ink Ion Lightning Lightning Yellow Magic Missile Magmus Neo-Thermal Netherworld Night Terror Pickle Pixel Fire Plasma Polygonal Popcorn Power-shot Proton Sacred Scary Pumpkin Sparkles Springtime Flowers Standard Sun Ray Super Manga-Bolt III Synthwave Tachyon Taco Thermal Toon Sketch Toon Smoke Torrent Treasure Trinity Tsunami Beam Virtual Wave Winter Storm Xenosplash Xmas Yuletide Alien Arachnotenna Balloon Dog Bubble Wand Calavera Calculated Candle Candy Cane Chick Magnet Cuckoo Clock Cupcake Dandelion Seed Disco Ball Doughnut Dreidel Easter Egg Flower - Daisy Flower - Orchid Flower - Rose Flower - Sunflower Flower - Tulip Foam Finger Fuzzy Brute Fuzzy Skull Fuzzy Vamp Genie Lamp Giant Panda Gold Nugget (Beta Reward) Harpoon Holiday Gift Holiday Stocking Hot Dog Hula Girl Koinobori Lollipop Macaron Mage Glass I Mage Glass II Mage Glass III Mr. Toasty Nitro Circus Nutcracker Parrot Peggy Panda Peppermint Piñata Pinwheel Rainbow Flag Rocket Rubber Duckie SARPBC-10 Satellite Seastar Shadow Witch Siiick Reads Trident Venus Flytrap Waffle Warm Watermelon WWE WWE Monday Night RAW WWE NXT WWE SmackDown Live! WWE WrestleMania 34 Alarm Clock Angel Wings Antlers Baseball Cap (B) Baseball Cap (F) Battle-Cars Anniversary Beret Biker Cap Birthday Bash Birthday Cake Blitzen Bobby Helmet Bone King Bowler Brodie Helmet Brünnehilde Bunny Ears Butterfly Buzzer Bycocket Camera Campaign Hat Candy Jack Captain's Hat Catfish Cattleman Chafed Cherry Chainsaw Chef's Hat Cherry Top Christmas Cocoa Christmas Tree Clamshell Cockroach Cromulon Cutlass deadmau5 Deerstalker Derby Devil Horns Dizzy Birds Dragon Wings Drink Helmet Drip Drop Drone III Easter Basket Fallen Tree Fez Fire Helmet Fishbowl Foam Hat Fruit Hat Gargoyle GG the Clown Ghost Gold Cap (Alpha Reward) Goldfish Graduation Cap Grave Robber Great White Halo Happy Penguin Hard Hat Haunted House Hawaiian Lei Heart Glasses Helper Elf Holiday Bow Homburg Hotcakes Hustle Brows Ivy Cap Jack-In-The-Box Jolt Bangle I Jolt Bangle II Jolt Bangle III Juice Box Kayak Latte LFT Light Bulb Little Bow Little Bunny Little Cow Little Dog Little Elephant Little Owl Little Sloth Macaron Mad Bomber Mariachi Hat MMS Headphones Mount Champion Mouse Trap Mr. Banana Mr. Hot Dog Mr. Hot Pepper Mr. Pineapple Mrs. Avocado New Year's 2017 Octopus Palm Tree Paper Boat Party Hat Phoenix Wings I Phoenix Wings II Phoenix Wings III Pigeon Pirate's Hat Pizza Topper Plunger Police Hat Pork Pie Portal - Cake Propellerhead Pumpkin Rasta Rhino Horns ROBO-Visor Rooster Comb Royal Crown Sad Sapling Sad Strawberry Sand Castle Santa Scarecrow Jack Shuriken Sleigh-Bailed Snail Snowboards Sombrero Stegosaur Stoic Muffin Succulents Surfboard Swim Ring Taxi Topper Tiara Top Hat Traffic Cone Trucker Hat Two-Timer Udder Uncle Sam Undying Love Unicorn Visor White Hat Wildcat Ears Witch's Hat Wizard Hat Work Boot Worried Watermelon 20XX (Black Market) 9 Lives (Breakout) Afterlife (Dominus) Alley Cat (Marauder) Anubis (Takumi) Aqueous (Takumi) Arachnophobia (Global) Arcana (Dominus) Astaroth (Breakout) Athena (Merc) B.B. Wolf (Merc) Biomass (Black Market) Bobcat (Breakout) Boo-ya! (Global) BOO! (Breakout) Bubbly (Black Market) Buzz Kill (Octane) Callous Bros. (Dominus gt) Carbonated (Road hog) Chainsaw (Breakout) Chameleon (Black Market) Chantico (Octane) Christmas Tree (Octane) Chusho (Takumi rx-t) Circuit Pro (Maverick) Cobra (X-devil mk2) Cold Front (Mantis) Cold Sweater (Global) Combo (Takumi) Critters (Mantis) CRL Eastern (Dominus) CRL Northern (Octane) CRL Southern (Dominus) CRL Western (Breakout) Devil's Advocate (X-devil) Dissolver (Black Market) Distortion (Breakout) Distortion (Dominus gt) Distortion (Takumi rx-t) Distortion (Breakout type-s) Distortion (Octane zsr) Distortion (Octane) Distortion (Takumi) Dot Matrix (Dominus) Dot Matrix (X-devil) Dot Matrix (Breakout) Dot Rush (Octane) Dr. Thrash (Octane) Dragon Lord (Octane) Dune Racer (Octane) Egged (Breakout) Falchion (Breakout) Fantasmo (Dominus) Fire God (Black Market) Flex (Venom) Flower Power (Merc) Froggy (Breakout) Funny Book (Dominus) Funny Book (Breakout type-s) Funny Book (Octane zsr) Future Shock (Global) Gale-Fire (Maverick) Gale-Fire (Octane) Ghost Fever (Breakout) Gigapede (Centio v17) Glyphtrix (Triton) Good Shape (Twinzer) Griffon (Octane) Hammerhead (Mantis) Heatwave (Black Market) Heiwa (Breakout) Hex Tide (Black Market) Hexed (Black Market) Hi-Tech (Hotshot) Hip-Hop (Jäger 619 rs) Holiday Deco (Dominus) Humble Pie (Global) Intrudium (Black Market) Island King (Octane) Jetstream (Maverick) Jiangshi (Octane zsr) Junk Food (Breakout) Kaleidoscope (Global) Kawaii (Masamune) Kilowatt (Octane) Labyrinth (Black Market) Leviathan (Global) Lone Wolf (Octane) Machina (Centio v17) Mainframe (Black Market) Maximon (X-devil) MDGA (Dominus) Mean Streak (Gizmo) Mechaceph (Octane zsr) Megabat (Mantis) MG-88 (Endo) MG-88 (Octane) Min-Spec (Masamune) Mister Monsoon (Jäger 619 rs) Mobo (Breakout type-s) Mondo (Dominus) Mosher (Imperator dt5) Muddy (Twinzer) Mummified (Endo) Narwhal (Merc) Nice Shot (Breakout) Nice Shot (Octane) Nine Lives (Venom) Nisse (Breakout) Nitro Circus (Breakout) NNTR (Dominus gt) Noooo! (Octane) Odd Fish (Animus gp) Oni (Masamune) Parallax (Black Market) Partly Cloudy (Global) Peacock (Animus gp) Polar Force (Endo) Pollinator (Centio v17) Pollo Caliente (Dominus) Proptosis (Dominus) Quick Fix (Road hog) Racer (Octane) Rad Reindeer (Breakout) Retro Sun (Venom) Ripped Comic (Octane) Ripped Comic (Breakout) RLCS (Breakout type-s) RLCS (Breakout) RLCS (Dominus) RLCS (Octane) RLCS (Dominus gt) RLCS (Octane zsr) Roadkill (Octane) Rose King (Animus gp) Royal Tyrant (Octane) Royalty (Dominus) Savage (Dominus) ShapeRacer (Paladin) Shark Tooth (Jäger 619 rs) Shibuya (Breakout) Shisa (Octane) Slimline (Octane) Slipstream (Black Market) Smore'd (Breakout type-s) Snakeskin (Road hog) Snakeskin (Octane) Snakeskin (Dominus) Snakeskin (X-devil) Snakeskin (Mantis) Snakeskin (Jäger 619 rs) Snakeskin (Breakout) Sneaky Slither (Breakout) Snowstorm (Global) Space Cadet (Octane) Spatter (Endo) Spectre (Black Market) Splashback (Centio v17) Splatter (Dominus gt) Staredown (Dominus gt) StarLighter (Jäger 619 rs) Sticker Bomb (Takumi) Sticker Bomb (Octane) Stitches (Breakout) Storm Watch (Black Market) Streak Wave (Global) Streamline (Black Market) Suji (Dominus) Sundae (Road hog) Super RX-T (Takumi rx-t) Sweater Fest (Octane) Swirls (Global) Taniwha (Breakout) Templar (Dominus) Thanatos (Octane) Tiger Tiger (Aftershock) Tora (Black Market) Tribal (Octane zsr) Trick or Treat (Octane) Trigon (Black Market) Tumbling Blocks (Octane) Turbo (Breakout) Turtle Tribe (Octane) Twisted Tree (Global) Unmasked (Dominus gt) Vector (Breakout) Vector (Takumi) Vice (Breakout) Warlock (Merc) Watermelon (Octane) Wet Paint (Black Market) What A Save! (Breakout) Whizzle (Takumi) Widow's Web (Mantis) Wildfire (Road hog) Windblast (Octane) Windswept (Imperator dt5) Winter Waddle (Dominus) XVI (Jäger 619 rs) XVIII (Marauder) Anodized Burlap Circuit Board Cookie Dough Dino Furry Glossy Block Knitted Yarn Metallic (Smooth) Metallic Flake Metallic Pearl (Smooth) Moon Rock Pearlescent (matte) Straight-Line Zebra Go-Kart Motormouth Muscle Car Free Ride Twinkle Box Select Certification Any None Certified only Playmaker Acrobat Aviator Goalkeeper Guardian Juggler Paragon Scorer Show-off Sniper Striker Sweeper Tactician Turtle VictorAuthorities have revised the count of weapons recovered from this weekend’s biker battle down from over 1,000 to 318 as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has arrived to assist. This news came just hours before gun control advocates parroted the count of more than a thousand weapons of all kinds recovered at Twin Peaks restaurant after a dispute between rival outlaw motorcycle clubs ended in nine deaths. “The first number I gave this morning was a best guess estimate from looking at the overall crime scene and was over estimated,” noted Waco police spokesman Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton in a statement. “My apologies for the confusion and I should have waited to release a more specific count not estimate.” Authorities describe the crime scene as “extremely complex” and note that the current 318 weapons include 118 handguns, an AK-47 style rifle that was recovered from a vehicle, 157 knives, and 43 “others” that consist of everything from chains with padlocks to brass knuckles and clubs. “The weapons appear to have been discarded as Officers arrived and some hastily hidden,” noted Swanton. “They have been found in sacks of chips, stuffed between bags of flour, stuffed into the bench seating, hidden in shelves, thrown into trash cans, placed in the kitchen stoves, discarded on floors and even so far as to attempt to flush a handgun down a commode.” Gun control organizations were quick to run with the higher figure, posting references to it on their social media feeds even after Waco police had advised of the lower numbers. “Unbelievable,” noted the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. “Makes an utter mockery of ‘armed society is a polite society’ claims.” Meanwhile the ATF has disclosed that members of their Fort Worth Field Office have arrived in Waco to help process the crime scene and released images of what appears to be agents inspecting an AR-15 style rifle. The agency also noted that they have been very active in prosecuting members of outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs) for weapons violations. “Between fiscal year 2010 and May 18, 2015, ATF has recommended 613 ‘patched’ (formally affiliated) members of OMGs and 823 non-patched associates of OMGs for prosecution in 300 criminal cases; the majority of those patched defendants were previously convicted felons at the time they were charged,” read the statement. Authorities in Texas advise they currently have 176 in custody, with a single individual released after posting a $1 million bond Wednesday.Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. April 4, 2016, 3:09 PM GMT / Updated April 4, 2016, 6:03 PM GMT By Pete Williams and Zachary Roth The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously rejected an effort to change political boundaries and reduce the voting strength of the nation's Latino population on Monday. Two residents of Texas urged the court to rule that in drawing legislative boundaries to create districts with roughly equal populations, states should count the voting population, not the total population. Using the total population figures, the challengers said, dilutes the voting power of residents in districts with large numbers of people who are not eligible to vote, violating the one-person, one-vote requirement. But not a single justice ruled for the challengers. "Adopting voter-eligible apportionment as constitutional command would upset a well-functioning approach to districting that all 50 states and countless local jurisdictions have followed for decades, even centuries," wrote Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg for the court. Related: Supreme Court to Hear Case on Drawing Voting Districts The challengers, she said, "have shown no reason for the court to disturb this longstanding use of total population." Justice Ginsburg announces opinion in One Person One Vote case. Justices Alito and Breyer absent, and Justice Sotomayor not shown. Art Lien Ginsburg’s opinion was joined by Justices John Roberts, Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Breyer and Anthony Kennedy. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito each wrote separate concurring opinions. Relying instead on voting population could result in fewer districts in areas that elect Hispanic representatives. Opponents of the idea said it would shift political power away from urban areas with large minority populations, which tend to vote for Democrats, and toward rural areas, where Republicans do better at the polls. Read the Ruling The nation's founders, Ginsburg said, understood that "representatives serve all residents, not just those eligible or registered to vote." In a concurring opinion, one of the Supreme Court's conservatives, Justice Alito, said Monday's decision holds only that states are not required to count total population. The ruling does not bar states from instead counting the voting population, which he called "an important and sensitive question that we can consider if and when" such a case comes before the court. The challenge did not involve the drawing of congressional district boundaries, because the Constitution requires that to be based on the total population figures derived from the census. Texas opposed the challenger's attempt to change the state's method for drawing its state legislative districts, arguing that using either total population or voting population is allowed. The U.S. government argued that only total population is allowed. Some voting rights advocates worried that a court ruling in favor of Texas’ position, though technically a victory, might lead Texas and other red states to switch to a voter-based system on the next round of redistricting after 2020. But Ginsburg wrote that the court wasn’t required to address the question of whether only total population was allowed, and did not do so. That’s likely to mean states continue to use total population to draw their districts. "Some expected that if the Court gave Texas the green light to choose, as Texas argued it had the right to do in this litigation, then in the next round of redistricting, it would have done so in order to increase the number of Republican districts in the state," wrote the election law scholar Rick Hasen. He called the court's decision not to reach the issue "a big victory for the federal government's position." Ginsburg wrote that both the debate over the 14th Amendment and legal precedent support the view that total population is permitted as the basis for drawing districts. And she added that holding the opposite would throw elections into chaos. “Appellants have shown no reason for the Court to disturb this longstanding use of total population,” Ginsburg wrote. And she added that non-voters, too, need representation. “Nonvoters have an important stake in many policy debates—children, their parents, even their grandparents, for example, have a stake in a strong public-education system—and in receiving constituent services, such as help navigating public-benefits bureaucracies," Ginsburg wrote. "By ensuring that each representative is subject to requests and suggestions from the same number of constituents, total population apportionment promotes equitable and effective representation." Before the February death of Justice Antonin Scalia, some voting rights advocates and commentators had feared that the Supreme Court might use the case to deal another blow to voting rights, after weakening the Voting Rights Act in 2013. But Richard Pildes, a leading election law scholar and practitioner who has worked for numerous Democratic candidates, had predicted that the court would easily reject the challenge. Pildes wrote Monday that the ruling represented "an overwhelming consensus...for the straightforward resolution of the issue, despite the wildly exaggerated fears that had been stoked up about this case."Successful people get that way because they’re talented. Very talented, in a lot of different ways. So talented that they make you question why you even bother doing anything, because quite frankly, you’ll probably never do one thing as well as they do everything. On November 15th, Donald Glover released Camp, his first studio as a rapper under his pseudonym Childish Gambino, making him look like an impossibly talented comedy wunderkind. But in reality, Glover is just one in a long line of crazy talented comedy people who have also seen success as serious musicians. I’ve collected here a list of people so talented, they make you question why you should even get out of bed in the morning. (Just for simplicity, this list excludes comedians like Bo Burnham or the Lonely Island, whose whole act/shtick is based around music, or comedians who perform one or two comic songs. Just comedians who have released albums that are generally pretty serious. And, yes, Spinal Tap was right on the line for me. Although everybody should know about them and the Folksmen. Also, Lenny and the Squigtones) Steve Martin: Steve’s freewheelin’, finger-pickin’ banjo playing has been a part of his act since the beginning, as associated with him as his white suit and arrow through his head. Although the early musical interludes featured in his act where mostly played for laughs, he’s always taken his musicianship very seriously. The stand-up comedian/actor/playwright/novelist/screenwriter/banjo-picker/art connoisseur taught himself to play the instrument by listening repeatedly to bluegrass LPs. His final stand-up album, 1981’s The Steve Martin Brothers, only includes about twenty minutes of stand-up, with Side Two made up entirely of bluegrass songs performed live. Steve’s first music album, The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo, was released in 2009 and he followed it up in 2011 with Rare Bird Alert, another album of original songs this time featuring the Steep Canyon Rangers. Woody Allen: Jazz is as much a piece of Woody Allen’s filmmaking as New York City, neuroses, and opening credits written in Windsor font. Woody began taking clarinet lessons at a very young age and has remained a diligent student since then. After sitting in with jazz bands in the 1960s, Woody began performing with The New Orleans Funeral Ragtime Orchestra in the early 1970s, playing the traditional 1930s Dixieland jazz that permeates his films. In 1973, he and his band performed the soundtrack to his film Sleeper. Around that time, he also appeared on The Dick Cavett Show with his clarinet, playing a solo that turned into a comedy bit when the audience found they couldn’t take anything the bespectacled comic did seriously, as well as a second song with Cavett’s house band. He famously chose to perform with his band the night of the Oscars in 1977, rather than attend, when Annie Hall won four awards. In the 1990s, Woody formed the Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band along with banjo player Eddy Davis. In 1993, the Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band released their first album The Bunk Project. Although it doesn’t feature Woody’s name on the cover, it does feature a picture of the whole band, with Woody looking like he’d rather be anywhere else on Earth, possibly staring at a beautiful woman while listening to Louis Armstrong and quoting Groucho Marx during a Knicks game. Their next album was the soundtrack to the 1998 documentary Wild Man Blues, which followed the band on a tour across Europe. They still perform regularly at the Cafe Carlyle in Manhattan on Monday nights. Bill Cosby: Like Woody, Bill Cosby’s love of jazz is well documented in his work, particularly on The Cosby Show, which regularly featured cameo appearances from musicians like Dizzy Gillespie and Tito Puente (and, as I choose to believe, Bleeding Gums Murphy). Also like Woody, Dr. Cosby once dreamed about becoming a professional musician, playing the drums. On The Dick Cavett Show, he once told a story about sitting in at a jam session where Sonny Stitt unexpectedly showed up. Since the early 1960s, Cosby has released an astonishing twenty-one comedy albums, and a somehow more astonishing fifteen music albums. Although his first two music albums (Silver Throat: Bill Cosby Sings and Bill Cosby Sings Hooray for the Salvation Army Band)mostly featured Cosby hamming it up while singing covers and parodies R&B songs, they’re very tight musically, featuring the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band. Cosby’s next two albums, however, were the instrumental Badfoot Brown & the Bunions Bradford Funeral & Marching Band and the almost identically titled Bill Cosby Presents Badfoot Brown & the Bunions Bradford Funeral Marching Band. Where Woody’s taste in jazz has been more or less caught in a state of arrested development around traditional Dixieland jazz, Cosby has kept abreast of musical innovations, composing and performing music influenced by the electric jazz fusion that his friend Miles Davis was developing. The rest of Cosby’s albums are a mix of pop songs parodies and serious jazz compositions, including collaborations with Quincy Jones and live appearances at jazz festivals. There’s also his 1971 album with the perfect title Bill Cosby Talks to Kids About Drugs, in which Cosby does just that, explaining the effects of drugs to children, sometimes through song. In 2009, he produced Bill Cosby Presents The Cosnarati: State Of Emergency, his first hip-hop album. In the early 1960s, Woody Allen and Bill Cosby knew each other from doing stand-up in Greenwich Village. If there is any proof of the two of them having an impromptu jazz jam session, it would make me happier than learning that they performed comedy sketches together or wrote a film or solved crimes as a pair of mismatched cops. Rick Moranis: Like all the cast members of SCTV, Rick Moranis is one of the most talented people on Earth. In 1989, while still in the process of becoming the definitive lovable nerd of the ‘80s and ‘90s, Moranis released his first music album, You, Me, The Music and Me. The album was mostly jokey, riffing on sketches or characters from SCTV, like Gerry Todd and Larry Siegel. It also has a track where you can hear Rick Moranis rap, so there’s that. Moranis retired from acting in 1997 and has appeared only very rarely since then, not even voicing Louis Tully in The Ghostbusters video game that managed to get Bill Murray to play Venkman. In 2005, however, he recorded a collection of original country songs called The Agoraphobic Cowboy, featuring songs like “Wheaties Box,” “Oh So Bucco” and “Press Pound”. The album was nominated for a Grammy, and Moranis performed a song on Late Night with Conan O’Brien to promote the album. Childish Gambino: Although Camp is the first studio album from the comedy writer turned actor turned stand-up comedian turned rapper, Donald Glover has previously released three self-produced albums titled Sick Boi, Poindexter and Culdesac as Childish Gambino, as well as two mix tapes called I Am Just A Rapper and I Am Just A Rapper 2. Glover also produces music under the name mc DJ. Compared to the other names on this list, his career is still in its infancy, but based on his output so far, we can probably expect many, many more albums in the future. Blues Brothers: The Blues Brothers first appeared on Saturday Night Live in 1978 not as a sketch, but rather as the musical guest. Created out of Dan Akroyd and John Belushi’s shared love of the blues, the Blues Brothers were performing live shows while Akroyd began developing a movie about them. The Blues Brothers’ band featured an all-star lined up of musicians, including Donald “Duck” Dunn, Paul Shaffer, Matt “Guitar” Murphy and Steve Cropper, who played guitar on Sam & Dave’s original recording of “Soul Man” (which means that when Belushi yells out “Play it, Steve,” he’s talking to the same Steve that Sam Moore was) and their 1980 film The Blues Brothersfeatures cameos from Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker and Aretha Franklin, among others. According to Wired, the controversial Belushi biography, when he and Akroyd were invited to the Playboy Mansion, they refused to attend unless the entire band could join them. Their first album, Briefcase Full of Blues was recorded live in 1978 when they opened for Steve Martin, and it quickly went double platinum. Since then, they’ve released thirteen more albums, most recently a 2003 greatest hits. Since Belushi’s death, several of the albums feature Jim Belushi as “Brother Zee Blues,” some feature only Akroyd as Elwood, and at least one album doesn’t appear to feature Akroyd at all. In 2003, Akroyd and Jim Belushi released the album Have Love Will Travel under their own names, without any apparent connection to the Blues Brothers despite performing very similar music. And, yes, there are Blues Brothers cover bands. Eddie Murphy: For about ten years in the 1980s, Eddie Murphy could do no wrong. After two successful comedy albums, Murphy released his first music album How Could It Be in 1985. Although it was eventually voted the seventh worst song of all time by VH-1, the Rick James produced single “Party All the Time” was a huge hit, reaching Number Two on the Billboard Hot 100. Murphy followed up the album with So Happy in 1989 and Love’s Alright in 1993, which features a duet with Michael Jackson on the track “Whatzupwitu”, although he never again reached the success of “Party All the Time.” The “Whatzupwitu” video also manages to condense all of the ‘90s to under four minutes. Steve Allen: In the time it took me to write this sentence, Steve Allen could have penned a whole opera and maybe cured a few disease too, just for kicks. In addition to writing over fifty books, the prolific comedian claims to have written over 10,000 songs. As the original host of The Tonight Show, Steve Allen wrote the show’s theme song, The Start of Something, which became associated with him for the rest of his career. As part of a $1,000 bet with musician Frankie Laine, Allen wrote fifty songs a day for a week, all while sitting in the window of a Hollywood music store where everyone could see him. Allen infamously hated rock and roll, but loved jazz, featuring musicians on his show, hosting a documentary on jazz pianist Bill Evans, playing the title role in the 1956 biopic The Benny Goodman Story, and even putting out an instructional video on how to play jazz piano. Allen performed live for most of life, sometimes alongside respected performers like Terry Gibb. He released jazz albums from the 1950s through the 1990s, including a mix of live and studio albums, ending with Steve Allen’s 75th Birthday Celebration in 1998. George Burns: George Burns was a man who loved show business and loved being in show business. Beginning his career as a vaudevillian, Burns seemed to have reached a point in the 1970s where he wanted nothing more than to appear on The Dick Cavett Show and sing. He sang whenever afforded the opportunity, even covering the Beatles in the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band movie that also features a cameo by Steve Martin. George Burns didn’t a release a musical album until 1973’s George Burns Sings. In 1980, he had a hit with the novelty song “I Wish I Was Eighteen Again,” the title track of an album made up of country songs and standards. This led to live performances, including a filmed concert in Nashville. In 1988, the song became the premise of a Freaky Friday-style body-swapping comedy in which George Burns trades places with his 18-year-old grandson. In 1992, he released A Musical Trip with George Burns and in 1996, at the tender age of 100, Burns released Young at Heart, his final album. So far. Billy Connolly: One of the most popular comedians ever produced by the U.K., Billy Connolly actually started his career in 1965 as part of the folk group The Humblebums. The group first included Connolly and guitarist Tam Harvey, but later became Connolly and the late Gerry Rafferty. The group released three albums, some very folky other more folk-rocky, until they broke up in 1970. Rafferty went on to find success in Stealers Wheel, while Connolly went solo. His act oscillated between music and stand-up comedy, and he continues to perform live and release comedy and music albums to this day. In 1975 his parody song “D.I.V.O.R.C.E.” became a number one hit in the U.K. Honorable Mention: Creed Bratton & Leslie David Baker of The Office: Creed Bratton is the name of both a fictional character on The Office, as well as the actor that plays him. There’s a pretty good chance Creed thinks he works in an actual office and is part of a real documentary. Whatever the case, Creed was the original lead guitarist for the ‘60s folk-rock band The Grass Roots. He played on their hit song “Live for Today,” and can be seen in this video being introduced by Jimmy Durante. Notice how the band was so good, they could play without microphones or even being plugged in, and included a seamless fade out at the end. Now that was talent. And of course, there’s “2 Be Simple,” the new video from Leslie David Baker, better known as Stanley from The Office, but soon to be best known as “Black Hugh Hefner”. It’s being billed as his “debut single,” so who knows where this will lead? Anthony Scibelli is a handsome stand-up comedian and comedy writer. His writing has appeared on Cracked.com.Card descriptions English English Activate only when a monster(s) you own is removed from play by an opponent's effect. Special Summon 1 of those monsters. French French Activable uniquement lorsqu'un (ou plusieurs) monstre(s) vous appartenant est(sont) retiré(s) du jeu par un effet de l'adversaire. Invoquez Spécialement 1 de ces monstres. German German Aktiviere diese Karte nur, wenn ein oder mehrere Monster, die du besitzt, durch einen Effekt deines Gegners aus dem Spiel entfernt werden. Beschwöre 1 dieser Monster als Spezialbeschwörung. Italian Italian Attiva solo quando uno o più mostri che controlli vengono rimossi dal gioco dall'effetto di un avversario. Evoca tramite Evocazione Speciale 1 di quei mostri. Spanish Spanish Activa esta carta sólo cuando un monstruo que te pertenezca sea retirado del juego por un efecto de tu adversario. Invoca mediante una Invocación Especial a ese monstruo. Japanese Japanese 元々の持ち主が自分であるモンスターが相手の効果によってゲームから除外された時に発動する事ができる。そのモンスター１体を自分フィールド上に特殊召喚する。When LW31, a domestic model robot, brought Mrs. Griffin’s dinner into her bedroom, it found her preparing to commit suicide. She was trying to tie a rope to the pendant lamp, but, at her age, her eyes were too weak and her hands were no longer steady. She tried again and
barriers, he also talked during his speech in Tokyo on Saturday of making sure that the United States and Asia did not return to a cycle — which he termed “imbalanced” — in which American consumerism caused Asians to look at the United States as mainly an export market. There are also high hopes among American companies and some Asian countries that the United States will commit to joining a regional trading group called the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Although Mr. Obama did open the door during his speech in Tokyo on Asia policy, he did not explicitly say that the United States would join the pact. A formal announcement that the United States is beginning negotiations would undoubtedly kick off criticism from free-trade opponents in the United States and pushback from Congress. Mr. Obama spoke, instead, of “engaging the Trans-Pacific Partnership countries with the goal of shaping a regional agreement that will have broad-based membership and the high standards worthy of a 21st-century trade agreement.” That line left many trade envoys already in Singapore scratching their heads: did Mr. Obama mean that the United States would begin formal talks to join the regional trade pact, which presently includes Singapore, Brunei and New Zealand, and could later include Vietnam — an addition that could lead to more Congressional pressure at home? Many regional officials have been waiting for the United States to join the initiative as a demonstration that Washington will play a more active role in the region. But the Obama administration has yet to establish a firm trade policy, as it is still reviewing its options. White House officials were not much clearer on what Mr. Obama meant when they were pressed on this after the speech. Mr. Froman, the deputy national security adviser, said that what Mr. Obama meant was that he would engage with the initiative “to see if this is something that could prove to be an important platform going further.”View this article online at https://www.fedsmith.com/2013/10/11/ronald-reagan-and-the-great-social-security-heist/ and visit FedSmith.com to sign up for free news updates Ronald Reagan was one of the most popular presidents in modern history. As a former Hollywood actor, he had an uncommon degree of charisma. The conservatives absolutely loved Reagan for his efforts to reduce the size of government, but most liberals hated him with a passion. Reagan is still revered by a lot of Americans. This reverence for Ronald Reagan helps to explain how he was able to fool most of the American people to a degree unparalleled by any other modern president. With the help of Alan Greenspan, Reagan pulled off one of the greatest frauds ever perpetrated against the American people. It is so ironic that many people, today, still believe that Ronald Reagan came galloping up on a great white horse to sound the alarm that Social Security was in deep financial trouble. He then allegedly figured out a solution to the problem and rammed his legislative proposal through Congress in a three-month period. On April 20, 1983, the signing ceremony for the new legislation took place with great fanfare. Below are some of Reagan’s remarks at the signing ceremony. This bill demonstrates for all time our nation’s ironclad commitment to social security. It assures the elderly that America will always keep the promises made in troubled times a half a century ago. It assures those who are still working that they, too, have a pact with the future. From this day forward, they have our pledge that they will get their fair share of benefits when they retire… Today, all of us can look each other square in the eye and say, “We kept our promises.” We promised that we would protect the financial integrity of social security. We have. We promised that we would protect beneficiaries against any loss in current benefits. We have. And we promised to attend to the needs of those still working, not only those Americans nearing retirement but young people just entering the labor force. And we’ve done that, too… Instead of being a proud day for America, April 20, 1983, has become a day of shame. The Social Security Amendments of 1983 laid the foundation for 30-years of federal embezzlement of Social Security money in order to use the money to pay for wars, tax cuts and other government programs. The payroll tax hike of 1983 generated a total of $2.7 trillion in surplus Social Security revenue. This surplus revenue was supposed to be saved and invested in marketable U.S. Treasury bonds that would be held in the trust fund until the baby boomers began to retire in about 2010. But not one dime of that money went to Social Security. The 1983 legislation was sold to the public, and to the Congress, as a long-term fix for Social Security. The payroll tax hike was designed to generate large Social Security surpluses for 30 years, which would be set aside to cover the increased cost of paying benefits when the boomers retired. Let’s have a look at the events leading up to this proposal. Reagan and the government had big financial problems. Supply-side economics was not working like Reagan had promised. Instead of the lower tax rates generating more revenue as the supply-siders claimed would happen, there was a dramatic drop in revenue. Something had to be done, so Ronald Reagan set for himself a new mission. He would have to figure out a way to get the additional revenue he needed from another source. The mechanism, which allowed the government to transfer $2.7 trillion from the Social Security fund to the general fund over a 30-year period, was the brainchild of President Ronald Reagan and his advisers, especially Alan Greenspan. Greenspan played a key role in convincing Congress and the public to support a hike in the payroll tax. A few years later, Reagan appointed Greenspan to become Chairman of the Federal Reserve System. Since Greenspan’s new job was one of the most coveted positions in Washington, many observers have wondered whether or not this appointment represented, at least in part, payback for the role Greenspan had played in making vast sums of new revenue available to the government. President Reagan and his advisors knew, from the very beginning, that the government would soon face a severe cash shortage. Budget Director, David Stockman, had deliberately rigged the computer at the Office of Management and Budget to generate bogus revenue forecasts in an effort to convince Congress to enact Reagan’s unaffordable proposed tax cuts. When Stockman first fed the data from Reagan’s economic proposals into the computer, he was shocked. The computer forecast that, if Reagan’s proposals were enacted into law, massive budget deficits would loom ahead for as far as the eye could see. Reagan needed a new source of revenue to replace the revenue lost as a result of his unaffordable income tax cuts. He wasn’t about to rescind any of his income-tax cuts, but he had another idea. What about raising the payroll tax, and then channeling the new revenue to the general fund, from where it could be spent for other purposes? An increase in Social Security taxes would be easier to enact than a hike in income tax rates, and it would leave his income tax cuts undisturbed. Reagan’s first step in implementing his strategy was to write to Congressional leaders. His first letter, dated May 21, 1981 included the following: As you know, the Social Security System is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy…in the decades ahead its unfunded obligations could run well into the trillions. Unless we in government are willing to act, a sword of Damocles will soon hang over the welfare of millions of our citizens. Reagan wrote a follow-up letter to Congressional leaders dated July 18, 1981, which included: “The highest priority of my Administration is restoring the integrity of the Social Security System. Those 35 million Americans who depend on Social Security expect and are entitled to prompt bipartisan action to resolve the current financial problem. Social Security was definitely not “teetering on the edge of bankruptcy” in 1981 as Reagan claimed in his letter to Congressional leaders. The 1983 National Commission on Social Security Reform, headed by Alan Greenspan, issued its “findings and recommendations” in January 1983. The Commission accurately foresaw major problems for Social Security when the baby boomers began to retire in about 2010. But that was nearly two decades down the road. In addition to the long-term problem of the baby boomers, the Commission found a possible short-term problem for the years 1983-89. But the outlook improved and became favorable for the 1900s and early 2000s. The possible minor problem for the years 1983-1989 was based on very pessimistic economic assumptions. So, at the time Reagan informed Congressional leaders that Social Security was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, the actual condition of Social Security funding was fairly sound for the next two decades. Furthermore, Social Security was certainly not Reagan’s “highest priority.” Reagan had never been a friend of Social Security. He was a hardliner when it came to all government social programs. He called unemployment insurance “a prepaid vacation plan for freeloaders.” He said the progressive income tax was “ a brainchild of Karl Marx.” And, he called welfare recipients “a faceless mass waiting for handouts.” Reagan referred to Social Security as a “welfare program” and, during the 1976 Republican Presidential Primary, Reagan proposed making Social Security voluntary, which would have essentially destroyed the program. There is no way that anyone who knew Reagan’s record would accept his claim that Social Security was his highest priority. He had always wanted the program eliminated, or at least privatized. Reagan’s scare tactics worked. Congress passed the Social Security Amendments of 1983, which included a hefty increase in the payroll tax rate. The tax increase was designed to generate large Social Security surpluses for the next 30 years. The public was led to believe that the surplus money would be saved and invested in marketable U.S. Treasury Bonds, which could later be resold to raise cash with which to pay benefits to the boomers. But that didn’t happen. The money was all deposited directly into the general fund and used for non-Social Security purposes. Reagan spent every dime of the surplus Social Security revenue, which came in during his presidency, on general government operations. His successor, George H.W. Bush, used the surplus money as a giant slush fund, and both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush looted and spent all of the Social Security surplus revenue that flowed in during their presidencies. So we can’t blame the whole problem on Reagan. Reagan was the one who figured out a way to use Social Security money as general revenue, and his successors just followed his example. The $2.7 trillion, which is alleged to be in the trust fund, was all spent for wars, tax cuts for the rich, and other government programs. If the money is repaid at some point in the future, we could say is was just “borrowed.” But no arrangements have been made to repay the money, and nobody in government is suggesting that the money should be repaid. So, if it is never repaid, the money will definitely have been stolen. This would not be such a serious problem if Social Security was still running annual surpluses. But Social Security ran it last annual surplus in 2009, and began running permanent annual deficits in 2010. The cost of paying full Social Security benefits for 2010 exceeded Social Security’s total tax revenue by $49 billion. So how did the government pay full Social Security benefits in 2010? They borrowed $49 billion from China, or one of our other creditors. And the amount that will have to be borrowed in future years will become larger and larger. If the trust fund had not been looted, there would be $2.7 trillion of marketable U.S. Treasury bonds in the fund that could be sold in the open market for cash. But the trust fund doesn’t hold a dime’s worth of marketable real assets of any kind. That’s why President Obama warned during the debt-ceiling crisis of 2011 that Social Security checks could not go out on time unless the dispute was settled, because “their might not be enough money in the coffers.” The grandiose lie that the Social Security Administration, the AARP, and the NCPSSM, repeatedly tells the public is outrageous. They continue to say that Social Security has enough money to pay full benefits for another 20 years without any government action, when Social Security cannot pay full benefits for a single year without borrowing money. The IOUs in the trust fund are not marketable, and they have no monetary value. They are worthless! We can easily understand why the SSA continues to repeat the big lie. That is what they are told to do by top government officials, who are trying to keep the Social Security theft a secret from the public. But why do the senior organizations continue to repeat the lie? They are supposed to be representing the best interests of their members, but, in my opinion, they are betraying their members. So the great Social Security fraud, which began under Ronald Reagan in 1981, is still alive and well 32 years after it began. Republican and Democrat presidents and Republican and Democrat members of Congress, all share in the blame. There is nothing broken about Social Security. If the government had not stolen $2.7 trillion from Social Security, or, if the government would make arrangements to repay the stolen money, Social Security would be able to pay full benefits for at least 20 more years without any other action. But crooked politicians, who do not want to repay the money, are trying to convince the public that Social Security is a flawed system, which needs to be replaced with private accounts. Social Security is a sound program that has worked well for more than 75 years. It ain’t broke, so why try to fix it? The government—not Social Security—is what is broken and needs to be fixed. It is time for the American people to stand their ground and fire the crooked politicians. President Obama, and every member of Congress know that everything in this article is true. But they have succeeded in fooling the people for three decades and seem to think they can continue to do so. Don’t let them get by with it!It was only a few weeks ago many tennis fans got their first look at 18-year-old potential superstar Denis Shapovalov. The Canadian gained entry to his home event at the Montreal Masters only to shock the world beating 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro and 15-time Slam champion Rafael Nadal en route to the semifinals. Despite currently at a career high of #69, the Canadian wasn’t able to gain direct entry to the US Open and while also not given a wildcard, his only entry route was to qualify. It was quite the ride in qualifying too; after beating Denis Kudla and Gastao Elias in straight sets, the 18-year-old found himself a set down to the World #195 Jan Satral in the final round of qualifying. Eventually the youngster would go on to win and make his first ever US Open main draw. Perhaps luckily he found himself in the much weaker half of the draw but regardless of that he still found himself against former World #5 Jo Wilfried Tsonga in the second round but shocked the world dispatching of the Frenchman in straight sets. Unfortunately for British fans, Kyle Edmund injured himself at one set all and three all in their Round 3 encounter, leaving the Canadian to advance to the last 16. However, the Spaniard Pablo Carreno-Busta was too much for the potential future of tennis to handle. Despite serving for the first set and having set points the Spaniard fought back to win the first set. The Spaniard also broke early in the second but Shapovalov broke back much like a role reversal of the first set. Unfortunately for the Candian, the second set also went the same way as the first in yet another tiebreak with the Spaniard raising his game at exactly the right time. Only a few minutes later the 18-year-old had a 3-0 lead with break points for 4-0 with a run of 12 consecutive points. Due to lack of experience, however, it wasn’t long before the experienced Spaniard held serve and found himself back on serve. Without too long, the pair found themselves in their third consecutive tiebreak. Just like the last two the Spaniard did what he had to do while Shapovalov yet again made several poor unforced errors, leading to a Carreno Busta win. The fairy tale run comes to an end and despite having so many chances today and a dream draw ahead. There are at least many positives the Canadian should take from this moving onwards. Especially as his new ranking next week will allow him to automatically get into every event on tour bar the ATP World Tour Finals, the future looks incredibly bright for the Canadian star. Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images4 Hour Body Notes 10 Jan 2011 Tim Ferris has recently released his 4 Hour Body book. As is typical of me, I read it through for any cutting edge info I may be able to extract (and that could be backed up by some real science). Overall the book read very much like a bunch of random blog posts jammed together. Eg in one chapter he would tell you not to eat before going to sleep, and then in another he would tell you that having some sugar before going to sleep led to better sleep. I’ve written up notes that summarizes the book: GROUND ZERO Elusive Body Fat Body fat: DEXA, then BodPod SUBTRACTING FAT The Slow-Carb Diet I/II Slow Carb Diet: No white carbs Same Meals Do not drink calories Do not eat fruit Once a week have a cheat day When Cheating: First meal of day should not be binge. High in protein and fiber (eg legumes) Flat line blood glucose by having a bit of fructose (eg orange juice, grapefruit juice, etc) Multivitamins! Consume some citric juices (lemon, lime, and grapefruit) Do a bit of exercise before (~10 minutes) and then after (~90 minutes). Eg 40 air squats or 40 wall pushups. Activates more GLUT-4 Damage Control GLUT-4 (glucose transporter type 4) helps push calories into muscle. Working out brings more, and thus eating after = better. Do 30-50 reps of air squats, wall presses, or chest pulls before each meal and 90m after each meal CQ (cissus quadrangularis) take 2.4 grams 30 minutes before meal. Gut Bacteria: Splenda kills it Get fermented stuff. Kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut, yogurt. The Four Horsemen of Fat-Loss Four Horsemen of Fat Loss – PAGG Stack: Policosanol: 20-25mg Helps lower cholesterol Alpha-lipoic acid: 100-300mg Antioxidant and free radical scavenger Green tea flavanols: 325mg (at least 325mg EGCG) EGCG is a catechin and flavanol found in green teas Increases GLUT-4 recruitment Garlic extract: 200mg AGG before each meal, PAGG before bed time Make sure you get enough B-complex vitamins when on PAGG Ice Age Forcing your body cold forces your body to burn more calories (to generate heat) Ice pack on back of neck and upper traps for 30 minutes = helps fat loss. Do it during night when insulin sensitivity is at its lowest Consume ice cold water when you wake up Take 5/10 minute cold shower before breakfast Short-term cold exposure leads to fatty acid release. It can help recruit GLUT-4 Increases adiponectin levels and glucose uptake Increases immunity Can help vs depression The Glucose Switch DexCom SEVEN Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) to track glucose level Glucose from food hits you about 90-120 minutes later Eat fat earlier in the meal (eg appetizer) can help suppress glucose jump Stabilized glucose does notnecessarily mean more fat loss 3 tbsp of lemon juice helps suppress glucose response Cinnamon helps stabilize glucose ~4g (1.5 tsp) per day max. Saigon is best, ceylon close, cassia shit Slow the fuck down when eating ADDING MUSCLE Building the Perfect Posterior Kettleball swings = huge T-Handle (page 180) for instant kettleball with plates. One 0.75″ x 12″ long pipe nipple. Two 0.75″ x 4″ long pipe nipples for handles. One 0.75″ pipe “T” to connect all 3 together One 0.75″ floor flange to keep plate one One spring clamp to keep plates from drifting Get a new T pipe every ~6 months for wear and tear Ideal men waist-to-hip ratio is 0.8-0.9 and waist-to-shoulder ratio of 0.6 Six-Minute Abs Cat Vomit Ab Workout: Get on all fours (like back stretch) Forcefully exhale from mouth. Your abs should contract Hold your breath for 8-12 seconds and pull belly towards spine Inhale fully through nose Take one normal breath cycle to rest, then repeat x10 Bicycle crunch also good for abs Fix pelvic tilt with hip flexor stretches (page 187) From Geek to Freak Colorado Experiment: Negative-only sets Supersets (eg leg extension) to prefatigue and then compound (squats) Occam’s Protocol Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy more water around muscle fibers Myofibrillar hypertrophy more muscle fibers IMPROVING SEX The 15-Minute Female Orgasm [all graphical, so skipped] Sex Machine Protocol #1 for Sex [Long Term]: Fermented cod liver oil + vitamin-rich butter fat – 2 capsules upon waking and before bed Vitamin D3 3000-5000 IU upon waking and before bed Short cold showers 10 minutes upon waking and before bed Brazil nuts (aka filberts) 3 nuts upon waking and before bed Protocol #2 for Sex [24 Hours Sex]: Before Bedtime Day before Sex: 800mg cholesterol (4+ eggs) Four Hours before Sex: 4 Brazil nuts (helps selenium) 20 raw almonds 2 capsules of fermented cod/butter combo PERFECTING SLEEP Engineering the Perfect Night’s Sleep 200mg of huperzine-A 30 minutes before sleep helped REM 20-50%. More than 2 glasses of wine within 4 hours of sleep decreases deep-wave sleep 20-50% Two tbsp of almond butter on celery before bed eliminated 50% of the ‘feel like shit’ in the morning. Possibly due to low blood sugar. To Improve Sleep: Sleep with 67-70 F temperature Eat a large fat/protein dominated meal within 3 hours of bed. 800mg of cholesterol (4+ eggs) and 40g protein. Use light cues, eg Philips goLITE Iso-lateral (one arm or leg) movements. The more stabilization the better Cold bath one hour before bed Ultrasonic humidifier Nightwave pulse light Becoming Uberman [skipped] REVERSING INJURIES Reversing “Permanent” Injuries Four Stages of Injury Recovery: Stage 1: Movement – Correcting posture/biomechanics through specific movements Stage 2: Manipulation – Correcting soft-tissue damage using tools/pressure Stage 3: Medication – ingest, injection, application Stage 4: Mechanical – surgical repair Stage 1: Movement: Shoe heel removal, use vibrams/barefeet. Fixes: lower back Egoscue. Fixes: cervical/neck and mid-back Static Back Lie on back, legs up on block/chair, arms out at 45 degrees, open palm, thumbs touching floor. 5 minutes Static Extension on Elbows. On knees, push forward, butt up, back arched, on your upper arms, thumbs up, fists, heads down 60 seconds Shoulder Bridge with Pillow Bridge up, arms out, pillow between legs while pressing together. Only tense legs 60 seconds Active Bridges with Pillow Like shoulder bridges, but keep moving hips up and down 3 sets of 15 reps Air Bench Wall squat, 95 degrees 2 minutes Stage 2: Manipulation: AMIT (Advanced Muscle Integration Therapy). Part of MAT (Muscle Activation Techniques) Fixes: pecs, glutes, calves Works on proprioception (how CNS controls muscles) The master is Craig Buhler in Kaysville, aka Dr. Two Fingers ART (Active-Release Technique). Fixes: Shoulder internal rotators Painful Can eliminate scar tissue Works for 70% of people Stage 3: Medication: Prolotherapy. Fixes: left knee, right wrist Mixture of irritants are injected into tendons, ligaments, and inside joints to stimulate tissue repair Biopuncture. Fixes: infraspinatus, achilles tendon Bunch of injections from small needles How to Pay for a Beach Vacation with One Hospital Visit Medical Tourism: Patients Beyond Borders by Josef Woodman – comprehensive guide on medical tourism http://www.imtjonline.com/resources/patient-guide/ http://www.bumrungrad.com/ http://www.medretreat.com/ http://www.medtrava.com/ Injury-Proofing the Body Most likely cause of injury is not weakness or tightness. It is imbalance Designed to identify left-right imbalance (asymmetry) and motor control (wobbling and shifting) Test using the following five: Deep squat Hurdle Step In-line lunge Active straight leg raise Seated rotation Four main corrective exercises for fixes: Chop and lift Turkish get-up (best) nine discrete moves Two-arm single-leg deadlift Cross-body one-arm single-leg deadlift Imbalance is not just a strength problem, but also a motor control problem RUNNING FASTER AND FURTHER Hacking the NFL Combine Jumping: Use your shoulders to jump. Throw your arms down Pull extended arm back (retract) at the apex When squatting to jump, feet just inside hips and back flat Stretch out hip flexors (lunge with knee on floor, then rotate. Hold 30s) Sprinting: Short distances at 95%+ effort. No 75-95% effort (higher volume too hard to recover from in 24h) 80% of training on 10 yard dashes Stance: Like an NFL lineman. Weaker foot one foot behind line Stronger leg behind, upper thigh straight down, lower leg bent, toes on. Hip width between legs Stronger almost arm straight down. Balance on index, middle, thumb. Weaker arm close to hips, 90 degree at elbow Shoulders slightly forward. This lets you push with your stronger arm instead of lifting it Running: When starting, target strong leg to land one yard in front of weaker leg toe Eyes where first step will land (3 feet in front of weaker leg) Ensure knees ahead of toes Keep chin tucked (forces your torso upright) Upper body ahead of lower Take fewest steps possible (will make you feel slower). Hamstring exercise: bodyweight glute-ham raise. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlalgTN1dgA Ultra-Endurance For more endurance, work on short distances to build up aerobic capacity For long distance, run 4x400m at 95% effort with 90s rest in each. Then 10mins of 100m sprints with 10s rest between Need to have your ligaments, tendons, and small muscles of feet and ankles developed Jog barefeet on grass 30 min x 3/week to strengthen feet/ankles Biomechanically Efficient Running: Use gravity for forward motion Land on balls of feet and have feet land under your center of gravity Never fully straighten legs Pull each foot off ground towards buttocks (instead of pushing off). Use hamstring as it passes center of gravity Target 180 total steps per minute Short contained arm movement Decreases load on knees, increases on ankles. Change into this slowly Muscle soreness in long distance is from weak sodium-potassium pump If you can run a 10K, you have the base for a 50K Likes the Inov-8 shoes (like I wear!) If your shins hurt, you are dorsiflexing. Keep foot/lower leg at >= 90 degrees Should not hear stomping when running Target consuming one gram of carb per kg of bodyweight per hour while running Gulp water, not sip GETTING STRONGER Effortless Superhuman Use dynamic stretching One kg of skeletal muscle can produce enough force to support 44kg of mass Cause of speed drops is due to inability of fibers to supply sufficient tension (not reduction in fuel supply) When doing deadlift, drop weight at top (when at knee) to prevent hamstring injury Straight back, as if pinching a wallet between shoulder blades Time under muscular tension should be < 10s to minimize lactic acid production Lactic acid delays recovery Competition Conditioning: Walk as fast as possible (near jog) for 15 minutes, 3x a week After four weeks = baseline conditioning Maximal Strength: 1 set of 2-3 reps at 95% RM, then 1 set of 5 reps at 85% RM, 5 minutes between sets Bench and deadlift 3x a week Use global compound exercises (eg deadlift or bench press) Lift 3x a week, with conditioning/supplementary on other days Do sports-specific skill 6x a week Take one day off completely Sets of two or three reps, with roughly 10 total reps per exercise Never to complete failure Five minute rest between sets Save fatigue for your sport “Chronobiology” is the science of investigating time-dependent changes in physiology Eating the Elephant Muscle strength and short-term power peaks in the early evening (4-6pm) Coincides with daily max body temperature and highest pain tolerance Based on a wake time of roughly 8am, so peak is 8-10 hours after waking FROM SWIMMING TO SWINGING How I Learned to Swim Effortlessly in 10 Days The Total Immersion (TI) method on swimming There are videos on YouTube Eight Newbie Tips: Focus on shoulder roll and keeping body horizontal Keep head in line with your spine – look completely down Think of freestyle as alternating sides. You want to push your hip into it Penetrate water with your fingers angled down (45 deg) and fully extend arm well below head. Extend it lower than you think Don’t need to lift arms too high. Arms should be naturally out, not crowded towards body Focus on increasing stroke length, not stroke rate Stretch your extended arm and turn your body to breath You should feel the stretch in your lats When starting off, breathe on every stroke, working up to every three strokes Remember to exhale underwater Visualize process. Hard to remember when in action Focus on practice, not numbers. Most train CNS for counterintuitive movements Board shorts drag you down. Get streamlined Get good goggles. Recommends Aqua Sphere Kaiman The Architecture of Babe Ruth [skipped] How to Hold Your Breath Longer than Houdini Disclaimer: For informative purposes only, do under supervision Definitions: Deep Breathing – Big breath through mouth, hold 1s, exhale for 10s through mouth with tongue on lower teeth Purging – Strong/quick exhalation followed by big & faster inhalation Semi-Purging – between the two others Process: 1:30 deep breathing 1:15 purging (if you feel like passing out, decrease intensity) Hold breath up to 90s, no more Three semi-purge breaths 90s deep breathing 90s purging Hold breath up to 2:30, no more Three semi-purge breaths 2:00 deep breathing 1:45 purging Hold breath up to maximum After exhalation, 3-10 hard semi-purge breaths until you recover Moved finger slightly every 30s to let them know you are okay Go through A to Z, visualizing friends with that letter to help pass time. Distract yourself Don’t check time, or it will go much slower ON LONGER AND BETTER LIFE Living Forever Focuses more on how quality of life can go down with most techniques Calorie restriction (30%) elongates life Less ejaculation could prolong life Protocols being used: 5-10g of creatine Intermittent Fasting and Protein Cycling Blood Letting / Bleeding CLOSING THOUGHTS Closing Thoughts To improve inner game, improve outer game Most people have resigned themselves to a partial completeness Your body is almost always within your control APPENDICES AND EXTRAS Getting Tested – From Nutrients to Muscle FibersShare. Good news everyone! Good news everyone! Exit Theatre Mode Microsoft has announced it will sell its first-party games on Xbox One for $59.99, which is the same price most new releases are currently sold for. Microsoft representatives confirmed the price to both Polygon and Kotaku, though it's worth noting this does mean titles published by third-parties could be sold for more. While nothing official has been said about the price of PlayStation 4 games, Sony America CEO Jack Tretton suggested back in February that they too would be retailing for $60. He told CNBC, "We're going to welcome free-to-play models, games from $0.99 up to those $60 games." Seeing as some retailers have been inviting pre-orders for up to $90 for a single game, it's a big relief to have it confirmed that these were just placeholder prices and not the real deal. Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Junior Editor and is happy to hear he won't need to sell bodily fluids to participate in next-gen. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.Custom Lint Checks, part 2 In part 1 of this blog series I showed how to write a barebones custom Android lint check, which checks your project configuration. This time I’ll implement a check, which analyzes your Java code to warn you about the most important performance issue of 2015 – using enums. JavaScanner As usual, the first thing to do is to define an Issue instance: public static final Issue ENUMS_ARE_BAD_ISSUE = Issue.create( "EnumsAreBad", "M'kay?", "" + "Every byte is sacred, " + "Every byte is great. " + "If a byte is wasted, " + "Colt gets quite irate.", Category.PERFORMANCE, 1, Severity.INFORMATIONAL, new Implementation(EnumDetector.class, Scope.JAVA_FILE_SCOPE)); The important part is the Scope.JAVA_FILE_SCOPE which indicates our Detector will scan Java files in our project. The next step is making sure our Detector implements the appropriate scanner class. In our case that’s JavaScanner. public class EnumDetector extends Detector implements JavaScanner { } The JavaScanner interface can be used in a couple ways. In the most general case you should implement a createJavaVisitor(JavaContext) method and return your AstVisitor implementation. Visitor is a common design pattern for cases, when you have a well defined data structure (in this case an Abstract Syntax Tree of your Java code) and you want to define multiple operations for this data structure without modifying the strucutre itself. If you’re not familiar with this pattern I recommend getting to know it before reading this post further. Going back to JavaScanner – it also exposes a few helper methods for common use cases like checking only some method invocations or class declarations. All possible options are thoroughly described in JavaScanner ‘s javadocs. It’s also a good practice to additionally implement a getApplicableNodeTypes() method to narrow down the analysis scope for better performance. In our case we need a very simple AstVisitor which reports all encountered EnumDeclaration nodes in a syntax tree: @Override public List<Class<? extends Node>> getApplicableNodeTypes() { return Collections.<Class<? extends Node>>singletonList(EnumDeclaration.class); } @Override public AstVisitor createJavaVisitor ( final JavaContext context) { return new ForwardingAstVisitor() { @Override public boolean visitEnumDeclaration (EnumDeclaration node) { context.report( ENUMS_ARE_BAD_ISSUE, null, "Consider using int constants instead of enums" ); return super. visitEnumDeclaration (node) ; } }; } Location This Detector implementation works, but the warning message is not very helpful: Information: Consider using int constants instead of enums [EnumsAreBad] 0 errors, 1 warnings To give more context, we should change the JavaContext.report() call to include the location: context.report( ENUMS_ARE_BAD_ISSUE, context.getLocation(node), "Consider using int constants instead of enums" ); Which yields much better results: enum / TheEnum. java :3: Information : Consider using int constants instead of enums [ EnumsAreBad ] public enum TheEnum { ^ 0 errors, 1 warnings Unless the enum class is documented: enum_with_javadoc/TheEnum.java: 4 : Information: Consider using int constants instead of enums [EnumsAreBad] ^ 0 errors, 1 warnings This happens, because we supplied the Location of an entire EnumDeclaration AST node. We can be more precise and point lint to the name of the enum: context.report( ENUMS_ARE_BAD_ISSUE, context.getLocation(node.astName()), "Consider using int constants instead of enums" ); To get this message: enum_with_javadoc/ TheEnum. java: 4 : Information : Consider using int constants instead of enums [ EnumsAreBad ] public enum TheEnum { ~~~~~~~ 0 errors, 1 warnings Scope The last thing to do is adding support for suppressing lint checks. You can do this by supplying an AST node as a scope parameter to JavaContext.report call. The lint will scan the code outwards from the supplied node and look for a @SuppressLint annotation or a //noinspect comment. In most cases you should just pass the same node you use for getting the Location : context.report( ENUMS_ARE_BAD_ISSUE, node.astName(), context.getLocation(node.astName()), "Consider using int constants instead of enums" ); Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? If you can screw up so many things in your Detector class, it would be nice to have unit tests for it. Google provides a LintDetectorTest class which helps with that. dependencies { testCompile 'com.android.tools.lint:lint-tests:24.3.1' } public class EnumDetectorTest extends LintDetectorTest { @Override protected Detector getDetector () { return new EnumDetector(); } @Override protected List<Issue> getIssues () { return ImmutableList.of(EnumDetector.ENUMS_ARE_BAD_ISSUE); } } In your tests you can invoke a lintFiles(…), lintProject(…) or checkLint(
the University of Toronto's Lionel Gelber Prize.[1] Ignatieff also wrote the novel, Scar Tissue, which was short-listed for the Booker Prize in 1994. In 1998, he was on the first panel of the long-running BBC Radio discussion series In Our Time. Around this time, his 1998 biography of Isaiah Berlin was shortlisted for both the Jewish Quarterly Literary Prize for Non-Fiction and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. Human rights policy [ edit ] In 2000, Ignatieff accepted a position as the director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.[16] Ignatieff's influence on policy continued to grow, helping to prepare the report The Responsibility to Protect for the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty. This report examined the role of international involvement in Kosovo and Rwanda, and advocated a framework for 'humanitarian' intervention in future humanitarian crises. He delivered the Massey Lectures in 2000, entitled The Rights Revolution, which was released in print later that year. He would eventually become a participant and panel leader at the World Economic Forum in Geneva. 2001 marked the September 11 attacks in the United States, renewing academic interest in issues of foreign policy and nation building. Ignatieff's text on Western interventionist policies and nation building, Virtual War: Kosovo and Beyond, won the Orwell Prize for political non-fiction in 2001.[17] As a journalist, Ignatieff observed that the United States had established "an empire lite, a global hegemony whose grace notes are free markets, human rights and democracy, enforced by the most awesome military power the world has ever known."[18] This became the subject of his 2003 book Empire Lite: Nation-Building in Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan, which argued that America had a responsibility to create a "humanitarian empire" through nation-building and, if necessary, military force.[19] This would become a frequent topic in his lectures. At the Amnesty 2005 Lecture in Dublin, he offered evidence to show that "we wouldn't have international human rights without the leadership of the United States".[20] Ignatieff's interventionist approach led him to support the 2003 Invasion of Iraq.[21] According to Ignatieff, the United States had a duty to expend itself unseating Iraqi president Saddam Hussein in the interests of international security and human rights. Ignatieff initially accepted the argument of George W. Bush administration that containment through sanctions and threats would not prevent Hussein from selling weapons of mass destruction to international terrorists. Ignatieff wrongly believed that those weapons were still being developed in Iraq.[18] In 2004, he published The Lesser Evil: Political Ethics in an Age of Terror, a philosophical work analyzing human rights in the post-9/11 world. Ignatieff argued that there may be circumstances where indefinite detention or coercive interrogations may need to be used on terror suspects to combat terrorism.[22][23] Democratic institutions would need to evolve to protect human rights, finding a way to keep these necessary evils from offending democracy as much as the evils they are meant to prevent.[24] The book attracted considerable attention. It was a finalist for the Lionel Gelber Prize, but also earned him some criticism. In 2005, he was criticized by his peers on the editorial board for the Index on Censorship, where human rights advocate Conor Gearty said Ignatieff fell into a category of "hand-wringing, apologetic apologists for human-rights abuses". Ignatieff responded by resigning from the editorial board for the Index,[25] and has maintained that he supports a complete ban on torture.[26] By 2005, Ignatieff's writings on human rights and foreign affairs earned him the 37th rank on a list of most influential public intellectuals prepared by Prospect and Foreign Policy magazines.[27] Return to Canadian academia [ edit ] Around 2005, Ignatieff became more frequently mentioned as a possible Liberal candidate for the next federal election, and rumors swirled about the beginnings of a political career. At this time, he left Harvard to become the Chancellor Jackman Professor in Human Rights Policy at the University of Toronto and a senior fellow of the university's Munk Centre for International Studies.[28] He continued to write about the subject of Iraq, reiterating his support, if not the method in which it was conducted. According to Ignatieff, "what Saddam Hussein had done to the Kurds and the Shia" in Iraq was sufficient justification for the invasion.[29][30] His support for the war began to wane as time passed. "I supported an administration whose intentions I didn't trust," he averred, "believing that the consequences would repay the gamble. Now I realize that intentions do shape consequences."[21] He eventually recanted his support for the war entirely. In a 2007 New York Times Magazine article, he wrote: "The unfolding catastrophe in Iraq has condemned the political judgment of a president, but it has also condemned the judgment of many others, myself included, who as commentators supported the invasion." Ignatieff partly interpreted what he now saw as his particular errors of judgment, by presenting them as typical of academics and intellectuals in general, whom he characterised as "generalizing and interpreting particular facts as instances of some big idea". In politics, by contrast, "Specifics matter more than generalities".[31] Samuel Moyn, Harvard University historian of human rights and humanitarian intervention, asserts that Ignatieff is among those whose who "soiled their reputations" through their defence of the Iraq war, and labelled his later public apology "embarrassingly vacuous."[32] Post politics academic career and return to Harvard [ edit ] In mid-2011, following his electoral defeat, Ignatieff became a senior resident with the University of Toronto's Massey College, where he taught courses in law and political science for the Munk School of Global Affairs, the School of Public Policy and Governance, and the Faculty of Law.[33] In January 2013, Ignatieff rejoined the Harvard Kennedy School and divided his time between Toronto and Cambridge, Massachusetts.[34] The next year, Ignatieff returned to Harvard full-time, and left the University of Toronto, to become Edward R. Murrow Chair of Press, Politics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School effective July 1, 2014.[6] President and Rector of Central European University [ edit ] On May 5, 2016, it was announced that Michael Ignatieff would succeed John Shattuck to become the fifth president and rector of the Central European University (CEU) in Budapest, Hungary.[35] On September 1, he was appointed the rector with the term ending on August 31, 2021.[36] Ignatieff is overseeing a tumultuous period in the university's history, during which it has accused the Hungarian government of challenging its legal right to continue to operate in Hungary.[37] The position of Ignatieff and CEU is that the intervention from the Hungarian government is part of a wider vendetta on the part of prime minister Viktor Orbán against wealthy financier George Soros, the university's chief benefactor.[37] Ignatieff's personal position is that the strain between the Hungarian government and CEU is part of a wider tension in Europe between democratic ideals and authoritarian tendencies within the European conservative right.[38] Writings [ edit ] Michael Ignatieff is a historian, a fiction writer and public intellectual[27] who has written several books on international relations and nation building. He has written seventeen books,[39] and has been described by the British Arts Council as "an extraordinarily versatile writer," in both the style and the subjects he writes about.[40] He has contributed articles to publications such as The Globe and Mail, The New Republic, and The New York Times Magazine. Maclean's named him among the "Top 10 Canadian Who's Who" in 1997 and one of the "50 Most Influential Canadians Shaping Society" in 2002. In 2003, Maclean's named him Canada's "Sexiest Cerebral Man."[41] Fictional works [ edit ] His fictional works, Asya, Scar Tissue, and Charlie Johnson in the Flames cover, respectively, the life and travels of a Russian girl, the disintegration of one's mother due to neurological disease, and the haunting memories of a journalist in Kosovo. The works are to some extent autobiographical; for instance, Ignatieff travelled to the Balkans and Kurdistan while working as a journalist, witnessing first hand the consequences of modern ethnic warfare. Historian and biographer [ edit ] A historian by training, he wrote A Just Measure of Pain, a history of prisons during the Industrial Revolution. His biography of Isaiah Berlin reveals the strong impression the celebrated philosopher made on Ignatieff. Philosophical writings by Ignatieff include The Needs of Strangers and The Rights Revolution. The latter work explores social welfare and community, and shows Berlin's influence on Ignatieff. These tie closely to Ignatieff's political writings on national self-determination and the imperatives of democratic self-government. Ignatieff has also written extensively on international affairs.[40] His historical memoir, The Russian Album, traces his family's life in Russia and their troubles and subsequent emigration as a result of the Bolshevik Revolution. Canadian studies [ edit ] In The Rights Revolution, Ignatieff identifies three aspects of Canada's approach to human rights that give the country its distinctive culture: 1) On moral issues, Canadian law is secular and liberal, approximating European standards more closely than American ones; 2) Canadian political culture is social democratic, and Canadians take it for granted that citizens have the right to free health care and public assistance; 3) Canadians place a particular emphasis on group rights, expressed in Quebec's language laws and in treaty agreements that recognize collective aboriginal rights. "Apart from New Zealand, no other country has given such recognition to the idea of group rights," he writes.[42] Ignatieff states that despite its admirable commitment to equality and group rights, Canadian society still places an unjust burden on women and gays and lesbians, and he says it is still difficult for newcomers of non-British or French descent to form an enduring sense of citizenship. Ignatieff attributes this to the "patch-work quilt of distinctive societies," emphasizing that civic bonds will only be easier when the understanding of Canada as a multinational community is more widely shared. International studies [ edit ] Ignatieff has written extensively on international development, peacekeeping and the international responsibilities of Western nations. Blood and Belonging, a 1993 work, explores the duality of nationalism, from Yugoslavia to Northern Ireland. It is the first of a trilogy of books that explore modern conflicts. The Warrior's Honour, published in 1998, deals with ethnically motivated conflicts, including the conflicts in Afghanistan and Rwanda. The final book, Virtual War, describes the problems of modern peacekeeping, with special reference to the NATO presence in Kosovo. His 2003 book Empire Lite attracted considerable attention for suggesting that America, the world's last remaining superpower, should create a "humanitarian empire". This book continued his criticism of the limited-risk approach practiced by NATO in conflicts like the Kosovo War and the Rwandan genocide.[19] Ignatieff became an advocate for more active involvement and larger scale deployment of land forces by Western nations in future conflicts in the developing world. Ignatieff was originally a prominent supporter of the 2003 Invasion of Iraq.[21] However, Ignatieff attempts to distinguish the empire lite approach from neo-conservativism because the motives of the foreign engagement he advocates are essentially altruistic rather than self-serving.[19] Ignatieff's 2004 book The Lesser Evil: Political Ethics in an Age of Terror,[43] argued that Western democracies may have to resort to "lesser evils" like indefinite detention of suspects, coercive interrogations,[22] assassinations, and pre-emptive wars in order to combat the greater evil of terrorism.[23] He states that as a result, societies should strengthen their democratic institutions to keep these necessary evils from becoming as offensive to freedom and democracy as the threats they are meant to prevent.[24] The 'Lesser Evil' approach has been criticized by some prominent human rights advocates, like Conor Gearty, for incorporating a problematic form of moral language that can be used to legitimize forms of torture.[44] But other human rights advocates, like Human Rights Watch's Kenneth Roth, have defended Ignatieff, saying his work "cannot fairly be equated with support for torture or 'torture lite'."[45] In the context of this "lesser evil" analysis, Ignatieff has discussed whether or not liberal democracies should employ coercive interrogation and torture. Ignatieff has adamantly maintained that he supports a complete ban on torture.[26] His definition of torture, according to his 2004 Op-ed in The New York Times, does not include "forms of sleep deprivation that do not result in lasting harm to mental or physical health, together with disinformation and disorientation (like keeping prisoners in hoods)."[46] The theory of lesser evil received some criticism by the side of scholars because it implicitly attempts to legalize torture.[47][48] One of the limitations of torture seems to be that in rare occasions are efficient to predict the next terrorist attack.[49][50][51] Political career [ edit ] In 2004, three Liberal organizers, former Liberal candidate Alfred Apps, Ian Davey (son of Senator Keith Davey) and lawyer Daniel Brock, travelled to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to convince Ignatieff to move back to Canada and run for the House of Commons of Canada, and to consider a possible bid for the Liberal leadership should Paul Martin retire.[52] Rocco Rossi, who was at that time a key Liberal Party organizer, had previously mentioned to Davey that Davey's father had said that Ignatieff had "the makings of a prime minister".[53] In January 2005, as a result of the efforts of Apps, Brock and Davey, press speculation that Ignatieff could be a star candidate for the Liberals in the next election, and possibly a candidate to eventually succeed Prime Minister Paul Martin, the leader of the governing Liberal Party of Canada. After months of rumours and several denials, Ignatieff confirmed in November 2005 that he would run for a seat in the House of Commons in the winter 2006 election. It was announced that Ignatieff would seek the Liberal nomination in the Toronto riding of Etobicoke—Lakeshore. Some Ukrainian-Canadian members of the riding association objected to the nomination, citing a perceived anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Blood and Belonging, where Ignatieff said: "I have reasons to take the Ukraine seriously indeed. But, to be honest, I'm having trouble. Ukrainian independence conjures up images of peasants in embroidered shirts, the nasal whine of ethnic instruments, phony Cossacks in cloaks and boots..."[45][54] Critics also questioned his commitment to Canada, pointing out that Ignatieff had lived outside of Canada for more than 30 years and had referred to himself as an American many times. When asked about it by Peter Newman in a Maclean's interview published on April 6, 2006, Ignatieff said: "Sometimes you want to increase your influence over your audience by appropriating their voice, but it was a mistake. Every single one of the students from 85 countries who took my courses at Harvard knew one thing about me: I was that funny Canadian."[55] Two other candidates filed for the nomination but were disqualified (one, because he was not a member of the party and the second because he had failed to resign from his position on the riding association executive). Ignatieff went on to defeat the Conservative candidate by a margin of roughly 5,000 votes to win the seat.[56] Leadership bid [ edit ] After the Liberal government was defeated in the January 2006 federal election, Paul Martin resigned the party leadership in March that same year. On April 7, 2006, Ignatieff announced his candidacy in the upcoming Liberal leadership race, joining several others who had already declared their candidacy. Ignatieff received several high-profile endorsements of his candidacy. His campaign was headed by Senator David Smith, who had been a Chrétien organizer, along with Ian Davey, Daniel Brock, Alfred Apps and Paul Lalonde, a Toronto lawyer and son of Marc Lalonde.[57] An impressive team of policy advisors was assembled, led by Toronto lawyer Brad Davis, and including Brock, fellow lawyers Mark Sakamoto, Sachin Aggarwal, Jason Rosychuck, Jon Penney, Nigel Marshman, Alex Mazer, Will Amos, and Alix Dostal, former Ignatieff student Jeff Anders, banker Clint Davis, economists Blair Stransky, Leslie Church and Ellis Westwood, and Liberal operatives Alexis Levine, Marc Gendron, Mike Pal, Julie Dzerowicz, Patrice Ryan, Taylor Owen and Jamie Macdonald.[58] Following the selection of delegates in the party's "Super Weekend" exercise on the last weekend of September, Ignatieff gained more support from delegates than other candidates with 30% voting for him. In August 2006, Ignatieff said he was "not losing any sleep" over dozens of civilian deaths caused by Israel's attack on Qana during its military actions in Lebanon.[59] Ignatieff recanted those words the following week. Then, on October 11, 2006, Ignatieff described the Qana attack as a war crime (committed by Israel). Susan Kadis, who had previously been Ignatieff's campaign co-chair, withdrew her support following the comment. Other Liberal leadership candidates have also criticized Ignatieff's comments.[60] Ariela Cotler, a Jewish community leader and the wife of prominent Liberal MP Irwin Cotler, left the party following Ignatieff's comments.[61] Ignatieff later qualified his statement, saying "Whether war crimes were committed in the attack on Qana is for international bodies to determine. That doesn't change the fact that Qana was a terrible tragedy."[62] On October 14, Ignatieff announced that he would visit Israel, to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders and "learn first-hand their view of the situation". He noted that Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Israel's own B'Tselem have stated that war crimes were committed in Qana, describing the suggestion as "a serious matter precisely because Israel has a record of compliance, concern and respect for the laws of war and human rights".[63] Ignatieff added that he would not meet with Palestinian leaders who did not recognize Israel. However, the Jewish organization sponsoring the trip subsequently cancelled it, because of too much media attention.[citation needed] Montreal Convention [ edit ] At the leadership convention in Montreal, taking place at Palais des Congrès, Ignatieff entered as the apparent front-runner, having elected more delegates to the convention than any other contender. However, polls consistently showed he had weak second-ballot support, and those delegates not already tied to him would be unlikely to support him later. On December 1, 2006, Michael Ignatieff led the leadership candidates on the first ballot, garnering 29% support. The subsequent ballots were cast the following day, and Ignatieff managed a small increase, to 31% on the second ballot, good enough to maintain his lead over Bob Rae, who had attracted 24% support, and Stéphane Dion, who garnered 20%. However, due to massive movement towards Stéphane Dion by delegates who supported Gerard Kennedy, Ignatieff dropped to second on the third ballot. Shortly before voting for the third ballot was completed, with the realization that there was a Dion-Kennedy pact, Ignatieff campaign co-chair Denis Coderre made an appeal to Bob Rae to join forces and prevent Dion from winning the Liberal Party leadership (on the basis that Stephane Dion's ardent federalism would alienate Quebecers), but Rae turned down the offer and opted to release his delegates.[64] With the help of the Kennedy delegates, Dion jumped up to 37% support on the third ballot, in contrast to Ignatieff's 34% and Rae's 29%. Bob Rae was eliminated and the bulk of his delegates opted to vote for Dion rather than Ignatieff. In the fourth and final round of voting, Ignatieff took 2084 votes and lost the contest to Stéphane Dion, who won with 2,521 votes.[65] Ignatieff confirmed that he would run as the Liberal MP for Etobicoke—Lakeshore in the next federal election.[66] Deputy leadership [ edit ] On December 18, 2006, new Liberal leader Stéphane Dion named Ignatieff his deputy leader, in line with Dion's plan to give high-ranking positions to each of his former leadership rivals.[67] During three by-elections held on September 18, 2007, the Halifax Chronicle-Herald reported that unidentified Dion supporters were accusing Ignatieff's supporters of undermining by-election efforts, with the goal of showing that Dion could not hold on to the party's Quebec base.[68] Susan Delacourt of the Toronto Star described this as a recurring issue in the party with the leadership runner-up.[69][69] The National Post referred to the affair as, "Discreet signs of a mutiny."[70] Although Ignatieff called Dion to deny the allegations, The Globe and Mail cited the NDP's widening lead after the article's release, suggested that the report had a negative impact on the Liberals' morale.[71] The Liberals were defeated in their former stronghold of Outremont. Since then, Ignatieff has urged the Liberals to put aside their differences, saying "united we win, divided we lose".[72] Interim leadership of the Liberal Party [ edit ] Ignatieff with US President Barack Obama in Ottawa on February 19, 2009 Dion announced that he would schedule his departure as Liberal leader for the next party convention, after the Liberals lost seats and support in the 2008 federal election. Ignatieff held a news conference on November 13, 2008, to once again announce his candidacy for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada.[73] When the Liberals reached an accord with the other opposition parties to form a coalition and defeat the government, Ignatieff reluctantly endorsed it. He was reportedly uncomfortable with a coalition with the NDP and support from the Bloc Québécois, and has been described as one of the last Liberals to sign on.[74][75][76] After the announcement to prorogue Parliament, delaying the non-confidence motion until January 2009, Dion announced his intention to stay on as leader until the party selected a new one.[76] Leadership contender Dominic LeBlanc dropped out and threw his support behind Ignatieff. On December 9, the other remaining opponent for the Liberal Party leadership, Bob Rae, withdrew from the race, leaving Ignatieff as the presumptive winner.[77] On December 10, he was formally declared the interim leader in a caucus meeting, and his position was ratified at the May 2009 convention.[2] On February 19, 2009, during U.S. President Barack Obama's election visit to Ottawa to meet Prime Minister Stephen Harper, which was the President's first foreign trip since taking office, Obama also met with Ignatieff as per parliamentary protocol where the leader of the opposition meets foreign dignitaries. Their discussion included climate change, Afghanistan and human rights. Leadership [ edit ] On May 2, 2009, Ignatieff was officially endorsed as the leader of the Liberal Party by 97% of delegates at the party convention in Vancouver, British Columbia.[78] The vote was mostly a formality as the other candidates had stepped down. On August 31, 2009, Ignatieff announced that the Liberal Party would withdraw support for the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. However, the NDP under Jack Layton abstained and the Conservatives survived the confidence motion.[79] Ignatieff's attempt to force a September 2009 election was reported as a miscalculation, as polls showed that most Canadians did not want another election. Ignatieff's popularity as well as that of the Liberals dropped off considerably immediately afterwards.[80] On March 25, 2011, Ignatieff introduced a motion of non-confidence against the Harper government to attempt to force a May 2011 federal election after the government was found to be in contempt of Parliament, the first such occurrence in Commonwealth history. The House of Commons passed the motion by 156–145.[81] The Liberals had considerable momentum when the writ was dropped, and Ignatieff successfully squeezed NDP leader Jack Layton out of media attention, by issuing challenges to Harper for one-on-one debates. In the first couple weeks of the campaign, Ignatieff kept his party in second place in the polls, and his personal ratings exceeded that of Layton for the first time. However opponents frequently criticized Ignatieff's perceived political opportunism, particularly during the leaders debates when Layton criticized Ignatieff for having a poor attendance record for Commons votes saying "You know, most Canadians, if they don't show up for work, they don't get a promotion". Ignatieff failed to defend himself against these charges, and the debates were said to be a turning point for his party's campaign.[82] Near the end of the campaign, a late surge in support for Layton and the NDP relegated Ignatieff and the Liberals to third in the polls.[83] “ When Michael Ignatieff resigned as leader of Canada's Liberals at a press conference in Toronto on May 3rd, members of his team were seen at the back of the room in tears....[It was] the sad end of a six-year experiment that they had once believed would conclude with a unique man, Ignatieff himself, pulling the sword of political governance out of the stone of political theory and coming to power in Canada as a contemporary philosopher-king. ” — Jordan Michael Smith, World Affairs July/August 2011[84] On May 2, 2011, Ignatieff's Liberals lost 43 seats only winning 34 and thus slipped to third party status behind the NDP and the Conservatives, who gained a majority in Parliament. It was the worst result in the history of the Liberal Party, the worst result in Canadian history for an incumbent Official Opposition party, and the first time since Confederation the Liberals failed to finish first or second. Ignatieff himself was defeated by Conservative challenger Bernard Trottier, being the first incumbent Leader of the Official Opposition to lose his own seat since Charles Tupper's defeat in Cape Breton in 1900, as well as the first sitting Liberal leader since Mackenzie King lost his riding in the 1945 election. Reports suggested that Ignatieff had initially promised to move into a home inside his riding, but instead he resided in the downtown Toronto neighbourhood of Yorkville, which rankled Etobicoke–Lakeshore residents and reinforced perceptions of Ignatieff's political opportunism.[85] On May 3, 2011 Ignatieff announced that he would be resigning as leader of the party pending the appointment of an interim leader; his resignation went into effect on May 25 when Bob Rae was appointed as Ignatieff's interim replacement.[86][87] In 2013 Ignatieff published a book about his political career called Fire and Ashes: Success and Failure in Politics. The British reviewer David Runciman commented in a book review, "for a clear-eyed, sharply observed, mordant but ultimately hopeful account of contemporary politics this memoir is hard to beat. After his defeat, a friend tries to comfort him by telling him that at least he'll get a book out of it. Ignatieff reacts with understandable fury. He didn't go into politics and through all that followed just to write a book. Still, it's some book."[88] Electoral history [ edit ] Notable political stances [ edit ] International affairs [ edit ] In October 2006, Ignatieff indicated that he personally would not support ballistic missile defence nor the weaponization of space.[89] He referred to the likelihood of America developing a Missile Defense System in his book Virtual War, but did not voice support for Canadian participation in such a scheme.[90] On June 3, 2008, and on March 30, 2009, Michael Ignatieff voted in support of non-binding motions in the House of Commons calling on the government to "allow conscientious objectors...to a war not sanctioned by the United Nations.....[(including Iraq war resisters)]...to...remain in Canada..."[91][92][93][94][95] However, on September 29, 2010, when those motions were proposed as a binding private member's bill from Liberal MP Gerard Kennedy, CTV News reported that Ignatieff "walked out during the vote."[96] The bill then failed to pass this second reading vote by seven votes. Extension of Canada's Afghanistan mission [ edit ] Since his election to Parliament, Ignatieff has been one of the few opposition members supporting the minority Conservative government's commitment to Canadian military activity in Afghanistan.[97] Prime Minister Stephen Harper called a vote in the House of Commons for May 17, 2006, on extending the Canadian Forces current deployment in Afghanistan until February 2009. During the debate, Ignatieff expressed his "unequivocal support for the troops in Afghanistan, for the mission, and also for the renewal of the mission." He argued that the Afghanistan mission tests the success of Canada's shift from "the peacekeeping paradigm to the peace-enforcement paradigm," the latter combining "military, reconstruction and humanitarian efforts together."[98][99] The opposition Liberal caucus of 102 MPs was divided, with 24 MPs supporting the extension, 66 voting against, and 12 abstentions. Among Liberal leadership candidates, Ignatieff and Scott Brison voted for the extension. Ignatieff led the largest Liberal contingent of votes in favour, with at least five of his caucus supporters voting along with him to extend the mission. The vote was 149–145 for extending the military deployment.[99] Following the vote, Harper shook Ignatieff's hand.[101] In a subsequent campaign appearance, Ignatieff reiterated his view of the mission in Afghanistan. He stated: "the thing that Canadians have to understand about Afghanistan is that we are well past the era of Pearsonian peacekeeping."[102] Climate change policy [ edit ] In the 2006 Liberal leadership race, Ignatieff advocated for measures to address climate change, including a carbon tax.[103] During the 2008 federal election Dion's key policy plank was his Green Shift plan, a revenue neutral carbon tax which would put a price on greenhouse gas emissions while reducing income taxes.[104] The Green Shift had been heavily criticized by the Conservatives and it was believed to have been a significant factor in the party's poor showing in the election.[105] Following the election Ignatieff announced he would not campaign on Dion's Green Shift. In a speech to the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce in February 2009, he said; "You can't win elections if you're adding to the input costs of a farmer putting diesel into his tractor, or you're adding to the input costs of a fisherman putting diesel into his fishing boat, or a trucker transporting goods". He went onto say that; "You've got to work with the grain of Canadians and not against them. I think we learned a lesson in the last election."[106] In November 2009, he announced that a Liberal government would implement an industrial cap-and-trade system to combat climate change.[107] Forming of a potential coalition government [ edit ] During the Spring 2011 federal election, Ignatieff clearly ruled out the formation of a coalition government with the NDP and Bloc parties. Contrary to the suggestion from the Conservative party that he was planning to form a government with the other opposition parties, Ignatieff issued a statement on March 26, 2011, stating that "[t]he party that wins the most seats on election day will form the government".[108][109] Honorary degrees [ edit ] Ignatieff has received 11 honorary Doctorates as of June 2009 including: Honorary Degrees Bibliography [ edit ] Books [ edit ] Novels Ignatieff, Michael (1991). Asya. Scar Tissue, 1993 , 1993 Charlie Johnson in the Flames, 2005 Non-fiction A Just Measure of Pain: Penitentiaries in the Industrial Revolution, 1780–1850, 1978 , 1978 (ed. with István Hont) Wealth and Virtue: The Shaping of Political Economy in the Scottish Enlightenment, Cambridge University Press, 1983. ISBN 0-521-23397-6 , Cambridge University Press, 1983. ISBN 0-521-23397-6 The Needs of Strangers, Chatto and Windus, London 1984 , Chatto and Windus, London 1984 The Russian Album, 1987 , 1987 Blood and Belonging: Journeys Into the New Nationalism, 1994 , 1994 Warrior's Honour: Ethnic War and the Modern Conscience, 1997 , 1997 Isaiah Berlin: A Life, 1998 , 1998 Virtual War: Kosovo and Beyond, 2000 , 2000 The Rights Revolution, Viking, 2000 , Viking, 2000 Human Rights as Politics and Idolatry, Anansi Press Ltd, 2001 , Anansi Press Ltd, 2001 Empire Lite: Nation-Building in Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan, Minerva, 2003 , Minerva, 2003 The Lesser Evil: Political Ethics in an Age of Terror, Princeton University Press, 2004 (2003 Gifford Lectures; sample chapters) , Princeton University Press, 2004 (2003 Gifford Lectures; sample chapters) American Exceptionalism and Human Rights (ed.), Princeton University Press, 2005 , Princeton University Press, 2005 True Patriot Love, Penguin Group Canada, 2009 , Penguin Group Canada, 2009 Fire and Ashes: Success and Failure in Politics, Random House Canada, 2013 , Random House Canada, 2013 The Ordinary Virtues: Moral Order in a Divided World, Harvard University Press, 2017 Essays and reporting [ edit ] The Meaning of Diana, Prospect, October 23, 1997. [120] , October 23, 1997. Getting Iraq Wrong, The New York Times Magazine, August 5, 2007. , The New York Times Magazine, August 5, 2007. What I Would Do If I Were The Prime Minister. Maclean's, September 4, 2006. Maclean's, September 4, 2006. The Broken Contract, The New York Times Magazine, September 25, 2005. , The New York Times Magazine, September 25, 2005. Iranian Lessons, The New York Times Magazine, July 17, 2005. , The New York Times Magazine, July 17, 2005. Who Are Americans to Think That Freedom Is Theirs to Spread?, The New York Times Magazine, June 26, 2005. [121] [122] [123] [124] [125] [126] [127] [128] [129] [130] [131] [129] [132] [133] [134] [135] [136] [137] [138] [139] [140] [141] [142] [143] , The New York Times Magazine, June 26, 2005. The Uncommitted, The New York Times Magazine, January 30, 2005. , The New York Times Magazine, January 30, 2005. The Terrorist as Auteur, The New York Times Magazine, November 14, 2004. , The New York Times Magazine, November 14, 2004. Mirage in the Desert, The New York Times Magazine, June 27, 2004. , The New York Times Magazine, June 27, 2004. Could We Lose the War on Terror?: Lesser Evils, (cover story), The New York Times Magazine, May 2, 2004. , (cover story), The New York Times Magazine, May 2, 2004. The Year of Living Dangerously, The New York Times Magazine, March 14, 2004. , The New York Times Magazine, March 14, 2004. Arms and the Inspector, Los Angeles Times, March 14, 2004. , Los Angeles Times, March 14, 2004. Peace, Order and Good Government: A Foreign Policy Agenda for Canada, OD Skelton Lecture, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ottawa, March 12, 2004. , OD Skelton Lecture, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ottawa, March 12, 2004. Why America Must Know Its Limits, Financial Times, December 24, 2003. , Financial Times, December 24, 2003. A Mess of Intervention. Peacekeeping. Pre-emption. Liberation. Revenge. When should we send in the Troops?, The New York Times Magazine [cover story], September 7, 2003. , The New York Times Magazine [cover story], September 7, 2003. I am Iraq, The New York Times Magazine, March 31, 2003 [Reprinted in The Guardian and The National Post]. , The New York Times Magazine, March 31, 2003 [Reprinted in The Guardian and The National Post]. American Empire: The Burden, (cover story), The New York Times Magazine, January 5, 2003. , (cover story), The New York Times Magazine, January 5, 2003. Acceptance Speech from the 2003 Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thinking Mission Impossible?, A Review of A Bed for the Night: Humanitarianism in Crisis, by David Rieff (Simon and Schuster, 2002), Printed in The New York Review of Books, December 19, 2002. , A Review of, by David Rieff (Simon and Schuster, 2002), Printed in The New York Review of Books, December 19, 2002. When a Bridge Is Not a Bridge, New York Times Magazine, October 27, 2002. , New York Times Magazine, October 27, 2002. The Divided West, The Financial Times, August 31, 2002. , The Financial Times, August 31, 2002. Nation Building Lite, (cover story) The New York Times Magazine, July 28, 2002. , (cover story) The New York Times Magazine
on November 9, 2014, “giving the Spanish institutions time to negotiate with the Catalan institutions within the legal frameworks, which are numerous”. The agreement was explained by the President of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas, in a solemn appearance, joined by the leaders of the parliamentary groups supporting the vote. The question is “a compromise”, as “it allows voting for a change of the status quo” and “also allows voting on independence”. It is backed by 4 parliamentary groups, representing 64.5% of the Catalan Parliament’s seats. The agreement is now relying on being ratified by the supporting parties’ executive committees. After many weeks of debates and speculations, the parties supporting Catalonia’s right to self-determination and the organisation of a vote on this issue have finally reached an agreement on the vote’s exact question and date. The parties had given themselves until the end of December to reach such an agreement, however the political tension prompted them to speed up the process. The parties supporting the agreement are the Centre-Right Catalan Nationalist Coalition (CiU) – running the Catalan Government, the Left-Wing Catalan Independence Party (ERC), the Catalan Green Socialist and Communist Coalition (ICV-EUiA) and the radical left-wing and independence party CUP. This week, a series of discrete meetings have taken place and the President of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas, was personally involved in the negotiations. Mas briefly explained that the last round of negotiations had been “quick”, occurring in “just two days” and developed with much “discretion”. According to the Catalan President, the agreement is a “very good” one, as it covers the two main objectives the parties had ahead of them. Firstly, the question is “very inclusive” and is backed by “a wide majority”. Secondly, it is “a clear question”, which can be answered by ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Mas explained that in order to meet these two conditions, the question is split into two parts. In addition, the Catalan President also announced they had also agreed on a specific date to hold the vote. At this point, Mas announced the question: “Do you want Catalonia to become a state, yes or No? If yes, do you want this state to be independent, yes or no?” With this question, those who want to vote on Catalonia’s independence can do so, but those who only want to vote on changing the current status quo can also voice their opinion, he explained. Mas, also said he had wished the Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) had also joined the agreement. This party supports Catalonia’s right to self-determination but it is opposed to independence. A month ago it decided to withdraw from the negotiation on the exact question and date to hold such a vote, mostly pressured by the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), which it is part of. With the PSC, the self-determination vote would have been backed by 79.3% of the Catalan Parliament. The People’s Party (PP) – running the Spanish Government – and the anti-Catalan nationalism party Ciutadans (C’s) are absolutely opposed to holding such a vote and refuse any negotiation. These two Spanish nationalist parties represent 20.7% of the Catalan Parliament. In addition, Mas announced that the parties had agreed on holding the vote on the 9th of November 2014. He underlined that many parties had publicly “engaged in organising such a vote in 2014”. He explained that they had chosen the month of November “because it was the most convenient time for the success of the democratic process”. This way, “there will be time for the Spanish institutions to negotiate with the Catalan institutions within the legal frameworks, which are numerous”. Mas also added they had agreed on the legal procedure to hold the vote, but this would be announced at the Catalan Parliament. “Now we will wait for the answer of the Spanish State” he emphasised. Mas insisted on the many different ways the Catalans had expressed their will to freely and democratically vote on this issue. He said he was expecting the Spanish institutions “to listen to the democratic will of their citizens” in Catalonia. Finally, the Catalan President thanked the parties supporting the agreement for the “spirit of cooperation” and “their commitment to the country”. “We know what we have in our hands”, “we know it has a great historical transcendence and particularly a transcendence of the future” he concluded.Walid Shoebat Amaq agency for ISIS claimed that ISIS downed the Russian airliner and produced two videos that show footage of a downed civilian aircraft: Officials say that the plane crashed due to technical difficulty and here ISIS says they downed the civilian jet killing all on board. So which source do we believe in this case: the media or ISIS? Well, Fox news reveals that the official news is mired in contradictions: Ayman al-Muqadem, an Egyptian official with the government’s Aviation Incidents Committee, said the plane’s pilot, before losing contact, had radioed that the aircraft was experiencing technical problems and that he intended to try and land at the nearest airport. The aircraft crashed at a site near the el-Arish airport, he said. Fox then says: “It was not immediately possible to independently confirm that technical problems caused the plane to crash.” And then a complete contradiction: Earlier, al-Muqadem told local media that the plane had briefly lost contact but was safely in Turkish airspace. The reported news is mired with contradictions and there is no confirmation of a technical difficulty and we know that it did not reach “Turkish airspace”. So these reports cannot be confirmed or be completely trusted at this point until the investigations are complete. Then we have Russia’s transport minister claiming that MANPAD stinger missiles are not within range to bring down an airliner that was flying at 31000 feet since MANPADS have maximum reach of 15000 feet. However, the surprise comes when an SA-8 GECKO was used to down a cargo plane around Damascus by Syrian rebels last year which is highly mobile and has the range of 40,000 feet, well within distance of the reported height (36,000 ft). One example can be seen here: Then we have the eyewitness account which do seem to corroborate the ISIS reported footage. A website called Flightradar24, which tracks air traffic around the globe, said the plane had been descending at a rate of 6,000 feet per minute just before it disappeared from radar. Eyewitnesses reported one engine on fire as it went down, according to a report in Masry Al-Youm, an Egyptian newspaper. Whether or not the videos are real or staged productions is currently unknown but heat seeking missiles usually hit one engine which leaves only 30% chance of landing safely. The footage can be legitimate and ISIS does infest the Sinai which makes their report plausible, especially when we see the official reporting contradictory including the claims that terrorists only have simple low range stingers is no longer the case as evidence reveals. printStory highlights Scientists are studying a creature called the Pentecopterus that lived 467 million years ago It was discovered in 2010 in a fossil bed in a meteorite crater in northeastern Iowa Pentecopterus belonged to the eurypterid family, the ancestors of spiders, lobsters and ticks (CNN) In the prehistoric oceans, this was one bad bug. Scientists are marveling at the world's oldest sea scorpion -- the Pentecopterus, named after a Greek warship. Imagine a creature nearly 6 feet in length, with a long head, a narrow body and large limbs for grasping and trapping prey. It was part of the eurypterid family, a group of ancient creatures that are the ancestors of modern spiders, lobsters and ticks. "Pentecopterus is large and predatory, and eurypterids must have been important predators in these early Palaeozoic ecosystems," said James Lamsdell with Yale University, who was the lead author of a study about the creature.Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2017 April 27 Explanation: Earth's annual Lyrid meteor shower peaked before dawn on April 22nd, as our fair planet plowed through dust from the tail of long-period comet Thatcher. Seen from the high, dark, and dry Atacama desert a waning crescent Moon and brilliant Venus join Lyrid meteor streaks in this composited view. Captured over 5 hours on the night of April 21/22, the meteors stream away from the shower's radiant, a point not very far on the sky from Vega, alpha star of the constellation Lyra. The radiant effect is due to perspective as the parallel meteor tracks appear to converge in the distance. In the foreground are domes of the Las Campanas Observatory housing (left to right) the 2.5 meter du Pont Telescope and the 1.3 meter Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE) telescope.Two top US National Football League players have pulled out of publicity trip to Israel, saying that they do not want to be “used” by the Israeli government. Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett was the first to pull out of the trip planned for 12 football stars to tour Israel, including stops at Rambam hospital, Yad Vashem, and Jordan River’s Yardenit baptismal site. Bennett first tweeted a picture of Martin Luther King Jr., saying “Im not going to Israel.” He then followed it with a long letter late Friday explaining his motivation. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up “I was excited to see this remarkable and historic part of the world with my own eyes. I was not aware until reading this article about the trip in The Times of Israel that my itinerary was being constructed by the Israeli government for the purposes of making me, in the words of a government official, an ‘influencer and opinion-former’ who would then be ‘an ambassador of good will.’” Im not going to Israel pic.twitter.com/KWzA0nCiFb — Michael Bennett (@mosesbread72) February 10, 2017 “I will not be used in such a manner,” Bennett said. “When I go to Israel — and I do plan to go — it will be to see not only Israel but also the West Bank and Gaza so I can see how the Palestinians, who have called this land home for thousands of years, live their lives.” After he published the letter, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Kenny Stills retweeted Bennett, saying “Couldn’t have said it any better. I’m in!” Couldn't have said it any better. I'm in! https://t.co/F1vFBVJlmR — Kenny Stills (@KSTiLLS) February 11, 2017 Bennett noted in his letter that one of his heroes was Muhammad Ali, who ” always stood strongly with the Palestinian people,” and said that he wants to be a “voice for the voiceless.” “I cannot do that by going on this kind of a trip to Israel,” he said. The original delegation of 12 — Cliff Avril, Michael Bennett, Martellus Bennett, Delanie Walker, Michael Kendricks, Cameron Jordan, Kenny Stills, Calais Campbell, Carlos Hyde, Dan Williams, Justin Forsett, and ESPN commentator and former linebacker Kirk Morrison — were to visit Rambam hospital in Haifa, the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem and the Black Hebrew community in the southern city of Dimona, according to a statement announcing the trip from Israel’s tourism and public diplomacy ministries. During the visit, the players will hold an exhibition game together with players from the Israeli Football Association on February 18 in Jerusalem. Players will also visit Christian sites in Israel, including the Jordan River site of Yardenit, where some of the players will be baptized. Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy Minister Gilad Erdan expressed hope the visit would offer the players “a balanced picture of Israel, the opposite from the false incitement campaign that is being waged against Israel around the world.” “The ministry which I lead is spearheading an intensive fight against the delegitimization and BDS [Boycott, Divestment and Sanction] campaigns against Israel, and part of this struggle includes hosting influencers and opinion-formers of international standing in different fields, including sport,” Erdan said. Tourism Minister Yariv Levin echoed the sentiment. “Football stars are a source of inspiration for all American citizens. I am sure that, after the experiences that the players will enjoy in Israel and after they have seen the unique tourist sites and the special atmosphere here, they will become ambassadors of good will for Israel,” he said. It was not immediately clear who was funding the trip. A February 5 press release by Israel’s Tourism Ministry said the visit “was initiated in cooperation with America’s Voices in Israel.”ABOUT MAGNIFICO ABOUT AUSTIN SOUND & CINEMA: Sound & Cinema will feature six weeks of unique pairings of live music and some of the most popular movies of all time. Bands will perform a tribute to the movie, followed by the film screening on Alamo’s giant inflatable outdoor screen, all with the perfect view of the sun setting on the downtown skyline behind the stage. The events will all be free, all-ages, and open to the public, and will will fall on alternating Wednesdays from June 5 through August 21. These events are 100% FREE thanks to support from Aquasana, the Austin-based makers of best-in-class home water filtration systems, who will be on site with free, filtered, great-tasting water for every event. In addition to the featured entertainment, visitors can enjoy dining from Food Truck favorites including Frank, Blue Ox BBQ, Whole Foods, and more, all of which will be set up on the Long Center’s City Terrace. Beer, wine, cocktails, and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for sale by the Long Center, including specialty Deep Eddy Ruby Red Vodka cocktails. Guests are also welcome to bring their own non-alcoholic drinks or food to picnic on the lawn. The Food Trailers will be open by 7pm, and the sunset concerts will begin at 8pm each evening. The movie will immediately follow just after dark. What you CAN bring: Folding Chairs, Blankets, personal coolers (non-alcoholic beverages only), and food. What you CANT bring: Alcoholic beverages, drugs, weapons or anything illegal, and sorry, but no pets. Free car2go drop zone parking! Please consider reducing traffic congestion by taking a car2go, biking, walking, or ride-sharing to the event. car2go parking will be available for all events at Long Center main entrance on Riverside. Additional parking available in the Long Center garage. AUSTIN SOUND & CINEMA is a co-production of Do512 and the Alamo Drafthouse, and is brought to you with the generous support of our 2013 sponsors: Aquasana, Car2Go, AutoNation Toyota, Deep Eddy Vodka, and The Long Center. For media inquiries: [email protected]Getty Images Thrilled to have tackle Laremy Tunsil side to No. 13 in the draft but equipped with a pair of starting tackles in Branden Albert and Ja’Wuan James, the Dolphins decided to slide Tunsil inside, where he’d easily win the starting job at left guard over subpar incumbent Dallas Thomas. It may not be so easy. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald explains that Tunsil yielded the No. 1 spot to Thomas late in offseason workouts after Tunsil made enough physical and mental errors to be demoted. At one point, he whiffed on defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who ended up with a clear shot at the quarterback. Whether the demotion lasts after padded practices commence is a different question, but it’s not a surprise that Tunsil needs time to adjust both to a new level of football and a new position. “We’re in the NFL now,” Tunsil said of his struggles, via Jackson. “The top level of football. Everybody is going to be good. You’ve got to go over that point where you’ve got to be better that everybody. You’ve got to outwork everybody.” The work continues when the Dolphins open training camp. But here’s the thing Tunsil needs to remember: Thomas will be working hard, too. And Thomas possibly will be motivated to work even harder given that he sees an opportunity to keep the first-round pick on the bench.Chaos breaks out at Jersey Gardens Mall after loud noise during fight mistaken for gunshots ELIZABETH, N.J. — Thousands of panicked shoppers evacuated the Mills at Jersey Gardens Monday evening after shoppers mistook a loud bang for gunfire. Police responded to a report of a shooting in the mall about 5 p.m. Shoppers started running for the exits when someone yelled "shots fired," causing mass chaos, the Elizabeth Mayor J. Christian Bollwage told PIX11 News. "It was like shouting fire in a crowded movie theater," Elizabeth Mayor J. Christian Bollwage told PIX11 News. Eight people sustained minor injuries, the mayor said. Several victims were taken to area hospitals for further evaluation. Mayor Bollwage said an 8-year-old had a cut finger and a 12-year-old with a leg injury. Videos posted on Instagram and Twitter showed shoppers rushing out the building as armed officers entered to investigate. The mall evacuation caused a massive traffic jam with gridlock conditions. Mayor Bollwage said the roads have reopened around the mall but traffic is heavy. The mall will remain closed until Tuesday. A spokeswoman from the mall said "the safety and security of our guests and employees is our top priority." The Elizabeth Police Department will analyze what lessons to learn about exiting thousands of people from the mall in an emergency. About 45,000 people were at Jersey Gardens Mall for the day after Christmas shopping. Multiple mall disturbances were reported nationwide Monday evening. At Roosevelt Field mall, a fight in the foodcourt also created panic, Nassau County police said. Someone yelled "gun!" but there was no weapon found. Seven people were injured as people rushed to the nearest exit. The mall will be open tomorrow and no arrests have been made. In North Carolina, a mall was evacuated when a fight broke out and sent shoppers fleeing. Police said they were called to Cross Creek Mall because of a disturbance. Some witnesses said they thought they heard shots fired, but there was no evidence of it. Multiple fights were reported at the Aurora Mall in Colorado. Police asked people to avoid the area unless they were picking up a loved one. Aurora Police tweeted they do not believe the fights were connected to the other brawls across the nation.Toronto, Canada April 1, 2014 — Whether you’re on board the bitcoin train or not, you can’t deny it’s got people talking. The cyber-dollar has continued to make its way into the headlines - and for Uberflip employees, their bank accounts as well. In what some may consider a controversial move, Uberflip co-founders Yoav Schwartz and Randy Frisch have decided to take payroll into 2014, foregoing traditional currency and issuing paychecks entirely in bitcoin. “I’ve been following the rise of bitcoin for a while now,” CEO Yoav Schwartz says. “I truly believe it’s the future of currency, so why not get a head start? As a startup, we’re always striving to be on the cutting edge. Using digital money to pay employees at a tech company just makes sense, in my opinion.” Uberflip employees were notified this morning of the switch, to what the co-founders are calling a “mixed” response. “First we had to explain what bitcoin was – which took some time,” COO Randy Frisch admitted. “But after that, a lot of team members were really excited about it. The rest will come around.” The company plans on using payroll software Wagepoint to manage this new system, which allows employees to set up a bitcoin wallet to collect their pay. In the same way many companies deposit funds directly into employee bank accounts, Uberflip will issue paychecks which are transferred to employees’ bitcoin wallets. Schwartz and Frisch are even encouraging employees to attend Bitcoin Decentral, a Toronto-based meetup dedicated to learning more about the currency and engaging in the bitcoin community, in an attempt to get the whole team on board. “For every meetup an employee attends, they get 100,000 satoshis,” explains Schwartz. “We want to facilitate them learning about bitcoin in any way we can, even if it takes a little bribery to get there.” The smallest unit of bitcoin currency, equal to 0.00000001 BTC ABOUT UBERFLIP Uberflip makes content perform by centralizing it into one immersive content experience, increasing key engagement metrics and generating more leads. By creating an Uberflip content Hub, you can include blog articles, social media, videos, eBooks and more into a beautiful and responsive interface with strategically placed, dynamic CTAs – no IT required.Buy Photo FILE ART (Photo: News-Leader)Buy Photo Deputies say a Republic man used an ax to break into a woman's apartment, then threatened her with a gun and fired a round inside the home. Steven St. James, 71, was charged Tuesday with assault, burglary and armed criminal action after he allegedly threatened a woman and her teenage son over the weekend. The woman and her son were able to disarm St. James, and no one was injured in the incident, according to court documents. According to a probable cause statement, Greene County sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the Park Place Apartments on Farm Road 164 just west of the Springfield city limits on Sunday morning for reports of an argument followed by a gunshot. When deputies arrived at the apartment, they found damage to the sliding glass door. Furniture and plants were strewn across the living room floor, indicating an altercation had occurred, according to the statement. St. James was sitting on the floor in the apartment when deputies arrived and made contact with the victims, the statement says. The woman told deputies St. James had broken into the home and threatened her with a gun, saying "Today is the day I am going to die, and you're going with me," according to the statement. The woman said she was able to pin St. James' hand against the wall, at which time he fired one shot, according to the statement. The woman's son then came out of his bedroom to help, and the victims were able to get the gun away from St. James and detain him until deputies arrived, the statement says. St. James allegedly bit the teenager in the arm during the altercation. In an interview with authorities, St. James said his intention was to kill himself, not the woman or her son, according to the statement. St. James told authorities he had been involved in a romantic relationship with the woman, but the woman said they were just friends, according to the statement. A warrant has been issued for St. James' arrest. He does not have an attorney listed for this case. Read or Share this story: http://sgfnow.co/1OowTlYWe got a closer look at Microsoft's HoloLens during Build in April, but the company is showing off the gaming aspects of its headset today. Microsoft has built a new version of Minecraft specifically for its HoloLens headset. You can play with a controller as you'd expect, and create or explore worlds using holograms you create with voice or gestures. Microsoft's demonstration at E3 today involved a full Minecraft universe running on a table thanks to the HoloLens headset, and it was very similar to the experience the company revealed back in January. The audience seemed impressed, and the demo kept the hologram perfectly positioned on the table while the presenter walked around and interacted with Minecraft objects freely. Most of those interactions were enabled by voice, but the demo also involved Microsoft's "air tap" gesture where you raise your index finger and tap down. Those might not be great ways to control a game, but sitting immersed in a world of Minecraft around your living room while you avoid critters with a controller sounds like it could be a lot of fun. Microsoft is planning to share more about its Minecraft plans at Minecon in July.Barack Obama’s campaign has fired off a withering attack on Mitt Romney, branding the US president’s likely election foe as a corporate raider who made money “hand over fist” by destroying jobs. The Obama campaign’s intervention Friday whipped up a new storm around Romney, who has been battered by criticism from his Republican rivals over his 15-year role at equity firm Bain Capital and his claims to have created 100,000 jobs. The Chicago-based team’s decision to enter the fray added to the impression that an important moment of the 2012 campaign could be at hand, with Romney battling to shore up the central rationale of his presidential run. Obama strategist Stephanie Cutter took aim in a memo at Romney’s claim that his business expertise gives him the corporate savvy and turnaround skills needed to reboot the struggling US economy. She accused Romney of taking advantage of an “uneven playing field” by using the cash of rich investors to take over failing firms, strip them down and fire workers during his time at the private equity firm. “Our economic crisis and endemic income inequality were caused in large part by a few who put profits over people,” Cutter wrote. “Mitt Romney and his friends made money hand over fist while working families lost their grip on the middle-class lifestyle they earned. “Between now and November the American people will decide whether to respond to this crisis by electing a corporate raider who profited from — and promises to restore — the conditions that caused it.” Cutter accused Romney of closing more than 1,000 industrial plants, stores and offices, cutting employee wages and benefits and pensions and outsourcing American jobs to other countries while making hundreds of millions of dollars. The controversy was further fueled by a report by the McClatchy newspaper chain that Bain Capital more than doubled its money on its acquisition of GS Industries Inc., the former parent company of Georgetown Steel, even as the steel manufacturer went on to cut more than 1,750 jobs. According to the report, Bain Capital spent $24.5 million to acquire GS Industries in 1993. By the end of that decade, the firm estimated its partners had made $58.4 million off its investment in the steelmaker. GS Industries filed for bankruptcy in 2001. Cutter rejected Romney’s claims that Obama was waging war on capitalism. “That’s what’s on trial, not free enterprise. Free enterprise isn’t running for president, Mitt Romney is,” she said. Romney sought to mitigate political damage from the Bain affair, which is complicating his campaign to win next week’s South Carolina primary after triumphs in Iowa and New Hampshire nominating contests. The South Carolina primary is seen as a last chance for more conservative candidates Newt Gingrich, former senator Rick Santorum and Texas Governor Rick Perry to slow Romney’s march to the nomination. Romney released a political ad branding himself as a “conservative businessman” responsible for blue chip brands such as Sports Authority and Staples. “Mitt Romney helped create and ran a company that invested in struggling businesses, grew new ones and rebuilt old ones, creating thousands of jobs — those are the facts,” the ad’s narrator said. “We expected the Obama administration to put free markets on trial, but as the Wall Street Journal said, ‘Mr Romney’s (Republican) opponents are embarrassing themselves by taking the Obama line.'” Campaigning in South Carolina, Romney savaged Obama’s record and accused him of resorting to class warfare with his campaign’s attacks. “They seem to want to replace ambition with envy,” said Romney, who also got a boost from defeated 2008 Republican presidential candidate John McCain who was traveling with him. McCain said that Romney’s career at Bain was “what the free enterprise system is all about and jobs and businesses were created all over this country by Mitt Romney.” Democrats are trying to keep the Bain Capital controversy alive after a political action committee backing Gingrich released a movie featuring tearful vignettes of people who blame Bain Capital for culling their jobs. Romney, after his twin nominating contest wins, is still the hot favorite for the Republican nomination and is seen by many analysts as the most formidable candidate to take on Obama in November’s election. An American Research Group poll among likely Republican voters in South Carolina Friday showed the former Massachusetts governor leading the field, with 29 percent, ahead of Gingrich on 25 percent and libertarian favorite Ron Paul on 20 percent. [Photo by Christopher Halloran / Shutterstock.com].A doctor in Sonora, Mexico conducts a telemedical consultations. Image: Intel/Flickr In a bid to make healthcare cheaper and faster, hospitals are turning to algorithmic systems for diagnosing patients. But the national nurses' union says that robots-meet-super-WebMD are no replacement for a real doctor. Algorithms that can analyze symptoms and spit out a diagnosis favor efficiency over proper care, according to a recent campaign by National Nurses United (NNU). The union claims that automated diagnosis systems lack the individualized care a nurse can provide and mainly allow private hospitals to boost their bottom line. Healthcare professionals have worked for years to develop diagnostic algorithms—including early methods like Apache III and SAPS III, as well are more more advanced clinical decision support systems—which are used to help determine how patients are treated. They compare patient symptoms to a base dataset—Apache III's was culled from over seventeen thousand ICU patients—to determine things like mortality probability and whether a patient should remain in intensive care or be moved. It may be a bit impersonal and morbid, but it’s efficient. Instead of improving the quality of healthcare, however, NNU sees these algorithms as eroding it. “What this technology does is generate profits for healthcare corporations because they standardize based on this model of care that’s based on the factory floor. You treat everybody like a Model T Ford,” Deborah Burger, a registered nurse and co-president of NNU, told me over the phone. By speeding up the provision of care with algorithms, private hospitals can serve more patients in a day—and charge them accordingly. Apache III collects patients’ information and sends it right to the hospital’s billing department. “It’s actually a billing mechanism more than it is a treatment protocol,” Burger said. To be sure, that kind of efficiency is a boon to companies like the Hospital Corporation of America, who invests more than one billion dollars annually to keep its hospitals up to date technologically. Some, like Harvard economist David Cutler, have argued that information technologies will eventually make healthcare more like Walmart. Decision-making algorithms would streamline the provision of care, he argues, and ultimately make it as impersonal, efficient, and cost effective as the retail market. This may one day be true, but efficiency often comes at a human cost, as well as a monetary one. A 2010 study on methods of diagnosing urinary tract infections, published in Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, found that algorithmic diagnoses using a clinical dataset alone had an error rate of approximately thirty-three percent. A wrong diagnosis could have serious consequences if, for example, a patient is moved from the ICU when they really needed to be there. Ignoring a patient’s medical history when making important decisions could very well lead to such a situation, Burger argued. “When you’re doing computer protocols and looking at these scatter charts, it leaves out all these other variables out there that can affect your outcome,” Burger said. “There’s certain averages as to what these patients will respond to, but what happens is each patient can react differently, and does.” “You have to look at how much these gadgets cost, how much these personalized DNA treatments cost, and who can actually afford that." Though diagnostic algorithms may be flawed now, technologies that individualize healthcare could improve them. Wearable tech like bracelets, hats, and shirts that monitor health-related data can measure everything from physical activity to the severity of sport-related impacts. Bringing that data to the doctor could make an algorithm like Apache III far more accurate. Personalized medicine tailored to an individual’s genome could also make treatment more effective. Burger agreed, but the real question, she said, is who can afford these technologies in the first place? “You have to look at how much these gadgets cost, how much these personalized DNA treatments cost, and who can actually afford that,” Burger said. “You start tiering the medicine—the provision of healthcare—based on your ability to pay. It gets back into whether you have a platinum plan, gold, bronze, silver, or whether you have a paper plan; or no healthcare.” Fitness trackers like the Misfit Shine and the Basis Band cost one hundred and two hundred dollars, respectively. It might not seem like much to the type of person liable to order one anyway, but one hundred bones can be a bundle when you can’t afford healthcare to begin with. As for medicine tailored to a person’s genome, the technology is still in development and we don’t really know how much it will cost. My hunch is that it won’t be cheap for a very long time. Using algorithms to simply cut corners and treat people quicker is certainly cause for concern, but the technology itself isn’t necessarily to blame. (Robotic surgeons may be a different story.) Yes, algorithms have some issues in terms of how they measures statistical data to make specific diagnoses, but if integrated into a healthcare system that privileges proper care over efficiency, they could be helpful. “We’d like to see it used as a resource, rather than a bible,” Burger said. “Also, not using it as a way of deciding who gets care, and who doesn’t get care—whether you decide to treat or to withdraw care. That should be left up to the family and the professionals who are providing care to that patient.” Bugs in diagnostic algorithms and wearable health monitors can be fixed relatively easily, but the systemic problems that plague the private healthcare sector are quite different. Diagnostic algorithms have some issues, but it’s the healthcare system that’s truly broken—and that’s what we should be trying to fix.1 = THE REVIVALISTS Change 676 +0 33 -14 1.432 +0.024 109 -- 1 676 114 1.437 2 = DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE Northern Lights 620 -14 -59 -12 1.322 -0.068 125 -- 1 704 129 1.653 3 = VAMPIRE WEEKEND Harmony Hall 585 +10 68 +1 1.524 +0.034 30 230 3 585 219 1.529 4 = HOZIER Movement 570 +3 20 +0 1.305 +0.015 83 1189 3 570 118 1.305 5 = DERMOT KENNEDY Power Over Me 550 -5 10 -14 1.256 -0.031 111 -- 4 559 81 1.353 6 = YOUNG THE GIANT Superposition 516 +0 37 -5 1.279 -0.023 107 189 6 516 89 1.302 7 = CAGE THE ELEPHANT Ready To Let Go 506 +9 99 +7 1.427 +0.036 22 336 7 506 233 1.427 8 = NOAH KAHAN False Confidence 467 -10 -41 -14 0.723 +0.002 137 -- 4 516 75 0.903 9 = LEON BRIDGES If It Feels Good. Then It M... 388 -3 -38 -4 0.387 -0.010 125 -- 9 434 96 0.460 10 = NATHANIEL RATELIFF/NIGHTSWEATS Hey Mama 381 -4 -53 +10 0.884 +0.035 125 -- 1 710 144 1.722 11 = ELLE KING Baby Outlaw 354 +3 19 +3 0.567 +0.009 84 -- 11 354 80 0.726 12 = GUSTER Overexcited 353 +3 11 -5 0.755 +0.007 44 -- 12 353 118 0.755 13 = MAGGIE ROGERS Light On 340 +0 -22 +8 0.898 -0.013 132 319 1 656 154 1.535 14 = MORGXN Home f/Walk the Moon 332 -1 0 +5 0.616 -0.025 98 -- 14 338 59 0.804 15 = THE STRUMBELLAS Salvation 317 +1 0 -1 0.827 -0.019 81 -- 15 320 80 0.907 16 = CRANBERRIES All Over Now 306 +1 3 -3 0.532 -0.009 34 -- 16 309 111 0.644 17 = FLORENCE + THE MACHINE Moderation 284 +6 25 +2 0.561 +0.020 24 1243 17 284 109 0.561 18 = ALICE MERTON Funny Business 279 +5 29 +3 0.692 -0.018 59 -- 18 279 70 0.721 19 = IMAGINE DRAGONS Bad Liar 277 +4 43 -3 0.624 +0.011 30 59 19 277 91 0.624 20 +1 SHARON VAN ETTEN Seventeen 255 +11 55 +5 0.393 -0.027 36 -- 20 255 77 0.425 21 -1 SARA BAREILLES Armor 253 +3 4 -2 0.299 +0.006 93 -- 20 254 38 0.304 22 = RACONTEURS Now That You're Gone 243 +2 -8 +7 0.291 -0.022 40 -- 19 256 87 0.547 23 = GRETA VAN FLEET You're The One 226 -2 -17 +1 0.484 -0.028 90 324 19 248 74 0.710 24 = RAYLAND BAXTER Hey Larocco 193 -5 -5 -13 0.169 -0.007 78 -- 24 207 69 0.228 25 = JEFF TWEEDY I Know What It's Like 191 +5 28 +11 0.233 +0.008 77 -- 25 191 50 0.507 26 +1 JENNY LEWIS Red Bull & Hennessy 187 +4 23 +1 0.216 -0.004 25 -- 26 187
and collecting arms. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 17 11/4/1838 Letter from General John G. Clark, Headquarters of Missouri Militia at Far West, MO to General H. G. Parks, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division of Missouri Militia Clark writes that it is okay to obey Lucas' orders, and to take all male Mormons prisoners. He orders Parks to protect property as far as possible. He will settle property disputes when he gets there. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 18 11/7/1838 Letter from General John B. Clark, Headquarters of Missouri Militia at Far West, MO to General Robert Wilson, 2nd Brigade, 1st Division of Missouri Militia Clark tells Wilson to march to Adam-on-diahmon and restore the citizens to property and bring the criminals in. Clark orders the prisoners be taken to Keytesville; and that Wilson may do all that is necessary. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 19 1838 Certificate of Mormons as to the Conduct of General Clark and his troops, Richmond MO. Submitted by W. W. Phelps, George Walter, John Cleminson, G. M. Hinkel and John Corrill The submitters are happy with the behavior of the troops under Clark's command and approve the modification of orders that allow the Mormons to stay until Spring and Feel it duty bound to say that the conduct of the General, his staff officers and troops, was highly honorable as soldiers and citizens, as far as our knowledge extends.” view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 20 11/25/1838 Letter from General Robert Wilson, 2nd Brigade, 1st Division of the Missouri Militia, at Keytesville, MO to General John B. Clark, 1st Division of Missouri Militia Wilson reports that the Mormons at Adam-on-diahmon are willing to move to Far West. He writes of the condition of the Mormons, the actions of non-Mormons, the good conduct of his troops and the attitude toward Mormon leadership. It is impossible to witness these scenes of distress without feeling the deepest indignation against the leaders of these people, who under the sacred name of religion, have caused their followers to commit the most horrid crimes ever perpetrated in any country, and that as they allege, for the advancement of the Kingdom of Christ.” view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 21 11/29/1838 Report of General John B. Clark, 1st Division of Missouri Militia, Jefferson City, MO to Governor Boggs, Jefferson City, MO The report outlines the actions of Lucas and Atchison's troops at Far West. Clark explains Lucas' terms of surrender. Clark ordered Lucas to hold prisoners. Clark set up court to recommend the leaders be turned over to civil courts. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 22 11/29/1838 Letter from M. Arthur Esquire to the Representatives from Clay County, Liberty, MO M. Arthur Esq. asks the legislature to help Mormons who are under attack. He outlines the insults against Mormon women and plundering the poor devils of all means of subsistence leaving the poor Mormons in a starving and naked condition. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 23 12/23/1838 Letter from the Honorable A. A. King, Judge of the 5th Judicial Circuit, Richmond, MO to Governor Boggs, Jefferson City, MO King states that some charges against non-Mormons actions toward Mormons are true. The actions of those who take issue with government are unfair and he cites rumors about Arthur's role in land dealings. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 23 2/18/1838 Letter from Governor Boggs, Jefferson City, MO to Colonel Wiley C. Williams, Aide to the Governor Governor Boggs states that the arms that were taken are to be returned to the Mormons. Captain Pollars is to turn over the weapons. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 24 11/12/1838 Witness Sampson Avard, Leader of Danites Avard details the formation of the Sons of Dan or Danites, and their actions against non-Mormons and the role of Joseph Smith. The evidence includes the constitution of Danites and a petition of Mormon leadership (June 1838) against Oliver Cowdrey, David Whimer, William W. Phelps and Lyman E. Johnson (Dissenters) for stealing. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 24 11/12/1838 Witness Nehemiah Odle Odle testifies that he was present at Crooked Creek during action against Captain Bogart on October 25, 1838, and that orders were given to fire on non-Mormons. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 24 11/12/1838 Witness Captain Samuel Bogart, Commander of the Volunteer Unit against Mormons Captain Bogart relates the attack on him by Mormons at Crooked River. The evidence includes the order issued by Atchison for Bogart to patrol the country between Caldwell and Ray County. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 24 11/12/1838 Witness Wyatt Cravens, a member of Bogarts Volunteers. He was captured by Mormons after Crooked Creek. Cravens claims the Mormons attempted to shoot him by pretending to let him escape. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 24 11/12/1838 Witness Maurice Phelps, a Mormon who was present at Crooked River Battle Phelps claims that he did not take active part in the battle, and that he knew of the Danites. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 24 11/12/1838 Witness John Carrill, a Mormon dissenter and State Representative from Caldwell County Carrill testifies that he was opposed to actions against dissenters and is opposed to the Danites. He comments on Joseph Smith's views on lawsuits against him and actions against the property of non-Mormons. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 25 11/12/1838 Witness James C. Owens, a Mormon dissenter who was present at Far West, October 30, 1838 Owens states that Joseph Smith urged the men to fight and confiscate property. Smith denounced the actions against him. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 25 11/12/1838 Witness Nathanial Carr, Mormon Carr describes the actions of Mormon units in Far West. Included in the evidence is a letter received from Smith saying that all was well in Daviess County. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 25 11/12/1838 Witness John Cleminson, a Mormon dissenter and Clerk of Caldwell County Circuit Court Cleminson relates the actions of Joseph Smith in blocking suit against him and the Mormon burning of Gallatin and Millport. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 25 11/12/1838 Witness Reed Peck, a Mormon dissenter Peck describes the beginnings of the Danites, Joseph Smith's attitude toward stealing, and the actions of Smith and Rigdon, the O, don't men (dissenters). Peck states that stolen goods were deposited at Bishop's store. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 25 11/12/1838 Witness James C. Owen (second testimony) Owen states that he does not think William Whitman was on the last expedition to Daviess County. (the first testimony is attributed to Owens, and this is Owen, but is same man) view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 26 11/12/1838 Witness William W. Phelps, a Mormon dissenter Phelps describes the actions by Mormon leadership to set up Danites and the attempt to take away Phelps post-mastership. He recounts statements by Rigdon on the actions against dissenters and non-Mormons. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 11/12/1838 Witness George M. Hinkle, Commander of Mormon Troops Hinkle relates the reaction of Joseph Smith toward stealing property, the battle with Bogart's troops, and Smith's views on Mahomet (Mohammed). The reaction of Joseph Smith to criticism is also noted. 16A/2/9 2 25 11/12/1838 Witness William Splawn, Citizen of Daviess County Splawn claims that he saw defendants, James H. Rollins and Jesse D. Hunter with the Mormon forces two days after the raid on Gallatin. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 25 11/12/1838 Witness Thomas M. Odle - Resident of the house of John Raglin T. Odle testifies that the Mormons searched for Raglin and forced Mrs. Raglin and Odle out of the house. They stole their property and burned the house. James H. Rollins, Jesse D. Hunter, Darwin Chase, and possible Maurice Phelps were with the Mormons. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 25 11/12/1838 Witness John Raglin Raglin stated that he saw 150 to 200 Mormons enter Gallatin and drive the residents out, and he learned later that they burned several buildings. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 25 11/12/1838 Witness Allen Rathburn Rathlun testified that he was in Far West and saw defendant Carn leave for Daviess County to collect beehives. Defendant Huntingdon asked for brimstone from him and he saw those herding stolen sheep and cattle. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 25 11/12/1838 Witness Jeremiah Myers Myers states that he was part of the Mormon force that entered Gallatin. In the expedition to Gallatin were Joseph Smith, Lyman Wight, Washington Voorhees, Ebenezer Page, Francis Higbey, Daniel Carn, James H. Rollins, and maybe Maurice Phelps. view image [ view full text ] 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness Andrew J. Job Job testifies that he was captured by David Patten (Captain Fearnaught) in Daviess County and saw ten houses set on fire. He further states that he heard Ebenezer Page claim that the mob burned their own homes. 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness Freeburn H. Gardner Gardner states that he was pressed to go on expedition against Bogart. He heard Patten instruct the men on how to shoot. They only went part of the way and returned home. Darwin Chase was on the expedition. 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness Burr Riggs Riggs testifies that he heard Joseph Smith tell George Robinson to whip all who questioned the Presidency (church leadership). He saw a great deal of plunder in Diahmon and the following defendants were with the expedition to Daviess County: George W. Roobinson, Alacon Ripley, Jacob Gates, Geo. W. Harris, Jesse D. Hunter, Geo. Grant, Thomas Rich, Alex. McRay, John S. Higbey, Ebenezer Robinson, Edward Partridge, Daniel Carn. 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness Elisah Camron Camron related a conversation with Lymen Wight: when told there was no mob but the militia, Wight appeared to be very angry, and said he would fight anyone that might come against them - that he did not care what came. 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness Charles Bleckley - Present at Millport Bleckley states that he saw Joseph Smith, Lyman Wight, George W. Robinson witness a house burning. Smith claimed that it was started by non-Mormons. Wight told people to take their families out. 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness James Cobb Cobb states that he was present at Millport where he saw Joseph Smith, Lyman Wight, George W. Robinson, Mr. Turner and a son of Mr. Josiah Morin burning a stable. 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness Jesse Kelly (a Citizen of Daviess County) Kelly testifies that he was a prisoner along with Addison Price, and that he heard Alexander McRay state that the Mormons said, after we get possession of Daviess, to take Livingston; and after that, keep on till we take possession of the whole State. McRay said mob burned their own houses. 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness Addison Price Price testifies that he was captured with Jesse Kelly and heard Alexander McRay make threats against the Governor and promise to drive non-Mormons from the state. They inquired of me if I knew there were any mobs coming against them; I answered that I know of none, they said that the whole state was a mob.” 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness Samuel Kimbel Kimbel states that he lived near Far West and was forced to join the Mormon forces in Far West about a week before the militia arrived. He heard Joseph Smith denounce the Governor and the state as a damned mob. 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness John Whitmer Whitmer testifies that he heard Joseph Smith complain of lawsuits and that he would not let suit be brought against him. Smith threatened to kill the legal officers. Rigdon threatened to kick the head off of process servers and Alanson Ripley denounced 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness James B. Turner Turner relates the burning of Millport and a conversation with the Mormon leadership. He comments on the burning of Gallatin and the movement of volunteers in Clay and Ray counties. 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness George W. Worthington (Citizen of Gallatin) Worthington states that he house was surrounded by Mormons and property was taken from him. Captain Patten was in command. Worthington's house was burned and he was sent to Diahmon, where he saw his stolen property. 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness Joseph H. McGee McGee testifies that he was present at the burning of Gallatin on October 18th. He saw the Mormons taking goods out of the storehouse and he heard Parley Pratt order the goods be removed before burning the storehouse. McGee gives a list of articles taken from McGee’s store and other property. 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness John Lockhart Lockhart states that he served in Bogart's company and was one of the picket guards the Mormons approached. They refused to drop their arms and fired. Lockhart fired back. 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness Porter Yale Yale was present at Gallatin where the Mormons burned his father's house. 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness Benjamin Slade Slade was present at a meeting at a school house at Far West, where Rigdon stated that everyone must take part in the war and suggested that they kill anyone who attempted to leave Caldwell County. 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness Ezra Williams Williams states that on the last expedition to Daviess County, he saw the following Mormons: Joseph Smith, Lyman Wight, Hiram Smith, George W. Robinson, Parley P. Pratt, Jacob Gates, Jesse D. Hunter, George Grant, Frances Higbey, George Kimbel, Morris Phelps, Norman Shearer and Lyman Gibbs. Shearer was present at the attack on Bagart’s troops and at the burning at Gallatin. 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness Addison F. Green Green states that he was with the spy company at Far West, and that he heard Rigdon threaten anyone who tried to run away. Green was taken prisoner. 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness John Taylor, who resided in Ray County near the Caldwell line Taylor confronted the Mormon troops who were returning from battle with Bogart. Lyman Gibbs accused him of being part of a mob. 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness Timothy Lewis Lewis was at Diahmon during the last expedition to Daviess County and saw a great deal of plunder. The Mormons said there was no law in the State, but that a law was about to be established by a higher Power, to be given by revelation. 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness Patrick Lynch, a clerk in Stolling's store in Gallatin Lynch claims that he saw Mormons move goods out of the store and saw the same articles from the store in a Diahmon storehouse; the Post Office and treasurer's records of Gallatin were burned in the fire. 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witnesses for the Defense 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness Malinda Porter, who resided in the house of Lyman Wight. Porter states that Wight had taken no property and that he did not go on any raids. 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness Delia F. Pine Pine states that she also lived in the Wight house and claimed that Wight never left Diahmon and was not out of her sight for more than an hour. 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness Nancy Rigdon Rigdon states that she heard Sampson Avard say that he would swear to a lie to accomplish an object; that he had told many a lie and would do so again. She states that her father, Sidney Rigdon, went out ot see the wounded. 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness Jonathan W. Barlow Barlow stated that Joseph Smith and Lyman Wight went off together to see Captain Patten, who was wounded. Joseph smith and Lyman Wight did not leave the house afterward. 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness Ezra Chapman Chapman stated that he was at Lyman Wight's house and that Wight never left Diahmon. 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witnesses for the State 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness Arza Judd, Jr. Judd testified that he was at Thorit Parsons' house when Bogart's man came up and ordered them to leave. 11/12/1838 [Missing] Witness Asa Cook, a volunteer in Captain Bogart's Unit Cook states that he never saw Parsons, but told Mormon man he did see that he was in the militia. In response to Mr. Lockhart's question, Cook responded that he was the Lieutenant of the company but saw or gave no orders to move Parsons or anyone else. 16A/2/9 2 27 11/12/1838 Verdict of Judge King King Follet, Benjamin Jones, George W. Morris, Elijah Newman, Moses Clawson and Daniel Shearer, discharged; Joseph Smith, Jr., Lyman Wight, Hiram Smith, Alex McRay, Caleb Baldwin and Sidney Rigdon, guilty of treason and are to be transferred to Clay County for trial. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 27 O. H. Searcy to General Clark Searcy believes this is all the testimony, and includes a list of witnesses. 1841 [Missing] Certificates 16A/2/9 2 28 1841 Office of Secretary of State, James L. Minor to Circuit Clerks of Boone, Daviess and Ray Counties. Note: Only Minor's letter is missing from Item 88. Minor requests the Circuit Clerks to send copies of certificates that deal with indictments against Mormons, so that they may be included in publication, this will assist in clearing the aspersions which 16A/2/9 2 28 Circuit Court Clerk of Boone County, Riger N. Todd The following were moved to Boone County on a change of venue, Lyman Wight and William Osburn, Indictment for obstructing process; was never delivered to Boone County and the charge was dismissed. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 28 State of Missouri vs. Jacob Gates, Hiram Smith, Thomas Rich, Joseph Smith, Jr., Lyman Wight, et al. Indictment for treason and a change of venue from Daviess County to Boone County, Joseph Smith Jr., Lyman Wight, Hiram Smith, Caleb Baldwin, and Alex McRay were not transferred. No charge on file against the other defendants; no defendants appearing, case 16A/2/9 2 28 State of Missouri vs. Caleb Baldwin, Arthur Morrison, Elias Higvey, Thomas D. March, et al. Indictment for arson. No defendants appeared; charge dismissed. 16A/2/9 2 28 State of Missouri vs. Jacob Gates, Hiram Smith, Thomas Rich, Joseph Smith, Jr., Lyman Wight, et al. Indictment for arson. there being no recognizance on file the cause after being continued for some time on the docket, was dismissed. 16A/2/9 2 28 3/6/1841 State of Missouri vs. Joseph Smith Jr., Lyman Wight, Moses Dailey, Joseph Younger, et al. Indictment for riot. there being no recognizance on file the cause after being continued on the docket for some time, there being no appearance of the defendants was dismissed. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 28 State of Missouri vs. Joseph Smith, Jr. Indictment for receiving goods. 16A/2/9 2 28 3/6/1841 State of Missouri vs. James Worthington, Cornelius D. Lott, Joseph Smith Jr., and Lyman Wight Indictment for larceny. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 28 3/6/1841 State of Missouri vs. Parley P. Pratt, Maurice Phelps and Lyman Gibbs Indictment for murder. Phelps and Pratt escaped from jail, case dismissed; Gibbs discharged. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 28 3/6/1841 State of Missouri vs. King Follett Indictment for robbery. Follett was acquitted and discharged from custody. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 28 State of Missouri vs. Caleb Baldwin, Washington Voorhees, James Worthington, George A. Smith, et al. Indictment for burglary. Suit dismissed. 3/18/1841 [Missing] Letter from Robert Wilson, the Clerk of Circuit Court of Daviess County to the Secretary of State James L. Minor, Gallatin, MO Wilson outlines the various indictments against the Mormons. He points out those who were sent to Boone County on a change of venue. Wilson also covers the charges dropped 3/18/1841 [Missing] Letter from Robert Wilson, Clerk of Circuit Court to Secretary of State James L. Minor, Gallatin, MO Wilson sent copies of appended testimony from files of John Wright and Elijah Folwy, Justices of the Peace. The testimony of Adam Black on his encounter with Lyman Wight and Sampson Avard is included, as is the role played by the mob to threaten Black. 16A/2/9 2 29 3/19/1841 Letter from Elliott Roberts, Clerk of Caldwell County Circuit Court to Secretary of State. Roberts reports that Caldwell County jail had Sidney Rigdon, who was indicted for treason in Caldwell County, and then left the state and forfeited bail. Note: No certificate has been received in Ray County. view image [ view full text ] 16A/2/9 2 30 3/15/1839 Letter from Lyman Wight, Liberty MO to Governor Boggs, Jefferson City MO Wight is asking Governor Boggs to release him and to not go forward with the trials. view image [ view full text ]Feb 23, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) reacts to an officials call during the first half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports The Orlando Magic are mysteriously a mediocre team. So, what exactly appears to be the problem? The root cause is multiple. If you have been keeping up with the Orlando Magic this season, then you might realize it is going to take Sherlock Holmes to figure out what is wrong with them. Coming into this season, the plan was to bury the rebuilding process and open up the winning blueprint. And they started out strong to get to a 19-13 start. It seemed things were heading in the right direction. But it appears they have not improved much at all as the season has wound past the All-Star Break and into the home stretch. The Magic are currently 27-36, 11th in the Eastern Conference and falling back to the pack with the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks also sitting at 27 wins. On even worse matters, the Magic are 21st in points per game (100.8) and 14th in points allowed (102.5). Last season, the Magic were 25-57, so they are not as bad as they used to be. The record has improved. But there is nothing drastically improved here, which is a problem. Young teams need to know when to get off the training wheels and start biking on their own. It is unfortunate the Magic are still nursing those training wheels. The playoffs are growing distant for Orlando right now, so what is the reason for all this? One of the reasons why the Magic are still just mediocre could be the constant lineup changes. Scott Skiles has plugged in numerous starting lineups this season, and the inconsistency may have hurt the players. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reports that uncertainty may have changed a mindset within the Magic. The biggest change occurred mid-season when head coach Scott Skiles moved guard Victor Oladipo to the bench and started to play Channing Frye as a starter. While that helped the team to some wins, it also created a bit of a crisis of confidence and questioning of roles among some of the young guys. What started as bruised egos swelled into self-preservation and a group that was looking at their coach for answers began to doubt motivations. When teams start looking over their shoulder, things usually don’t turn out well. There is no putting that card back in the box. The December lineup change to insert Channing Frye into the lineup and take out Victor Oladipo rocked the apple cart. Skiles had Channing Frye starting at the four and Tobias Harris at the three with Evan Fournier sliding in at the two. Now that both of those players are traded, the Magic have Evan Fournier starting at the three and Aaron Gordon at the four with Victor Oladipo back in the lineup. And that is just the beginning on how many different combinations this roster went through. Still, there may be another change on the horizon, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports. “We’ll get together and talk about it and we may make some changes,” Skiles said after Orlando’s 107-98 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night at the Staples Center. “We’ll try to come up with something to try to re-energize us. But everybody, throughout the year, has gotten an opportunity, so it’s about taking advantage of the opportunity.” It is almost unsettling what Skiles has left up his sleeve. Then again, the team’s inconsistent play has left him with little choice to create a spark. At this point, if it has not worked, then it could be more than just a starting lineup. While Nikola Vucevic and Elfrid Payton are solid rising players, they are not completely out of the possibility of getting traded. No one is. With the offseason coming up in the summer, Rob Hennigan may make some big changes by trade. They already traded Tobias Harris, which seemed unlikely at the start of the season, but it happened anyway. So, do not count out some big shakeups. What about free agent signings? It is safe to say Kevin Durant will not be coming to Orlando, as that is just too big of a stretch. But there are plenty of other great free agents out there who could be Orlando bound. The Magic will not be afraid to spend big money, if it is for the right player. DeMar DeRozan and Harrison Barnes could be amazing additions, but it is hard to imagine they would leave their respective teams for a growing team like the Magic. Perhaps Barnes is hungry for a bigger role, but his price tag could be heavy and he has not proven himself as more than a role player. There has been reports Orlando is looking at Chandler Parsons, so he is another possibility. The Magic need that guy to put them over the top, and their current roster, while it is talented and strong, just is not enough. The Magic started this season promising, but then dropped fast out of nowhere. Maybe the Magic got too confident for their own good, and now they cannot find their rhythm anymore. Maybe the rest of the league figured them out. Either way, something is not right with this team. Overall, it is hard to figure out what is wrong with the Magic. Their defense is sloppy, but with the players they have, it should not be. They have chemistry, but it is not translating into wins. Skiles is a good coach, but he is not turning this team into something good. It is a mystery, to say the least. The Magic have a roster that is better than what their record says. Or maybe they do not. The hardest part of any rebuilding process is making an identity for the team. Unfortunately, like an exam test, it appears the Magic cannot answer the last question right now. And time is running out.You regularly ransack the house to find your keys. You suddenly can’t recall the name of your kid’s teacher. You made your six-month dentist appointment three months late. Sound familiar? Fear not: most forgetfulness isn’t anything serious, says Majid Fotuhi, MD, PhD, founder and chief medical officer of NeurExpand Brain Center in Luterville, MD and co-author of The Memory Cure. Lack of sleep, certain medications, and even stress can impact your memory. “Fortunately, your brain is malleable, meaning it changes and improves,” says Dr. Fotuhi. “Memory can be boosted with simple powerful interventions.” Here are surprising things that impact your memory in both good and not-so-good ways. A dysfunctional thyroid When your thyroid’s out of whack, you may feel too hot, too cold, anxious, depressed—and your memory may also be lagging. “Although the thyroid doesn’t have a specific role in the brain, memory loss is the one thing a person notices when it stops functioning normally,” says Dr. Fotuhi. A butterfly-shaped gland that sits along the front of your windpipe, the thyroid reigns over almost all your body’s metabolic processes. “People with high or low thyroid levels—which are very common in women—may have difficulty with memory and concentration,” he says. Ask your doctor for a simple thyroid test to determine if it’s the culprit behind your memory problems. Health.com: 19 Signs Your Thyroid Isn’t Working Right The Brief Newsletter Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. View Sample Sign Up Now Hot flashes Every time hot flashes make you you feel like sticking your head in the freezer, you may also feel a fog rolling into your brain. “The more hot flashes a woman experiences during menopause, the worse her ability to remember names and stories,” says Dr. Fotuhi. “Fortunately, hot flashes don’t damage the brain in any way. Memory improves once the hot flashes subside.” Other menopause-related symptoms contribute to memory loss, including insomnia and sleep apnea, Dr. Fotuhi says. Lack of sleep Last night’s late party makes it less likely you’ll remember your new coworker’s name the next day. “While some part of the brain takes a siesta when we sleep, deeper areas involved with memory and emotional response become relatively more active,” says Allen Towfigh, MD, medical director of New York Neurology & Sleep Medicine. “Individuals with sleep deprivation and sleep disorders not only suffer from impaired memory but also daytime fatigue, impaired attention, and reduced reaction time.” The standard recommendation of eight hours of sleep a night doesn’t necessarily work for everyone. If you wake up fatigued and fall asleep unintentionally during the day, then you may need more sleep, says Dr. Towfigh. Health.com: How to Fake a Good Night’s Sleep Anxiety and depression Worrying about an upcoming presentation in front of the CEO may also hinder your memory, several studies show. “We don’t understand the exact link, but strong evidence indicates depression, anxiety, and bipolar disease disrupts the neural circuitry involved in developing and retrieving memories,” says Dr. Towfigh. “The severity of the memory loss often mirrors the severity of the mood disorder—severe depression brings about equally severe memory loss.” Prolonged periods of everyday stress increase cortisol levels in the brain, which causes our brain cells to lose synapses (the bridges that connect our brain cells to one another), and make it more difficult to create and retrieve memories. The good news is when memory loss exists with a mood disorder (including anxiety and depression), the memory loss is usually at least partially reversible. “As the individual’s mood improves, often so does the memory loss,” says Dr. Towfigh. Prescription drugs Check your medicine cabinet: many common prescription drugs can make you feel forgetful. Anxiety disorder meds like Xanax, Valium, and Ativan (which are benzodiazepines) put a damper on the part of the brain that moves events from the short-term to the long-term memory. Tricyclic antidepressants have a similar effect. Heart medicines including statins and beta blockers have also been linked to memory issues, as have narcotic painkillers, incontinence drugs, sleep aids, and even antihistamines like Benadryl. Bottom line: Don’t stop taking your (potentially life-saving) medications, but talk to your doc if you believe any drug you’re on may be messing with your memory. Smoking If you’re still smoking, that may help explain memory lapses. “Smoking damages the brain by impairing its blood supply,” says Dr. Towfigh. Research published in the Archives of General Psychiatry gathered from data obtained from more than 7,000 men and women found a more rapid decline in brain function (which included memory along with vocabulary and other brain functions) with age than from those who never smoked. “Furthermore, cigarette smoking promotes the accumulation of abnormal proteins which impair the brain’s ability to process and relay information,” says Dr. Towfigh. Health.com: 15 Ways Smoking Ruins Your Looks A high-fat diet Greasy burgers and French fries pack on pounds and are hard on your heart—and they may also cause memory issues. One study revealed that adolescent mice had poorer learning and memory skills after being fed a high-fat diet for eight weeks, while another study on middle-aged rats found that the hippocampus (the part of the brain responsible for short-term memory) may be particularly vulnerable to the impact of high-fat diets. More research is needed to determine for sure whether or not high-fat diets impact human memory, but here’s what we do know: Calorically dense diets promote type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, which can all do damage to our brains, says Dr. Towfigh. “This holds true earlier in life, too. Studies link childhood obesity with a reduced attention span and impaired concentration and focus.” Stress A sudden emergency can make it tough to recall something as simple as your home address. A rat study published in Neuron shows that stress hormones influence an area of the brain area that controls working memory. Researchers found that repeated stress reduced receptors in the part of the brain that’s connected to thought processes Although this study involved animals, the human brain works similarly, explains Dr. Towfigh. “Repeated or chronic stress can be harmful. Regular exposure to elevated glucocorticoids (a hormone released by the adrenal gland) also causes our brain cells to reduce receptors, making brain cells less capable of responding to neurochemical (brain chemicals) cues.” Finding ways to relieve stress may help: Practicing meditation does double duty by easing stress and helping improve memory, according to a study from the University of California, Santa Barbara. College students who completed eight 45-minute meditation sessions over two weeks increased their average GRE exam scores from 460 to 520 and showed improvement on tests of working memory. Health.com: 13 Ways to Beat Stress in 15 Minutes or Less Germs A nasty cold sore does more than make you feel self-conscious—it may be messing with your memory, according to a 2013 study in Neurology. Researchers found that people who exposed to many germs, such as herpes simplex type 1 (the cold sore virus), over their lifetimes were more likely to have memory problems than those exposed to fewer germs. Among more than 1,600 study participants, those with a higher “infectious burden” had a 25% increase in the risk of a low score on a cognitive test. Although there is no vaccine for the cold sore virus, childhood vaccinations against other viruses could help prevent problems later in life, the researchers suggest. In addition, regular exercise may help too—doctors think repeated infections may damage blood vessels, since a high infectious burden is also linked to a greater risk of stroke and heart attack. Green tea Now for some good news: chemicals found in green tea may help improve your memory, according to a University of Basel study. “Several compounds, EGCG and L-theanine, in green tea increase neurogenesis (growth of new brain cells) in the hippocampus, the part of the brain used for short-term memory and learning new things,” says Dr. Fotuhi. How much green tea has not yet been determined, says Dr. Fotuhi, who recommends combining green tea with other healthy habits such as exercise for greatest memory improvement benefits. Exercise Regular sweat sessions also help keep memories sharp. “Physical exercise improves mood and sleep and by doing so, it invariably improves cognition and memory,” says Dr. Towfigh. An animal study published in Brain, Behavior and Immunity, for example, showed daily exercise increased brain cell growth after 12 weeks of conditioned running. Dr. Fotuhi recommends 45 minutes of aerobic exercise four days a week for
have plenty of incentives to continue acting exactly as they are. The other day I speculated that House conservatives may simply no longer be capable of playing a constructive or meaningful role in the conversation over how to put the country on a stable economic and fiscal footing. The events of the last few days do little to dispel that impression. With the debt ceiling battle looming, the only chance of future governing compromises may reside in the ability to build coalitions weighted towards House Democrats that also include crossover Republicans. The worst is yet to come. * White House didn’t buy conventional wisdom about deal: The above leads to the next big question: Did Obama cost himself leverage in the coming debt ceiling fight by giving some ground on tax rates and encouraging Republicans to hold it hostage? Politico has a deep dive into the behind-the-scenes negotiations over the fiscal deal, and reports Obama calculated that the view from the left about giving away leverage was all wrong: The president did not believe the dynamic would suddenly shift in his favor after Jan. 1, rejecting the conventional wisdom in Washington that all sides would have more flexibility after higher tax rates took effect. Republicans were no more likely to compromise after the deadline than before it, the White House concluded. And there was a very real fear that a resolution wouldn’t come for weeks, perhaps not before the country hit the debt limit in late February — a nightmare scenario that the president believed would destroy not only his leverage but also the still-fragile economy. That dovetails with what I speculated the other day: Even without a deal, Republicans might not (contrary to expectations) have felt any more pressure to cooperate with the White House. Given the conduct of House Republicans yesterday, it’s not clear anything can stave off a debt ceiling battle. * All of a sudden, a tax “hike” becomes a tax “cut”: One amusing side note to House passage of the Senate deal: Republicans, now that they agreed to support it, are hailing the arrangement as “the largest tax cut in history.” As you’ll recall, Republicans criticized the Dem push to continue the tax cuts on the middle class as a “tax hike” by Republicans for months, because it allowed taxes to go up on the wealthiest top two percent. But now, because all the cuts had expired, Republicans can now allow that this is, indeed, a tax cut. Of course, it always was a middle class tax cut, or at least the continuation of one. * Tax vote to become issue in 2016 GOP primary? An interesting subplot to the tax vote: Senator Marco Rubio conspicuously voted against the compromise in the Senate; but last night, Rep. Paul Ryan, to demonstrate to colleagues the seriousness of the moment, voted for it. Given that both are expected to run for president, it’ll be interesting to see whether this vote looms large in the primary as a litmus test issue similar to the ones that drove last year’s GOP battle. * Conservatives won’t forgive this vote: The Tweet of the day, from Erick Erickson, reacting to Paul Ryan’s vote for the compromise, says it all: Thus ends the Paul Ryan 2016 Presidential Exploratory Committee. * By voting against House Republicans avoid primaries: Josh Barro notes a key reason so many House GOPers had to vote against yesterday’s compromise: Voting for Plan B, or for the Senate fiscal cliff deal, or even for an amended version of the Senate deal, can open a Republican incumbent to attacks from conservative primary challengers and anti-spending groups like FreedomWorks and the Club for Growth. Yes — another reason House conservatives may not be able to participate meaningfully in the conversation over how to move the country forward. * Fiscal cliff deal leaves threats to economy in place: A must read from Zachary Goldfarb detailing that for all the hoopla, the compromise leaves in place a series of very real threats to the economy, from the expiration of the payroll tax cut to the prospect for another debt ceiling showdown. However, as Goldfarb notes, the deal may have prevented a slide into recession by putting off spending cuts and extending tax cuts for almost all taxpayers. What all this really illustrates is how much more remains to be resolved, and how high the stakes remain — the battles ahead aren’t just political; the fate of the fragile recovery still remains uncertain. * And are prospects for gun reform looking up? National Journal has a nice piece rounding up all the “pro-gun” Democrats in Congress who are now very much open to real gun law reform in the wake of the Newtown massacre. It’s another sign that the landscape may have genuinely shifted this time. What else?Last night Israel policy and Donald Trump’s Islamophobia were frontburner topics in the Republican debate, with Marco Rubio saying that Trump is “anti-Israeli.” Rubio also said that there will be no peace deal between Israel and Palestine for another 30 years. And today, Trump announced that he will be speaking at the Israel lobby group AIPAC’s DC conference in ten days. It’s “striking how Israel has not come up so much in Dem debate. In GOP its Israel every time,” Alex Kane observes. First, here’s Rubio’s latest: today, at a Florida synagogue. His home state is considered make or break for him. Foreign Policy: Marco Rubio took to the podium at a synagogue in his home state of Florida Friday to caution voters against casting a ballot for Donald Trump, saying his positions are “anti-Israeli” and dangerous to American national security… “It is unfortunate that in this election that the supposed frontrunner, Donald Trump, has said that on the issue of Palestinians and Israelis he will not take a side. Let me be abundantly clear, when I am president, we are going to take a side, and we are going to be on Israel’s side,” Rubio said. “As I said last night Mr. Trump perhaps does not understand that his position is in fact anti-Israeli.” More on the Israel chatter below. But let’s catch up with Trump’s Islamophobia. On Wednesday Donald Trump told Anderson Cooper on CNN: I think Islam hates us. There’s something there, there’s a tremendous hatred there, there’s a tremendous hatred, we have to get to the bottom of it. There is an unbelievable hatred of us. Cooper: In Islam itself? You’re going to have to figure that out, OK… But there is a tremendous hatred. And we have to be very vigilant we have to be very careful. And we can’t allow people coming into this country who have this hatred of the United States. [Cooper asks whether this is a war with radical Islam or with Islam?] It’s radical but it’s very hard to define, it’s very hard to separate, because you don’t know who’s who. CNN’s transcript of last night’s debate. Jake Tapper asked, “Last night, you told CNN quote, ‘Islam hates us?’ Did you mean all 1.6 billion Muslims?” I mean a lot of them. I mean a lot of them… Well, you know, I’ve been watching the debate today. And they’re talking about radical Islamic terrorism or radical Islam. But I will tell you this. There’s something going on that maybe you don’t know about, maybe a lot of other people don’t know about, but there’s tremendous hatred. And I will stick with exactly what I said to Anderson Cooper. Stephen Dinan of Washington Times quizzed Rubio about the matter. Rubio: Well, let me say, I know that a lot of people find appeal in the things Donald says cause he says what people wish they could say. The problem is, presidents can’t just say anything they want. It has consequences, here and around the world. And so let me give you one. Two days ago, I met this extraordinary couple who were on furlough because they are missionaries in Bangladesh. It’s a very tough place to be a missionary. It’s Muslim. And their safety and security very much relies upon friendly Muslims that live along side them, that may not convert, but protect them and certainly look out for them. And their mission field really are Muslims that are looking to convert to Christianity as well. And they tell me that today they have a very hostile environment in which to operate in because the news is coming out that in America, leading political figures are saying that America doesn’t like Muslims. So this is a real impact. There’s no doubt that radical Islam is a danger in the world. I can also tell you if you go to any national cemetery, especially Arlington, you’re going to see crescent moons there. If you go anywhere in the world you’re going see American men and women serving us in uniform that are Muslims. And they love America. And as far as I know, no one on this stage has served in uniform in the United States military. Anyone out there that has the uniform of the United States on and is willing to die for this country is someone that loves America. No matter what their religious background may be. Trump responded: Marco talks about consequences. Well, we’ve had a lot of consequences, including airplanes flying into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and could have been the White House. There have been a lot of problems. Now you can say what you want, and you can be politically correct if you want. I don’t want to be so politically correct. I like to solve problems. We have a serious, serious problem of hate. There is tremendous hate. There is tremendous hate. Where large portions of a group of people, Islam, large portions want to use very, very harsh means. Let me go a step further. Women are treated horribly. You know that. You do know that. Women are treated horribly, and other things are happening that are very, very bad. Now I will say this, there is tremendous hatred. The question was asked, what do you think? I said, there is hatred. Now it would be very easy for me to say something differently. And everybody would say, oh, isn’t that wonderful… We better solve the problem before it’s too late. The debate then moved on to Israel, with Donald Trump saying that while he is very pro-Israel, he aims to be neutral in his comments on the conflict so as not to damage his ability to make a deal. Trump said that his daughter and son-in-law are Jewish and that he has many Jewish friends in New York who are tough but also want a deal cut between Israel and Palestine. Trump: First of all, there’s nobody on this stage that’s more pro Israel than I am. OK. There’s nobody. I am pro-Israel. I was the grand marshall, not so long ago, of the Israeli Day Parade down 5th avenue. I’ve made massive contributions to Israel. I have a lot of — I have tremendous love for Israel. I happen to have a son-in-law and a daughter that are Jewish, OK? And two grandchildren that are Jewish. But I will tell you, I think if we’re going to ever negotiate a peace settlement, which every Israeli wants, and I’ve spoken to the toughest and the sharpest, they all want peace, I think it would be much more helpful is — I’m a negotiator. If I go in, I’ll say I’m pro-Israel and I’ve told that to everybody and anybody that would listen. But I would like to at least have the other side think I’m somewhat neutral as to them, so that we can maybe get a deal done. Maybe we can get a deal. I think it’s probably the toughest negotiation of all time. But maybe we can get a deal done. Rubio responded by saying that Donald Trump has an anti-Israeli policy. He called the West Bank “Judea and Samaria,” biblical names; and he said a peace deal is not possible for another 30 years. The policy Donald has outlined, I don’t know if he realizes, is an anti-Israeli policy. Maybe that’s not your intent but here’s why it is an anti-Israeli policy. There is no peace deal possible with the Palestinians at this moment. There just isn’t.Because there’s no one to negotiate with. The Palestinian Authority is not interested in a serious deal and they are now in union with Hamas, an organization whose specific purpose is the destruction of the Jewish state. Every time that Israel has turned over territory of any kind, be is Gaza, or now in Judea and Sumaria, it is used as a launching pad to attack Israel. And that’s what will happen again. These groups are not interested in a deal with Israel. What they are interested in is ultimately removing the Jewish state and occupying its entire territory. So maybe in 30 years the conditions will exist, but they do not exist now. And to have a president forcing the Israelis to the table is harmful to the Israeli and emboldens Israel’s enemies. Trump got to respond: If I become president of the United States, one of the things that will be an absolute priority is number one, protection of Israel, but also seeing if a deal can be made, the toughest deal, the toughest negotiation there probably is of any kind no matter where you look, no matter how hard you look. But I would like to give it a shot. Very, very pro-Israel, nobody more pro-Israel. But I would love to give it a shot. And I have to tell you this, Hugh. I have friends, Israelis, non-Israelis, people from New York City that happen to be Jewish and love Israel, and some are very tough people, every single one of them, they know it’s tough, but every single one of them wants to see if we could ever have peace in Israel. And some believe it’s possible. It may not be, in which case we’ll find out. But it would be a priority if I become president to see what I could do. Ted Cruz got in on the action, too: Cruz: Israel a liberal democratic country which shares our values. Nose grows longer. — Scott McConnell (@ScottMcConnell9) March 11, 2016 Thanks to Adam Horowitz.A year ago, Hugo Lloris sat down with us to preview the 2016-17 season. He insisted the squad had moved on from the disappointment of the end of the 2015-16 campaign and his own Euro 2016 heartbreak as captain of France, where they’d lost the final on home soil to Portugal. “We are making a stronger Club and we need to improve, all of us, to make this Club bigger and step by step, we will arrive where we want to be,” he said. A record-breaking season for the Premier League era followed – most wins (26), fewest defeats (4), most goals scored (86), fewest conceded (26), best goal difference (+60), most points (86) and best finish (runners-up). So 12 months on, here we are again with the skipper at Hotspur Way. How did Hugo feel this time around? “It’s an exciting time,” he said. “It’s important to carry on with the same intensity, the same philosophy and continuity of last season. The way we finished the season was fantastic and we will try to start the season with the same energy. “We are ready in our minds and in our bodies and we will try to go as far as possible.” Below: Hugo at Hotspur Way You’ve been at the Club five years now, so have Jan and Mousa, eight players have over 100 appearances for us, another four are on 80-plus – how important is that for the squad? Hugo: “The manager has been in place for three years now, a lot of players have been at the club for a lot of years and that’s something important for the team and for the squad. It’s one of our basics and one of our strengths. We know each other so well and then if you add the talent we have in the squad, it’s a good mix. The experiences of the last two seasons are important too, to learn from those experiences and then to be as competitive as usual. It’s an exciting time for Tottenham and we need to push on. We’ll see what happens.” Does that mean the players care more about the Club? Hugo: “Yes, it’s a good thing for us and for the fans as well. We’ve created something special inside this building (Hotspur Way, our training HQ). There is a philosophy of work, a real identity and those are the things the fans want to see and step by step, we’re reaching the potential we had at the beginning of this story. All of our minds are ready to compete and to step up again and try to make that gap even smaller between the best team and ourselves.” Below: Hugo leads the goalkeepers out for training this week How have you changed in those five years? Hugo: “As a man and as a goalkeeper I really enjoy my time here, inside this building, outside this building, my family too. It’s true the most important thing for me is to feel competitive and to be ready for new challenges both in front of me and the team and that is the way I think, the way I take life. I will bring all my energy and strength to help this team again.” You mentioned the fans, how important is that relationship? Hugo: “The connection between the players and the fans is so important. It’s part of the identity of the club. We can feel that in the last few years. There is something new with Wembley for one season, a transition until we get to the new stadium, and we will deal with that. We are ready. The last performance against Juventus means we are capable of playing at a high level at Wembley.” Below: Hugo on duty against Juventus at Wembley We go to Newcastle for our Premier League opener on Sunday. What were your thoughts when that fixture was announced back in June? Hugo: “Even if it belongs in the past, the last time we played at Newcastle is not a good memory (a 5-1 loss in May 2016 that cost us second place). It’s part of the past and we are looking forward. Our minds will be ready to compete from the first second of this game.” A lot of players involved that day are determined to put it right... Hugo: “I can remember how gutted we felt after this game. We felt so responsible for this defeat. It belongs to the past, maybe it belongs to the whole process to get to this level. If it can help us on Sunday, why not? But I don’t think we need this as motivation. Our motivation has to be from the changing room, from our ambition and we are looking up. We want to do well for ourselves, the club, the fans and the whole Spurs community.”Why having a baby's like being a in a terror attack: One in three mothers'suffers post-traumatic stress' Symptoms include flashbacks and a rapid heart beat when reliving the event Labour: Symptoms include flashbacks and denial of the traumatic experience One in three women who have just given birth may experience signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition usually associated with war and terrorist attacks. Research suggests tens of thousands may be affected. Symptoms include flashbacks to the labour, avoiding any discussion of the event or having physical reactions such as heart palpitations when it is mentioned, and reluctance to consider having another child. Scientists in Israel who conducted the research said classifying childbirth as a cause of PTSD is controversial, but they believe it is 'indisputable', as it can trigger 'intense fear, helplessness or horror'. PTSD is defined as the result of 'experiencing, witnessing or confronting an event or events that involve actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of oneself or others'. The scientists interviewed 89 women after delivery, of whom 80 per cent had given birth without any pain relief. Of those surveyed, 3.4 per cent of the women experienced full-blown PTSD, 7.8 per cent had 'nearly complete' cases and 25.9 per cent displayed'significant' symptoms for at least a month, the study found. The main cause was pain, but also fear of serious or fatal complications for themselves or the child. It was often associated with a traumatic previous delivery. Professor Rael Strous of Tel Aviv University said the discomfort of being undressed for a long period during labour had a surprisingly strong effect, mentioned by four out of five women affected. The authors added in the Israel Medical Association Journal: 'These high percentages indicate a population at risk and the importance of early detection, diagnosis and management if necessary. 'Dignity is a factor that should be taken into account.' Lucy Jolin of the Birth Trauma Association said they believe around 10,000 women in the UK alone develop full-blown PTSD following childbirth and a further 200,000 may develop some of the symptoms.The Blaine County Republican Central Committee in Idaho's Wood River Valley surprised their colleagues at the state level last week by passing a resolution calling for the legalization of marijuana. The Times-News reports: Committeman Mike Connor said the resolution passed 6-2. Much of the discussion before the vote focused on the failure of the War on Drugs, and how to most effectively keep marijuana away from children, he said. “The Blaine County GOP believes that the time has come to amend criminal prohibition and replace it with a system of legalization, and education,” the resolution says. It goes on to discuss violent crime and the black market that marijuana criminalization has created, and how legalization will help regulation. Not all Blaine County Republicans agree with the resolution. Sheriff Gene Ramsey, who didn’t attend the meeting, said marijuana and other drugs should remain illegal. “I think that we need to, as a nation, take a hard stand on drugs,” Ramsey said. With marijuana decriminalization, “we’re sending the wrong example to our youth.” “It may not be working, but that doesn’t mean you should just give up,” [Ramsey] said.Not everyone is born into a body that they feel comfortable with. mbl.is/Jim Smart On average, two people turn to the transgender programme at the National University Hospital in Reykjavik per month. This number has been increasing over the past 3-4 years according to psychologist Elsa Bára Traustadóttir. A majority want to undergone hormone treatment but few undergo corrective surgery. "There's been an increase throughout the world," she explains to mbl.is. "We have been observing this increase in both Europe and the US." She adds that the increase is particularly with transgender men, i.e, individuals born biologically as women. "When public discussion of the matter began the ration was one biological women against four biological males, but the percentage is more even now." She believes one of the reasons that transgender men have been more reluctant to come forward is that it's easier to be inobtrusive within society as a masculine woman than a feminine man. "Men wearing skirts was just thought to be funny. But women wearing truosers and being strong and unusual was more accceptable." Elsa Bára Traustadóttir at the National University Hospital of Iceland. Photo/Mbl.is The transgender team at the hospital consists of a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a social worker, two endocrine glands specialists and two cosmetic surgeons. "It's a sensitive field and people need to feel that they are meeting with people who are sincerely interested." Part of the work of the transgender unit is to ensure a previous analysis by specialists, that the person is mentally sound, and not delusional. They are under observation for at least six months to see how they fare in a normal environment in their new role, before hormonal treatment is accepted. Following a year on hormonal treatment, some people decide to have surgery. Almost all transgender men have mastectomies.Mail on Sunday executives are standing behind the newspaper’s extensive serialisation of the memoirs of an ex-mayor of Doncaster, which claimed to give “a worrying glimpse of the real Ed [Miliband]”. In a front-page story and across five pages inside, the newspaper published what it billed as a series of “bombshell” claims by Martin Winter, a one-time friend of the Labour leader who fell out with the party after leaving office in 2009. Under the headline My 9½ weeks of Calamity Ed, the serialisation recounts stories about how “bumbling oddball” Miliband accidentally set fire to a carpet and bought a prayer mat to cover the damage, and privately “agonised about his better looking brother David”. Winter, who helped Miliband to win the Doncaster North seat in May 2005, wrote that his 10-year-old daughter gave his former ally a lesson in economics and how Miliband nearly missed a meeting with Gordon Brown by locking himself in a house. However, the most politically toxic claim was that Miliband and Ed Balls knew about the economic crash of 2008 a year before it happened but kept it a secret. A spokesman for Miliband said: “This report is untrue. It is tittle-tattle, a third-hand report of a conversation more than seven years ago. Complete nonsense. No one had any sense of the scale of the global banking crisis which emerged in 2008.” A spokesman for the shadow chancellor also denied the claim made by Winter, who resigned as Doncaster mayor in March 2009 after Balls, then children’s secretary, ordered the council to bring in a new management team after the deaths of seven children in the area. Labour figures pointed out that Winter was lambasted in the Mail on Sunday in 2009 in a piece on Doncaster, a town described by the paper at the time as “the rotten borough they call the Haringey of the north”. But senior Mail on Sunday insiders stood by the serialisation. “It’s good stuff, entertaining,” said one executive, conceding that it was “quite conceivable” people may never have heard of Winter. “He may be obscure but Ed Miliband isn’t. [Winter] is not a famous person himself but he happened to have interesting periods with someone who went on to be famous.” In a leader column, the Mail on Sunday said Miliband’s “accident-prone and clumsy bumbling, his awkwardness with children and poorly chosen gifts are exactly what one might expect from a Hampstead intellectual suddenly confronted with the outside world”. It added: “Of course, we are all human, and there are worse failings. But Mr Winter’s central revelation is much worse. It is not just that Mr Miliband burned a hole in his host’s carpet. It is that he might burn a hole in the nation’s future.” Calls to Winter for a response went unanswered on Sunday. The Mail on Sunday said his memoirs, titled Fallout: By Martin Winter, The Man Who Made Ed Miliband An MP, go on sale in April. John Wellington, the Mail on Sunday managing editor, declined to confirm whether Winter was paid for the serialisation: “Anything like that would be confidential. We don’t discuss payments.” Damian McBride, who was special advisor to then-prime minister Gordon Brown at the time, rubbished Winter’s claim that Miliband and Balls knew about the economic crash a year before it happened but kept it secret. “In all the countless conversations about whether to call an election in 2007, not once did the prospects of the economy come up. Not once,” he said on Twitter.Monday, Dec. 23, is Festivus, the Seinfeld-birthed holiday where you traditionally gather around an aluminum pole, participate in feats of strength, and air grievances about one another. The Costanza-proclaimed “festivus for the rest of us” is already being celebrated in state capitals across America. And now at least one U.S. senator is getting on board. Starting this morning, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has hopped on the grievances train, airing on Twitter everything that peeves him about life in Washington and the federal government. Most of the grievances come as slightly altered versions of his more standard anti-Fed, anti-big-government talking points. But that’s not all that’s bothering Paul. Here are some of the more nonpolitical highlights: “I can never remember when to move my car for DC street cleaning.” “The Senate cafeteria never has burgoo.” “Grievance with my otherwise wonderful staff: leave the turtleneck alone. I like it and so do viewers.” “Too many people wearing ties on TV as it is.” “One more Festivus grievance about bipartisanship. @CoryBooker doesn’t RT me enough.” In response to that last dig, the Senate’s newest member challenged Paul to “feats of strength” on the Senate floor.A look at the Week 2 Pac-12 opening lines. Some are interesting, some are expected. Opening lines courtesy of Vegas Insider. Washington 35 point favorites over Idaho: The Huskies were dominant in their season opener. Idaho is Idaho. Arizona State five point favorites over Texas Tech: The Sun Devils had a less than impressive performance. Now they’re getting the benefit of the doubt against the Red Raiders. Oregon 20.5 point favorites over Virginia: The Ducks didn’t beat UC Davis by much. But Virginia didn’t beat anyone on Saturday, so... USC 14 point favorites over Utah State: The Trojans figure to have the edge, but nothing is given after a devastating Week 1 performance against the Aggies. Washington State 12 point underdogs against Boise State: Wazzu is now trying to avoid the 0-2 hole at the start against the Broncos in Idaho. UCLA 25 point favorites over UNLV: The Bruins get a nice warm-up at home after their brutal battle in College Station. Utah 4.5 point favorites against BYU: The Holy War is looking like it’ll be closer than ever. The Utes are good but the Cougars are going to be tough defensively. Cal 7 point underdogs against San Diego State: Cal looked very shaky to start the 2016 season in Hawaii. They’ll have a tough go at it against the defending Mountain West champs.Cops and donuts. Old joke, right? Well, Friday, at Dunkin’ Donuts around town, like the one in the Northland near 95th and Oak, it’s no laughing matter…but it is a lot of fun! It’s called Cop on the Roof or Cop on Top and it’s all designed to raise money for Special Olympics. Capt. Cindy Cotterman, KCPD, says that the partnership between Special Olympics and police departments is a long time, loving commitment. The money raised today, like the five thousand they hope to make at the Northland Dunkin’ Donuts, will go to provide medical services for the athletes as well as funding part of the competitions. The police are everywhere on this donut day: at the drive-through window, manning the donation bucket and, of course, hanging out on the roof. Oh, and a couple of undercover cops out near the street…be careful, you could get clocked for speeding by a dancing donut and cavorting cup of coffee. For the police departments and the Special Olympics this is a true case of heroes helping heroes.It looks like Goku is about to shake up the Dragon Ball Super cosmos. After the new year rolls in, the Saiyan promises to take fans on an action-packed when a new inter-universe martial arts competition gets underway. Last weekend, Toei Animation confirmed that Dragon Ball Super would be kicking off a new arc known as ‘Universal Survival,’ and the studio has just shared a preview video of the story with fans. UP NEXT: Dragon Ball Super Toonami Premiere Date Announced The short clip starts off with a brief review of the show’s past arcs. Created by Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball Super debuted last July with the ‘God of Destruction Beerus’ arc before ‘Golden Freeza’ kicked off. Then ‘Universe 6’ began in January 2016 and was followed by the on-going ‘Future Trunks’ arc. In February 2017, the ‘Universal Survival’ story will get its debut, and its new teaser hints that a promise between Goku and the Omni-King will shake all of the universes. “All the Gods of Destruction and Kaiōshin assemble, and an inter-universe martial arts competition is announced,” the teaser explains, describing the competition as the tournament of power. The preview continues to explain that each universe is allowed 10 representatives in the martial arts contest. Any universe who loses will be annihilated without a second thought, so the teams are forced to fight for their home’s safety. You can check out the brief synopsis for ‘Universal Survival’ below:PROVIDENCE � It all but looked certain that the Providence Bruins would exit the Dunkin� Donuts Center with a 2-1 series lead on Wednesday night. But in this second-round Calder Cup playoff series with the Wilkes-Bare/Scranton Penguins, nothing is certain. And in Game Three, no lead was safe. The P-Bruins lost a 4-1 third-period lead and eventually fell, 5-4, in double overtime. Simon Despres scored the game-winner at 6:32 to give the Penguins a 2-1 series lead. Game Four is set for Friday, at 7:05 p.m., in Providence. �It is hard to describe right now,� said defenseman Mike Moore. �We came out like we wanted to. We had a lot of energy in that first half of the period. They�re a good team and we knew they were going to make a push. They were able to capitalize on some chances.� Providence went into the third period with a 2-1 lead after getting second-period goals from Seth Griffith and Joe Morrow. Then in a matter of 66 seconds, the game looked all but won. Blake Palette and Alexander Khokhlachev scored 1:06 into the third and the P-Bruins had a commanding 4-1 lead. But in a series that�s seen 11 combined goals in the first two games, the offensive onslaught continued. Tom Kostopoulos jumpstarted the Penguins with a power-play goal at 7:37. Niklas Svedberg was solid throughout the first two periods, but then the wheels fell off. Despres scored his first goal of the game at 12:12 and then Conor Sheary netted the equalizer at 14:09 to deflate the P-Bruins. All-in-all, the Penguins scored three goals off of nine shots in the third period. �Well, we didn�t make enough plays. You knew they were going to come. They�re a good team,� coach Bruce Cassidy said. �They had nothing to lose at that point. In reality they didn�t have a lot of chances, but the ones they had the puck got to the net. They kept it simple and were better than us in front of our net.� Down 1-0 in the second period, Providence came back with a power-play goal from Griffith, at 15:16, and then a go-ahead tally from Morrow, at 18:33. After five combined goals in the third period, the offense came to a screeching halt in the first overtime period as Peter Mannino stopped 14 shots and Svedberg 11. In the second overtime, Adam Payerl had a breakaway in the opening minutes of the second overtime, but Svedberg came up with the big save. He couldn�t come up with another as Despres beat him glove side from the right point. �We felt really good at times. Obviously right now that feeling isn�t a positive one,� Moore said. �That�s a part of the ride. They�re a good team that�s going to keep on coming so we have to play for the full 60 minutes or more if necessary.� �It�s disappointing,� added Cassidy. �But this is a group that learned the hard way all year and (Wednesday) we learned another lesson.�As a graduate student in Business Analytics, I have worked the better part of a year to become a giant nerd, excel wizard, big data ninja, data scientist, predictive analytics architect. While the skills I have developed have been invaluable, taking a year of computer science, advanced mathematics, engineering and business classes, is simply not feasible for most people. Although the challenge of collecting and analyzing "Big Data" requires some complex and technical solutions, the fact is, that most businesses do not realize what they are currently capable of. Specifically, there are a number of exceptionally powerful analytical tools that are free and open source that you can leverage today to enhance your business and develop skills that can genuinely propel your career. Rather than just leave you to navigate the frightening and giant world of IT tools and software, I have put together a list of what I see as the Top 10 Data analysis tools for Business. I picked these because of their free availability (for personal use), ease of use (no coding and intuitively designed), powerful capabilities (beyond basic excel), and well-documented resources (if you get stuck, you can Google your way through). Tableau- Tableau democratizes visualization in an elegantly simple and intuitive tool. Although great alternatives exist, Tableau Public's million row limit provides a great playground for personal use and the free trial is more than long enough to get you hooked. In the analytics process, Tableau's visuals allow you to quickly investigate a hypothesis, sanity check your gut, and just go explore the data before embarking on a treacherous statistical journey. OpenRefine- Formerly GoogleRefine, OpenRefine is a data cleaning software that allows you to get everything ready for analysis. What do I mean by that? Well, let's look at an example. Recently, I was cleaning up a database that included chemical names and noticed that rows had different spellings, capitalization, spaces, etc that made it very difficult for a computer to process. Increase Java Heap Space to run large files (Google the tip for exact instructions!) KNIME- KNIME allows you to manipulate, analyze, and model data in an incredibly intuitive way through visual programming. Essentially, rather than writing blocks of code, you drop nodes onto a canvas and drag connection points between activities. More importantly, KNIME can be extended to run R, python, text mining, chemistry data, etc, which gives you the option to dabble in the more advanced code driven analysis. **TIP- Use "File Reader" instead of CSV reader for CSV files. Strange quirk of the software.
. Announcing the cutback on Tuesday evening, the Palestinian Authority said it would be temporary. The 70,000 PA employees in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip are in a bizarre position. In 2007 the Islamic terror group seized power from the rival Fatah movement of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and ousted the Fatah-dominated PA. Its staff lost their posts, but the PA kept them on its payroll nevertheless. Hamas set up its own parallel administration with 50,000 staff, whose salaries the PA refuses to pay. Abbas is regularly accused in the Gaza Strip of abandoning its two million Palestinians, who have been battered by successive wars with Israel and crushing poverty and have been under a rigorous Israeli-Egyptian blockade for 10 years. Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent arms smuggling. The unemployment rate in the coastal territory is among the highest in the world, at 45 percent. The wage cuts will have an impact beyond the civil servants themselves, as their purchasing power, Abu Ramadan said, is “the backbone of the Gaza economy.” “It’s a premeditated massacre,” said Aysha Abu Maghassib, who worked for the Palestinian Authority’s police. A widowed mother of two, she said that after deductions only about NIS 200 is left from this month’s wages. Ammar Al-Njjar, 33, demanded that Abbas resign, while Nevin Abu Herbid said she saw “a crisis erupting.” Hamas called the cuts “arbitrary, inhumane and irresponsible.” Economist Omar Shaban said they could be a Fatah tactic to weaken Hamas, its bitter rival, by creating a social crisis in the Strip. But it has led Fatah members from Gaza to leave the party, with the east Gaza membership quitting as a group and individuals from the central and west Gaza districts also resigning.Extra-curricular activities are an important consideration when choosing the right college. CollegeMagazine.com has helped narrow the choices down even further with its list of the top colleges for hook-ups -- perhaps more commonly reflected on (in retrospect) as sex with no strings attached. So who’s on top? University of Texas at Austin brings home the trophy this year -- though we assume it’s not one to flash in front of the parents. Meaningful one-time relationships are on the rise as campus courtships dips down, leaving many students enrolled in a different kind of sex education. One night stands aren’t the only thing on the minds of students nationwide, though. One seemingly redeeming finding by the National Center for Health Statistics indicates that the percentages of men and women aged 18 to 24 that are virgins are on the rise. Just not at UT Austin. If you are curious and want to explore the rest of the list, check out CollegeMagazine.com’s website. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of NBC, NBC 5, NBCDFW.com or its employees. Copyright NBC Owned Television Stations... he stood on the flat road to heaven and buttered slides to hell for all the rest. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1841-1935) on George Santayana (1863-1952), American philosopher ... one of the most depraved, vicious and revolting humbugs who ever escaped from a nightmare or a lunatic asylum. Preston Sturges on Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) A liar and a father of lies. Dante (1265-1321) on the Devil A philosophizing serpent. Horace Walpole (1717-97), letterist and memoirist, on Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-97), British feminist Actually I always loathed the Viennese quack. I used to stalk him down dark alleys of thought, and now we shall never forget the sight of old, flustered Freud seeking to unlock his door with the point of his umbrella. Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977) on Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) Against Locke's philosophy I think it an unanswerable objection that, although he carried his throat about with him in this world for seventy-two years, no man ever condescended to cut it. Thomas de Quincey (1785-1859), British writer, in 'On Murder Considered As One of the Fine Arts' (1827), on John Locke (1632-1704): English philosopher Con philosophers, analysts, God and the devil* I must believe in the Apostolic Succession, there being no other way of accounting for the descent of the Bishop of Exeter from Judas Iscariot. Revd Sydney Smith (1771-1845) on the Bishop of Exeter Hume's philosophy, whether true or false, represents the bankruptcy of eighteenth-century reasonableness. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) on David Hume (1711-76), Scottish philosopher I have no patience whatever with these Gorilla damnifications of humanity. Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) on Charles Darwin (1809-82) Luther was the foulest of monsters. Pope Gregory XV on Martin Luther (1483-1546) Maybe it would have been better if neither of us had been born. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) on Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-78) My prayer to God is a very short one: 'Oh, Lord, make my enemies ridiculous.' God has granted it. Voltaire (1694-1778) Plato is a bore. Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900) She is an infidel... a vulgar and foolish one. John Ruskin (1819-1900), art critic and author, on Harriet Martineau (1802-76), British feminist and writer Smug Sydney. Lord Byron (1788-1824) on the Revd Sydney Smith Susan is lean, cadaverous and intellectual, with the proportions of a file and the voice of a hurdy-gurdy. Anonymous writer in the New York World (1866) on Susan Bronwell Anthony (1820-1906), American feminist The arch-philistine Jeremy Bentham was the insipid, pedantic, leather-tongued oracle of the bourgeois intelligence of the nineteenth century. Karl Marx (1818-83) on Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832), British political philospher The bear loves licks and forms her young, but bears are not philosophers. Edmund Burke (1729-97) on Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-78) The Lord strike him with madness and blindness. May the heavens empty upon him thunderbolts and the wrath of the Omnipotent burn itself unto him in the present and future world. May the Universe light against him and the earth open to swallow him up. Pope Clement VI (1478-1534) on a now anonymous subject The next time anyone asks you 'What is Bertrand Russell's Philosophy?' the correct answer is 'What year please?' Sydney Hook on Bertrand Russell The Puritan hated bear-baiting, not because it gave pain to the bear, but because it gave pleasure to the spectators. Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-59), History of England The truth is that Sydney Smith is naturally coarse, and a lover of scurrilous language. John Ward, Earl of Dudley (1781-1833) on Revd Sydney Smith Voltaire, or the anti-poet - the king of nincompoops, the prince of the superficial, the anti-artist, the spokesman of janitresses. Charles Baudelaire (1821-67) on Voltaire (1694-1778) What a hideous, odd-looking man Sydney Smith is! With a mouth like an oyster, and three double chins. Mrs Brookfield on the Revd Sydney Smith (1771-1845)Outwit gravity, race the clock, explore new worlds. This is a gravity-based arcade game inspired by classics like Lunar Lander and Space Taxi. You'll pilot your craft from pad to pad trying to beat your best time – then flirt with that fine line between speed and control. If you're brave enough to try Hard Mode you'll be flopping around like a QWOPy, low gravity turtle. With a little practice you'll be zippin' around doin' barrel rolls. You can also pilot your lander in virtual reality with your Oculus Rift. You'll see sites from the cutting edge of fractal mathematics - bizarre organic shapes, arcane archaeological digs, and all manner of WTFderful alien vistas. You'll also find a variety of physics-based obstacles and challenges to test your piloting skills. Each level is a hand-crafted landscape that encourages the player to explore - and goof around! Version 3.1 now available with new levels, new options menu, improved VR support, fresh sound effects - plus leader boards and Steam achievements! Version 2.5 includes 10 new levels, new particle effects, smoother physics, new progress tracker - dozens of changes and improvements. The full version includes: 25 levels to conquer and explore in Pad Hopper mode 25 levels in Ring Runner mode - fly through custom courses Full Oculus Rift support HTC Vive support via SteamVR Full (xbox 360) controller support Hidden collectibles on every level Earn stars and track your progress through all 50 levels An hour of spacey, glitch-hop music - mp3's included! Steam leader boards and achievements Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux versions Reviews: “Crashed lander is really great! Play it with the autopilot off though" Bennett Foddy, foddy.net “...it's set in a wonderfully bizarre alien world that's absolutely worth exploring" Konstantinos Dimopoulos, indiegames.com “Crashing is just as rewarding as landing, which transforms Crashed Lander from an interesting experiment to a delightful low-gravity playground." Richard Moss, web.appstorm.net "a core game flight mechanic that will keep you entertained for hours" David Whelan, VirtualRealityReviewer.com More details about ongoing developments at BrainBlinks.comView the video On an unusually hot summer day in Wales, Sanjay Vijendran and colleagues aimed a rocket sled at an elephant-sized ice cube. The sled rested on a raised metal track and carried what looked like a cartoon bundle of TNT to propel the contraption at the speed of sound. In front of it, a second sled held a bullet-shaped canister packed with scientific instruments. Vijendran, a physicist at the European Space Agency, was ready to hurl the canister into a 6,200-kilogram block of ice, at the U.K.’s Ministry of Defense site in Pendine. With chain saws on hand in case the canister got stuck, researchers watched the sleds hurtle down the track, launching the canister into the air at more than 340 meters per second. It flew the length of a school bus and then punched almost clear through the 3-meter-long frozen block, spraying geysers of snowy ice chips. “It was all over in less than two seconds,” Vijendran saysIllustration by Nick Hayes For the first time since 1975, when the British people voted by a two-to-one majority to stay in what was then called the European Community (EC), Brexit – British exit from the European Union – is a possibility. The odds are still against it, but the margin between stayers and would-be quitters is narrowing all the time. Part of the responsibility lies with David Cameron. He is the Ethelred the Unready of the 21st century. He has forgotten that paying Danegeld (the protection money that Viking raiders demanded) only encourages the Dane to come back for more. The Europhobes in the Tory party walk ever taller, partly because Cameron has been afraid to cut them down to size and partly because he is petrified by Ukip. But Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg are also to blame. Miliband must know that social democracy in one nation is unfeasible. The voracious, masterless, resurgent capitalism of our time and the gross inequalities and social fragmentation that are its stigmata cannot be held at bay by a single, mediumsized European nation state, however well intentioned its government may be. Outside a European Union moving slowly but surely towards more political and economic integration, a Miliband government would be as tightly constrained by the forces of global capitalism as were the Blair and Brown governments of yesteryear. Yet “one nation” Labour has signally failed to offer a coherent and principled challenge to the Europhobic tide surging through the Conservative Party. As for Clegg and the Liberal Democrats, their contribution to the European debate has been little more than a series of bleats from the sidelines. As a result, the debate over Britain’s relationship with the rest of the EU has been a prolonged exercise in missing the point. Europhobes see Brexit as a Get Out of Jail Free card, liberating our island race from bossy Brussels bureaucrats, but leaving everything else unchanged. They cannot bring themselves to see that the complex, humdrum activities of the Brussels Euro-village have become part of the woof and warp of British politics, British economic life and British jurisprudence; that secession from the EU would have a drastic impact on virtually every aspect of British politics and government. Yet even their opponents rarely ask the crucial questions: how would Britain’s political and moral economies fare after Brexit? What niche would she occupy in the global economy? What would happen to the increasingly fraught relationships between the several nations of the United Kingdom? One or two near-certainties stand out. A post-Brexit Britain would be a cross between a greater Norway and a greater Guernsey. British firms trading with EU countries would still have to abide by EU standards, as Norwegian firms do now, but the British government would have no more influence on them than the Norwegian government has today. Britain would be excluded from the endless round of wheeling and dealing that shapes EU policies on the vast range of topics over which EU institutions (notably including the European Parliament) share power with national governments. Britain could survive outside the EU; she might even prosper. But her prosperity would depend, even more than it does now, on the competitiveness of her financial sector. Frankfurt would strain every nerve to capture business from London; and in a post-Brexit world it would be well placed to do so. Fending off that challenge would inevitably become a top priority for British governments. Rebalancing the economy in favour of manufacturing, an objective shared by all three main political parties, would take second place. The logic of self-exclusion from the EU points, in fact, towards a market society, governed by a market state, presiding over a glorified tax haven and financial services hub. In such a society, inequality would rise yet more. Public trust – above all trust in politicians and political institutions – would decline still further from its already dangerously low level. There would be more poverty and more of the humiliations it brings with it. Collective action to redress the ills associated with poverty would be even less feasible. The already battered public realm of equity, citizenship and service would yield still more ground to the invasive market realm. The welfare state would continue to erode. The hateful language of “shirkers” v “strivers” and “scroungers” v “hard-working families that play by the rules” would sound ever more loudly. Britain would be a harder, more selfish and, above all, nastier society. A second near certainty, however, is that where Europhiles speak to the head, Europhobes speak to the heart. They appeal to a myth of glorious, insular self-sufficiency that swamps memories of the long centuries of British involvement in the cultural, religious, ideological, political and military history of the European mainland. It is an odd myth, to say the least. To read the tabloid press or listen to Europhobic speeches in the House of Commons, you would think that the Dutchman William of Orange had never been king of England; that George I had not been a German princeling; that Waterloo had not been a German victory as well as a British one; that the echt Englishman George Orwell had not fought in the Spanish civil war on the same side as Spanish anarchists and Trotskyites and against Spanish Fascists; and that hundreds of thousands of British men and women had not been killed in world wars triggered by ethnic conflicts in eastern and central Europe. But in the battle between head and heart, facts count for little. The myth of insular selfsufficiency has tough, deep roots, watered by a long line of poets. Shakespeare’s John of Gaunt famously compares the “blessed” realm of England to a “precious stone set in the silver sea”; his Bastard in King John resonantly declares: “Nought shall make us rue,/ If England to itself do rest but true.” In one of the best-known passages of his Areopagitica, John Milton exclaimed that God was revealing himself “as his manner is, first to his Englishmen”. Blake’s “Jerusalem” is another example of the genre. So is Benson’s “Land of Hope and Glory”. Yet another is Rupert Brooke’s celebrated lines, written at the start of the First World War, that if he were to die in battle there would be “some corner of a foreign field/That is for ever England”. There is a paradox in all this which the paladins of Brexit resolutely ignore. The heart to which they speak is English, not British. North of the border and west of Offa’s Dyke, Shakespeare’s John of Gaunt and Philip the Bastard, Milton’s vision of England as a providential nation, Blake’s “Jerusalem”, Benson’s “Land of Hope and Glory” and Brooke’s corner of a foreign field cut little ice. For what it’s worth, polling evidence suggests that a significant majority of Scots are against Brexit, while the Welsh are evenly divided. But polls matter less than the deeper forces of memory and myth – the “mystic chords of memory”, as Abraham Lincoln called them – that shape a nation’s self-understanding and existential choices. In Scotland, these forces increasingly recall the long, proud history of the independent Scottish nation that defeated the English at Bannockburn, nurtured the Declaration of Arbroath which insisted that Scotland’s king could rule only with the consent of the Scottish people, allied itself with France against England, embraced an austere Calvinism closer to Geneva than to Canterbury, and eventually negotiated a voluntary union with England which protected the idiosyncrasies of the Scottish Kirk and legal system. The subsequent Scottish Enlightenment gave birth to the economics of Adam Smith and the philosophy of David Hume, both thinkers of European as well as Scottish significance. Geographically, Scotland is farther away from the European mainland than England (except, of course, in relation to Scandinavia); yet emotionally, intellectually and culturally, she is closer. Already there are signs that, in response to the English myth of insular self-sufficiency, the Scots are crafting a national myth of Scotland as a proud, centuries-old European nation whose contribution to European civilisation has been out of all proportion to her size. The more clamant English Europhobia becomes, the more powerfully such a myth is likely to resonate north of the border. The Welsh story is more complicated. Unlike Scotland, Wales was conquered. The bizarre tradition that makes the heir to the English crown Prince of Wales is a badge of Welsh subjection. (It remains to be seen what will happen if a woman becomes the heir.) Under the Tudors, Welsh by origin, Wales in effect was incorporated into England. For many English commentators in subsequent centuries, the Welsh mountains were England’s Highlands. A notorious Encyclopaedia Britannica entry – “for Wales, see England” – epitomised the patronising indifference with which the English viewed their turbulent western neighbours. Yet, against all the odds, the Welsh language survived and prospered as a vehicle for high culture and not just as a peasant patois. Despite a steady decline in the number of Welsh speakers, it still does. More to the point, the political culture of Wales – a culture that nurtured two of the greatest leaders of the labour movement in 20th-century British history, Aneurin Bevan and Arthur Horner – is radically different from England’s. Even more than Scotland’s, it is saturated with an egalitarian (if sometimes inexplicit) democratic socialism, the legacy of the days when coal was king and when Welsh workers fought for justice and industrial democracy against exceptionally tightfisted mine owners. More important than any of this, the Welsh and Scots are comfortable with multiple identities and multilevel governance in a sense untrue of the English. Whatever the Encyclopaedia Britannica might have said in days gone by, the Welsh have never thought of themselves as English. Still less have the Scots. For both, there is nothing strange or shocking in the notion that you can be both Welsh or Scottish and British. And if you can be Welsh and British you can also be Welsh, British and European. The same applies to governance. The devolution statutes created autonomous centres of power in Edinburgh and Cardiff, reminiscent of Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, or of Munich, the capital of Bavaria. In Wales and Scotland, public policy has diverged from England’s and increasingly does so. The long-term results are unknowable, but there is not much doubt that there is more divergence to come. The United Kingdom has morphed almost unconsciously into a strange, lop-sided, unacknowledged quasi-federation, in which centrifugal forces outweigh centripetal ones. The centralised British state that joined the European Community in 1973 no longer exists. That will still be true even if a majority opts for the status quo in the 2014 Scottish referendum on independence: the status quo is more like a squashy blob of mud than a rock of existential certainty. There can be no worthwhile debate on Britain’s role in and membership of the EU until these simple truths are acknowledged. But though Scots and Welsh people rejoice in them, English reactions vary from blissful ignorance to petulant irritation. The implications are alarming. Given that England is by far the biggest of the different nations that make up the United Kingdom, a UK-wide, in/out referendum on continued British membership of the EU might well yield a majority for secession even if the Scots and Welsh voted to stay in. Naturally, everything would depend on the political conjuncture at the time. Referendum results usually reflect public attitudes to the government of the day. A referendum called by a popular government would be one thing. A vote called by an unpopular government would be another. Yet such niceties are beside the point. What matters is that the European question, which has loomed so large in British politics for a quarter of a century, is inextricably entangled with Scottish, Welsh, perhaps Northern Irish and even English questions – and all these questions affect each other in complex and confusing ways. The English question is the most intractable. There is more to it than Shakespeare’s John of Gaunt and Milton’s Areopagitica. In England, though not in the other nations of the United Kingdom, the terms “British” and “English” have been almost interchangeable. When Kipling asked “What do they know of England who only England know?” he had Britain in mind. In his magnificent polemic The Lion and the Unicorn, first published in 1941, George Orwell called for a “very English revolution”, but it is clear from the context that by that, he meant “British”. When foreign, imperial and defence policies have been in question, however, terminological roles have been reversed. The empire on which the sun never set was always a British empire; its later incarnation was the British Commonwealth. It was Britannia who ruled the waves and the British Grenadiers whose feats surpassed those of Alexander and Hercules. Scots contributed mightily to Britain’s imperial expansion. And the Duke of Wellington, arguably the greatest British general of all time, and the conqueror of much of India, was an Irishman, born in Dublin. For the English, however, the British empire was an English empire – just as for Russians the vast, multi-ethnic and multilingual Soviet empire was Russian. The parallel with Russia shouldn’t be pushed too far, but it throws much-needed light on the curious interaction between the European question and the English question. The non-English nations of the United Kingdom have responded to the loss of empire with equanimity. They have sloughed off their imperial skins and rediscovered their much older national ones. And, like other small European nations, they have seen EU membership as an opportunity, not as a threat. The English story could hardly be more different. For England as for Russia, the loss of empire was traumatic; and far from softening the blow, entry into the European Community rubbed it in. The contrast with France and Germany, the two core states of the EC and later the EU, is particularly instructive. For them, European integration spelled hope: escape from the demons of three centuries of blood-soaked rivalry. For England, integration has spelled demoralisation verging on despair – relegation from great-power status, a petty future in place of a great past. Brexit’s champions present it as a return to greatness. In truth, it would confirm pettiness. Yet if Brexit comes about because English votes in favour of leaving overwhelm Welsh and Scottish votes against, the probability is that the United Kingdom would break up. Wales and Scotland would stay in the European Union. England would be on her own. Conceivably, just conceivably, isolation would force her to come to terms with reality. It would be a painful process, but it would be better than endless self-deception. Best of all would be a coherent and passionate socialdemocratic and social-liberal challenge to Europhobia. We haven’t seen one yet, but there is still time. Just. David Marquand’s most recent book is “The End of the West: the Once and Future Europe” (Princeton University Press, £13.95)Earlier today we reported that as part of the government's sentencing memorandum (published at the bottom), federal prosecutors asked that disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner, and the man Hillary Clinton has quietly added to what has become a virtually infinite list of reasons why she lost the presidential election, be sentenced to about two years in prison for engaging in sexting with an underage, 15-year-old girl. Prosecutors filed paper in Manhattan Federal Court on Wednesday in advance of Weiner’s sentencing. In the document, prosecutors asked that the judge use the sentencing as an opportunity to send a message to other perverted politicians: The Government respectfully submits this memorandum in connection with the sentencing of Anthony Weiner, which is scheduled for September 25, 2017, following his guilty plea to transferring obscene material to a minor. Although the defendant’s self-destructive path from United States Congressman to felon is indisputably sad, his crime is serious and his demonstrated need for deterrence is real. The non-custodial sentence that Weiner proposes is simply inadequate; his crime deserves time in prison. For the reasons set forth below, the Government respectfully requests that Court sentence Weiner to a term of imprisonment within the range of 21 to 27 months. Weiner's sentencing will take place almost exactly a year after the New York Post published a story about him sexting with another woman who wasn’t his wife. Weiner said he would plead guilty in May after prosecutors brought charges following revelations that he also sexted with the 15-year-old, whom he met over Twitter. Both the girl and her father told the Daily Mail that Weiner knew she was underaged when they were corresponding. And just to make sure that Weiner does end up in jail, the US Attorney for the district of New York, Joon Kim, laid out in vivid - and gruesome detail - the circumstances of his pedophilia. As taken from the prosecutor memorandum: In the evening of January 23, 2016, a 15-year-old girl (the “Minor Victim”) initiated contact with the defendant by sending him a direct message on Twitter. Over the next several hours, the Minor Victim and Weiner exchanged a series of messages, ranging from the mundane to the provocative. Early in the exchange, the Minor Victim revealed to Weiner that she was in high school. Despite knowing he was communicating with a high school student, Weiner participated in increasingly suggestive exchanges, telling the Minor Victim, among other things, that he thought she was “kinda sorta gorgeous.” Their communications continued the next morning on Facebook messenger, then moved to Kik, and at some later point, Confide and Snapchat. The latter three all are messaging and photo-sharing applications that delete messages and images once viewed. As January turned to February, their intermittent exchanges grew more lascivious. This was despite the fact that there could be no reasonable doubt in Weiner’s mind that he was chatting with a minor – in addition to having revealed that she was a high school student, the Minor Victim told Weiner that she was getting her learner’s permit. She explained in Facebook chats that she has “parents that wouldn’t approve of some of the things” she does, and that she likes “older guys,” “[b]ut that’s illegal.” The defendant correctly observed, “You are young,” in one Kik message. Against that backdrop, between February 17 and 23, 2016, Weiner and the Minor Victim participated in three video chat sessions on Skype. There is no dispute that the Minor Victim repeatedly suggested that she and the defendant participate in video chats on Skype. Those suggestions were not, however, one-sided. For example, Twitter records reveal that during their first exchanges the night of January 23, 2016, at some point after the Minor Victim had suggested that they Skype, the defendant said “Leave the complex stuff for Skype.” That night as well, after a suggestive exchange, the defendant said “Maybe Skype someday.” Thus, although it was the Minor Victim who initially sought out Weiner, as the Government readily concedes, Weiner immediately responded to the Minor Victim’s overture and willingly participated in the offense conduct thereafter. It was then that the Minor Victim made clear that she was not just a minor – she was, in fact, only 15 years old. That did not stop Weiner. During the latter two Skype sessions, on February 18 and 23, 2016, and in a Snapchat communication on March 9, 2016, the defendant used graphic and obscene language to ask the Minor Victim to display her naked body and touch herself, which she did. He also sent an obscene message to the Minor Victim on Confide, describing what he would do to her, if she were 18. Part and parcel of these disturbing – and criminal – exchanges, the defendant also sent the Minor Victim adult pornography. In approximately March 2016, after several months of intermittent exchanges, communications between the defendant and Minor Victim largely stopped. The Minor Victim made efforts to re-engage, but was met with limited responsiveness. The instant conduct was revealed to the public and law enforcement in September 2016, when the Daily Mail published the Minor Victim’s account of her communications with Weiner after she participated in a paid interview. And some further commentary from the proscuting attorney: This is not merely a “sexting” case. The defendant did far more than exchange typed words on a lifeless cellphone screen with a faceless stranger. With full knowledge that he was communicating with a real 15-year-old girl, the defendant asked her to engage in sexually explicit conduct via Skype and Snapchat, where her body was on display, and where she was asked to sexually perform for him. That offense – transmitting obscenity to a minor to induce her to engage in sexually explicit conduct by video chat and photo – is far from mere “sexting.” Weiner’s criminal conduct was very serious, and the sentence imposed should reflect that seriousness. The defendant claims that he “responded to the victim’s request for sexually explicit messages not because she was a teenager, but in spite of it.” While the Government does not contend that Weiner engaged in inappropriate sexual exchanges with other minors or that he is a pedophile, his professed ambivalence towards the Minor Victim’s age is belied by the defendant’s own statements to the court-appointed evaluator during his evaluation. Moreover, the defendant has acknowledged an interest in legal, adult, teen-themed pornography. In the context of this admitted interest, his insistence that he deserves a lighter sentence because the Minor Victim’s age meant nothing to him rings hollow. Even if the Court were to credit Weiner’s claim of ambivalence to the Minor Victim’s age, that purported ambivalence is part of the problem. That his victim was a minor – and therefore his conduct a serious crime – did not deter Weiner from forging ahead. The defendant’s submission repeatedly makes note of the 15-year-old Minor Victim’s various motives for communicating with Weiner and her profit from sharing those communications with the media. While careful not to cast blame on the Minor Victim outright or disclaim ultimate responsibility for his crime, he relies, in part, on the circumstances of their communications in arguing for a sentence of probation. That argument should be rejected, and Weiner should be sentenced for what he did – not what motived the Minor Victim. Weiner, a grown man, a father, and a former lawmaker, willfully and knowingly asked a 15-year-old girl to display her body and engage in sexually explicit conduct for him online. Such conduct warrants a meaningful sentence of incarceration. Defense lawyers had portrayed the girl as an aggressor, saying she wanted to generate material for a book and possibly influence the presidential election. Prosecutors responded that Weiner should be sentenced for what he did, and his victim's motives should not influence his punishment. A defense lawyer declined to comment Wednesday. Weiner, 53, said in a submission last week that he's undergoing treatment and is profoundly sorry for subjecting the North Carolina high school student to what his lawyers called his "deep sickness." In a plea bargain, Weiner agreed not to appeal any sentence between 21 and 27 months. Prosecutors said the sentence should fall within that span, and they noted that Probation Office authorities had recommended a 27-month prison term. He will be sentenced to prison next Monday. The full sentencing guildeline filed by prosecutors is below.Blood Bowl 2: clarification about the pre-order offers and the extra races. Good day, Following the reaction of some players concerning the opening of the pre-orders and the additional races associated, we feel like we need to clarify some information. Originally planned in June, we decided to delay the release of Blood Bowl 2 to September, in order to give the polish needed for the game to offer the best experience possible to all players. The production of the game is now over, and Blood Bowl 2 has just entered a long phase of tests and certifications, notably for consoles, which will lead to a worldwide release on September 22. In order to compensate for the understandable disappointment this delay has caused among fans, we decided to use the extra time to produce 2 extra races, which we intended to offer to players who pre-order the game. These races are currently under production, and will be available for download only after the release of the game, they are not included on the game’s disk/original download. We are working hard to have them ready by September 22. In consequence, we are somewhat surprised by the reaction of some players who are dissatisfied by this bonus. We have not, however, changed our objective with these DLCs: to apologize for the delay by offering an extra race with its key players, design, animations, sounds, and star players. Please believe us when we say this is a whole lot of work. Finally, to people who do not understand why we are not releasing Blood Bowl 2 with 23 races from the get-go: as enticing as it sounds, it would require us to delay the release of the game by at least 12 months, while doubling the development budget! We hope these clarifications will give the answers sought after by players who, most probably, were not around during the time when we first announced the delay, and the beginning of the production of two extra races. Thank you for your time! Cyanide Studios & Focus Home Interactive.Kimberly Naquin, 26, was arrested Jan. 15 after it was learned that the high school geography teacher had sexually molested a teenage student, according to police in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana. Naquin had sex with the girl on at least 10 occasions over the course of nearly a year beginning in September 2014 when the girl was 16, police said. Naquin, who is the daughter of the local school board president, is the third teacher at Destrehan High School to be charged with molesting students recently. Shelley Dufresne, 33, and Rachel Respess, 25, were accused in October 2014 of having group sex with a 16-year-old male student. In fact, when reports of that investigation first became public, police say Naquin temporarily broke up with her underage girlfriend: About a month into an illicit sexual relationship between Destrehan High School geography teacher Kimberly Naquin and a 16-year-old female student, the pair thought they’d been caught, authorities said Tuesday (Jan. 19). Naquin, 26, and the teen panicked in Fall 2014 when they heard about media reports that a then-unidentified teacher at the same school was the target of a criminal investigation after having sex with a student, according to Lt. Brian McGregor, spokesman for the Kenner Police Department. “From my understanding, they panicked and they separated for a short time when they heard about that case,” McGregor said.... Though rattled, Naquin, the daughter of St. Charles Parish School Board President Dennis Naquin, continued having sex with the female student on at least 10 occasions at her former Kenner apartment, an arrest report said. Naquin was booked with 10 counts of carnal knowledge of a juvenile by Kenner police Friday (Jan. 15) after her release from St. Charles Parish where the Sheriff’s Office booked her with carnal knowledge of a juvenile and prohibited sexual conduct between a teacher and student. The girl’s relatives contacted the St. Charles Sheriff’s Office on last week after they discovered her sexual relationship with Naquin, authorities said. The teen told investigators the relationship began in September 2014 when she was 16. While St. Charles investigators learned of sexual encounters in a classroom at the school and an unidentified residence in Destrehan, Kenner detectives confirmed several incidents at Naquin’s old apartment, located at 3752 Loyola Dr., Kenner, starting on Oct. 30, 2014, the arrest affidavit said. The student returned to Naquin’s apartment on Black Friday, Nov. 28, 2014, and the two again had sex. A third incident occurred sometime between Jan. 11 and Jan. 18, 2015, the arrest report said. Naquin continued a sexual relationship with the teen until August 2015. “There were at least 10 incidents that we were able
2011, which put an end to subsidized loans for graduate and professional students. More recently, in 2013, HR 1911 was the first time that legislation stated there would be a difference in the rates that an undergraduate student pays for a student loan and a graduate professional student pays for a student loan. Culmer said the interest rate on student loans for graduate and professional students is 6.8 percent and only 3.4 percent for undergraduate students. "When Congress was making legislation in regards to higher education and student loans, the graduate student population was the easiest to take resources away from, [and] over time, it’s just been a steady chipping away of benefits," Culmers said. "We’re an easy population to do that to." There is a general perception that once a student obtains a graduate degree, they make a lot of money, Culmer said, and while that may be true for certain fields, it is not the case for all of them. "The graduate student debt issue is really big," Brooks said. "It’s getting worse and has a huge negative impact. Graduate student living is tough." _______________ Follow Adriana Espinosa on Twitter.Sure, stardom is a double-edged sword—but it also means a mink-lined lifestyle that comes with an array of perks. Some of the best ones arrive in the form of contract clauses, legal requests an actor or director can make to ensure that they get exactly what they want, when they want it, when working on a film project. Requests vary. Sometimes a star wants a driver, a chef, or a fancy trailer. Other times, they want something wildly specific. Samuel L. Jackson, for example, recently confirmed that he has a special golf-related request baked into all of his contracts, a power move that reflects his established status in the industry. So in the spirit of Jackson’s contractual luxury, here are eight stars with fascinating (and legally binding) contract quirks. Full ScreenPhotos: 1 / 8 8 Movie Stars with Unbelievable Contract Clauses Samuel L. Jackson Photo: From Screen Gems/Everett Collection. Dolph Lundgren Photo: From Everett Collection. Queen Latifah Photo: From Everett Collection. Garry Marshall Photo: From Everett Collection. Julianna Margulies Photo: By Jeff Neumann/CBS/Getty Images. Uma Thurman Photo: From Miramax/Everett Collection. Roger Moore Photo: By Graham Stark/Hulton Archive/Getty Images. Previous Next Samuel L. Jackson When you’re one of the highest-grossing actors in the world, you’re allowed to take a golf break. Samuel L. Jackson loves the sport so much that in all his contracts, he has a clause that allows him to golf twice a week during movie shoots. From Screen Gems/Everett Collection. Dolph Lundgren Dolph Lundgren started to blow up as an actor in the ‘80s, he was well aware that his heavy accent might thwart some opportunities. So while making the 1987 film Masters of the Universe, he Whenstarted to blow up as an actor in the ‘80s, he was well aware that his heavy accent might thwart some opportunities. So while making the 1987 film Masters of the Universe, he included a clause that gave him exactly three chances to nail his dialogue before the studio hired someone else to dub his lines. And it worked! He didn’t get dubbed... but the movie flopped anyway. From Everett Collection. Queen Latifah Queen Latifah realized she was dying too often in movies. So after her iconic death scene in Set It Off, she made a change. Since 1996, the Oscar nominee has included an anti-death clause in all her contracts; her characters literally cannot die. It’s also a smart business decision: “If I die, I can’t be in the sequel,” she Hear, hear, mere mortals: long ago,realized she was dying too often in movies. So after her iconic death scene in Set It Off, she made a change. Since 1996, the Oscar nominee has included an anti-death clause in all her contracts; her characters literally cannot die. It’s also a smart business decision: “If I die, I can’t be in the sequel,” she explained earlier this year. From Everett Collection. Garry Marshall Hector Elizondo that he put a clause in his contracts stipulating that the actor was guaranteed a role in all Marshall films. Elizondo, who Family-friendly blockbuster director Garry Marshall was so close tothat he put a clause in his contracts stipulating that the actor was guaranteed a role in all Marshall films. Elizondo, who didn’t know about the stipulation for years, did appear in all of Marshall’s films, up until the director’s death last year. From Everett Collection. Steve McQueen Steve McQueen, a.k.a. the King of Cool, was extremely uncool with actor Paul Newman. When the two starred in The Towering Inferno in 1974, McQueen demanded that he not only have top billing, but also the exact same pay as Newman—and the exact same number of lines. From ullstein bild/Getty Images. Julianna Margulies Julianna Margulies foresaw this little issue, It was hard work playing The Good Wife’s Alicia Florrick, not least because the complex lawyer had to maintain a perfect coif at all times.foresaw this little issue, mandating that she wouldn’t star in the dearly departed CBS drama unless her contract stated that she was allowed to wear a wig. The subsequent brown lob created just for her ended up costing $10,000—which Margulies promises was worth every penny. By Jeff Neumann/CBS/Getty Images. Uma Thurman Uma Thurman While working on the ill-fated Eloise in Paris in 2010, included a number of movie star-worthy clauses in her contract, including discounts if she decided to buy any clothes and wigs used during the shoot. Oh, and this doozy stating that “no other cast member [may] receive more favorable dressing rooms.” Only the best for the erstwhile Mia Wallace. From Miramax/Everett Collection. Roger Moore What better way to get into the James Bond spirit than by having an endless supply of fine cigars? That’s what the late Roger Moore required in order to sign on as the next 007 in the ‘70s, apparently getting “unlimited” Montecristo cigars written into his first contract. By Graham Stark/Hulton Archive/Getty Images. Take a look in the gallery above.Disunion follows the Civil War as it unfolded. Those interested in the history of abolition and racial equality would find few incidents in Lincoln’s presidency as dispiriting as the president’s Aug. 14, 1862, meeting with a delegation of five black men from Washington. It was dispiriting then as well: to the dismay of those hoping the Civil War would lead to full citizenship for African-Americans, Lincoln informed the delegation that “you and we are different races” and proposed that the five men be progenitors of a black colony the government would establish in Chiriquí, a region of what is now Panama. Historians have debated Lincoln’s remarks and their context for decades. It was once conventional to claim that Lincoln’s proposal was an attempt to appease conservatives while he pursued the policy he truly believed in: a presidential proclamation of emancipation. But the more recent consensus is that Lincoln was speaking very much in character. The “Great Emancipator” was one of the many white Americans of the era who believed that if slavery were abolished, a “race war” would inevitably ensue. Since the United States was destined to be a white nation, emancipation must be accompanied by the emigration of freedpeople out of the United States. For all the attention to Lincoln’s ideas and motivations, however, there has been very little focus on the delegates’ side of the story. For decades no one even knew who they were, much less what they stood for. Drawing on the work of the historian Benjamin Quarles, many believed that four of the five delegates were uneducated former slaves, hand-picked by Lincoln and his colonization commissioner, James Mitchell, to be pliable and subservient. In fact, all five of the men who listened to Lincoln’s case for colonization were members of Washington’s free black elite, chosen by a formal meeting of representatives from Washington’s independent black churches. The delegation’s history – and more broadly, black Washingtonians’ responses to the variety of emigration proposals on offer in 1862 — reveal a vigorous and complex debate among African-Americans regarding their future in the United States. In the spring and summer of 1862, Washington was the national hub for debate about black emigration, both within the United States government and among African-Americans themselves. Congress had appropriated $600,000 to support voluntary colonization of people freed by the D.C. Emancipation Act and continuing military operations. Lobbyists hoping to settle African-Americans in Liberia, Haiti and Central America converged on Washington to recruit emigrants and persuade the government that the appropriation should go to their pet projects. African-Americans in Washington met the lobbyists and their Congressional allies with mixed responses. Among the newly freed slaves in Washington, some lived in miserable camps and were open to the idea of making their lives elsewhere. Henry McNeal Turner, a prominent minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, advocated a fair hearing for proponents of emigration and signed a petition asking Lincoln to choose Chiriquí as the location of a colony. Two other local A.M.E. ministers also expressed support for emigration in some form, and in June a ship left Alexandria, Va., for Haiti with about 150 emigrants on board. Frederick Douglass was appalled by the support emigration agents seemed to be receiving among black Washingtonians, writing in his newspaper that even a small number of voluntary emigrants helped vindicate white colonizationists “who have made the ridding of the country of negroes, the object of long years of unwearied but vain exertion.” Although Douglass was loath to acknowledge it, the prospect of leaving the United States had always appealed to a subset of black Americans, especially at moments when their future in the United States seemed particularly bleak — for example, after the passage of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act. In the summer of 1862, it was difficult to tell which way the wind was blowing. The president had decided to issue an emancipation proclamation, but only his closest circle knew about it. The war was eroding slavery, but who was to say what the ultimate outcome would be? Late July witnessed an outpouring of animosity toward colonization agents in Washington. It began when John D. Johnson, one of three Liberian “commissioners” then touring the United States, was said to have voiced support for forced — not voluntary — colonization in Liberia and declared that newly freed slaves required the supervision of “the superior race.” Johnson was black, but his comments smacked of the racism and coercion many Africans-Americans associated with the American Colonization Society, a white-led group whose members had founded Liberia decades earlier as a colony for American ex-slaves. The members of the Social Civil and Statistical Association, a black civic association, decided that Johnson was no longer welcome in town. Hours after the group asked Johnson to leave, two of its members instigated a fight with him and were arrested. Rumors flew that the Haitian colonization agents would be banished next, and a group of young men confronted an African-American agent of Central American colonization at his hotel and sent him packing. The S.C.S.A. had not intended a blanket condemnation of black emigration, one of its supporters later commented. It was fighting only “the machinations and schemes of the old Colonization Society and their leaders and abettors.” Related Civil War Timeline An unfolding history of the Civil War with photos and articles from the Times archive and ongoing commentary from Disunion contributors. Visit the Timeline » It was in this climate of debate and suspicion that representatives of several of Washington’s black churches convened in Union Bethel A.M.E. Church to hear from the president’s assistant, James Mitchell. When Mitchell informed them that the president wished to speak to a black delegation about government-sponsored colonization, the response was chilly. According to a reporter who was there, attendees discussed “to a great length” the president’s intentions and the implications of sending representatives. They ultimately decided to send a delegation, but not before they passed two resolutions expressing grave doubts about the entire enterprise. The first stated that it was “inexpedient, inauspicious, and impolitic” to support emigration; the second expressed skepticism that delegates chosen at that meeting could represent “the interests of over four-and-a-half millions of our race.” Who were the men who reluctantly convened with Lincoln that day? Edward Thomas, who became the delegation’s chairman, was a messenger in the House of Representatives and renowned for his collections of fine art, coins and books. John F. Cook Jr., who also became a delegate, was the son of the city’s most prominent black minister; he had attended college in the North and was a respected teacher. Both Cook and Thomas, as well as another delegate — Cornelius Clark — were active in the S.C.S.A., whose main purpose was racial uplift, or “to improve our condition by use of all proper means calculated to exalt our people.” The other two delegates, Benjamin McCoy and John T. Costin, were, respectively, a leader in religion and education and a scion of one of Washington’s most illustrious black families. Lincoln might not have known of the resolutions that immediately preceded his meeting with the delegation, but he clearly understood that these were men of considerable stature. In his address, the president acknowledged that the delegates were “intelligent colored men” and that they probably had “long been free.” He urged them to emigrate not for their own well-being, but to help “those who are not so fortunate as yourselves.” In fact, Lincoln may have heard something of these men from the lead servant in the White House, William Slade, who as president of the S.C.S.A. would have known at least three of them well. When Lincoln ended his speech, the delegates promised to give a response soon. Newspapers immediately published Lincoln’s remarks, giving rise to a storm of criticism from black and white abolitionists. In Washington, however, African Americans’ reaction was neither simple nor unified. Two days after the meeting, Edward Thomas, the chairman of the delegation, informed Lincoln that he had changed his mind and that he was interested in pursuing emigration to Chiriquí. As plans for a government-sponsored voyage got under way, one of Frederick Douglass’s sons sought to join the expedition. Hundreds of African-Americans from the Washington area volunteered to go, hoping to rebuild their lives far outside the ambit of slaveowners and the United States government. Many sold their belongings and moved out of their homes in preparation for the trip. Unfortunately, they were caught up in dynamics much larger than themselves. The government voyage was delayed and finally canceled because of resistance from Central American governments. The stranded migrants wrote Lincoln that they faced destitution in the coming winter and lamented that he would “create hopes within us, and stimulate us to struggle for national independence and respectable quality” only to abandon them. They sought a meeting; Lincoln, through a secretary, asked them to be patient. Black leaders like Frederick Douglass, who insisted that African-Americans put their faith in the United States — and who demanded that the government see black men as soldiers and African-Americans as citizens — are the ones whose rhetoric fits most easily into our national narratives of inclusion and multiculturalism. But it is well to remember, also, how many white Americans rejected the idea of a multiracial nation and how many black Americans, recognizing the implications of that rejection, took steps to build their lives elsewhere. Follow Disunion at twitter.com/NYTcivilwar or join us on Facebook. Source: Kate Masur, “The African American Delegation to Abraham Lincoln: A Reappraisal,” Civil War History, vol. LVI, no. 2 (2010). Kate Masur teaches history at Northwestern University. Her book “An Example for All the Land: Emancipation and the Struggle over Equality in Washington, D.C.,” has just been published in paperback.The world's largest Disney store was forced to close just an hour after it officially opened as keen Chinese shoppers queued for more than a mile to get inside - the equivalent to nearly the entire length of Oxford Street. Hundreds of customers waited more than three hours to enter the new 54,000 square feet store in Shanghai, even after it opened its doors at 1.14pm on Wednesday. After one hour, customers were stopped from joining the queue due to fears of overcrowding, reported People's Daily Online. Scroll down for video Grand opening: Customers flocked to the new Disney store in Shanghai, which opened at 1.14pm yesterday Huge queues: Keen shoppers queued for hours to get inside the first Disney store in China Closed: Just an hour after opening a sign reading 'Closed for today' was put up for fear of overcrowding Security staff held up a sign reading 'Closed for today' and set up a queuing system to control the crowd. Signs were set out at the 60 minute, 90 minute and 180 minute marks to tell those waiting the estimated time it would take them to get inside. Despite the long queues outside, the lucky customers who did manage to get inside the store said they had a pleasant experience. Inside: The lucky customers who did manage to get in said they had a pleasant experience despite the queues Huge: The Shanghai flagship has the largest retail space of any Disney stores worldwide Mr Du, who entered the store at 1.30pm, said that the store was very well-designed. According to local reports, some shoppers were queuing as early as 5.30am for the chance to get inside. The Shanghai flagship is the first Disney store to open in China and has the largest retail space of any Disney stores across the world. It will sell more than 2,000 Disney products, with prices ranging from 20 yuan (£2) to 1,000 yuan (£100). The store boasts a 19-feet-high Magic Kingdom castle at its centre, where a show is performed every hour. There is even an outdoor plaza featuring a Mickey Mouse flowerbed and there are plans to build a Disney clock tower. A spokesman for the Shanghai Disney store said that the bestsellers on the first day were the toys specially designed for the grand opening. The store will give Chinese Disney fans a taste of things to come, as a Disney Resort in Shanghai is due to open in spring 2016. Hello Disney: Some shoppers arrived at the store as early as 5.30am, according to local reports Patiently waiting: Shoppers queued for more than a mile down the block and along a nearby bridgeA man holds a sign reading “Black Lives Matter” during 2014 demonstrations in Boston following the grand jury decision in the Missouri shooting death of Michael Brown. (Brian Snyder/Reuters) Mike Halstead, a 35-year police veteran, posts a fairly typical mix of content on his personal Facebook page: photos of his car’s new tint job, links to fundraisers, his thoughts on the recent deaths of police officers in the line of duty. But one Facebook post, labeled as an “open letter from a police chief,” led to Halstead’s early retirement from the force in tiny Surf City, N.C. In a 662-word post — the text of which NBC affiliate WECT copied before Halstead apparently deleted it — the chief wrote: “This Black Lives Matter group is nothing more than an American born terrorist group brought on by the lie of the hands up don’t shoot during the criminal thug Michael Brown incident.” (Town of Surf City) By Tuesday, news of the open letter had spread, and the town council in Surf City, about 35 miles from Wilmington, N.C., approved Halstead’s early retirement in a closed session, according to the Daily News in Jackonsville, N.C. The longtime police chief took to his personal Facebook page once again early Wednesday morning to respond to the retirement. He wrote that after 35 years in law enforcement, he was “forced to retire or be terminated.” “I was thrown under the bus for expressing my 1st amendment rights and speaking the truth and concerns for law enforcement,” Halstead wrote. But, he added: “I also apologize to those I have offended, that was not my intent.” [After Texas deputy’s death, a reminder of the increased anxiety felt by law enforcement officers amid protests] In the original Facebook post, Halstead compared the Black Lives Matter movement to white supremacist groups and blamed the government, “our so called President” and others for the “race problem in this country.” He continued: “I have been a Police Officer for 35 years. I do not judge anyone by the color of their skin, but by there [sic] actions.” Halstead also blamed media coverage for line-of-duty deaths — a rookie Kentucky State Police trooper who was fatally shot on Sunday was at least the 25th on-duty police officer to be killed by gunfire in 2015, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page. “I have instructed my officers to be vigilant, if threatened take appropriate action,” Halstead wrote. “If that means shoot a thug, then do it and answer for it while you are still alive not dead. Law Enforcement is fed up with this murderous society who want to take out those who protect and serve.” [Police officers experience fewer deaths these days — but more tension] Surf City’s town manager, Larry Bergman, was alerted to the open letter this week, according to local media reports. Bergman told WECT that he reminded Halstead “that as public employees we are often held to higher level of scrutiny and that even if it is a personal social media account and despite not associating himself directly to the town in his posting, that some will draw the connection.” Bergman told the Daily News that Halstead removed the Facebook post on his own and that the town doesn’t have policies regarding how employees use social media. In recent weeks, Halstead posted on Facebook about officers killed in the line of duty. “This is getting out of hand,” he wrote in one post. In another, he referred to the shooting deaths of two reporters in Virginia during a morning newscast and wondered why those deaths were receiving so much media attention. “Although very tragic that the 2 reporters were killed in VA. should they get continuous reporting all morning when the LA. State Trooper and other Police killed get 10 seconds of coverage. Just asking,” Halstead wrote. [How Black Lives Matter moved from a hashtag to a real political force] NAACP leaders in the state said that they planned to meet with lawyers regarding Halstead’s open letter. North Carolina NAACP President William J. Barber II described the Black Lives Matter post as “troubling” to the Daily News. “It is not just the words in the post that are troubling, but the attitude of this chief and his officers who are called to protect and serve people — all people,” Barber told the newspaper. READ MORE: Nearly a quarter of the police officers shot and killed this year have been in Louisiana Fewer police officers shot and killed over first half of 2015 than 2014 The FBI released some details on the officers who were killed last yearWhat to expect As with any beta program, you’ll have early access to features that are still under development. That means you’ll experience Unity as less stable than the final version. The beta tests run start a few weeks after the latest release and ends a few weeks before the final release, and several beta versions will be made available during that cycle. Get tips and notifications Signing up will enable us to send you notifications when new versions are available, as well as tips on how to be an effective beta tester. Please see this guide to being an effective beta tester to start off on the right foot. Available for all Unity users The beta release is available for free to all Unity users, including Personal Edition users. In the release notes section, you’ll find a complete list of all the new features, improvements and bug fixes included in the release.One truck was recently burned by Molotov cocktails and another driver had a stone thrown at his head through a windscreen. “The pressure is unprecedented. Our vehicles and goods are damaged. Yet on top of all that we get fined by the British if a migrant manages to evade detection. It’s not on.” Richard Burnett, CEO of the British Road Haulage Association, said that while the British government had shown a “level of pragmatism” when they had appealed fines, he sympathised with the French. “The whole fining process was to make sure there was due diligence to stop migrants getting on board on trucks coming across. “But the process has been outdated by the modus operandi of the migrants today. The level of attacks are unprecedented, so to expect hauliers to still be fined when you’ve got this incredibly high risk coming through Calais itself needs some urgent review by the UK home office,” he told The Telegraph. Bernard Cazeneuve, the French interior minister, has promised to discuss the matter with his British counterpart, Amber Rudd, when the two meet in the coming days. A Home Office spokesman said: "The fines imposed exist to ensure that all drivers are taking reasonable measures to stop migrants from boarding their lorries. "We have recently consulted on proposals to modernise the regime to reflect developments in both the technology available to hauliers and operators, and the tactics used by migrants.” Charlie Elphicke, Conservative MP for Dover, said that while he understood French truckers’ frustration, “demonstrating about that will achieve nothing other than chaos on the roads of France and Kent.” “They also need to understand that border security is of paramount to Britain, and that their argument is with the Paris government for being part of the Schengen open borders agreement which allows people to travel freely to Calais and with France failing to take effective action to deal with the people traffickers." French haulage officials on Saturday said that government pledges to dismantle the jungle "as quickly as possible" and send 200 extra police officers to help quell insecurity were insufficient. "We want immediate action and assurances that the entry road is totally secured.," said Mr Rivera. Half of the camp was razed earlier this year amid an attempt to get migrants to either stay in semi-permanent housing in situ or be bussed to other centres around France. But numbers have now swollen to between 7,000 and 10,000. The truckers and local Calais groups have called for migrants to be “distanced” from the port and tunnel and for a curfew on the roads to the port and tunnel between 10pm and 8am to prevent nightly attacks on vehicles. Gilles Debove, of the police union Unité SGP-Police FO, who will take part in the human chain on Monday, said police numbers were still insufficient. “In Calais, in January and February, there were around 3,500 to 4,000 migrants and 13 and a half companies (each of 70 men) of CRS riot police. Today we are approaching 10,000 migrants and at the very most we have ten and a half companies. So this is just about bringing us back to that level, it’s not as much as hoped for." Mr Burnett agreed, saying: “There is no way 1,000 policemen on shift are going to contain 10,000 people – you’re talking about 30 migrants to one gendarme or CRS riot police officer. There needs to be heavy presence if not the police, we are calling for the French army to be deployed in the short term while the camp can be dismantled and solutions can be found to stop the flow.February 02, 2012 9:29 am ET Newt Gingrich's campaign announced last week that Dutch Sheets, a popular evangelical preacher, would co-chair the campaign's Faith Leaders Coalition. Like other members of the coalition, Sheets is a divisive and abrasive figure who has said in no uncertain terms that President Obama is a Muslim and that natural disasters and terrorist attacks in the United States are a consequence of turning away from Christianity. Who Is Dutch Sheets? After Endorsing Newt Gingrich, Dutch Sheets Was Named To Gingrich's Faith Leaders Coalition. From a Newt Gingrich press release: Dutch Sheets has endorsed Newt Gingrich for president, and will be joining the Gingrich Faith Leaders Coalition. Dutch Sheets is the author of 18 books, including the best seller Intercessory Prayer. Throughout his 34 years of ministry he has pastored, taught in several colleges and seminaries, served on the board of directors of numerous organizations and has become recognized as an international leader on the subject of prayer. In a statement, Pastor Sheets explained that his endorsement is for the "most important election of our lifetimes" "Newt Gingrich is only one that I can confidently say has the heart, experience, backbone, Constitutional brilliance, and intellectual strength to defeat Obama and lead America back to greatness" said Sheets. "The America we know and love-indeed, the America God and our founding fathers dreamed of and birthed-cannot survive another 4 years of the current leadership in Washington." [Newt Gingrich Press Release, 1/25/12, via blog.4President.org] Sheets: Election Of Obama Means "God Has Now Turned Us Over To Our Enemies.... We Have A Muslim President." In a video uploaded to YouTube.com, Sheets says: Because I knew, when I saw this happening, and it finally occurred, it is not just going to bring further judgment on America. This is a part of the judgment. God has now turned us over to our enemies for a season. But He only does that— He only disciplines those He loves. He is not finished with America. He hasn't written us off unlike some people I hear. And we are not going to lose everything God has done in America. We are going to be on the forefront, cutting edge, of this great awakening that comes to the world. America has a role to play in this. We have a Muslim president. But God is going to-and maybe he's going to turn to God. We pray for him. Maybe he's going to turn and become a person God uses in more than just some of the ways that we appreciate [YouTube.com, 10/31/11] Sheets: "The Pro-Death, Pro-Homosexual, Pro-Islam, Humanistic Forces Have Cast Their Net Over Broad Portions Of Our Government." On his website, Sheets writes: Change is so imperative. The forces of the antichrist movement in America, who are also against what our founders envisioned, have been very focused and have made incredible gains in the past 50 years. Washington D.C. is indicative of those gains and the changes that are needed. I was there earlier this month for a prayer gathering. The spiritual atmosphere of the city was noticeable [sic] oppressive and "dark." The pro-death, pro-homosexual, pro-Islam, humanistic forces have cast their net over broad portions of our government, which they mock God and His word. [DutchSheets.org, accessed 1/31/12] Sheets: Terrible Things, Including Terrorism, War, And Natural Disasters, Will Happen In America Because We've Turned Away From God. From a letter Sheets wrote: If God brought corrective but serious judgment to Israel, we are horribly deceived if we think it will not happen to us. If something doesn't happen to lessen this judgment-and it can be lessened-we are headed for very difficult times. The economy is going to be devastated. The stock market will go well below where it went a few months back-a crash is coming, and soon. More terrorism and violence will occur in our land, perhaps even war. In my spirit I've seen buildings crumbling and cities burning. Devastating natural disasters will take place. In general, hard times will be prevalent. Why is this so? Because we have turned from God and His ways. Consider the true condition of America. This assessment is bleak but accurate. [ElijahList.com, 3/17/10] Sheets: "We're Supposed To Try" To "Take Over Everything And Rule The Earth Completely For The Lord." From a sermon Sheets gave, uploaded to YouTube.com by Right Wing Watch: I'm not at all implying, as some try to teach, that we're gonna take over everything and rule the earth completely for the Lord and that He has to wait for that to happen until He returns. We're not teaching that. But we're supposed to try. It is our condition. I know there's gonna be sheep— there are gonna be sheep and goat nations. I'm not— there's no insinuation here that we're going to take over everything. But our assignment until He comes is to bring His kingdom rule into the earth so that our region looks like heaven again. [YouTube, 1/12/12]Tamino (aka Grant Foster) will have his knickers in a twist over this one. Guest post by Marcel Crok (from his blog De staat van het klimaat) An interesting new paper (behind paywall) has been accepted for publication in the Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences. The paper by Jiansong Zhou and Ka-Kit Tung of the University of Washington, Seattle is titled “Deducing Multi-decadal Anthropogenic Global Warming Trends Using Multiple Regression Analysis”. This paper will add fuel to the recent discussions about the nature of the global warming trend and whether it recently has stabilized or not. The authors by the way conclude it has not. Their main conclusions however is: When the AMO is included, in addition to the other explanatory variables such as ENSO, volcano and solar influences commonly included in the multiple linear regression analysis, the recent 50-year and 32-year anthropogenic warming trends are reduced by a factor of at least two. There is no statistical evidence of a recent slow-down of global warming, nor is there evidence of accelerated warming since the mid-20th century. This study is following the same approach as Foster/Rahmstorf 2011 and Lean/Rind 2008 (trying to correct the global temperature for ENSO, solar and volcanoes) but adds the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation to their multiple linear regression analysis. This leads to their figure 1b above. What we see is a longterm trend that has hardly changed during the past century. Now as always this result can be interpreted in many different ways. The century scale trend is still 0.68 degrees Celsius suggesting little of the total trend of 0.8 degrees C can be attributed to solar, volcanic, ENSO and AMO. That’s what the authors seem to suggest as well when they write (bold mine): The conclusion that we can draw is that for the past 100 years, the net anthropogenic trend has been steady at approximately 0.08 °C/decade. So for them anything that’s left after filtering out the natural forcings and natural variability is just ‘anthropogenic’. For me this conclusion is rather premature. But before I explain why let’s focus on the other trend lines that the authors show. Just like Foster/Rahmstorf they conclude that there is no slowdown recently: There is no statistical evidence of a recent slow-down of global warming However the trend they find for the recent 32 years (0.07ºC/decade) is far lower than that of Foster/Rahmstorf (0.17ºC/decade). If the approach has any validity at all this would suggest that the AMO alone explains the difference between the Zhou/Tung and Foster/Rahmstorf trend. The paper by Zhou claims that in the last 32 years, the period in which greenhouse gases are supposed to be the dominant forcings, in fact some 60% (0.1ºC of the total 0.17ºC/decade) of the trend can be ‘explained’ by a combination of ENSO, AMO, solar and volcanic forcing). Ergo, only 40% of the trend could be attributed to other factors among which greenhouse gases are of course a logical candidate. However there are other candidates as well of course. There is ongoing debate about the influence of siting issues on the temperature measurements on land as well as the Urban Heat Island effect and other socio-economic influences. In a controversial and well known paper Michaels/McKitrick estimated that “Using the regression model to filter the extraneous, nonclimatic effects reduces the estimated 1980–2002 global average temperature trend over land by about half.” If true even less of the remaining trend can be attributed to greenhouse gases. The Zhou study could therefore have serious implications for our estimates of climate sensitivity. The paper though is completely silent about these potential implications, something that reviewers could have raised. As said above Zhou and Tung call the remaining century long ‘underlying’ trend ‘anthropogenic’. Whether this is ‘right’ could be questioned with their figure 2 (see below). Here one sees that the anthropogenic forcing (green line) seems to underestimate the adjusted trend in the period (1889-1970) while it seems to overestimate the trend thereafter. This suggests that still not all the relevant factors (either natural or anthropogenic forcings or natural variability) are included in the regression analysis. The residuals in figure 2b still show trends which would not be the case, Zhou and Tung write, if the regression analysis would be perfect. This leaves enough room for all to bend the paper in one’s preferred direction. ====================================================== Deducing Multi-decadal Anthropogenic Global Warming Trends Using Multiple Regression Analysis Jiansong Zhou and Ka-Kit TungDepartment of Applied Mathematics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA Abstract In order to unmask the anthropogenic global warming trend imbedded in the climate data, multiple linear regression analysis is often employed to filter out short-term fluctuations caused by El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), volcano aerosols and solar forcing. These fluctuations are unimportant as far as their impact on the deduced multidecadal anthropogenic trends is concerned: ENSO and volcano aerosols have very little multi-decadal trend. Solar variations do have a secular trend, but it is very small and uncertain. What is important, but is left out of all multiple regression analysis of global warming so far, is a long-perioded oscillation called the Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation (AMO). When the AMO Index is included as a regressor (i.e. explanatory variable), the deduced multi-decadal anthropogenic global warming trend is so impacted that previously deduced anthropogenic warming rates need to be substantially revised. The deduced net anthropogenic global warming trend has been remarkably steady and statistically significant for the past 100 years. Advertisements Share this: Print Email Twitter Facebook Pinterest LinkedIn RedditHillary Clinton is surrounded by suggestions of controversy. Terms like "Clinton Foundation," "email server," and "Benghazi" hover around her like a faint smoke that hints at the existence of fire. But finding the fire
No one can argue that. But today, to stand here and say Mel Gibson has made it …he hasn’t made it. It’s comforting. If there were a Great Quotations Hall of Fame, Kinky Friedman would be a shoo-in, with a batting average that has to top.700. Friedman, who I've profiled in a story in Friday's Calendar, comes through the Southland for a string of concerts starting with a pair of shows Saturday night at McCabe’s in Santa Monica. Here’s what the leader of Kinky Friedman & the Texas Jewboys, author of 29 books and former candidate for governor of Texas and Lone Star State agricultural commissioner had to say on a variety of topics. -- George W. Bush: He listened to bad angels and they destroyed him. He listened to Karl Rove and Dick Cheney. And they destroyed him. They’d destroy you or me if we listened to them. He had some great people around him: He had his dad, Laura is wonderful, Colin Powell. But he didn’t listen to him, oh no. …The Koreans have a thing called “han,” which is the unfinished business of your life. And George Bush’s was to show my dad that I’m better than he is: I can clean up his mess, finish what he didn’t do. And he never could. He was always a cheerleader; his dad was a football star. He was AWOL; his father was a hero. And that’s han. Han is like you’re jealous of your brother. Everything you do is, whether you know it or not, is that. Mel Gibson and Tiger and all that, it’s all han. Something really in childhood, a Rosebud/Citizen Kane kind of thing. One little thing. Even though there’s no reason for you to be jealous of your brother. But it brings you down in the end. Unfinished business. -- His first West Coast concert tour in nearly 20 years: This tour is called Go West, Young Kinky. We’re going to a lot of places I haven’t been to in a long time. I think 15-16 shows in about 15 days. They may be wheeling me out on a gurney for the last half of the tour. I am 65 years old -- although I read at the 67-year-old level. -- His latest book: “Heroes of a Texas Childhood” is 23 heroes of mine. After writing it, I discovered why they‘re heroes really: It’s the tragedy and failure in their lives and how they handled it made ‘em heroes…. I really think we should know upon whose shoulders we stand, and if I am ever governor of Texas, I will make this book mandatory reading in the public schools. I will do a reading from the book during the show. After the show I’ll sign books. I’ll sign anything but bad legislation. -- Career politicians: In general, I think these people have been around too long. Corruption comes when you serve in office as long as they have.… I think we should limit them all to two terms: one in office, one in prison. -- The two-party system: George Washington hated the idea of political parties. He said all we need in government is common sense and common honesty. And they’re both pathetically lacking in Washington today.... Good people are not drawn to politics. That’s the problem today. Why should they? The ones drawn to politics are the former hall monitors, Young Democrats,Young Republicans, and this is George Washington’s worst nightmare. It truly is the Crips and the Bloods. They really are the bullies of the playground. I was shocked this past year at the Democrats’ self-interest in their party. You want to find out something about the future of our country? Go talk to a Libertarian; he cares about that. He cares about the Constitution. And the "tea party" folks. It’s really a very good attitude to have: It’s called being on the outside looking in. Those are the people that are going to give us a president one day who wants to be president for all the people. The one we have now does not. -- President Obama: Leave it to America to elect a black man as president without any soul. How did we do it? But we did. Particularly, the handling of the gulf [oil spill] situation was the final blow to me. That hole probably could have been plugged with the Nobel Peace Prize. It’s just an idea. -- Importance vs. significance: Everybody I admire died with no money. Mozart was buried in a pauper’s grave. Gandhi, Martin Luther King died broke. Anne Frank and Jesus — I don’t know if they had a grave. So I’ve developed an idea that there are people who are important without being significant. A lot of politicians manage to be important without being significant. Some of the very biggest [pop music] acts in the world … they still draw, they can pack a stadium, but it’s the Iggy Pops, the Tom Waitses, the Molly Ivinses, who are significant. It’s not Gov. Schwarzenegger or [Texas] Gov. [Rick] Perry. They’re important -- you’ve got to hand it to them. But they’re not significant. -- The wisdom of Willie Nelson: I’ve been endorsed by Willie Nelson. They said, “Why do you endorse Kinky for governor?” [He answered] “Because Kinky is open to ideas. He listens to ideas. The others have been around so long they never will.” Willie gave me some advice: He said, “If you’re ever going to have sex with an animal, make sure it’s a horse, because that way, if things don’t work out, at least you know you’ve got a ride home.” That’s why we call him the Hillbilly Dalai Lama. -- The death penalty: In the 2006 race [for governor], I was addressing serious issues that no one was taking seriously. Even as early as then, I came out against the death penalty. Both our [major party] candidates, the Republican — Perry — and the Democrat — [Bill] White — were both for the death penalty. They’ve done their polling, they’re good little politicians, and they’re striving to be politicians, not statesmen. The fact is, if Texas got rid of the death penalty, they’d leap to the head of the class. The country would stand up and cheer for Texas. We’re not backwards; we are bipolar. If a guy like me was ever elected, it would be transformational. There would be no death penalty. Often I speak to Christians about this. I tell them, I apologize: I’m sorry you’ve got to hear this from a Jew. But remember, folks: That’s who you heard it from the first time. -- Randy Lewis Photo: Kinky Friedman outside Canter's Deli in Los Angeles. Credit: Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles TimesGay / Associated PressSure, Everyone Poops. But not on Amazon.com, because the online retailer's effort to transform the way we read is leaving traditional publishers feeling, well, shitty. That’s the story today for Educational Development Corporation, a book publisher that decided to pull its 1,800 children books, including the iconic defecation title, from Amazon’s virtual shelves, complaining that Amazon’s ultra-low prices were quashing its other distributors, including bookstores and a direct sales force of 7,000 people. EDC is reacting to a dilemma that drove Borders out of business and is putting the screws in the entire publishing industry: Amazon’s ability to cut prices and rely on volume—especially with e-books—hurts publishers who still rely on traditional distribution channels, even as consumers rejoice at low prices and more choices. More people report reading books today than ever before. Last week, we saw the ugly conclusion of another effort to push back against Amazon’s business practices. A coterie of five major book publishers and Apple face an anti-competition lawsuit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice after the group allegedly collaborated in 2010 to increase prices for e-books above Amazon’s favored $9.99 price point. With all but two of the parties in the lawsuit settling the government’s charges, Amazon has promised to return to lower prices for e-books. Whether the book publishers were illegally colluding to raise prices or not, they’re fighting a losing battle. According to Publisher’s Weekly, $887 million worth of e-books were sold in 2010, and the sector has been growing rapidly as iPads and other tablets increase in popularity. Given the cost burdens of paper-book distribution, the dead-tree book is unlikely to be setting book prices for the vast array of consumers a few decades down the road. EDC, the publisher that pulled its titles from Amazon, says that the bulk of its sales still come from traditional distribution lines, and that business has actually picked up since its decision to stop selling on Amazon. The company sells millions of dollars of books outside of Amazon, and its executive is happy to play the role of the scrappy underdog facing down the market-making dictates of the two-ton gorilla Jeff Bezos built. But it won’t be long until someone comes up with a different take on introducing toddlers to the realities of human waste and decides that publishing it directly through Amazon makes a lot more financial sense than going through a traditional publisher. Or maybe it makes sense to collaborate with an e-book publisher, since besides copy-editing and marketing, e-books can include sound effects and animation in the iPad edition, all the better to educate the youth. It’ll be cheaper than Everyone Poops, and probably net the creator a larger share of the proceeds. EDC and other publishers can fight Amazon for a while, but it’s not really the web retailer they’re fighting: They’re pushing back against the power the internet gives creators to distribute their work widely and cheaply. Amazon’s big lead in turning that phenomenon into a business may not be permanent, but the change in the broader marketplace is here to stay. Photo via (cc) Flickr user Joshua KaufmanMayor John Tory doesn't expect a "special levy" on legal marijuana sales will allow Toronto to smoke its way to paying for subways or social housing repairs, but he's still pursuing one. And while one insider expects Tory will get what he wants, at least one councillor has criticized the move, suggesting the city should be doing more consultation work before getting into conversations with the province. Earlier this week, Tory wrote a letter to Premier Kathleen Wynne calling for a levy to help pay for city costs he's predicting will increase once weed becomes legal next summer — spanning everything from law enforcement to public health to property zoning work. Tory says he expects that if the province takes in money — perhaps by applying HST to pot sales — the city will get a cut. He calls it "a matter of fairness." The federal government plans to legalize marijuana by next Canada Day, if not before. But it will be up to the province to determine who can buy it, and how and where the drug is sold. Coun. Jim Karygiannis wants the city to draw the line between medical and recreational marijuana use. (CBC) Ontario Attorney General Yasir Naqvi's office is holding public consultations about what the legal weed landscape should look like, including whether or not it should be sold at LCBO outlets. Tory says he wants the city to have a "seat at the table" in those discussions. However, given the province's rejection of road tolls and, in a closer parallel, its refusal to allow Toronto to charge a local alcohol tax, he says he's not expecting marijuana's legalization to be a windfall for the city. "I don't look to marijuana or anything else as an answer for our other problems at this point in time," he told reporters following a tour of the R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant this week. Councillor blasts lack of debate on city's pot plans Coun. Jim Karygiannis says the city should be consulting with Torontonians about their concerns around marijuana rather than jumping into talks with the province. Karygiannis says there should be a line drawn, for example, between medical marijuana use and recreational use. "What about people that are suffering with PTSD?" he said, adding residents in his ward have already reached out with questions about the potential tax. "This was not even thought about." While he supports Toronto getting a cut of whatever the province makes, Karygiannis says Tory should have discussed the idea with council. "There was no engagement on a big decision like this." 'Downstream' costs coming to city Omar Khan, a former chief of staff with the provincial Liberals who now advises the marijuana industry, told CBC Radio's Metro Morning he thinks Wynne will likely be open to Tory's request. Because the province and city both pay for things like policing, Khan says, they'll both have "downstream" costs as a result of marijuana legalization. However, Khan says he expects any taxation to be moderate as the government tries to stamp out black market operations. "This is probably one of the most complex policy and regulatory decisions of our time," he said. "I think it's absolutely legitimate for the mayor of Toronto and the mayor of all cities to want to be involved."Along the Pacific Coast and around the nation, environmental groups have united with fishing barons to frustrate introduction of a new, genetically modified variety of salmon, called AquAdvantage. Hysteria is their weapon, and hysteria is winning. It must be stopped. Late last year, after being tested since 1995, U.S. Food and Drug Administration scientists approved the unrestricted sale of this seafood which, thanks to having one gene from a chinook salmon, grows without pause, reaching full maturity twice as fast. Fish is good for us, so we should eat more, but 95 percent of Atlantic salmon is currently imported. A faster-growing fish makes sense because it reduces depletion of wild salmon while promoting locally grown, sustainable farming. Consumers pay less for healthier food, nature is conserved — everyone wins. Regardless, environmental groups got California Gov. Jerry Brown to sign a ban on building this kind of salmon farming facility in the state, citing concerns about contamination. They ignored scientists who noted that this breed is incapable of successfully mating with any of the 10 Pacific salmon species and that it is grown in isolated facilities. Since then, Oregon and Washington state have adopted their own measures to promote fear and doubt about the future of sustainable fish. Environmentalists have extracted pledges from more than 60 grocery chains including Costco, Kroger, Target and Whole Foods that they will not stock the product, despite the FDA’s certification. That’s too bad, because the world’s need for GMO salmon is compelling and comes down, in the end, to simple arithmetic. Over the past 50 years, the world’s population has grown from 3.3 billion to 7 billion. Meanwhile, since the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, the share of the world’s population living on $1.90 a day or less has dropped from 35 percent to 10 percent. More people with more income means more demand for better nutrition and diverse diets. Since the mid-1960s, global meat consumption has more than quadrupled. And with the population headed to an estimated 9.7 billion by 2050, humanity’s protein needs could expand another 70 percent. We either have to artificially pick winners and losers for people when it comes to food choice — something no one who advocates freedom supports — or let science and technology be creative. Currently, the ocean serves as an important source of animal protein. In the years ahead it must become the major source. Why? Environmentalists, ironically, say we have no choice. A cow requires 8 pounds of feed to produce 1 pound of body weight. With a pig, the ratio is 3-1. With a chicken, it is 2-1. But while a conventionally farmed salmon has a conversion rate of 1.2 to 1, in this new salmon, with simply one gene from another salmon, the rate is a startling 1 to 1! British science writer Matt Ridley argues that we have reached or are about to reach peak farmland use. He argues that a decline in the world’s farm acreage is coming and may already have begun. With urbanization and other pressures of development bearing down on agriculture, it will be essential for the world’s population to shift to protein sources with more favorable conversion rates. But while fish is an essential part of the answer, catching more wild fish is not. Again, it is a matter of math. According to the World Wildlife Federation, between 1970 and 2012, global marine life was slashed in half. The reasons include decline of habitat — the aquatic equivalent of peak farmland — pollution and overfishing. As Mike Velings, a Dutch conservationist and advocate for sustainable aquaculture, concluded in a recent TED talk, “It’s unlikely, even with the best-managed fisheries, that we are going to be able to take much more [wild fish] from the ocean than we do today.” There is no need to do so. A 21st-century approach to sustainable fish is the obvious answer. Hysteria must not win on this critical issue. Whole Foods may have decided to give the cold shoulder to gene-tweaked Atlantic salmon, but the wealthy elites who shop there have that luxury. Outside the elite circles of people who can afford food as self-identification, family budgets are tight and billions of people around the world are even more vulnerable. Officials like Gov. Brown and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski should stop their war on science — and make the humane, ethical choice. Campbell is president of the American Council on Science and Health and a senior fellow at the Pacific Research Institute.VPN software lets you join private networks as though you're sitting at a local computer on that network, giving you access to shared folders and tons more handy stuff. Here's a look at five of the most popular VPN tools. Photo by Noah Sussman. VPN software brings the security of a private network to an insecure network, and allows you to access private local networks from anywhere. As we've explained in the past, you can do things between computers on your local network you can't from out on the internet: like listen to a shared iTunes library or access files in shared folders. Virtual private network applications give you access to your computer from anywhere on the internet as if you were home on your local network. Earlier this week we asked you to share your favorite software for establishing and maintaining virtual private networks. We rounded up the votes, and now we're back with the five most popular VPN applications. Advertisement Which VPN Tool is Best? There's no place like home when it comes to security, and VPNs allow you to connect into a… Read more Read If you're new to the idea of virtual private networks, you can read up on the technical nitty-gritty at the Wikipedia entry for VPNs. Note: This Hive Five contains both VPN server applications (the apps that create virtual private networks on your local network so it's accessible from the outside world) and VPN client applications (the apps that connect to virtual private networks from the outside world). In many instances companies produce VPN servers, VPN clients, VPN servers with accompanying clients, or VPN clients that are designed to work with a variety of servers. Advertisement OpenVPN is an open source VPN server that's easy to set up for use with open source VPN clients. You can easily export configuration files from OpenVPN to import into a variety of open source and commercial clients. OpenVPN is also integrated into several router firmware packages including popular DD-WRT, OpenWRT, and Tomato. The OpenVPN system isn't compatible with popular commercial VPN providers, but it provides an open source and free alternative for setting up VPNs to expensive and closed commercial models. Cisco VPN (Windows/Mac/Linux, Variable Cost) Advertisement Cisco has a high market saturation in corporate and educational environments, and for many of you, any experience you've had with virtual private networks is through such exposure. The price to run a Cisco VPN is highly variable—and you can't even get a concrete number without a quote from the company—but you can, as an end user, download the free Cisco VPN client for Windows and Mac—though many readers complained about the lack of 64-bit support in the free Cisco client. Advertisement Hamachi's strongest attribute is its ease of use. If you've read some of the other entries in the Hive Five and realized that you don't want a contract for a corporate VPN or the hassle of configuring a bunch of routers with open-source firmware packages, and you just want to set up a simple virtual network between you and your friend, your phone, or your office, Hamachi offers nearly instant deployment. Install the Hamachi client on all the machines and devices you want to connect into your network and add them to your Hamachi VPN and you're done. It's dead simple. The downside, if you're concerned about it, is that your VPN isn't locally managed—it's centrally managed by Hamachi through their servers. Advertisement Shrew Soft offers a VPN that, while popular in its own right, received quite a boost when people started adopting Windows 7 64-bit in droves and found that Cisco wasn't in any hurry to release a 64-bit client to accommodate them. Shrew Soft works with a variety of VPN server protocols including IPsec, OpenSWAN, freeSWAN, and strongSWAN. Windows Built-In VPN (Windows, Free) Advertisement Windows has a built-in VPN client. Surprised? Many people are. It's not a heavily advertised feature, but it covers many people's needs. Before exploring other client solutions, it's worth pulling up the quick launch box in the Windows start menu and typing "VPN" to start the configuration process. In Windows versions prior to Windows Vista, the built-in VPN client received a fair amount of criticism for lacking features and supported protocols. Since Vista and especially in the Windows 7 implementation, it's grown significantly and unless you need a feature or standard that isn't implemented you may not need to install anything at all. Now that you've had a chance to look at the five most popular VPN solutions, it's time to cast your vote in the poll below: Advertisement An honorable mention goes out to the Mac OS X built-in VPN client. Have a VPN tip, trick, or application to share? Let's hear about it in the comments.FOR many observers, Ryan Gauld's decision to up sticks and move to Portugal to join Sporting Lisbon was a brave and adventurous break from the norm. In the eyes of a former colleague from Dundee United, it made perfect sense and brought the slightest pang of envy. A couple of years ago, Scott Allan was the biggest thing to come out of Tayside since the RRS Discovery. Having played just a handful of games at Tannadice and established himself as a Scotland under-21 internationalist, he became the subject of fierce interest from a number of clubs and eventually chose West Bromwich Albion as the place in which to further his career. He left there under freedom of contract this summer to sign for Hibernian, having failed to appear in a single first-team game. Allan spent his time at The Hawthorns being farmed out on loan to Portsmouth, MK Dons and Birmingham City and clearly views his decision to follow the well-travelled path to English football as a mistake. In hindsight, the midfielder believes that learning his trade in Europe would have served him better. Bearing in mind Gauld's highly technical style, he believes there is nowhere better for the 18-year-old to continue crafting his unquestionable skills. "He is a few years younger than me but we all came through with the same youth coach, Graeme Liveston," recalled Allan, a comparative veteran at the ripe old age of 22. "He brought the likes of Johnny Russell and David Goodwillie through too. "I know Gauldy well. He was there from the age of 10, the same as I was, and we went through the system. He is different class and going to a foreign club is the type of move I wish I had made instead of going to an English team. "I think it suits the player I am and I think he has done the right thing going abroad and not choosing to go to England. "In Portugal, the culture is to have players like that. Gauldy plays the way he has always played. He doesn't change his game for anyone. That is why people love watching him because you don't see a lot of that in Scotland anymore." Allan remembers with some clarity the first time he set eyes on 'Baby Messi' in training at United and is not surprised that he has progressed to the senior Scotland squad so quickly. "I had come back from a broken leg, so I went training with the youth team," recalled Allan. "I remember talking to Stevie Campbell, the youth team coach, and shaking my head because he was a step above everyone else even though he was so small. He had only just become full-time, but he is a step ahead of most players and he would play passes others just wouldn't see. "I would have said back then he'd have the ability to go and play for Scotland easily. There are not many players who have that ability, but they don't always come through due to a lack of patience from coaches or just not being given the chance sometimes because of the style the team plays. "He was given the platform to go and play. He is just a quiet boy who loves his football. It's as simple as that." Allan refuses to call for Gauld's inclusion in the starting line-up for Saturday's Euro 2016 qualifying match with Georgia at Ibrox, particularly as the 18-year-old is still finding his feet in Sporting Lisbon's B team, but expects him to become a fixture in dark blue before long. "It is still early to say he deserves to play at international level when you've got guys playing every week who are proven," said Allan. "Gauldy has not had that consistency, but, in time, I would be surprised if he doesn't play for Scotland." Scott Allan was speaking at the launch of the Topps SPFL Match Attax Collection, which features all Scottish Premiership and Championship clubs. It is on sale now.The German Protestant Church put in a good word for Adolf Eichmann, the chief logistics organizer of the Holocaust, after his arrest in Argentina by Israeli agents in 1960, SPIEGEL has learned. The superintendent of the Protestant Church for Upper Austria, Wilhelm Mensing-Braun, based in the Austrian city of Linz where Eichmann spent part of his childhood, wrote a letter to the foreign affairs department of the Evangelical Church in Germany in Frankfurt claiming that the mass murderer "had a fundamentally decent disposition," was "kind-hearted," and was characterized by "great helpfulness." At that time, Eichmann was about to be put on trial in Jerusalem for crimes against humanity. Braun went on that he could not imagine that the former SS officer "would ever have been capable of cruelty or criminal acts." Eichmann's family had enlisted Mensing-Braun's help because they wanted Eichmann to be tried by an international court rather than an Israeli one. Lobbying for Eichmann Bishop Hermann Kunst, the representative of the Evangelical Church at the West German government, passed the letter on to the German Foreign Ministry with the note that the assessment was "at least interesting." That means that not only an Austrian church official, but a German one as well, effectively lobbied the German government on behalf of Eichmann. The intervention didn't work. Eichmann was sentenced to death in 1962 and hanged. Before his arrest, Eichmann had been the most notorious of the Nazi war criminals still at large after World War II. He had been in charge of coordinating the deportation of Jews from Germany and Nazi-occupied Europe to the concentration camps, which made him directly responsible for the murder of six million Jews.These States Allow Religious Exemption for Killing Children 677 SHARES Share Tweet Freedom of Religion is an amazing thing. Throughout history, wherever it has been the law of the land, culture has flourished and people have prospered. But there have always been points at which a belief in the supernatural comes into conflict with the realities of the natural world. And when the balance of power is in the hands of people who choose belief over evidence, those points can be deadly. Such is the case when Faith comes into conflict with Medicine and a child is involved. It is assumed that parents always have the best interests of their children in mind, but for some parents those interests are secondary to upholding a system of belief. This causes them to seek miracles over medicine, prayer over prescriptions, and ultimately– Heaven over help. And in several places in the United States, this practice is upheld by law. The following states have laws on the books that exempt parents from responsibility for the deaths of their children due to opting for treatment based on religious belief rather than evidence-based-medicine: State by state: ARKANSAS – defense to capital murder: It shall be an affirmative defense to any prosecution for capital murder arising from the failure of the parent, guardian, or person standing in loco parentis to provide specified medical or surgical treatment, that the parent, guardian, or person standing in loco parentis relied solely on spiritual treatment through prayer in accordance with the tenets and practices of an established church or religious denomination of which he is a member. Arkansas Code §5-10-101(a)(9)(B) IDAHO – defenses to criminal injury to children, nonsupport and manslaughter The practice of a parent or guardian who chooses for his/her child treatment by prayer or spiritual means alone shall not for that reason alone be construed to have violated the duty of care to such child. Idaho Code §18-1501(4) The practice of a parent or guardian who chooses for his child treatment by prayer or spiritual means alone shall not for that reason alone be construed to be a violation of the duty of care to such child. Idaho Code §18-401(2) IOWA – defense to felony child endangerment and manslaughter The failure of a parent, guardian or person having custody or control over a child to provide specific medical treatment shall not for that reason alone be considered willful deprivation of health care if the person can show that such treatment would conflict with the tenets and practice of a recognized religious denomination of which the person is an adherent or member. Iowa Code §726.6(d) LOUISIANA – defense to criminal neglect, cruelty to children and manslaughter; also privilege The providing of treatment by a parent or tutor in accordance with the tenets of a well-recognized religious method of healing, in lieu of medical treatment, shall not for that reason alone be considered to be criminally negligent mistreatment or neglect of a child. The provisions of this section shall be an affirmative defense to prosecution for the offense of cruelty to juveniles. Louisiana Revised Statutes §14:93(b) In any proceeding concerning the abuse or neglect or sexual abuse of a child or the cause of such condition, evidence may not be excluded on any ground of privilege, except in the case of communications between an attorney and his client or between a priest, rabbi, duly ordained minister or Christian Science practitioner and his communicant. Louisiana Revised Statutes §14:403(b)(5) MISSISSIPPI – defense to contributing to the neglect or delinquency of a child and manslaughter Mississippi’s definition of contributing to the neglect or delinquency of a child at Miss. Code §97-5-39 uses the civil definition of neglect at §43-21-105(l)(i), which includes a religious exemption. Mississippi Code §97-5-39 Mississippi’s definition of manslaughter at Miss. Code §97-3-29 requires the prosecutor to prove the defendant was engaged in the perpetration of a misdemeanor. When parents deprive a child of lifesaving medical care, the prosecutor would have to charge neglect to prove manslaughter VIRGINIA – defense to criminal child abuse and neglect, manslaughter, and failing to secure medical attention for an injured child Any parent, guardian or other person having care, custody, or control of a minor child who in good faith is under treatment solely by spiritual means through prayer in accordance with the tenets and practices of a recognized church or religious denomination shall not, for that reason alone, be considered to have criminally abused or neglected the child. Virginia Code §18.2-371.1(C) WASHINGTON – defense to criminal mistreatment and second-degree murder It is the intent of the legislature that a person who, in good faith, is furnished Christian Science treatment by a duly accredited Christian Science practitioner in lieu of medical care is not considered deprived of medically necessary health care or abandoned. Revised Code of Washington §9A.42.005 These are only the states that include exemptions for children dying due to their parents seeking supernatural treatments such as prayer, rather than seeking medical attention from qualified physicians. Many other states include provisions to cover faith-related causes of Child Endangerment and Neglect: ALABAMA – defense to child endangerment A person does not commit an offense under section 13A-13-14 or this section for the sole reason he provides a child under the age of 19 years or a dependent spouse with remedial treatment by spiritual means alone in accordance with the tenets and practices of a recognized church or religious denomination by a duly accredited practitioner thereof in lieu of medical treatment. Alabama Code §13A-13-6(b) ALASKA – defense to nonsupport There is no failure to provide medical attention to a child if the child is provided treatment solely by spiritual means through prayer in accordance with the tenets and practices of a recognized church or religious denomination by an accredited practitioner of the church or denomination. Alaska Statutes §11.51.120 There are more. In fact, 38 states have exemptions for Child Abuse due to religious reasons. 47 -all but three- states have religious exemptions for vaccination. Some may argue that there’s a difference between allowing a child to die and deliberately killing a child. This distinction, we argue, is bullshit. When you have responsibility for a life that is both physically and legally helpless without you, every choice you make in their care is an act of volition –even choosing to do nothing, or prayer, which are effectively the same thing. Sources: Child Healthcare is a Legal Duty, State Codes and Statutes 677 SHARES Share Tweet PhrostSimply put, Jason Marsden is a dynamic powerhouse in the worlds of acting and voice acting. The charisma he displays on the microphone and on set is second to none. Now he’s gotten on the road to Nashville, Tennessee where he hosts The Mars Variety Show. We had an engaging discussion about how he wants to get involved with music, being the voice of Max in A Goofy Movie, fun times from the set of Full House, the importance of voice acting in video games and much more. So you recently attended the Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival in Franklin, Tennessee. What was that experience like for you? It was the first music festival in Franklin, Tennessee. It went over two days. It was run by Kevin Griffin from Better Than Ezra. Two days of music and the headliners included Willie Nelson, Weezer, Steven Tyler, Cage the Elephant. Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear, they’re a mother/son duo from Kansas City, Missouri. I have to recommend you check them out, they’re amazing. Big Sam’s Funky Nation, they’re from New Orleans. They’re a big funk, soul, rock band with a little bit of metal infused here and there. St. Paul & The Broken Bones from Alabama. There were vendors and great food trucks. It was a good time. For a first time, they put on a heck of a show. Who do you feel put on the best performance? I was so moved by Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear. There’s also these kids in a band in Franklin called Down Boy. The kid must be twenty years old and he sounds like Jack White. It was ten o’clock in the morning and they didn’t care, they just shredded. I have video of it. As far as performance goes, these kids just killed. You told me that you went to see ZZ Top about a month ago. That must’ve been something! What a show! Some friends of mine are in a band called Goodbye June and they, along with Blackberry Smoke, opened for ZZ Top. Just to put it into perspective, Goodbye June and Blackberry Smoke comprise of five or six people in the band and not doing them a disservice, they were outstanding, but ZZ Top comes on stage, three guys…three guys, they get on stage and they commanded like nobody’s business. And it wasn’t just because of their longevity and experience, but something magical happens when they hit the stage. They owned it and they didn’t let us go until the very end. What would you say is the best concert that you ever attended? Man, oh man, maybe Jack White performing at Bonnaroo two years ago. And what was your first concert? First concert I ever went to was Billy Joel. I’ve seen him a few times since. He was at Bonnaroo this year, but I couldn’t go. When you attend concerts, do you ever get approached by fans who recognize you from roles? I do, yeah! Especially when I’m in the Southeast. People watch Step by Step a lot out here, so I get a lot of that. A major role for you over the years has been providing the voice for Goofy’s son, Max. That all started with A Goofy Movie. How did you feel about that first gig as him? Also, how did you feel about the plot of the film? It really helped give Goofy’s character depth, far beyond the classic shorts. At first, I was stoked. I can’t believe it’s been twenty years since we did it. I knew the, dare I say, franchise cause I watched Disney afternoon and Goof Troop was part of that. At the time, Max was voiced by a woman, the late Dana Hill. I only got to meet her a couple times. She was in European Vacation and did a lot of on-camera stuff. She also did a lot of voice-overs. Usually when they make a movie out of a TV show, there’s executives involved and they want to change it up a bit. They wanted a not as cartoony kind of voice, so they were casting real kids. I came in, I read a couple times, booked it and I was over the moon. It was my first animated feature and I also got to work with Bill Farmer, the voice of Goofy, who I’m a big fan of. I was a Disney nerd, I’ve had the bedsheets and everything. I’m surprised I got laid when I had so much Disney stuff in my house! I was surprised about how human they made Goofy and I didn’t really absorb it until watching the finished screening. I completely credit Kevin Lima, the director, and Bill Farmer for giving such a non-cartoony performance, a zany and cartoony character. There’s some really great moments. I love that it’s a road trip, that it’s a father-son thing, especially now that
a single father who battled Taiwan’s bureaucracy to retain custody of his daughter. The film was Taiwan’s official Oscar entry in 2009. The most contemporary of the titles included in the mini-retrospective is director Gillies Ya-che Yang's 2012 film GF*BF about two high school boys and a high school girl caught in a emotionally complicated bi-sexual love triangle during the student movements of 1980s Taiwan. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in Washington, D.C. and the Smithsonian jointly organized the event. Prior to the first screening on Nov. 15, there will be a Chinese tea ceremony open to the public. STORY: Wong Kar Wai's 'The Grandmaster' Leads Taiwan's Golden Horse Nominations The 50th Golden Horse Film Awards ceremony will be held in Taipei on Nov 23. This year’s nominees for best feature film are Singaporean’ director Anthony Chen’s Ilo Ilo, Chinese director Jia Zhangke’s Cannes best screenplay winner, A Touch of Sin, The Grandmaster from Hong Kong arthouse master Wong Kar Wai, Tsai Ming Liang‘s Stray Dogs, and Drug War, from genre veteran, Johnnie To. This year's jury chair is Taiwan-born Oscar winner Ang Lee.Quick - let’s go back to 1996, release this then, and rewrite history. I’ve kept using the same word to describe Star Fox 2 to people: weird. Star Fox 2, the 1996 Super Nintendo game that’s finally seeing release 21 years later, is very weird and is in a lot of ways very unlike any other entry in the nearly 25-year-old series. This is a daring, risky space-faring adventure that manages to totally shift what a Star Fox game is while still staying true to the core ideas of the original Super Nintendo debut. After spending time with Star Fox 2 on the Super NES Classic, I’ve come to realize that the series is worse off for not having this come out as originally intended, because Star Fox 2 is definitely the most interesting Fox McCloud adventure and might also be the best one to boot. While the original and some successors presented distinct levels with three branching paths, the sequel removes that binary progression. A beginning, middle, and end is still built into the progress, but how you get to those points is entirely up to you. That helps make it maybe the most replayable entry in the series. When it begins, you pick two pilots out of a roster six deep (the core four and newcomers Fay and Miyu) and then start in outer space near Corneria. This overworld map lets you move your duo around however you like, engaging in space with errant fighters and missiles hurtling towards Corneria or touching down on planets or battle cruisers to destroy Andross’ growing forces. All of this can be done in almost any order, but risks are involved no matter what you do because the time is always ticking. When you’re in a planet or base, enemy missiles and fighters can still move in space, introducing a degree of real-time strategy. If fighters and missiles do too much damage to Corneria, the game is over. Alternatively, if both of your pilots fall in battles, your playthrough ends as well. Health keeps up from battle to battle and the only way to regenerate is to return to your base or use special items. The default Normal difficulty setting is woefully misnamed, as it would be better off to call it “Easy mode,” as it borders on being a mere tutorial. In my first try, I beat Normal in about a half hour, and subsequent runs would get as low of 20-25 minutes. The complexity is upped in Hard and the unlockable Expert mode, which is where the game shines, adding in significant roguelike inspirations. All three difficulties might share some levels, but each one is done in a different way, making them diverse. The more challenging modes require deft management of resources as you have to figure out ways to move around the overworld efficiently and defending Corneria while making sure progress is being made to take down planets and bases so you can get to Andross. The more deliberate levels aren’t of the rail-shooter variety that made the series famous. Instead, each one is primarily an all-range mode segment where switching between Arwing and Walker is integral. The Walker, first shown to the world in this reality in Star Fox Zero, is on full display here and used to press switches and explore dungeon-like bases. The bases don’t really get that complex until Expert mode, but they weirdly feel like proto-3D Zelda dungeons, as you have to defeat enemies, hit switches, and unlock doors to uncover a boss, all in 3D space. You even have a map to look at during each one, too. The bosses are for the most part all great, making for frantic space battles and ground scuffles. Some of the bosses have been seen and improved upon in later Star Fox games, so the core drawback here is that the series has been iterated upon in the past 20 years. The dogfight battles with Star Wolf, making their series debuts (sort of?) here, are tense affairs, made more challenging by the seeming lack of a lock-on for your charge shot (which was available in the leaked beta but doesn’t seem to have made it into the final version). Gameplay aside, it’s impressive this even runs at all on SNES hardware. Some issues with slowdown and clipping pop up every now and then, but it runs better or at least equal to its predecessor with a whole lot more going on at once. The music, very much in line what was in the original, is excellent, shining brightest when the tunes are pumping on planets and you’re trying like hell to get your mission done and back out in space to defend Corneria. What makes all of Star Fox 2 work so well is the apparent procedural design of Hard and Expert modes. With so many different ideas and elements coalescing into one dense space overworld, so many distinctive things can happen during a playthrough. I’ve had moments where I’ve had to jump from one boss battle right to a dogfight with Star Wolf’s Pigma because of what the map dealt me that time. I’ve frantically run around different planets trying to knock out their missiles before they get launched so that way I wouldn’t have to contend with multiple strikes heading towards Corneria at once. The inclusion of the persistent timer emphasizes expediency in a way that dramatically increases the tension in a way I’ve rarely felt in the series. Star Fox 2 is, in spite of its taxing of the SNES hardware, brilliant. Going into Star Fox 2, I didn’t know what to expect. I had heard whispers of the beta over the years but mostly stayed away from checking it out in any major way. After getting my hands on it after so long, I’m earnestly crestfallen that this didn’t come out as originally intended. This is a daring, unique game that is a little rough around the edges in the modern context, but still holds up as a long lost classic Nintendo game. Despite missing out on two decades of nostalgia, Star Fox 2 is every bit as essential as the majority of the SNES Classic’s library and the world of Nintendo is better for having this game out in the wild for all to play.Proposals are being drawn up aimed at introducing a parking permit scheme in three city wards. Councillor Mark Flynn revealed at a meeting of West End Community Council that Dundee City Council will be revisiting the issue of a residents’ car parking scheme in the area. He said a permit system could also be brought into operation in Coldside and Maryfield. Mr Flynn said: “Based on the feedback from the Engage Dundee process, it was evident that parking issues were high on the list of priorities. “Areas including Coldside, the West End and Maryfield have all faced issues with commuters parking before making their way into the city centre. “We are going to revisit a parking scheme as a solution. “We have asked the executive director of roads to look into planning residential parking zones, although these haven’t yet been finalised. We are looking to put our propositions forward to council in January.” In 2012, the local authority launched a consultation on the introduction of a parking scheme in the West End at a cost of £80 per permit. But the plans were dropped after a consultation found that 80% of residents polled were against the scheme. Responding to the proposals, Councillor Richard McCready said the “devil will be in the detail”. He added: ”This is welcome news and it recognises that something needs to be done. “It is important that the council learns the lessons of the previous attempt at implementing a residents’ parking scheme. “There can be no ‘one size fits all’ solution. We need may need different solutions in different streets. “We also need to recognise that the biggest problem with the previous proposals was that the proposed cost of £80 was just too high. “We also need to do all that we can to cut back on demand for car parking spaces. We need to cut the number of people using their cars and coming and parking in the West End. “We also need to be wary of unintended consequences of any proposals. “We need to be careful about merely moving the problem.”Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party emerged victorious in Monday's by-election races, stealing a seat from the NDP and boosting its vote share across the board. Liberal candidate Adam Vaughan, a former city councillor and broadcaster, nabbed the Toronto riding of Trinity-Spadina from the NDP, while Liberal Arnold Chan boosted the party's vote in holding the long-time stronghold of Scarborough-Agincourt, another Toronto riding. The Conservatives held both their seats but did so while fending off a Liberal surge in Fort McMurray-Athabasca and seeing their vote share decline in all four races. Story continues below advertisement Voter turnout Monday was also exceptionally low, ranging from 15 per cent in Fort McMurray-Athabasca to roughly 30 per cent in Scarborough-Agincourt. A victorious Mr. Vaughan told The Globe and Mail Monday evening that the results are a sign of the Liberals' focus on cities. "The urban agenda is back, the Liberal Party is on the rise, and what won us the election tonight will win us the elections we need to form government in 2015," Mr. Vaughan said, later adding: "I wouldn't have campaigned as hard, and I wouldn't have won as strong a vote as I did, if Trudeau didn't have one enormous following in this part of the city." The Liberal Party has boosted its share of the vote in all nine by-elections since Mr. Trudeau became leader last year, winning two new seats – Labrador from the Conservatives last year and Trinity-Spadina from the NDP on Monday. "We think that's an indication we're headed in the right direction, but there's an enormous amount of work to be done," Gerald Butts, Mr. Trudeau's principal adviser, told The Globe Monday evening. Of Monday's four by-elections, the Conservatives held Fort McMurray-Athabasca, though candidate David Yurdiga received a far lower share of the vote than his predecessor, and Macleod, where John Barlow won easily. The party took 72 per cent of the vote in Fort McMurray-Athabasca in 2011 but less than 50 per cent on Monday. Conservative Party spokesman Cory Hann congratulated the new MPs and emphasized that the party held Fort McMurray despite a major push there by the Liberals, who dispatched Mr. Trudeau three times to the riding. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement "Voters instead chose the strong, stable leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and our Conservative Party. These results show that Canadians know Justin Trudeau is in way over his head. Our strengthened caucus will continue to focus on creating quality jobs, lowering taxes and growing the economy," Mr. Hann said in his statement. In an interview, Mr. Barlow said his resounding victory – he earned two-thirds of the vote – was due to old-fashioned campaigning. "We wanted to make sure people knew what was going on, that we didn't take Macleod for granted. I really set out from the beginning saying I wanted to earn every single vote," he said, adding his No. 1 priority is rebuilding in a region battered by last year's floods in Alberta. He declined comment on the Fort McMurray results, but said the Conservatives remain the foremost champion of Alberta's energy sector. "Especially now, it's about having a prime minister that supports the oil sands, supports pipelines and wants to follow through on those projects. Especially for Alberta right now, those aren't wants, they're needs," he said. The night saw Liberal fortunes rise at the expense of both other major parties. The Conservative share of the vote dropped in all four ridings, as compared to the 2011 election, as did that of the NDP. "People want a united, strong, progressive alternative to Stephen Harper, and we've been working hard to be that. So we're pleased with tonight, but it's a step along the way," Mr. Butts, the Trudeau advisor, said, adding the party's stronger showing in Fort McMurray will be part of an ongoing push for the Liberals in the West. Story continues below advertisement "We're not going to woo people with a grand pitch on one great occasion. We are going to make incremental progress as time goes by and we're going to keep coming," Mr. Butts said. The NDP had poured resources into Trinity-Spadina, the former riding of party stalwart Olivia Chow, but nonetheless saw candidate Joe Cressy lose by nearly 20 per cent. NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair also visited Scarborough-Agincourt, where the NDP assembled a campaign team with ties to its 2011 breakthrough in the city, but the party had only 8 per cent of the vote there Monday. Mr. Cressy congratulated Mr. Vaughan on Monday, a sentiment echoed by the party's national director, Anne McGrath. "I think we had great candidates and ran really strong campaigns, really good campaigns," she said. "[Mr. Cressy] was up against a very well-known city councillor … so it was a tough race." She noted the party lost a by-election in Winnipeg in 2010 before its breakthrough in 2011's general election. "Obviously, it's never good when you don't win in by-elections, but we've had that experience before. All parties have had that experience before," she said. Story continues below advertisement Mr. Vaughan did not mince words when asked what the results meant for the NDP. "You saw the same thing happen to the NDP tonight as you saw happen to the NDP provincially [in Ontario]. When you play politics and you build a party instead of building cities and delivering results, you're going to get hurt at the ballot box. What matters is actually delivering results to people, and Liberals know that when they govern from a position of delivering real programs to real people, majority government is theirs. That's where we're headed and that's what we're looking forward to," he said. The next federal election is scheduled for the fall of 2015.Get the biggest football stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Former England striker and Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer has been awarded a CBE for his charity work, in the Queen's Birthday Honours. Twenty years ago, he was leading England’s attack at Euro 96. Two decades later he is one of the BBC’s top pundits at Euro 2016, which kicked off tonight in France. Cricket star Alastair Cook, who is in action this weekend in the Third Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s, is honoured for becoming the first English player to hit 10,000 Test runs. The 31-year-old opening batsman has steered the side to two Ashes victories in 2013 and 2015, is also the youngest player to reach the milestone. (Image: Getty) Tennis stars Jamie Murray and Leon Smith receive OBEs for leading Britain to Davis Cup glory. The gong for Jamie, 30, comes three years after younger brother Andy scooped the honour following his Wimbledon triumph. And Rugby World Cup Final referee Nigel Owens – frequently hailed as the sport’s top official and one of the most high-profile openly gay men in sport – gets an MBE. They are gongs too for July 7 survivor Martine Wright, who has come a top Paralympian.Platinum Games talks about PC development, Kickstarter-funded games, and becoming its own publisher. Platinum Games, the developer behind console action games Bayonetta, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, and upcoming Wii U game The Wonderful 101, may move beyond dedicated console development to bring its games to the PC, says executive director Atsushi Inaba. Inaba told Polygon at Tokyo Game Show that making games for PC and releasing them through Valve's Steam service — and funding its own projects through Kickstarter — is something the developer is "very interested in." Platinum does not currently have any PC games in development, Inaba explained, adding that the decision on which platforms the company's games are released is primarily up to their publishers. "We haven't released anything on Steam yet, or any PC games for that matter, so I'm not in a position to encourage other people to do so," Inaba said. "However, I used to belong to a big publisher [Capcom]. And if you're at a big publisher, business gets carried on just seeing your game on console. Many publishers don't view PC as an important platform." "It would be great if we could do a Kickstarter and gather enough money for a game to be released on Steam" The Osaka-based developer currently has titles in the works for Wii U, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. "Console game development budgets are really big," he said, "so we need publishing partners to create those games. I was thinking — with our own money — about creating a PC title for Steam. It would give us the possibility to become a publisher, which is very attractive to me." "If you think about the console market in Japan, and compare it to the world, it's not that big," Inaba said. "So I view the PC as an area with huge potential. It would be great if we could do a Kickstarter and gather enough money for a game to be released on Steam." Inaba says he recently visited Valve when he attended PAX Prime in Seattle. He says Valve talked about its future goals, where the company was headed, and "things that we can't really talk about, unfortunately." "We got the impression that they are a very open-minded company," he said. Platinum Games may also return to handheld game development. After releasing space simulation Infinite Space for the Nintendo DS, Platinum's games have only appeared on current generation home video game consoles. That too may change. "We are very interested in the Nintendo 3DS as a platform," Inaba said. "I view 3DS as a proper, straightforward evolution from a platform that has had huge success. Being able to view stereoscopic 3D with the naked eye is a great innovation, but very straightforward, so I'm very interested in it." "Currently we have a lot of titles in development, and we can't fund a 3DS game ourselves," he said. "So there's nothing in the works. But I'm very positive on it."Legit.ng gathered that a Muslim cleric was caught after a failed attempt to use a young lady for rituals recently. The Muslim cleric was allegedly caught after he unsuccessfully tried to kill a young lady for ritual purposes. The incident involving a young lady from Ibadan, was said to have occurred somewhere in Magbon Obele Esepe town in Badagry, Lagos state, recently. The post was shared by a Facebook user identified as Abbey Peterz, who also shared pictures of the suspect and his alleged victim. The Muslim cleric was allegedly caught trying to use this lady for rituals. Photo: Facebook/Abbey Peterz READ ALSO: Man caught trying to use his landlord's daughter for rituals Sharing the post, Abbey wrote: "Wonder shall never end, see ritualist Alfa caught today in Magbon Obele Esepe town in Olorunda LCDA Badagry, try to use this lady from Ibadan for rituals. Please continue sharing it will get to the family of this lady in Ibadan and Authority." READ ALSO: Nigerian man says he is always happy to hear that girls are being used for ritual (photos) See the post below: Na wa o! Meanwhile, watch this video to learn why the ram killed for Sallah must not stay beyond three days in your house:The Twitch Warcraft 3 Champions League Season 3 is a korean tournament organized by JuPanda and sponsored by Twitch. It's played online, on Battle.net asian-servers : Kalimdor for the groupstage. And offline at Seoul (South Korea) for playoffs. The player FoCuS won, beating LawLiet in final. Qualifier [ edit ] 7 players are invited according to their performances in season 1 and season 2, 9 players made it through a qualifier. Groupstage [ edit ] The groupstage consists in 4 groups of 4 players each : played online round robin (a player faces each others once), , all matches are best-of-3, top 2 of each group advance to the playoffs. Dates : group A & B playdays : june 23rd, july 7th & 21st, group C & D playdays : june 16th & 30th, july 14th. Playoffs [ edit ] The playoffs consist in a single elimination bracket : played offline, early rounds are best-of-5, game for 3rd place and Grand Final are best-of-7, Dates : downer quarterfinals : july 28th, upper quarterfinals : august 4th, semi-finals august 11th, game for 3rd place and final : august 18th. Prize Pool [ edit ] KR₩ 5,000,000 ( ≃ $ 4,500) are spread among the players as seen below : according to xe.com conversion rate on 2016-08-18 (KR₩ 1 ≃ 0.00090 USD ). Participants [ edit ] Broadcasting [ edit ] Results [ edit ] Groupstage [ edit ] Group A [ edit ] Group A June 16 - July 21, 2016 1. FoCuS 3-0 2. Sok 2-1 3. Solfa 1-2 4. Yange 0-3 Match List June 23, 2016 - 12:00 CEST FoCuS 2 0 Solfa June 23, 2016 - 15:00 CEST Sok 2 1 Yange July 07, 2016 - 12:00 CEST FoCuS 2 1 Yange July 07, 2016 - 13:00 CEST Solfa 0 2 Sok July 21, 2016 - 12:00 CEST Sok 1 2 FoCuS July 21, 2016 - 13:00 CEST Solfa 2 0 Yange Group B [ edit ] Group B June 16 - July 21, 2016 1. LawLiet 3-0 1. MinHyuk 2-1 3. Free 1-2 4. Nari 0-3 Match List June 23, 2016 - 13:00 CEST MinHyuk 2 0 Nari June 23, 2016 - 14:00 CEST LawLiet 2 0 Free July 07, 2016 - 14:00 CEST MinHyuk 2 0 Free July 07, 2016 - 15:00 CEST Nari 0 2 LawLiet July 21, 2016 - 14:00 CEST MinHyuk 0 2 LawLiet July 21, 2016 - 15:00 CEST Nari 0 2 Free Group C [ edit ] Group C June 16 - July 21, 2016 1. Lucifer 3-0 2. Bany 2-1 3. Agatha 1-2 4. Music 0-3 Match List June 16, 2016 - 12:00 CEST Lucifer 2 0 Music June 16, 2016 - 13:00 CEST Bany 2 0 Agatha June 30, 2016 - 12:00 CEST Lucifer 2 0 Bany June 30, 2016 - 13:00 CEST Music 0 2 Agatha July 14, 2016 - 12:00 CEST Lucifer 2 1 Agatha July 14, 2016 - 13:00 CEST Bany 2 0 Music Group D [ edit ] Group D June 16 - July 21, 2016 1. Believe 3-0 2. ReMinD 2-1 3. Check 1-2 4. Ken 0-3 Match List June 16, 2016 - 14:00 CEST Check 2 0 Ken June 16, 2016 - 15:00 CEST ReMiNd 0 2 Believe June 30, 2016 - 14:00 CEST Check 1 2 Believe June 30, 2016 - 15:00 CEST Ken 0 2 ReMinD July 14, 2016 - 13:00 CEST Check 1 2 ReMinD July 14, 2016 - 13:00 CEST Believe 2 0 Ken Playoffs [ edit ] Quarterfinal FoCuS 3 Bany 0 Sok 3 Believe 1 LawLiet 3 ReMinD 2 Lucifer 3 MinHyuk 1 Semifinals FoCuS 3 Sok 0 LawLiet 3 Lucifer 1 Finals FoCuS 1 LawLiet 3 3rd Place Match Sok 2 Lucifer 3 Map Statistics [ edit ]Advertisement Ibrahim Abu Thurayeh, 29, was taken to al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City after being shot by troops but was later pronounced dead Israeli troops shot dead a wheelchair-bound man with no legs in Gaza today as three other Palestinians were killed during protests, medical officials said. Another 150 were hurt as protests over US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital enter their second week. Disabled Ibrahim Abu Thurayeh, 29, was taken to al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City after being shot by troops but was later pronounced dead. Abu Thurayeh, who had previously lost both his legs, was shot along the border east of Gaza City in the north of the Palestinian enclave, the Palestinian health ministry said. It came shortly after another man nearby was killed in similar circumstances, they added. Local media reported that Thurayeh lost his legs during the 2014 Gaza war with Israel, but this has not yet been confirmed. Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Kidra said the two Palestinians in Gaza City were killed from gunshots to the head. The man in the wheelchair had taken part in several border skirmishes recently, images on social media show him carrying a Palestinian flag Most of the casualties today were on the Gaza Strip border, where thousands of Palestinians gathered to hurl rocks at Israeli soldiers beyond the fortified fence. In the occupied West Bank, another territory where Palestinians seek statehood along with adjacent East Jerusalem, medics said one protester was killed and five wounded by Israeli gunfire. One was a man who Israeli police troopers said was shot after he stabbed and moderately wounded a member of their unit. Reuters witnesses said the Palestinian had a knife and wore what looked like a bomb belt. A Palestinian medic said the belt was fake and pictures showed it still attached to him as he was loaded into an ambulance. Another Palestinian also died from wounds sustained in clashes near Jerusalem, the health ministry said. Today's deaths increase the number of Palestinians killed since Trump's declaration to eight. Palestinians - and the wider Arab and Muslim world - were incensed at Trump's December 6 announcement, which reversed decades of US policy reticence on Jerusalem, a city where both Israel and the Palestinians want sovereignty. Abu Thurayeh, who had previously lost both his legs, was shot along the border east of Gaza City in the north of the Palestinian enclave, the Palestinian health ministry said, shortly after another man was killed in similar circumstances Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Kidra said the two Palestinians in Gaza City were killed from gunshots to the head, including the man with no legs (pictured) Pictured: Ibrahim Abu Thurayeh, 29, can be seen moving through smoke-filled grassland during clashes in Gaza City, Palestine today Palestinians carry the body of 29-year-old Ibrahim Abu Thurayeh into al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City Reuters witnesses said the Palestinian had a knife and wore what looked like a bomb belt. A Palestinian medic said the belt was fake. Pictured: The wheelchair-bound man's body Wheelchair-bound Palestinian demonstrator Ibraheem Abu Thuraya, who according to medics was killed later on Friday during clashes with Israeli troops, is pushed during a protest against President Trump's Jerusalem declaration Pictured: The wheelchair-bound man can be seen among other protesters in Gaza today as Palestinians continue to demonstrate against the decision by US president Donald Trump to acknowledge Jerusalem as the capital of Israel Gaza's dominant Hamas Islamists, which want to see Israel destroyed, called last week for a new Palestinian uprising, but any such mass-mobilisation has yet to be seen in the West Bank or East Jerusalem. There have been almost nightly Gazan rocket launches into Israel, so far without casualties. Israel has responded with air strikes on Hamas facilities, one of which killed two gunmen. The Israeli military said that about 3,500 Palestinians demonstrated near the Gaza border fence today. 'During the violent riots IDF (Israel Defence Force) soldiers fired selectively towards main instigators,' the military said in a statement. It said that about 2,500 Palestinians took part in riots in the West Bank, rolling flaming tyres and throwing firebombs and rocks at soldiers and border police, who responded. The Israeli military said that about 3,500 Palestinians demonstrated near the Gaza border fence today. Pictured: Protesters hide behind a rock during demonstrations There have been almost nightly Gazan rocket launches into Israel, so far without casualties. Israel has responded with air strikes on Hamas facilities, one of which killed two gunmen Gaza's dominant Hamas Islamists, which want to see Israel destroyed, called last week for a new Palestinian uprising, but any such mass-mobilisation has yet to be seen in the West Bank or East Jerusalem. Pictured: A Palestinian protester uses a sling shot to throw stones towards Israeli security forces during clashes with Israeli forces in Gaza Earlier today, a Palestinian wearing what is believed to have been a suicide belt was shot and later died of his injuries after stabbing an Israeli soldier in the shoulder during clashes in the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority Health Ministry named the man as 29-year-old Mohammed Aqal, who was shot a second time after an Israeli officer noticed he was wearing 'what appeared to be a suicide belt', according to the The Times of Israel. The man attacked troops near a military checkpoint in Ramallah amid riots over Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as being the capital of Israel. Dramatic video shows the moment he was shot three times as he retreated on a roundabout before collapsing to the ground. Soldiers can be seen advancing towards him as he lies on the ground - before backing off when they see the device strapped around his waist. It remains unclear as to whether it was operational. Witnesses said he was carrying a small knife. Dramatic pictures capture the moment Israeli troops opened fire on a Palestinian after he knifed one of the soldiers in the shoulder The man attacked troops near a military checkpoint in Ramallah amid riots over Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as being the capital of Israel. Pictures show him retreating as Israeli soldiers opened fire Video shows the moment he was shot three times by Israeli troops as he retreated on a roundabout before collapsing to the ground A Palestinian man clutches his stomach after he was shot by Israeli soldiers after he stabbed one of them at a check point this morning on the outskirts of Ramallah Pictures of the man receiving treatment showed him wearing what appeared to be a suicide vest. However, Israeli police have not commented on whether it was operational In Ramallah, police said the assailant stabbed an officer who was 'lightly injured in the shoulder,' but they did not respond to questions over a possible suicide vest. No independent confirmation could be obtained. The assailant, identified by a medical source as being from Hebron in the southern West Bank, was taken to hospital by Palestinian medics. The Palestinian man starts to fall after being shot by soldiers moments after he went on a stabbing attack at the check point Police said the assailant stabbed an officer who was 'lightly injured in the shoulder,' but they did not respond to questions over a possible suicide vest. No independent confirmation could be obtained. A Palestinian medic Palestinian medics carry the attacker who was wearing what was reported as an explosive belt. He is said to be in a critical condition in hospital The assailant, identified by a medical source as being from Hebron in the southern West Bank, was taken to hospital by Palestinian medics. He was in critical condition, the source said A Palestinian demonstrator uses a sling to hurl stones towards Israeli troops during clashes at a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel Israeli soldiers were involved in clashes in Ramallah on the West Bank today. It is the tenth day of clashes in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza following Donald Trump's speech Palestinians burnt tyres as they staged demonstrations in in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza this afternoon Tear gas canisters are fired by Israeli troops towards Palestinian demonstrators during clashes at a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump Palestinian men clash with IDF in Ramallah, West Bank. Today is the tenth day of clashes in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza following Donald Trump's annoucement Jerusalem is holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians. Israel captured East Jerusalem from Arab forces in the 1967 Middle East War and later annexed it in a move not recognised internationaly. Palestinians hope that part of the city will be the capital of a future independent state and Palestinian leaders say Trump's move is a serious blow to an already moribund peace process. US Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to visit Israel, as well as Egypt, next week Flash point: An Israeli army vehicle drives down the street after a molotov cocktail was thrown during clashes at the main entrance of the West bank city of Hebron Israeli borderguards take aim as Palestinian protestors gather near the West Bank checkpoint of Qalandia, on the outskirts of Ramallah Israeli security forces detain a man in Jerusalem's Old City. Thousands of Palestinians protested again in Jerusalem against US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise the city as the capital of Israel An Israeli soldier shouts as he aims his gun towards protesters during clashes with Palestinian demonstrators in the West Bank city of Hebron today The Israeli military said that about 2,500 Palestinian took part in riots in the West Bank, rolling flaming tyres and throwing firebombs and rocks at soldiers and border police Security is stepped up in Jerusalem as military patrols the streets while Muslims return from Friday prayers Israeli forces were on high alert in the Old City of Jerusalem as Muslims returned from Friday prayers. Heavily-armed soldiers patrolled the streets as worshipers made their way home from prayer. It comes after four Palestinians were killed and hundreds wounded Friday in clashes with Israeli forces as tens of thousands demonstrated against Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. President Donald Trump's December 6 announcement that he would break with decades of US policy and move the embassy to Jerusalem has stirred global condemnation, as well as demonstrations across Arab and Muslim countries. Earlier today three men were killed in clashes between Israeli troops and stone-throwing Palestinians. Two died along the border of Israel and the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian health ministry said, after the Hamas Islamist group that rules the enclave had called for another "day of rage". A third Palestinian was killed in clashes north of Jerusalem after being shot dead in the chest by the Israeli army, the ministry said. The fourth stabbed an Israeli border police officer near a checkpoint on the outskirts of the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, before being shot, police said. An Israeli border police guards from a Muslim cemetery as Palestinians arrive for Muslim Friday prayers in the Old City of Jerusalem Two worshipers arrive for Friday prayers in the Old City of Jerusalem. Israeli forces were on high alert for protests by Palestinians against US president Donald TrumpWay back in 2009, Martin Scorsese came aboard to direct a biopic based on the life of iconic crooner Frank Sinatra. Over the years, there have been a few updates on this project, with writers and cast members coming and going, but production never fully got under way. While promoting his new film Silence, which is currently in theaters, Martin Scorsese confirmed that this project is dead, due to complications with the singer/actor's family. This Frank Sinatra biopic once had stars like Al Pacino eyeing the project, with the director teasing several years ago that he also wanted Robert De Niro to play Frank Sinatra's fellow Rat Pack member Dean Martin. Still, neither of those actors signed on, and there hasn't been any word on the project in quite some time. The Toronto Sun caught up with Martin Scorsese, who revealed that the remaining members of the crooner's family don't want certain aspects of his life on the big screen, which lead to the project being canceled. "We can't do it! I think it is finally over. They (remaining members of the Sinatra clan) won't agree to it. Open it up again and I'm there! Certain things are very difficult for a family, and I totally understand. But, if they expect me to be doing it, they can't hold back certain things. The problem is that the man was so complex. Everybody is so complex - but Sinatra in particular." The last update we had on this project was back in 2012, when screenwriter Billy Ray came aboard to take over the writing duties from Phil Alden Robinson, who was attached to write the screenplay way back in 2009. Producers Peter Guber and Cathy Schulman secured the life and music rights from Frank Sinatra Enterprises. The story will follow the crooner's life from his upbringing in Hoboken, New Jersey to his career in Hollywood where he sold millions of records as a singer and won an Oscar in 1953 for
Steven DeKnight's Sci-fi thriller Incursion Scripts Written And Awaiting Starz's Final Decision By Kelly West Random Article Blend Incursion. With Spartacus: War of the Damned wrapped up, those of us who enjoyed DeKnight's creative and dramatic take on the gladiator's story are surely eager to see what the writer does next. We learned Incursion was in the works, and the latest update is that the writers room is closing up shop on the project, but from the sound of it, that's not actually bad news. It's not really good news either. It's just an update. Incursion has started to ramp down because there are enough scripts written to fit a full series order, should it get one at Starz. The premium cable network tends to send their developing projects straight to series once the decision is made to move forward with them, so if Starz does decide they like what's been written, it'll hopefully mean the full green light for the series. Starz is reportedly currently evaluating it now. DeKnight has gone from the past with Spartacus to the distant future for Incursion, which would be a sci-fi action thriller about a squad of solders fighting in a war against a hostile alien race. It would be set up so that each season, the battle would be fought on a different planet, allowing for some drastically different environments. We talked to From a creative standpoint, you want that kind of excitement. From a standpoint of a war show, it made sense to have a different area of operation each season. Visually, I just found it very exciting. Let's do a jungle, let's do a desert, let's do an ice planet. Let's really explore those environments, and unlike Spartacus, we're actually going to go these locations. So, it won't be on green screen. We'll find a jungle, we'll find a desert, we'll find and ice flow…" Here's hoping things work out for Incursion. It sounds very different from Spartacus, his writing credits include Smallville, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Dollhouse. I doubt I'm alone in hoping for good news for Steven S. DeKnight's sci-fi project. Withwrapped up, those of us who enjoyed DeKnight's creative and dramatic take on the gladiator's story are surely eager to see what the writer does next. We learned last year thatwas in the works, and the latest update is that the writers room is closing up shop on the project, but from the sound of it, that's not actually bad news.It's not really good news either. It's just an update. Deadline says the writers room forhas started to ramp down because there are enough scripts written to fit a full series order, should it get one at Starz. The premium cable network tends to send their developing projects straight to series once the decision is made to move forward with them, so if Starz does decide they like what's been written, it'll hopefully mean the full green light for the series. Starz is reportedly currently evaluating it now.DeKnight has gone from the past withto the distant future for, which would be a sci-fi action thriller about a squad of solders fighting in a war against a hostile alien race. It would be set up so that each season, the battle would be fought on a different planet, allowing for some drastically different environments. We talked to Steven DeKnight about the project at Comic Con last year and he told us they'd be aiming to film in different locations rather than using green screen.Here's hoping things work out for. It sounds very different from Spartacus, but DeKnight has proven he knows how to run a series - and a good one. He also has plenty of writing experience on great shows. Prior to, his writing credits includeand Blended From Around The Web Facebook Back to topOAKLAND — Not until late in the third quarter Saturday did Raiders fans at the Coliseum reach full roar and come out of their seats. A few went out of their minds. This spasm of passion was a response to a single play by the backup quarterback’s backup — in an exhibition game. Terrelle Pryor, entering his second NFL season, is third string on Oakland’s depth chart, nowhere near being a legitimate threat to the job security of backup Matt Leinart, much less starter Carson Palmer. Pryor is a developmental project, and the development is still very much in its early stages. The Ohio State product is, at best, years away from a finished product. But fans bothering to attend the Raiders’ 31-20 win over Detroit are yearning for a revival. They’d sat patiently, witnessing mostly ordinary activity. Irritating penalties (addictions are hard to break) and ghastly displays on special teams (an unwanted new habit) were framed by spurts of offensive production and defensive muscle. The Raiders and their fans, 41,104 in attendance, needed something, anything, to stir the senses. Pryor delivered. On a third-and-6 from Oakland’s 27, with 2:11 remaining in the third quarter, Pryor dropped back to pass, spotted a huge hole and went whoosh. He tucked the ball under his arm, sprinted through the space, racing past defenders, untouched until Detroit cornerback Justin Miller snagged him 59 yards later. “I felt myself flying, going past everyone,” Pryor said. Though Pryor is 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, he moved like a sleek running back. And, suddenly, it was as if the building awakened. For the first time in the game, the Coliseum shook with the energy of momentary delirium. Two plays later, Pryor shook off a tackle and strolled in for a 17-yard touchdown, giving the Raiders a lead (17-13) they would not relinquish in giving first-year coach Dennis Allen his first win of any kind. “We talk about creating habits, and you’re either creating good habits or bad habits,” Allen said. “And today we created a good habit.” Pryor took the field for five possessions, three of which concluded with touchdowns, a display of offensive efficiency not yet seen under Palmer. Pryor’s most notable blemish, a pass intended for wide receiver Rod Streater that was intercepted by Lions cornerback Alphonso Smith, was nullified when Smith was flagged for illegal use of hands. Interceptions happen. All passers are victimized, and Pryor, certainly for now, is more susceptible than most. It’s part of the package that is Tantalizing Terrelle. Given another chance, Pryor two plays later lofted a 39-yard pass that rookie wideout Juron Criner plucked away from Smith, who was flagged for interference, in the end zone for a touchdown with 11:44 remaining. “That was a bad ball,” Pryor acknowledged. “Criner just made a great play.” Pryor made good on the next possession, floating yet another pass, more accurate and with perfect timing, that Criner grabbed before dashing in for a 76-yard touchdown that cracked open what for most of the evening was a close, low-wattage game. The potential for offensive fireworks is why the Raiders nabbed Pryor with a third-round pick in last summer’s supplemental draft. He’s an inferior passer, to be sure, but he’s wrapped inside a spectacular athlete and marvelous runner. He’s flawed but rich with the promise of thrills, the most electrifying Raider not named Darren McFadden. That’s why Pryor is so intriguing and why his work was the highlight of the evening — in contrast to his last appearance here, a dismal showing in Oakland’s exhibition opener against Dallas, after which a Pryor blamed himself for just about everything except the national unemployment rate. What changed? Pryor pointed to several factors, including an increased practice workload, tighter direction from offensive coaches and the constant tutelage of Palmer. “I’m just happy for him,” said Palmer, who’s in his 10th NFL season. “Proud of him.” “He’s like a big brother,” Pryor said. Palmer is the key to this offense achieving its potential. He knows the league, has the arm and brings the intangibles. Pryor is a willing student. That he completed 3 of 5 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns — and ran five times for 90 more yards — suggests he is learning. Contact Monte Poole at [email protected]. Follow him at Twitter.com/1montepoole.On the planet Eternia, Skeletor and his dark army overthrow the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull expecting to acquire her power. He-Man, his old friend Duncan "Man-at-Arms" and his daughter Teela are attacked by Skeletor's soldiers and they defeat them. They also rescue their prisoner, the inventor and locksmith Gwildor. He explains that he was lured by Evil-Lyn that used his invention the Cosmic Key to open the gates and seize the Castle Grayskull. He-Man and his friends retrieve the prototype of the Cosmic Key trying to release the Sorcereress but they are defeated by Skeletor and his army and Gwildor uses his key to open and portal for them to flee. They come to Earth but lose the key. Meanwhile, Julie Winston, who grieves the loss of her parents in a plane crash, and her boyfriend Kevin Corrigan find and activate the key, believing it is a foreign musical instrument. On Eternia, Evil-Lyn locates the Cosmic Key and Skeletor sends her with a group of mercenaries and soldiers to... Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilStox vs. Gnosis vs. Augur Third time’s a charm? what is Floyd talking about? pouncingpancakes Blocked Unblock Follow Following Aug 2, 2017 I was left with a sour taste after the Gnosis ICO. The concept of prediction markets on blockchain has a lot of merit, but selling only 4% of the coins? That’s just about the most centralized decentralized project I’ve ever seen. So who’s going to be the first to build the first actually working prediction market? Gnosis and Augur have been waddling along for several years and actual usage is still far in the horizon. There’s criticism about both projects and now Stox comes along. It seems Stox paid close attention to learn from past mistakes and address some criticized flaws in both Augur and Gnosis. An actual utilization for the coin? The ICO hype at it’s finest. If what you’re doing is selling a token, you’re going to need to give it some purpose. What the hell does it do? why would anyone need it? or is it just an excuse to raise money? Gnosis dropped the ball on this one. The tokens aren’t really related to prediction markets in any meaningful way.. they’re completely generic and could be applied to any fee-based venture. WIZ tokens are just a way to pay fees. And they’re not even the only way, you can pay fees on the platform in ETH. Why would anyone use WIZ then? And then there’s GNO. What does it do? gives birth to WIZ. It’s pretty much just a mechanism that pays a dividend, the SEC is going to love this one. It will be interesting to see how GNO fairs in US-based exchanges with the new regulations that are coming along. What about Augur? REP tokens at least have a purpose related to prediction markets. But they’re focused on a problem that nobody really cares about. Allow decentralized oracles to make decentralized reports? Are people going to buy REP in order to report who won in the soccer match? A well-designed token grows in value if it generates demand. Take a look at ETH, people need ETH to run contracts (and invest in ICO’s running on these contracts) so there’s demand and the value goes up. What’s the premise of prediction markets? betting on event outcomes. That’s the economy of this concept and that’s what most people are going to use these platforms for. In both Gnosis and Augur, you bet with any of the popular tokens — ETH, BTC or whatever. So the main action is happening with another unrelated token? Are you trying to generate demand for ETH? Stox play a different game and goes all in on STX. There’s no other token. You want to participate in an event, you buy STX. I can understand the ongoing demand here. What about actual users? traffic? People are always complaining that the current blockchain solutions aren’t scalable enough. “Ethereum can only do ~10 transactions/sec”. Well, how many projects today have a working product that actually needs more due to real usage? The ICO’s themselves are probably the only one. The biggest plague of consumer-oriented blockchain projects is that nobody really knows how to bring traffic. It’s a well known rule in the consumer app space that traffic is usually what kills startups. You can have the best product in the world and the finest technology, but you fail to market, you fail to get traffic in a sustainable way — and your project dies. What is the greatest risk for a prediction market platform? that nobody is going to use it. Traffic. This should have been a central part of the discussion in both Augur and Gnosis. Both have teams that are well versed in crypto, but technology doesn’t win the battle here.. what are their plans to get traffic? is there anything more solid than just saying “we’ll allocate money for partnerships”? Augur and Gnosis have both been in development for years and raised significant funds. How many actual users do these platforms have? Stox actually has a decent answer here. The team has real experience in bringing traffic to similar projects, relying on experience from invest.com that did demonstrate ability to market in the real world and get actual mainstream investors to use their non-blockchain platforms. If invest.com manages to bring its existing customer base to use Stox after launch, they’ll be in a position to immediately win the real usage battle. Another improvement is that unlike Augur and Gnosis, the project actually took the time to bake a traffic and growth plan right into the model. Crypto projects all revolve around incentives. They design a token that creates monetary incentives for behaviors they deem important. If traffic is such a key part, it should be reflected in the model. Stox have a provider/operator syndication mechanism that incentivizes companies like invest.com with an active customer base to bring their traffic into the network for a cut of the fees. What is the elevator pitch? If you had to sum up each of the projects in one sentence, what would it be? What is the main idea? what is the team trying to achieve? For Augur, it would probably be something like “theoretically sound model for pure decentralization in prediction markets”. The project is focused more about theory than practice. As long as there are proofs that the theory holds up, it doesn’t matter if it’s even practical. That’s why event resolution of 8 weeks comes up as a serious part of the solution. Who’s going to wait 8 weeks to know if their bet on a soccer match panned out? For Gnosis, the pitch would be something like “we want to be Google, collect knowledge and be able to make quality predictions”. Which is a nice concept in theory, but it doesn’t generate a lot of value in the short run. I don’t know if prediction markets is the way to build the Google of the blockchain. It sounds nice in theory that people will buy insurance by creating prediction events about their own misfortune, but it doesn’t sound down to earth. Stox’s pitch would be “we want to create a business around prediction markets where everybody could make profit”. I think a heavy business focus is healthy. Prediction markets can be turned into a business. Operators will profit from acting as market makers, users will profit from making knowledgeable bets. We’re all here eventually to make money. A pitch that incorporates a business plan is definitely a step in the right direction. Execution? Another pitfall of too many crypto projects lately is faulty execution. Too many projects are being built by teams that lack the experience to manage the amount of money flowing in. Just a few recent announcements about Augur show some trouble in this regard. REP and solidity migration, founders leaving and so forth. How can you guard against these sort of things? Maybe it’s the time to set a higher standard and expect more solid teams with experience of running a big business / manage millions of dollars. Greed? Last but not least.. like we said before, there’s a lot of money flowing in the crypto space at the moment. It’s easy to lose a sense of what’s fair and what’s appropriate. Decentralized platforms like Gnosis cannot sell 4% of the tokens without explaining what’s the rest is for. Considering that Augur is at $202M market cap and Gnosis at $225M market cap, Stox show up with a very down to earth approach. Cap is at $30M. Selling 50% of the tokens. These are numbers I find easier to swallow.You surely didn’t think that the governing elites would let this economic crisis pass without pushing some cockamamie scheme for control. Well, here is the cloud no bigger than a man’s hand, a revival of a 60-year-old idea of a global paper currency to fix what ails us. The IMF study that calls for this is by Reza Moghadam of the Strategy, Policy, and Review Department, “in collaboration with the Finance, Legal, Monetary and Capital Markets, Research and Statistics Departments, and consultation with the Area Departments.” In other words, this paper shouldn’t be ignored. It’s a long-term plan, but the plan has the unmistakable stamp of Keynes: “A global currency, bancor, issued by a global central bank would be designed as a stable store of value that is not tied exclusively to the conditions of any particular economy…. The global central bank could serve as a lender of last resort, providing needed systemic liquidity in the event of adverse shocks and more automatically than at present.” The term bancor comes from Keynes directly. He proposed this idea following World War II, but it was rejected mostly for nationalistic reasons. Instead we got a monetary system based on the dollar, which was in turn tied to gold. In other words, we got a phony gold standard that was destined to collapse as gold reserve imbalances became unsustainable, as they did by the late 1960s. What replaced it is our global paper money system of floating exchange rates. Where Keynes Went Wron... Hunter Lewis Best Price: $1.98 Buy New $13.69 (as of 06:30 EST - Details) But the elites never give in, never give up. The proposal for a global currency and global central bank is again making the rounds. What problem is being addressed? What is so desperately wrong with the world that the IMF is floating the idea of a world currency? In a word, the problem is hoarding. The IMF is really annoyed that “in recent years, international reserve accumulation has accelerated rapidly, reaching 13 percent of global GDP in 2009 — a threefold increase over ten years.” You see, monetary policy isn’t supposed to work this way. In their ideal world, the central bank releases reserves and these reserves are lent out, leading to a boom in consumption and investment and thereby global happiness forever (never mind the hyperinflation that goes along with it). But there is a problem. The current system is nationally based and so the economic conditions of one country turn out to have an influence on the borrowing and lending markets. Without borrowers and lenders, the money gets stuck in the system. The Case Against the Fed Murray N. Rothbard Best Price: $2.40 Buy New $4.08 (as of 04:15 EST - Details) This is a short history of the last two years. By now, if the Fed had its way, we would be awash in money. Instead the reserves are stuck in the banking system. It’s like the whole of the population of the United States has suddenly been consumed by the moral advice: neither a borrower nor a lender be. And why? Well, there are two reasons. Borrowers are just a bit nervous right now about the long term. They are watching balance sheets day by day, consumed with a weird sense of reality that had gone out the window during the boom times. Meanwhile, the bankers are just a bit risk averse, happier to keep the reserves in the vault than toss them to the winds of fate. They have the bank examiners breathing down their necks right now, and lending doesn’t pay well, not with interest rates being suppressed down to the zero level. Under these conditions, yes, hoarding seems like a pretty good idea. What’s more, we should be very grateful indeed for this retrenchment. The idea of plunging back into another bubble seems rather shortsighted. The IMF has a problem with this practice, though it doesn’t dwell on it. The problem is that this practice of maintaining high reserves is putting a damper on consumption and investment, prolonging the recession. The simple-minded solution coming from the high-minded eggheads at the IMF is to find some system, any system, that would push the money from the vaults into the hands of the spending public. Speaking of Liberty Llewellyn H. Rockwell Jr. Best Price: $1.80 Buy New $2.40 (as of 04:50 EST - Details) The rationale for the global currency and global central bank is that the reserves could always find a market in a globalized system, and would not therefore be so tied to the exigencies of a nationally based banking and monetary system. An academic paper can wax eloquent for hundreds of pages about the advantages of a global system. It will lead to more stability, efficiency, and less politicization of money and credit. And truly, there is a point here: a real gold standard is always tending towards a global currency system. Different national currencies are merely different names for the same thing. But there is a key difference. Under a gold standard, the physical metal is the limit and the market is the master. Under a global paper system, the paper provides no limit whatsoever and the politicians are the masters. So there is no sense of talking about the glories of globalization in the current context. A world paper currency and world central bank would heighten the moral hazard and lead to a global inflationary regime such as we’ve never seen. There would be no escape from political control at that point. Every proposal of a drastic solution such as this always comes with a warning of some equally drastic consequence of failing to adopt the proposal. In this case, the IMF actually raises questions about the survivability of the dollar itself. “There has been a long-running debate speculating on whether the dollar could collapse,” says the paper. It raises the worry that if a run on the dollar materializes, central banks could attempt to race each other to dump it permanently. But, the paper points out, many people wonder whether “good alternatives to the dollar exist.” And for this reason, it might be a good idea to cobble together such an alternative sooner rather than later. There is probably more truth in that statement than most people want to grant. But the right alternative is not yet another and more global experiment in paper money inflation. God forbid. If we want an alternative to the dollar, there is one that could appear before our eyes if only we would let it happen. Private currencies traders the world over could, on their own, give rise to a new currency rooted in gold and traded by means of digital media. On many occasions over the last 20 years, such a system nearly came to be. But guess what? The government cracked down and stopped it. The governing elites have decided that there will be no currency reform unless it comes from the marble palaces of the monetary elites. The Best of Lew Rockwell The Best of Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.On the morning of March 3, fallout from the Crimea crisis hit the European energy market. Over fears of a gas supply disruption similar to the 2006 and 2009 Russia-Ukraine gas crises, the benchmark oil price rose by 2%, gas futures climbed by 10% and Russian gas giant Gazprom's shares fell by 13%. However, not all consumers of Russian gas share the same level of risk. While EU members have developed some measures to reduce their energy security vulnerability, Turkey’s vulnerabilities have not changed since the 2009 crisis. Russia’s gas-export monopoly, OAO Gazprom, announced March 1 that it may end the December 2013 agreement between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s overthrown President Viktor Yanukovich to supply Ukraine gas at a cheaper rate. This sounded new alarms in the European energy market over the gas-disruption risk via pipelines crossing Ukraine, as happened in 2006 and 2009. Despite the panic, EU member countries are much less vulnerable to anything similar to what happened in 2009. The financial crisis has reduced energy consumption rates in Europe, while supply measures (such as an increase in storage capacity, the diversification of supply routes and the expansion of gasification terminals) have made EU-member countries less vulnerable. Conversely, Turkey, with an annual energy-demand growth rate of around 4.5% and no new energy security measures, remains calm even on the eve of a major Eurasian gas crisis. One quarter of all energy consumed in the EU is gas, and 58% of this gas is imported. Of this, 42% comes from Russia, and around 80% of EU gas imports from Russia pass through Ukraine. Among the eight new Eastern European member states, dependence on Russian imports averages 77%. Turkey uses natural gas to produce 32% of its electricity, and the country imports some 46.6 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas from four gas pipelines. Two of these pipelines — West Gas (with a 16 bcm capacity) and Blue Stream (14 bcm) — transfer the Russian gas that constitutes the largest share of Turkey's gas supply at 58%. In 2006 and 2009, Russia used its gas monopoly as a political weapon in its dispute with Ukraine, cutting gas flows to the European Union via Ukraine. The Western Balkan gas routes were completely disrupted. Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia and Turkey’s gas supplies were all severely damaged. Very low levels of gas flow were reported from Poland and the eastern Romanian entry points. Eastern Hungary received only 20% of its normal gas supply, which also affected supplies to Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. And on Jan. 7-20, no gas came to Europe and Turkey from Russia. During the 2009 crisis, Turkey overcame supply difficulties via increased Blue Stream volume and supplemental supplies in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Vitol sold Omani spot cargo to Turkey, apparently rerouted from Spain. Algerian suppliers also made two consecutive LNG deliveries to Turkey within a week. After this crisis, the EU recognized its energy security vulnerability and launched several projects to minimize it by diversifying natural gas import routes and increasing the share of LNG in the total gas supply. Conversely, Turkey did neither of these things, and handles today’s events with the same infrastructure it had for the 2009 energy crisis. Multiplying gas supply routes was the most important measure taken by Germany, accomplished when it invested in the Nord Stream gas pipelines. The Nord Steam pipeline supplies Russian gas to Germany via Belarus and the Baltic Sea, cutting the proportion of Gazprom's Europe-bound exports that transit via Ukraine by around 50%. Turkey, having a comparable level of gas dependence on Ukraine-controlled routes, in the last eight years has only managed to sign a few agreements with Iran and Azerbaijan and did not add any new supply routes. This makes it still dependent on Western gas pipelines passing through Ukraine. In terms of gas-storage capacity and stocks, Gas Infrastructure Europe, which represents the gas-infrastructure industry, estimated that in late February 2014, European gas storage was 10 percentage points higher than this time last year, and about half full. As with road diversification, Turkey is not in a better position than it was in 2009. The country still has limited storage capacities, around 3 bcm in total (about 5% of the demand), with a sending-out capacity of some 58.5 million cubic meters (mcm) per day. There are two storage facilities under construction — one in Silivri and the other in the Tuz Golu region, but neither would be sufficient to help Turkey overcome a potential gas supply risk. The same issue exists for LNG regasification terminals. Turkey still has two such terminals with a total maximum annual capacity of 14 bcm. BOTAS owns the Marmara Ereglisi LNG Terminal, which has a maximum send-out capacity of some 22 mcm per day. Ege Gaz operates the Aliaga Terminal, with a capacity of 16.4 mcm per day. In 2011, around 6.5 bcm of natural gas was imported in the form of LNG. These LNG regasification terminals are not sufficient to meet increasing gas demand. In this frame, it is also hard for Turkey to count on buying future supplies of US shale gas in the event of a disruption in Western gas pipelines. While Europe has been increasingly installing specialist terminals that will allow gas to be imported from countries such as Qatar and the United States in the form of LNG, Turkey has not. Moreover, European stakeholders have one more reason to be less afraid of a gas crisis, as consumption rates are now stagnant. Indeed, European gas demand in 2013 was at its lowest level since 1999. Meanwhile, in Turkey the energy demand growth rate is still above 4% per year. All in all, Turkey’s gas supply security is still as vulnerable as it was during the first Russia-Ukraine gas crisis. In the last eight years, Ankara’s energy-security vulnerability has helped enhance the country’s ties with Russia, while some European countries have become less entwined with Russia in the course of effective measures taken after the last two gas crises. Therefore, in the case of an energy crisis, Turkey will be unable to disassociate itself from Russia due to its continued reliance on Ukraine-transiting gas.Below is the Cleveland Browns team analysis. From now until the end of preseason, Step Ahead Fantasy will be featuring two NFL teams a week starting from the worst ranked team and working our way up to the best ranked team. Our analysis will not only provide insight into fantasy football and the player dynamics, but we will also cover some fun facts about the team and their location. The Cleveland Browns - AFC Est 1946 Team Analysis: It'll be hard to trust anyone from the Browns in fantasy this coming season. The big reason, their quarterback situation is among the worst in the NFL. Currently, the leader to start the season is second-year man Cody Kessler. He has knowledge of coach Hue Jackson's offense and wasn't horrible in 2016 (6 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, and 1,380 yards). Competing against Kessler will be veteran Brock Osweiler (traded from the Houston Texans), second-year man Kevin Hogan, and rookie DeShone Kizer. Kizer is the future at the position but he's just to raw to expect much from in 2017. With the quarterback situation unclear the Browns will most likely rely heavily on fourth-year running back Isaiah Crowell. Last season, Crowell rushed for 952 yards on 198 rushes (4.8 yards per carry) and seven touchdowns. He should no doubt be able to provide value to fantasy owners as a number two running back and offers some upside. The upside is mainly because the Browns front office made it a point to improve the teams offensive line. They added guard Kevin Zeitler (five-year, $60 million) and center J.C. Tretter (three-year, $16.75 million). Both Zeitler and Tretter should have a huge impact on the Browns offense. Especially, when they are added to a line that already has All Pro left tackle Joe Thomas, guard Joel Bitonio, and former first round pick Cameron Erving. The Browns new look offensive line is why you'll hear some hype about Crowell this offseason. Backing up Crowell at running back is Duke Johnson Jr., who will offer some value in PPR (points per reception) leagues but not much at all in standard formats. In two season with the Browns, Johnson has 114 career catches. The players that are going to be the most effected by the poor quarterback play will be the receivers. Atop the depth chart is newly signed veteran Kenny Britt (four-year, $32.5 million) and last years first round pick Corey "CoCo" Coleman. Both Britt and Coleman will offer fantasy owners value as a third receiver on fantasy rosters. Neither have a ton of upside because of the quarterbacks throwing them the ball. Britt is the safer of the two as a big possession receiver that the young quarterbacks will lock onto early and often. One player every fantasy owner will want to keep an eye on is suspended receiver Josh Gordon. The all-world talent hasn't played football in a long time but he was a top-5 receiving talent at the position just a couple seasons ago (1,646 yards receiving in 2013). If he is reinstated and is ready for Week 1, Gordon offers the most upside of any Browns player! Fantasy owners will also be lured into the idea of drafting the Browns rookie tight end David Njoku. Don't do it! Rookie tight ends tend to struggle with learning the position and most of the time aren't worth keeping on rosters in fantasy. Lastly, stay away from drafting the Browns defense in fantasy as well as their kicker Cody Parkey. Favorite Fantasy Player: Isaiah Crowell, RB Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/i_crowell1/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/IsaiahCrowell34 Football Fact: They are the only team in the NFL that do not have a logo on their helmet and they are named after a specific person, original coach Paul Brown. Unrelated Fact: The house from “A Christmas Story” is in Cleveland, Ohio and so is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Game Day Recipe: The Polish Boy is a sausage sandwich native to Cleveland. If your favorite team is playing the Brown’s one week make sure to check out this recipe. Celebrity Fan: Brad PaisleySeated before a table covered in a knit blue cloth, a researcher hands a young girl a peculiar device. Attached to one end is a small cardboard tube; to the other, a large clear bag. The child grasps the rig with her left hand, places her lips around the cardboard, and lets out a long, slow exhale. “Good, good, good,” coos the researcher. “Can you do one more?” The girl leaves her lips around the mouthpiece, inhales through her nose, and lets another breath go. The bag, which someone has labeled “269” in Sharpie, crinkles as it swells with air. “Good! OK, all done,” says the researcher as she stoppers the collection device and sets it aside. Inside the bag, hundreds of molecules are swirling around—some of which might just clue scientists into an infection. To find out, they’ll pass her expired air through a narrow metal cylinder packed with a compound-trapping molecular sieve, seal the vessel at both ends with a twist of a wrench, and ship it from the pediatric care center in Lilongwe, Malawi to a laboratory at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. There, analytical chemists are dissecting these samples in search of a breathprint—a distinctive set of compounds that could serve as the world's first breath-based test for malaria. A Malawian child practices breathing into an early version of the breath-collection device used in the study. Later versions were attached to large, clear bags that were easier for children to inflate. Indi Trehan Today, every malaria diagnosis begins with blood. In the gold standard test, doctors spread a drop on a glass slide, stain the sample, and inspect it beneath a microscope. If the parasite is present, it’ll show up purple against a pink backdrop of blood cells. These "blood smears" are relatively straightforward to perform, but tough to implement in rural, resource-starved parts of the world. So-called rapid diagnostic tests are an increasingly common solution. They're cheap, easy to use, and accurate. Trouble is, RDTs work by detecting a protein called HRP2, and a growing number of reports suggest Plasmodium falciparum (the deadliest malaria-causing species) is learning to not produce the molecule. "It's a very tricky parasite," says Washington University microbiologist Audrey Odom John, the infectious disease expert who led the Malawi study. "And now we're literally losing one of the most effective tests that we have." Fortunately, nature may have provided a workaround. Malaria is not airborne—the sickness spreads by way of mosquitoes—but researchers have started to suspect that respired air may carry clues to its transmission. Various studies suggest malaria may actually alter the molecular content of human exhalations, enticing mosquitoes to feed on infected humans and accelerating the parasite’s spread. But malaria’s capacity for mosquito mind-control could also make it a prime target for breath-based diagnosis. Back in Odom John’s Washington University laboratory, she and her team compared the molecular compounds in the breath of two groups of kids: one with malaria, the other without. They found six compounds whose concentrations varied dramatically between the groups. They were the diagnostic markers the researchers had been looking for. (Odom John declined to identify the compounds by name, as her team's study is currently under review for publication.) By summing the relative abundance of each compound, the researchers came up with a diagnosis for each child. They were right 83 percent of the time. Children at a pediatric care center in Lilongwe, Malawi practice the breath-collection procedure by inflating examination gloves. Indi Trehan That's not as accurate as blood smears or RDTs, which give correct diagnoses more than 90 percent of the time, and this first experiment tested just 35 subjects—but it's a promising initial result. And those six compounds weren't all the researchers found. Also floating around in the breath of children with malaria were high concentrations of compounds known as terpenes. Typically associated with the aroma of plants like pine trees, terpenes are a known mosquito-attractant. That they were showing up at elevated levels in the breath of malaria patients suggests the odor may attract mosquitoes to infected humans, facilitating the parasite's spread. “It’s very exciting, because they've made what seems like two major discoveries in a single piece of work,” says University of Alberta microbiologist Stephanie Yanow, a malaria expert and assistant scientific program chair for the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene’s annual meeting, where Odom John and her team are presenting their work this week. At the same time, she says, the terpene finding is sobering. “It’s showing us how clever this parasite really is.” Not to mention deadly. Malaria kills upwards of 400,000 people a year, most of them children in sub-Saharan Africa, where new diagnostic methods are needed most. "I'm used to seeing patients
this will not happen today because the rains haven’t even started,” said Con Ed Spokesman Chris Olert. Con Ed is also shutting down 10 miles of steam near flood zones to prevent explosions if hot pipes come into contact with cold water. PHOTOS: 11 Worst Hurricanes \| Hurricane Irene Flooding could cause severe damage to underground cables, transformers and other equipment if power were left on. Olert says a shutdown “allows us to do repairs more quickly and safely.” Flooding will also be a problem for nearly 270,000 New Yorkers who live in the low-lying areas. “The danger for to us here is from the storm surge,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Saturday. “There’s no evidence that the forecast for that is changing. It’s going to be a very serious thing as far as we can tell now.” Bloomberg ordered the mandatory evacuation of all residents in the coastal areas dubbed “Zone A” and also extended the mandatory evacuation zone to include all of the Rockaways. Should Con Ed cut power as a precaution? Sound off in our comments section below… (TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)If Mike Smith is going to be traded this summer, the Arizona Coyotes now know from whom to take inquiries. Smith, who has two years remaining on a deal that carries a cap hit of $5,666,667, has submitted a list of eight teams he is against being dealt to in accordance with his modified no-trade clause, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports. Related: Is Mike Smith a fit for the Flames' crease? Meanwhile, LeBrun adds, John Chayka is in "listening mode" only, which falls in line with the general manager's recent assertion that while Smith is the team's rock, his standing isn't so firm as to render him untradeable. "His value is extremely high but if someone wants to pay an even higher value for him, that's the industry," Chayka said. Smith, 35, posted a record of 19-26-9 with a.914 save percentage in 55 appearances with the Coyotes this past season.Authorities are searching for a rookie Los Angeles police officer considered a person of interest in connection with the fatal shooting of a man in Pomona on Friday, law enforcement officials said. The probationary officer, identified as Henry Solis, 27, was off-duty at the time of the killing near a bar district of downtown Pomona, and he has not reported to work since then, Pomona police said in a statement issued Saturday evening. Investigators "have reason to believe that he knows the police are looking to talk to him," the statement said. Cmdr. Andrew Smith, an LAPD spokesman, said Solis joined the department in June. After graduating from the academy, he was assigned to the Devonshire Division in the San Fernando Valley, where he has worked since November. Smith said Solis had an "unremarkable" history and "no disciplinary issues" since joining the LAPD. Smith said that Solis failed to report to work Saturday morning and that his supervisors weren't able to locate him by phone. Pomona police later advised the LAPD that Solis was a person of interest in their case, Smith said. Smith said it was "too early to comment" about the officer's possible involvement. He said the LAPD was assisting Pomona police in locating Solis. "We're obviously going to cooperate with them to every extent we can to provide them with any information they need," Smith said. Pomona police said the fatal shooting occurred about 3:30 a.m., when police received multiple 911 calls reporting gunshots in the area of Third and Main streets. The shooting followed an altercation at a bar in a district of downtown Pomona packed with nightclubs and lounges, Pomona Police Cpl. Rich Martinez said. The fight proceeded down the street to about a block away from the bar district, where the shooting took place. Officers arrived to find a 23-year-old man who had been shot in the lower torso. Paramedics took him to a hospital, where he died. On Saturday, police identified the dead man as Salome Rodriguez of Ontario. Pomona police have provided few other details about the shooting. On Friday, police said it was unclear if the two men knew each other. Solis, a Pomona resident, was described as 5 foot 9 and 185 pounds. He drives a silver or gray 2013 Volkswagen Jetta. The license plate is 7FAS527. "We're actively looking for him," Martinez said. "We don't know what his level of involvement is, but we want to talk to him." Anyone with information about the shooting or Solis' whereabouts is asked to call Pomona police detectives at (909) 620-2085.Not surprisingly, North Korea blames the United States for the recent Internet outages. North Korea suffered two Internet outages in just a few days. Recently, the FBI put out an official statement claiming that North Korea was behind the attacks on Sony Pictures and President Obama has stated that he holds the North Korea responsible and that the United States will retaliate, while considering putting North Korea back on the list of terrorism sponsors. North Korea responded to this by threatening to attack if the U.S. indeed does retaliate. After these claims, the North Korean Internet went out for about 9 hours on Monday, followed by an outage again on Saturday for about five hours. In response to the outages and to Obama’s claims, an unknown North Korean official stated that “Obama always goes reckless in words and deeds like a monkey in a tropical forest.” The North Korean National Defense Commission added in a statement: “The United States, with its large physical size and oblivious to the shame of playing hide and seek as children with runny noses would, has begun disrupting the Internet operations of the main media outlets of our republic.” The statement further reads: “Obama had better thrust himself to cleaning up all the evil doings” that the United States has perpetrated against the North. Of course, North Korea is denying any sort of involvement in the hacking of Sony and blames the U.S. for rushing to conclusions without proper investigation. This story of Sony, the U.S., and North Korea is clearly getting more tangled every day. Share your opinion on this subject in the comment section below.Photo: Tony Webster \| Flickr \| CC BY 2.0 This article originally appeared on VICE Germany Even if cultural pessimists think we're all smartphone zombies, shuffling from one Tinder date to the next, there are still members of Generation Y who are consciously denying what they regard as the excesses of modern life. The straight edge subculture began as a reaction to the self-destructive behaviour associated with punk in the early 1980s. Early straight edgers wanted to use the liberating, emancipatory potential of punk and hardcore to fight for a better world with clarity of mind. Many also rejected promiscuity because they saw treating others as sex objects as inhumane and misanthropic. The movement chose an X on the back of the hand as its trademark, taken from the X that minors would be given when entering American clubs to prevent them from being served alcohol. Today, the intersecting lines still adorn album covers of certain hardcore bands and human bodies in the form of tattoos. Often they also serve as usernames social networks. What started as an avowal to a positive mental attitude and a clean, self-determined life, these days seems to align itself against the social pressure to be intoxicated and the superficial ego boost of promiscuity. We spoke to five straight edgers about their lifestyle choice. All photos courtesy of the interviewees Thomas (24) has been straight edge for four years Thomas decided to go completely straight edge when he was 21 – eating vegan and rejecting casual sex. "Casual sex doesn't appeal to me any more. It feels as if I'm treating the other person as a sex object instead of someone who deserves to be loved. It's an inhumane practice and I want no part in it." The subject of sex was once so sacred that he wanted to wait until marriage, so he could be sure to share it with someone "special". "But when I was 22, I felt an enormous peer pressure," he explains. "You feel that you're not normal if you try to get by without sex and I thought that if she was the right one, it wouldn't be breaking with straight edge." But he still has nothing to do with dating apps. "It's harder with substances," Thomas admits. When his girlfriend cheated on him at 15, alcohol seemed to help him escape and socialise. But his new friends didn't make Thomas happy. "I noticed that they were really just acquaintances to have fun with, but there was nothing deeper. It's important to me to not hide who I am and to be myself. I can be just as funny without alcohol and if I'm not feeling funny, I don't force it." He also hates the loss of control that comes with being intoxicated. "I find it embarrassing when people consume alcohol and drugs to open up and mask their insecurities. " "I used to worry about rejection – alcohol in particular seems to be regarded as such an important social tool. Since I've been straight edge, I've automatically had less to do with people that just party and don't take care of themselves. I can't stand people who have excessive sex and do drugs as a hobby." He would rather be alone in the weekend. "Now I have friends I can actually talk to. So many people never realise their potential because all they are fucked up all the time." Neo (22), has been straight edge for five years "I used to drink a fair amount on the weekends and I also smoked cigarettes as well as weed," Neo explains. "Then at some point a friend of mine got close to having a breakdown because of drugs. I looked at my own consumption and decided I didn't want anything similar to happen to me so I drew the line there." Neo was completely inspired by the movement's music. "Back then, I was listening to a lot of hardcore and straight edge hardcore and identify with it." For him, straight edge also has a political component that shouldn't be underestimated. He combines a "positive mental attitude" with a strong anti-fascist stance. His decision to abstain from substances didn't really affect his relationships: "My friends are actually happy to always have a designated driver, who is always up for going to the gigs." But he does worry about them. "I'm obviously critical of many of them falling victim to functioning alcoholism without realising it. You should always be aware of your substance use and what you do when you're high or drunk no matter what it's about." He takes romantic relationships just as seriously – he cannot imagine having sex with someone he doesn't love. Julian (24), has been straight edge for seven years Julian says his decision to go straight edge was complicated. He never drank a lot, "maybe because I was never into doing the same thing as everyone else. I saw what alcohol did to others and when I was 15 or 16, I decided I didn't ever want to act apishly and loose control. I went through a trial period of not drinking and that worked out really well. But then, I went to a festival for the first time and we ran out of water and only had beer to drink." He got into hardcore through a friend. "That's when I understood what it meant to be straight edge and I wanted to be that." None of his close friends are straight edgers but he doesn't see it as a problem: "People should do what they want. As long as they're responsible and don't harm anyone else, I really don't care what they do. But I've had to learn to deal with it. For a while I was really militant and hated anyone who consumed anything. But that mindset didn't get me or anyone else anywhere – you have to find the right path on your own. For him, being straight edge is definitive. "You live your life knowing that you're going to follow through with refusing substances until you surrender." When it comes to choosing a partner, there can be no compromises: "If she smokes, then it's over before we've even met. I won't do that anymore." Anthony (23), has been straight edge for three years "Being straight edge was and is a direct critique of alcoholism, which to me seems to be pervasive because of social pressure. Straight edge and hardcore offered me a way out of that," says Anthony. To him, rejecting substances is directly connected to liberation than other forms of abstinence. "It's got nothing to do with asceticism or religion, it's just a conscious rejection of harmful social practices." He realised just how normal substances were for many when he told his old friend group about his decision to stop drinking. "I felt pressure from everyone, they were all being judgmental." He can still party but with a clear mind. "Over time, I lost contact with my old friends. A lot of my new friends are also straight edgers." But Anthony is more open when it comes to sex: "I don't think there's anything wrong with safe, consensual, casual sex outside of a monogamous relationship – even if I hate the term 'casual sex'. The demonisation of sex outside of a relationship that dominates the scene really bothers me." Marcel (25), has been straight edge for three years Marcel is another long-time non-drinker. "I never really liked being drunk and started drinking less, step by step until I eventually let go of it entirely," he says. He stopped smoking weed at the same time, "even though I always liked that better than being drunk." But he realised that weed was slowing his thought process and that was something he wanted to avoid at any cost. Marcel is convinced that this didn't change his personality. "For me abstaining feels normal – in the same way some people don't like Brussels sprouts and so they don't eat them." That didn't create any conflict in his friend group either: "My close friends don't drink too much either, so me not drinking at all wasn't a big deal. A lot of people think I only started hating people that take drugs because of my abstinence. But the truth is that even when I still drank, I found those guys annoying," He has no interest in telling people how they should live their lives however: "I don't think drugs are cool but people should make their own decisions about what they put in their bodies. I was allowed to make my own decisions. If you want to take drugs, then do that. But stop celebrating it. Marcel thinks dating apps are more fascinating than reprehensible. "To me, straight edge means staying away from things that influence my reasoning. Sex doesn't have to drive my thoughts. If two people are into each other and and having sex is not just about vamping up their broken egos, then I don't see a problem. It's not an edge break. If everyone started fucking in a respectful way, the world would be a much better place."RE-SIGNED Red Tarek Elrich rates Adelaide’s small town serenity the secret to securing a blockbuster 2018 World Cup passage to Russia. Escaping Sydney’s hectic pace for the city of churches allowed a renewal and focus that’s bankrolled career-best form and consistent presence in Ange Postecoglou’s World Cup squads. “Coming here people said my career was finished but I found that spark and love for the game,” said Elrich, now at Coopers Stadium until the end of season 2017-18. ‘The Adelaide lifestyle is amazing, it lets you focus on your football more than the bigger cities. Round 21 Visit Match Centre Visit Match Centre Visit Match Centre Visit Match Centre Visit Match Centre “I am buzzing that the club has rewarded me for hard work. Hopefully I can repay the club and win an A-League grand final.” Elrich loves the camaraderie at United and attacking football philosophy that Barcelona legend Guillermo Amor continues from predecessor Josep Gombau. “I’ve really been enjoying my time here in Adelaide and to have the security of my club football with United leading into a World Cup is massive,” said Elrich, with 196 games for Newcastle Jets, the Wanderers and United since inaugural A-League season in 2005-06. “Now I can do everything to focus on the next World Cup in three years.” Elrich and Reds skipper Eugene Galekovic will land back from the Socceroos World Cup qualifier against Jordan in Amman just as United’s October 9 season opener against Melbourne Victory kicks off at Adelaide Oval. Elrich is ‘hurting deep down’ at missing another shot for atonement against Victory but cherishes every second in camp with the Socceroos. Cementing a spot in Postecoglou’s starting line-up is the former Western Sydney defender’s consuming passion. “I do everything I can to make sure I don’t have a bad day, do everything right. It is never easy starting in that team, we have plenty of quality,” said Elrich, who made his Socceroos debut against Macedonia in Skopje during March. “If you are playing well at your club Ang will pick you. “When I come back, I’ll be aiming to play the football I know I can play and I’ll continue to push myself and get better and better.”Sometimes I hate to write here. I’m bored to death of Assange’s picture on my home page, and of Assange in general. I was one of the guys who believed in the deplorable Wikileaks. I still believe in a free press, a free word and ideas trading. I believe in a free world. But as my wonderful partner use to say, “world doesn’t want to be free”. I’m not a conspiracy theorist, I only try to see the shadows. Very little things happens without a reason. Media is a dangerous instrument. Unfortunately I’ll post here sooner than I wanted, because I never plan to reveal a stupid thing. I was upset when I started this category, it seems I can’t stop, as much as I want to stop. This picture below is what gave me the click for this post, by being promoted on G+. No matter how agreed and loved is Obama by millions, he is part of the same machine. Not only he’s not going to change the world for the best, but he’s planted there to go with the plan, NWO, 1984, Brave New World, The Hunger Games, whatever… [source] the google plus stream, it was a promoted shot. Now, what is going to happen to America if the guns will be banned? It will become a dictatorship like the former countries in the Eastern Europe, Continental China and North Korea, where only the state, police and the mob will possess guns? I have never thought that I ever can agree with an article appeared in Huffington Post, but anyway, in this case I see where the author is taking us. Prohibition; in whatever form, does not work. It didn’t work for alcohol, it certainly doesn’t work for drugs and as evidence shows, will not work for guns either. All outlawing does is willingly gift supply and control to gang cartels and remove things from the hands of law-abiding citizens. Criminals and the mentally ill intent of murder or mass-crime will still be able to get their hands on guns, no matter what the law. – Ellen Grace Jones, in The Huffington Post The United States has by far the highest per capita rate of all developed countries. According to data compiled by the United Nations, the United States has four times as many gun-related homicides per capita as do Turkey and Switzerland, which are tied for third. The US gun murder rate is about 20 times the average for all other countries on this chart. That means that Americans are 20 times as likely to be killed by a gun than is someone from another developed country. – Washington Post The aura of non credibility starts to shine after “The way to honor these dead children is to demand strict gun control, free mental health care, and an end to violence as public policy,” was tweeted by Michael Moore, whose 2002 film Bowling For Columbine was a poster child for firearms regulation. CNN host Piers Morgan implied that even handguns should be banned in America when he tweeted, “This is America’s Dunblane. We banned handguns in Britain after that appalling tragedy. What will the U.S. do? Inaction not an option.” Really? Post – Dunblane (the event after which guns were outlawed in the UK), six years later gun – crime had more than doubled. By 2009 gun crime had escalated by 89%. Remember Elite Squad 2 : The Enemy Within? BOPE wanted just to confiscate the guns from the criminals, “from the streets” actually, opening the road for the controlled organized crime with political assent. “Demand a plan! Demand! Something has to be done!” This is disrespect. In the above video is a circus with the presidential lip sync delegate, Beyonce Knowles, who takes out all the credibility, after the anarchy to create a need for action, for “something must be done” was carefully implemented by letting or, worse, planing small coups to peoples power of reasoning. Who’s gonna believe that someone can be so cruel? You thing that certain assassins were all solitary? I think no one was solitary, every attempt to a big kill, a politician or a celebrity (even the Pope), has an organization behind. When more than two people discuss a plot to any future unfortunate changing in your life, it’s a conspiracy. If you liked what you read (and for that I humbly thank you for your patience), subscribe to this blog by Email! Follow this blog on Twitter, and on Facebook! For a joyous day, check out my pins on Pinterest or my grams on Instagram 😄. I hope you like this blog so much that you think it’s time to take a step further by becoming yourself a blogger; in order to do that have the kindness to read the Own Your Website offer I have prepared for you! You won’t regret. Thanks for passing by 😄 Speak your mind, don’t be shy! Copyright © 2013 Rodolfo Grimaldi Blog – Guns BanSporting Kansas City forward Soony Saad joins the Lebanon Men's National Team today for two upcoming 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Lebanon plays at Kuwait on Nov. 15 and hosts Iran on Nov. 19. "I am thrilled to be selected by the Lebanese National Team and I'm excited to make an impact on the international stage," Saad said. "Hopefully, I'll bring back some good experience to Sporting Kansas City and help us make it to MLS Cup." Saad, 21, scored on his national team debut with Lebanon in a 1-1 draw against Oman in May in an international friendly and became the first player in MLS history to appear for the Lebanon Men's National Team. No. 121 in the latest FIFA rankings, Lebanon has four points through three of the country's six games (1-1-1) in 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualifying and currently sit in third place in Group B, one point behind Kuwait and three points back of group leaders Iran. Sixteen countries will qualify for the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia, including the top two teams in each qualifying group and the best overall third place team. The final qualifying fixture for Lebanon will be played on March 5, 2014. Acquired by Sporting KC via a weighted lottery in 2011, Saad scored in his MLS debut on his 19th birthday and now has five goals and five assists in 36 MLS appearances. He scored two goals during Sporting Kanas City's run to the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championship and also struck twice in the 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League group stage. Saad has previously represented the United States at the youth level, most recently appearing for the U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team in December 2010. He was a member of the U.S. Soccer Residency Program in Bradenton, Fla. for the Spring Semester in 2009 and was the 2008 U.S. Soccer Development Academy Player of the Year. Saad is scheduled to return to Kansas City on Nov. 20 and will be available for the second leg of the Eastern Conference Championship against the Houston Dynamo on Nov. 23 at Sporting Park. A limited number of tickets for the match, presented by Ivy Funds, are available to purchase online via Ticketmaster.com.GOTHENBURG, Sweden -- They sat together on the far side of the arena, away from the media, Daniel Alfredsson, Nicklas Lidstrom and Mats Sundin, three Swedish legends, two already in the Hockey Hall of Fame and one potentially on his way, watching a team they had a hand in creating go through its first workout in advance of the World Cup of Hockey 2016. NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Five Questions With …" runs every Tuesday. We talk to key figures in the game and ask them questions to gain insight into their lives, careers and the latest news. Only one of them could say he felt at home. Alfredsson, the former Ottawa Senators captain, grew up in Gothenburg, went to high school not far from Scandinavium and played for the Frolunda Indians, the Swedish Elite League team that plays out of this arena. You didn't have to be there to picture the smile on his face as he watched his national team skate together for the first time in his rink, in his hometown. "It's a lot of fun for me and it's good for this city too," Alfredsson said. "Usually the national team is in Stockholm, but we're going to be here for just over a week so it's real exciting." Alfredsson, who recently moved with his family back to Ottawa full time, serves as an advisor to Team Sweden along with Lidstrom and Sundin. He spoke about his role, being back in Gothenburg, and his expectations of the World Cup in an interview with NHL.com on Monday. Here are Five Questions with…Daniel Alfredsson: Gothenburg is home for you. What's it like to be back in your backyard, the rink you can still call home, with Team Sweden, but this time in an advisory role? "It is a little surreal, but it's also awesome. It's almost full circle, starting my career here obviously, playing in this rink and now coming back when the career is over to be involved again. This is really where my pro career started. Coming in here and playing in front of a full 12,000 people, that was like, 'Wow, I made it.' It was the Swedish Elite League. That was my goal, Swedish Elite League and the national team. Walking down here this morning, I'm walking with a big smile because it brings back a lot of memories." What has it been like for you to be in this advisory role? Has it been a hands on role? "We've been part of it from the beginning. Tommy Boustedt and Rikard (Gronborg), the head coach, they've been really good from the beginning with what they expected from us, what they wanted and what our role would be. We've been sounding boards for whatever logistical things because of the experience me, Mats and Nicklas have from playing in all these tournaments. We've also been scouting, helping to pick the team. Especially with me being based in North America, working with Ottawa, I watched a lot of hockey last season, paid a little bit of extra attention to the Swedish guys, obviously, and held an open dialogue all year long. Now as we get closer I think it's nice to be involved in everything and not just a figurehead. It's been fun. You invest emotionally everything into it. We had meetings in Stockholm at the end of May picking the final team, the final seven. That was a big day to take all the work and pick the team. We had meetings in August with the team. And now to finally be here it's great to start. We had meetings Saturday and Sunday and now we finally are practicing, so now it's on. I'm sure everybody that's involved, a lot of media guys too and other NHL and NHLPA staff, are probably excited that now we finally get some action, some physical presence. It's been a lot of fun. We're excited about the tournament from our standpoint, to see what we can do." When you have guys like Alex Steen, Niklas Kronwall and Henrik Zetterberg back out, how does it work to find replacements? "When we pick the team we picked 16 guys at the first cutoff before adding the last seven. The first 16 guys were pretty solid and then the last seven we probably had a pool of 15 guys that we picked from. We ranked them and if there were injuries we had names for each position for who is up next. We were hoping obviously nothing would happen, but knew that it could. Once we knew that Nik Kronwall was out we talked again and said, 'OK, what do we have for our 'D'?' It feel where we had it ranked before." You played in the '04 World Cup. What is it like to play in a meaningful tournament in September instead of say the Olympics in midseason or the World Championship after the NHL season? "I think from a player standpoint it's the best setup. Physically you're in great shape. You shouldn't have any nagging injuries. You have more time than you would in the Olympics or World Championship to play together as a team, to practice and really work on how we want to play as a team, forecheck and defending and play in the neutral zone and specialty teams. The hard part obviously is scouting the other teams. Everybody I'm sure is sending scouts to watch all the exhibition games, but everybody knows each other pretty well. I think from a hockey standpoint this should shape up to be the best tournament ever." That comes from guys being raring to go. Is it easy to ramp it up that fast in September when you're not used to doing that? "It is. It is. I think this one is also special in terms of every game is in one city. In '04 we played in Finland, Sweden, Philadelphia, so it was a run around. Now you're preparing a training camp in one spot, you travel around a little bit for exhibition games, but you get to Toronto and everybody is there and stays there. It's hard not to get revved up and get ready for it when you're in Canada and you're playing hockey. It's going to happen naturally. Where ever you go people are going to know about you, people are going to ask, people are going to talk about you. Unless you totally forget about the digital age, you're going to get reminded that this is a big deal. I think it's great. I think that part is going to help. The World Cup doesn't have the status of the Olympics yet, but if this turns out to be the tournament it should be I think it has the potential to really be something. They maybe could come back to doing this and if they can get this on a bi-annual basis or every four years, you could look back at it in 50 years if it's still going and it could be a very desirable trophy."RPython for Fun and Profit 3 minute read So, you’re thinking of writing a program in RPython. It’s a great language, it produces fast programs, but has a few pitfalls. Here’s what I’ve learnt. Make sure you’re using it for the right purpose. RPython is intended for writing interpreters. There are already RPython interpreters (in varying states of completeness) for Python, Ruby, PHP, Scheme, Smalltalk and various experimental languages. Start your project by working through this tutorial. It’s a small and self-contained example that gets you started nicely. Test in CPython first. An interpreter is a non-trivial project and normal CPython has lots of excellent tools to help you. Get your code working in CPython, ensure your test coverage is good, and only compile afterwards. You can go wild with mocks, magic methods and dynamic code in your tests, since RPython ignores code that isn’t called from your main function. Build frequently. RPython is a limited, statically typed subset of Python. Just because your tests pass on CPython, doesn’t mean your code compiles. The compiler errors can be confusing so the best approach is to make sure every little changes still compiles. For my interpreter, I have Travis compiling on every commit to keep me honest. Assert your types. CPython is pretty forgiving about types. For example: u"foo %s" % "bar" is legal CPython, but RPython won’t allow it. Since debugging CPython is easier, I like to write my classes with type assertions: def BoxedInteger ( object ): def __init__ ( self, value ): assert isinstance ( value, int ), "Expected a string but got a: % s" % value self. value = value Use RPython’s rlib. RPython is limited in many respects. For example, its integer types are fixed size and can overflow, unlike CPython. However, rlib includes a selection of useful modules, including a bigint implementation. Reach out to the community. The Pypy team (and wider community) is friendly, helpful and smart. There’s a mailing list and an active IRC channel. You will probably get stuck from time to time, but I’ve found the team patiently answers all my questions. I’m a happy RPython user. As of Pypy 2.3.0, RPython is completely separate from the Pypy python interpreter, as the number of happy RPython users is growing.There’s more on the list, of course, certainly including good jobs, and places for a variety of ages and income levels to live. But I would start with walkability. If it feels good and useful to walk in a neighborhood, with things to walk to, we’re likely a significant way toward our goal. It is important to have a certain (though not necessarily high) level of density in a sustainable neighborhood. But we also need the right design, with connected streets, a pleasant environment that incorporates a variety of places to go and things to do, and that includes nature. We need our community to feel and be safe for us to be out and about. (The popsicle and Halloween tests are instructive here.) All these things contribute to walkability. About a year ago, NRDC Executive Director Peter Lehner asked me what one word, if I had to choose, would most closely describe a smart, sustainable community. Peter thought that the word might be density. But I chose walkability instead. Knowing that I write about this subject often, Wendy Landman recently got in touch. Wendy is executive director of an organization called WalkBoston, "a non-profit membership organization dedicated to improving walking conditions in cities and towns across Massachusetts." WalkBoston’s website says the organization’s mission is to create and preserve safe walking environments that build vital communities. They "promote walking for transportation, health and recreation through education and advocacy." Wendy forwarded two brochures, each of which provides a very succinct and useful, annotated compilation of national research about walking and walkable places. One is called Walk Your Way to Health; the other, Good Walking Is Good Business. They are extremely well-written and useful, and I recommend them. (Some of the references cited in the brochures are also linked on the website. From the wording of the brochures, I believe WalkBoston’s intent is to link to all of them; I hope they do.) Here is just a sampling of what’s in the two brochures. While many of these facts and studies are known to us in the field, they aren’t necessarily known more widely. And, even for those of us who get excited about things like street connectivity, I’m not sure I have ever seen them summarized better: Fewer young people want cars. In 1995 people age 21 to 30 drove 21 percent of all miles driven in the U.S.; in 2009 it was 14 percent, despite consistent growth of the age group. Living car-free in walkable areas fits younger lifestyles. [Advertising Age, 2010] A one-point increase in Walk Score [based on number of destinations within a short distance] is associated with between a $700 and $3,000 increase in home values. [CEOs for Cities, 2009] A 10-point increase in Walk Score increases commercial property values by 5 percent to 8 percent. [University of Arizona & Indiana University, 2010] Homes in walkable urban neighborhoods have experienced less than half the average decline in price from the housing peak in the mid-2000s. [Brookings Institution, 2011] (See also this analysis.) If one in ten Massachusetts adults started a regular walking program, the state would save $121 million in heart disease expenditures annually. [MA Dept. of Public Health, 2008] People living in walkable neighborhoods trust neighbors more, participate in community projects and volunteer more than in non-walkable areas. [University of New Hampshire, 2010] Men and women age 50 to 71 who took a brisk walk nearly every day had a 27 percent reduced death rate compared to non-exercisers. Adding 20 minutes of vigorous exercise, 3 days a week resulted in a 32 percent reduced death rate. Combining vigorous exercise and walking each week produced a 50% reduced mortality. [Arch Internal Medicine, 2007] Among the more than 72,000 women in the Nurses’ Health Study, those who walked 3 or more hours/week reduced their risk of a coronary event by 35 percen compared with women who did not walk. Retired men who walked less than 1 mile/day had nearly twice the mortality rates of those who walked more than 2 miles/day. [Harvard University, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, ongoing] A study of over 3,200 overweight adults found that a good diet and walking 2.5 hours/week reduced their risk of developing diabetes by 58 percent. Participants aged 60 and older reduced their risk by 71 percent. [New England Journal of Medicine, 2002] Exercise affects learning, memory and cognition. College students showed improved performance on recognition memory tasks after exercise. [NYU current research] Risks of death from breast and uterine cancer were reduced 19 percent in those who walked 1 to 3 hours/week, by 54 percent for walking 3 to 5 hours/week. [Harvard University Women’s Health Study, 2012] Sedentary men who began exercising after the age of 45 have a 24 percent lower death rate than those who remain inactive.
Ayers can do considering what a pain he's been over the last few months.As seen in the Winter 2019 edition of STICKTALK, the official publication of the Michigan Longbow Association. You can expect content like this (and more) quarterly for a mere $20 a year. Check out the MLA here. It began on a dreary afternoon that was nowhere near inspiring or even remotely special. In fact, it was rainy and much too warm for the likes of October. The latter I could tolerate. The former is what kept me out of the woods that morning. I’d weathered the rain before. It wasn’t the discomfort that kept me in bed. Rather, it was something my old friend Hawley would always say that stayed me from the woods. “Hunting in the rain ain’t no damn good. If matted fletching and poor arrow flight don’t get you, the lack of blood will. You won’t find a drop of blood once that rain begins to fall.” I knew he was right. But advice – no matter how accurate – isn’t always potent enough to slow the beating of a hunter’s heart. Precipitation might have kept my bow on the rack that morning but nothing short of a hurricane would do so twice. I was headed out the door and into the woods when our cuckoo clock chimed 3 p.m. My footsteps were quiet as a result of the morning soak but my ears rang from the water spilling from the still-green oaks and maples. I would need to move slowly, rely on my eyes, and shift very little once settled. The land moved here. It climbed, crawled, snaked, and swirled – everything but lay flat. I loved all of it but favored one chunk of earth (or lack thereof) in particular: “The Brown Bowl”. The bowl was a canyon with steep, wooded slopes on all sides, a creek up the center, and a muddy slough to the South. A series of sister ridges rippled out beyond its edges – the aftershock of some ancient geologic event. The shifting wind, ample browse, and natural funnels made this piece a fantastic choice for anything furry and 4-legged. It had been a year since I hunted this property and the idea of crossing paths with a wayward whitetail washed away the morning’s disappointment. I shouldered my bow, checked the wind, and set a course for success on the eastern edge. Rubber boots seemed the obvious choice for the hike in. The forests’ sloppy surface squished and belched beneath my feet and licked at my calves wherever water collected. I giggled at the sound, knowing full well my six-year-old would do the same had she been there to witness. “You tooted, Daddy.” She would squeal. “You smell like stinky farts.” And there would be no defending myself, as there was always plenty of evidence to back up the accusation. Mackenzie enjoyed the squishy things and didn’t mind getting her hands and feet dirty. Her favorite hobby was making slime from baking soda, glue, saline, and food coloring, in fact. The basement was littered with the remnants of the activity, which drove me crazy more often than not, but was worth the joy of observing her creativity. Her sister Aubrey shared her passion for the gooey. She loved the water and embraced it at the expense of material things such as boots and snow pants. She never met a puddle she didn’t like to stomp in. I smiled. The thought of my children followed me everywhere – even those places I sought to exclude them from – but they were never totally absent. They added to the experience, in fact. Trudging through mud, sloshing through puddles, and destroying perfectly good trouser bottoms were all part of the adventure. That was what hunting was — after all — an adventure, which were usually silly things. They began in the thrill-seeking, logic-bypassing portion of your brain, are encouraged by the heart, and culminate with little more than the desire to have another. Everything was an adventure to children below the age of ten. Hunting wasn’t any different for adults below the age of 100. It was the notion of adventure that carried me to the creek, which was usually a few inches deep and narrow enough to jump across with solid footing on either side. I discovered the ongoing rain had made it anything but. It had increased a foot in all directions with loose slop on either side. Even with the rubber boots, crossing it the traditional way would make for an unpleasant evening sit. I wasn’t willing to risk it and looked up and down the bank in search of a means to cross and remain dry while doing so. A solution presented itself within the bowels of a recently felled maple, spanning bank-to-bank. “Why that’ll do just fine.” I thought. “It appears my luck is changing for the better.” I would soon be reminded of karma’s delicate balance. That maple was as slick as a freshly caught brown trout and crossing it didn’t go as smooth as anticipated. My rubber boots had succeeded in keeping my feet dry and scent contained but failed miserably where traction was concerned. Had you witnessed the beginning of my ascent, you wouldn’t have noted anything out of the ordinary. I set out across the log creeping cautiously – toe-to-heel – as if stalking a Pope and Young caliber animal. I learned to trust my toes afield. They kept me quiet and upright no matter the obstacle and I am certain the results would’ve been similar had I stuck with the plan. I did not. I chose hubris over caution, straightened up, and strutted the remaining feet to the opposite bank. It was there, where log met earth, Mother Nature would remind me how insignificant I was. The log had been there for some time and the bark around the end had been worn away to the bare flesh beneath, which had been marinating in the rain for several days. Add a little bit of mud and carelessness and you’ve got a recipe for the greatest tumble this particular stretch of woods had ever seen. It happened fast. My head went back, my legs shot skyward, and my arms flapped helplessly in a circular motion. Several preservation-inspired thoughts shot through my mind mid-plummet: “Save your head. Save your shoulder. Save your bow.” They were not in any particular order, so I tried to do all three at the same time. I dropped my shoulder, rotated to my left, stuck my bow out to brace my fall, then pulled it back to keep from damaging it. The results were mixed. My forearm and hip took the brunt of the impact, causing my entire left side to go numb with pain. My bow quiver popped off, cartwheeled into the bank, and rattled to a halt in the mud. My lungs emptied. My eyes filled with stars. Never, in all of my years playing contact sports, had I taken a hit like that. I tossed my bow to the bank, rolled to the arm I could still feel, pulled myself to my feet, and immediately checked to see if anyone had seen the mishap. My entire existence was on fire – my body from the pain, my mind from the embarrassment. I gathered my gear, hobbled to a large oak, and sat against it to re-strap my quiver and get my head back into the hunt. And I might have stayed there had it not been for the repressed voices of over a dozen football coaches screaming at me in unison. “You’re fine Viau! Get up! Nothing is broken! Rub some mud on it! Walk it off! You’ll be fine! You’re tough! You ain’t hurt! The game ain’t over! Get up! Get back out there!” And I did. I stood up, grabbed my gear, and slipped down the trail towards the Bowl. Whether it was the manifested collective of barking coaches or my unwillingness to revisit the bridge mattered very little. I was there to hunt and I was going to hunt – even if it killed me. The walk was uphill and seemed longer than usual from that point. I looked forward to it most hunts. The rolling, hardwood ridges and brush-covered flats had begun Autumn’s transformation and the air always had a potpourri smell to it. Pain aside, I loved hiking these areas. There was something about elevation that made the experience more exciting. Hunting terrain like this was a game of give and take with little in your favor. You needed to understand how the wind affected your scent and be ready to adapt when it changed. You needed to sit extra still when it was time to sit, move extra slow when it was time to move, and avoid wet logs at all costs. These were things I learned the hard way – the latter being my most recent entry – with very little to show for it save for a handful of near successes, a numb arm, and a sore hip. But I regretted none of it. Nor would I ever stop. If I took my lumps on one ridge, I’d climb the next. There was always another ridge and adventure waiting on the other side. This hunt would be no different. The lumps had been taken and the next ridge was ahead. An eerie feeling washed over me as I climbed it. The steady breeze gave way to sporadic gusts with periods of stillness sprinkled between. Water dripped from the canopy above and steadily pattered the ground below. I moved in silence. I could hear everything. And could see everything once I got to the top of the ridge. That is where I saw the feathers – small pile at the base of a maple. An unlucky crow had met its end by the claw and fang of a predator far more efficient than I. I couldn’t help but envy the beast. What stealth it must have required to get that close. What skill to kill so quickly – so efficiently. “I bet you never make a mistake.” I thought, examining one of the feathers. “I bet you’ve never missed an opportunity.” Suddenly a loud “CRACK” erupted from a hollow to my right. The rustling of leaves came after, followed by the un-mistakable sound of claws on bark. I crawled to the edge and peered over, hoping to catch a glimpse of the perpetrator. What I saw was the epitome of woodland comedy. There, in on the trunk of a large maple, was a bobcat, clinging to the trunk by one paw. He flailed there, searching frantically for a foothold but, finding none, plummeted to the earth, in a twisted ball of furry fury. He stuck the stereotypical feline landing, but slipped on a wet log, dragging his rear-end behind him. He stopped, looked around, shook the water from the tufts behind his hind legs and walked off into the woods, as if nothing happened. It was sad to see bad luck befall such an efficient killing machine. I felt bad for him but a whole lot better about myself. I rolled to my back and laughed, right there in the wet leaves. I had witnessed some hilarious activity in the woods, usually by squirrels or chipmunks, but never from a predator on a stalk. It was a very special moment. Something I would probably never see again. “What a pair we make.” I chuckled. “A couple of clumsy predators making the best of bad situations.” I climbed to my feet, bushed myself off, and was about to continue on when I noticed the feathers out the corner of my eye. “Maybe there is hope for me yet.” I chuckled. I plucked one of the primaries, stuffed it in my pullover, and headed up the ridge, in search of redemption. If you enjoyed this please consider purchasing a signed copy of my book. You can do that here. It is also available on Amazon in both Kindle and print. I will also be at the Traditional Bowhunters Expo in Kalamazoo this weekend. You can find me at the St. Joe River Bows booth.Apple filed a patent with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) last week for an active stylus. According to the filing, “the stylus includes an electrode at a tip of the stylus; and powered circuitry coupled to the electrode and configured for capacitively coupling the electrode with a capacitive touch sensor panel. The powered circuitry can further include drive circuitry configured to output a drive voltage at the electrode and/or sense circuitry configured to sense a voltage received at the electrode.” In other words, the design can improve stylus sensing on conductive displays without being more costly to manufacture. As PatentlyApple notes, the patent wasn’t filed in Apple’s name, but by two employees of Apple, engineering manager Jonah Harley and hardware engineering manager David Simon, and the Cupertino-based company can take assignment for the patent before it is granted. As everyone who follows Apple may remember, Steve Jobs famously dismissed the stylus when the first iPhone was revealed in 2007 (“Who wants a stylus. You have to get ’em and put ’em away, and you lose ’em. Yuck. Nobody wants a stylus.”) and Samsung received plenty of ridicule when its Galaxy Note/stylus bundle was first revealed, as detractors mockingly compared it to a Palm Pilot. But this latest patent filing certainly isn’t the first time that Apple patents have surfaced for styluses. And, of course, just because Apple files a patent doesn’t mean it actually plans to bring the design to fruition. But it’s another sign (along with the iPad mini and the iPhone 5) that Apple is keeping a keen eye on Samsung and other competitors as it continues to work on new products.Brooklyn Nets After making the much anticipated move into the House that Hova Built, the Nets season played out pretty much like everyone would have predicted. A group of talented, yet ultimately bland guys coasted to the fourth seed in the East, only to get knocked out of the first round of the playoffs despite having the three best players in the series. There was a lot of criticism directed at the Nets last year for perhaps not being the most motivated or intense team in the league. But this offseason was an exciting one for Brooklyn. No one is going to accuse this team of being gutless this season after the mega trade that brought Paul Pierce, Jason Terry and Certified Crazy Person Kevin Garnett to the Nets. They also let go of interim coach PJ Carlesimo, an understandable move after he willingly played 3-on-5 in the playoffs last year as the Bulls completely ignored Gerald Wallace and Reggie Evans. In his place, the Nets hired the newly retired Jason Kidd to be the team’s head coach. Why am I excited to watch a lot of Nets games this year? The answer is simple: No team in the league has as many questions surrounding it then Brooklyn. Will they be able to stay healthy? Will Deron Williams and Garnett get along? Will Williams, who is such a stubborn asshole that he forced Jerry Sloan into retirement, get along with a coach who is certain to be hard on his point guard? What kind of a role will Paul Pierce fill on this roster? Do Garnett and Brook Lopez have anything at all in common? No team has a higher ceiling and lower floor than the Nets. They could finish second in the East, keep Pierce and Garnett fresh for the playoffs by giving extra minutes to Andrei Kirilenko, Andre Blatch and Reggie Evans during the regular season, and become true title contenders when springtime rolls around. But at the same time, this team is really old. They have seven (eight if you count Jerry Stackhouse) players on the roster who are over the age of 30. A couple of injuries, paired with the natural erosion of skills that comes with age, and this team could be a complete mess. However this Nets season shakes out, I’ll be watching. Jake Weiner has his eyes on Rip City Tyler Geocaris can’t wait to see the Pellies AdvertisementsArcher was an American League All-Star in 2015, the year Price followed Shields out of Tropicana Field, but he started '16 in an uncharacteristic funk, getting torched in two of his first four starts and posting a 5.16 ERA after 10 starts. Chris Archer can't catch a break. His stuff is nasty. Archer hit 98 mph on his fastball in the first inning on Sunday against the Yankees, and his slider remains a tight package of pure filth when he needs it to be. But he is mired in a cycle of diminishing returns, which has too often been the case since mentors James Shields and David Price left Tampa Bay. Chris Archer can't catch a break. His stuff is nasty. Archer hit 98 mph on his fastball in the first inning on Sunday against the Yankees, and his slider remains a tight package of pure filth when he needs it to be. But he is mired in a cycle of diminishing returns, which has too often been the case since mentors James Shields and David Price left Tampa Bay. Archer was an American League All-Star in 2015, the year Price followed Shields out of Tropicana Field, but he started '16 in an uncharacteristic funk, getting torched in two of his first four starts and posting a 5.16 ERA after 10 starts. That's where Archer stood exactly a year ago. He's gone 9-17 while compiling a 3.66 ERA over 213 2/3 innings (with 245 strikeouts) since then. The Rays, though, were only 11-22 in his starts. The start on Sunday was typical of what's been happening to Archer. An error on the second hitter of the game forced Archer to have to work out of immediate trouble in the first inning -- thus the four "reach back to get it" 98-mph heaters -- and then Brett Gardner jumped on a slider in the second inning. Archer was down, 3-1, and while he didn't give up anything else, he probably had a good idea where this was heading. Video: NYY@TB: Watch Archer fan 12 batters in 12 seconds The Rays' best crack at escaping their early hole died when Aaron Judge ran 79 feet to rob Evan Longoria of a double in the sixth inning -- according to Statcast™, the best catch this year by a Yankees outfielder. Archer is 3-3 with a 3.76 ERA this season, but he is pitching better than that, as his 3.07 FIP and 10.7 K/9 rate show. Toss in a contract that gives his team control through 2021 (with a salary of $11 million that year), and there would be a feeding frenzy if the Rays were to put him on the trade market this summer. So Archer is the Holy Grail for contenders with a deep inventory of prospects to offer -- the Dodgers, Yankees, Astros and Cubs, to name four. Here's a look at other starting pitchers who could impact the trade landscape before the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline: Pitchers who come with long-term control Gerrit Cole, Pirates Even more than Archer, Cole has been dealing, as evidenced by his 2.84 ERA; although you wouldn't be able to tell by his record, which is just 2-4 through nine starts. He'll be a four-plus arbitration guy at the end of this season, and you can figure the Pirates will hold onto him at least as long as Andrew McCutchen. But Cole's starts will turn into Scoutapalooza 2017 if Neal Huntington hints at a rebuild rather than continued pursuit of the Cubs and Cardinals (and the Brewers and Reds, for that matter). Video: WSH@PIT: Cole tosses seven innings of one-run ball Jose Quintana, White Sox Quintana has become the Moby Dick of controllable starters on the market. It's been an inconsistent season for the 28-year-old lefty (2-5, 3.92), but he's been more of his low-maintenance, low-run support self lately. The Sox have Quintana under contract through 2018 with options for '19 and '20, so they'll deal him only if they can get top prospects, like they did with Chris Sale and Adam Eaton. Sonny Gray, A's Like Cole, Gray will be a four-plus arbitration guy after this season. July might be the right time to deal him if he can continue to throw as he has in four starts since recovering from a lat strain. Gray's velocity is close to where it was in 2013, the rookie season that ended with him blowing away Miguel Cabrera and the Tigers in Game 2 of the American League Division Series, and his slider's been terrific (.154 OBA). Durability is the question, as he has been sidelined for parts of the past two seasons. Video: BOS@OAK: Gray tosses six strong for first win of '17 Matt Harvey, Mets The Dark Knight is on thin ice in New York. He could benefit from a change of scenery, although the onus is clearly on him to get results on the mound and become more reliable off of it. Harvey is having a second straight poor season (2-3, 5.56 in eight starts), but he won't be eligible to reach free agency until after 2018, so he could help a pitching-thin team over two seasons. Also worth mentioning: Jake Odorizzi, Rays; Zack Greinke, D-backs; Ervin Santana, Twins; and Matt Garza, Brewers (vesting option for 2018 within reach). One-year rentals Yu Darvish, Rangers Jon Daniels will face a tough decision if the Rangers are on the fringe of the postseason race in July. Every contender will want Darvish, who is eligible for free agency after the season, and the return could be similar to what the Yankees received for Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller last summer. Darvish is 5-2 with a 2.83 ERA, and he is considered unlikely to sign an extension with Texas this summer. Video: PHI@TEX: Darvish fans nine over seven great frames Johnny Cueto, Giants Cueto is on this list because of an opt-out clause in the six-year, $130 million deal he signed before 2016. He has hardly been dominating this season (4-3, 4.50), so it's probably too early to know what he's going to do with the opt-out. But with the Royals and Giants, Cueto has shown that he can be a difference-maker in October, so contenders are sure to be watching this closely. Masahiro Tanaka, Yankees Tanaka can also opt out after 2017, but he has work to do if he's going to build a market to justify walking away from his deal, which guarantees him $67 million over three years. He had bounced back from an Opening Day nightmare, but then he got pounded by the Rays and Astros in his past two starts, elevating his ERA to 6.56. Tanaka's value is more likely to lie in what he can do for the Yankees in August and September than in what he can bring in a trade. Marco Estrada, Blue Jays If the Blue Jays don't repeat history by climbing off the mat in June, as they did the past two years, Estrada might be the first starter dealt. He has been consistently good since arriving from Milwaukee, and he has a 3.30 ERA through 10 starts this year. Estrada would figure to bring a nice return, especially if he's dealt early in the process. Video: TOR@BAL: Estrada fans 12 over 7 2/3 Derek Holland, White Sox Signed as a placeholder to be spun elsewhere, Holland is having a renaissance season (4-3, 2.47) as a 30-year-old. Holland has worked five-plus innings in eight of nine starts and was an out away from getting through the fifth in his shortest outing. And he's worked six-plus innings in seven starts. Holland hasn't allowed a home run to left-handed hitters, holding them to a.211 slugging percentage in 38 at-bats. And so far no freak injuries involving his boxer, Wrigley. Also worth mentioning: Alex Cobb, Rays; Jeremy Hellickson, Phillies; Bartolo Colon, Braves; Jesse Chavez, Angels; and Miguel Gonzalez, White Sox.Summary Steve Sasson was the inventor of the world’s first digital camera. Because it’s hard to imagine modern life without digital photography, it’s maybe easy to forget what a marvel it really is. And Sasson has been front and center for the entire digital photography revolutions. In this episode, he recounts for us the sort of skunkworks project that led to the first digital camera, recalls the long gestation the technology had within the company that developed it, Kodak, and toward the end, we get into a fascinating examination of technology disruption itself, for which Kodak is often held up as a poster-child, in terms of innovation challenges in the digital era. You can see Steven demo the first digital camera in this brief video: Inventor Portrait: Steven Sasson from David Friedman on Vimeo. And some photos of the original prototype are here (click to enlarge): Listen:UPDATE: first picture submitted at right from Matt Dempsey The Winter of their Discontent: Keystone XL activists to protest global warming ahead of SOTU in freezing cold. McKibben’s 350.org nutters say they will be protesting the KXL pipeline (but really global warming) today out by the capitol ahead of Obama’s SOTU speech. It will be interesting to see how many show up in the freezing cold. Anyone who has pics of these folks in cold weather gear protesting should provide links in comments. A few reality points to consider: · Keystone XL activists are outside fighting global warming on the coldest state of the union in history. · Today’s forecast from the Capital Weather Gang: “Bitter cold today, slight snow chance tonight”: “Today will be another super-cold day (15-20 degrees below normal even before factoring in a brutal wind chill) as a frigid air mass continues its glide across the Midwest, South, and East.” · Americans are not concerned about global warming: In a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll 91 percent said creating jobs should be a top priority while only 27 percent said that addressing global warming should be a top priority. A Pew Research Center poll found that 29 percent want global warming to be a top priority. Ben Geman has the full story here. · So it’s not surprising that they’ve had pretty sparse attendance – and ironically extremely cold temperatures – at their previous protests. For pictures and details of their poorly attended protests, click here. · After the New York Mag and several news outlets called out activists for making a “huge environmental mistake” focusing all their efforts on Keystone XL, The New York Times published an article which twists the focus from defeat to arguing that the Keystone XL fight “lifts” the environmental movement: “Although some critics say the environmental movement has made a strategic error by focusing so much energy on the pipeline, no one disputes that the issue has helped a new breed of environmental organizations build a mostly young army eager to donate money and time.” · Keystone XL activists began their protest at the Folger Shakespeare Library – coincidentally it’s opening night for Richard III. “Now is the winter of our discontent!” Advertisements Share this: Print Email Twitter Facebook Pinterest LinkedIn RedditLAKELAND, Fla. -- New York Mets reliever Tim Byrdak will undergo surgery Tuesday morning to repair torn meniscus cartilage in his left knee and will miss approximately six weeks, general manager Sandy Alderson said. Meanwhile, teammate David Wright received an "ultrasound-guided" cortisone shot to address left-rib cage discomfort, also after an examination at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, on Monday. Wright injured a left rib-cage muscle during an infield drill early in camp and has yet to appear in a Grapefruit League game. "Basically what the doctors have told us is he had essentially plateaued -- there was a little bit of soreness, not a great deal -- but that this will accelerate the recovery process," Alderson said. An MRI of Wright's rib-cage area did not reveal any structural damage, a team official said. Byrdak was projected to be the lone left-handed reliever in the team's Opening Day bullpen, leaving a major void. Alderson confirmed Byrdak is expected to open the season on the disabled list. "Obviously this will impact our left-handed relief," Alderson said. "We'll just have to evaluate things as we go forward. But I would suspect that Byrdak would not be available to us for some portion of the regular season. We'll have to accommodate that." The Mets desperately needed Byrdak on the roster because they do not have another bona fide lefty specialist in camp. Josh Edgin, who has not appeared above Class A, was moved from minor league to major league camp effective Monday, Alderson said. Alderson and manager Terry Collins both indicated the Mets will carry one left-handed reliever in their Opening Day bullpen in spite of Byrdak's injury. Unless Edgin makes an enormous leap, the front-runners would be veterans Garrett Olson and Chuck James. Daniel Herrera and prospect Robert Carson also are in camp. Alderson said he will decide within two days whether to sign free agent C.J. Nitkowski, who has not appeared in the majors since 2005. Byrdak said his injury first surfaced during the offseason. "It was something, working out in the offseason, there was a little discomfort," Byrdak said before departing for New York. "I actually felt it when I went to sit on the couch one day. I went to put my foot underneath me and I said I really didn't feel right. But there was no injury, no pop, no sudden movement that tweaked it. It's been something kind of nagging around. I was pitching with it this whole time. It's still kind of there. I sought treatment for it and it wasn't really responding to the treatment."Arguably Fall’s first big weekend offering something for everyone will land on Friday, September 22 with the release of two franchise properties aiming to court very different audiences. Our first look at how the films are tracking so far: Kingsman: The Golden Circle Fox PROS: The first film was a bona fide hit that successfully counter-programmed the Fifty Shades of Grey juggernaut over Valentine’s weekend in 2015. Earning $36 million that weekend and $128 million domestically overall, the charming sleeper hit built a solid fan base out of an already existing one from its graphic novel origins. The return of key cast members Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, and Marc Strong combined with the inclusion of Channing Tatum, Julianne Moore, Jeff Bridges, and Elton John should increase appeal of the Brit-heavy cast to American audiences. Matthew Vaughn’s return behind the camera is also an encouraging sign, marking his first sequel as director following hits like the original Kingsman, X-Men: First Class, and the original Kick-Ass. Reactions to the film’s first trailers have been very positive. Social media was a major component of the first film’s pre-release buzz and that looks to be the case again here. After what appears to be a weak end of summer slate, audiences should be hungry for a high profile film of this nature come the first day of autumn. CONS: As past franchises like Kick-Ass and Sin City have shown, it’s very difficult for graphic novel adaptations (or most genres, really) to capture lightning in a bottle twice. Even if reviews are strong, American crowds eager for something “fresh” may not have the same feelings toward this sequel as they did for the original. Although plenty of films have proven the year-round calendar is viable for varying ranges of box office success, nevertheless, mid-to-late September is still a challenging window for films to exceed expectations. Competition in the weeks after release could be challenging with American Made and Blade Runner 2049 set to open in the film’s second and third weekend, respectively. The LEGO Ninjago Movie Warner Bros. PROS: The fantastic success of both The LEGO Movie and this year’s LEGO Batman Movie have proven the LEGO brand is more than viable as a franchise film player. The sub-brand component here — that being Ninjago — is fairly popular among young boys, which could make this a solid choice for father/son matinees (in addition to the usual family appeal). Another all-star cast of comedy talents should help appeal to parents, especially after a drought of big animated films in late summer. CONS: Social media activity on this entry hasn’t been as ecstatic as that of the previous LEGO movies, particularly on Facebook where momentum is currently lukewarm at best. That could change closer to release, though. Franchise fatigue exists within animated franchises as well as any others. Will teens and parents view this as a fresh comedy for all ages or “just another LEGO movie”? This Week’s Changes & Other Notes Unfortunately, pre-release buzz for The Dark Tower has yet to heat up online. Considering the built-in fan base, that’s a concerning sign ahead of release next week. has yet to heat up online. Considering the built-in fan base, that’s a concerning sign ahead of release next week. Detroit is generating strong reactions from critics and remains poised to serve as a counter-programming option with timely subject matter. We’re increasingly encouraged by its long-term potential, but remain cautious due to its marketing reach and release from a non-major studio. is generating strong reactions from critics and remains poised to serve as a counter-programming option with timely subject matter. We’re increasingly encouraged by its long-term potential, but remain cautious due to its marketing reach and release from a non-major studio. We’re continuing to hold off on forecasts for mother! until a trailer is released. until a trailer is released. Scheduled to open September 22 alongside, Friend Request is another wide release title we’re withholding public forecasts for given the limited history of its distributor, Entertainment Studios. The Forecast: Release Date Title 3-Day Wide Opening % Chg from Last Week Domestic Total % Chg from Last Week Location Count Distributor 8/4/2017 The Dark Tower $28,000,000 -15% $71,000,000 -15% 3,200 Sony / Columbia 8/4/2017 Detroit $13,000,000 $41,000,000 32% 2,300 Annapurna Pictures 8/4/2017 Kidnap $4,000,000 $9,000,000 2,200 Aviron 8/11/2017 Annabelle: Creation $27,000,000 $61,000,000 3,200 Warner Bros. / New Line 8/11/2017 The Glass Castle $3,500,000 $10,500,000 2,000 Lionsgate 8/11/2017 The Nut Job 2: Nutty By Nature $12,000,000 $40,000,000 3,250 Open Road 8/18/2017 The Adventurers n/a NEW n/a NEW Well Go USA 8/18/2017 The Hitman’s Bodyguard $19,000,000 $57,000,000 Lionsgate / Summit 8/18/2017 Logan Lucky $12,000,000 $39,000,000 Bleecker Street 8/25/2017 All Saints $4,000,000 $12,000,000 Sony / Columbia 8/25/2017 Birth of the Dragon $2,500,000 $5,500,000 BH Tilt 8/25/2017 Crown Heights n/a n/a Amazon Studio / IFC Films 8/25/2017 A Gentleman n/a n/a FIP 8/25/2017 Leap! $4,500,000 $15,800,000 The Weinstein Company 8/25/2017 Tulip Fever n/a n/a Weinstein Company 9/1/2017 Unlocked n/a n/a Lionsgate Premiere 9/8/2017 Home Again $12,000,000 $45,000,000 Open Road Films 9/8/2017 It $40,000,000 $100,000,000 Warner Bros. / New Line 9/15/2017 All I See Is You $6,500,000 $15,600,000 Open Road 9/15/2017 American Assassin $10,000,000 $25,000,000 Lionsgate 9/15/2017 mother! n/a n/a Paramount 9/22/2017 Friend Request n/a n/a Entertainment Studios 9/22/2017 Kingsman: The Golden Circle $39,000,000 NEW $100,000,000 NEW Fox 9/22/2017 The LEGO Ninjago Movie $40,000,000 NEW $138,000,000 NEW Warner Bros. Shawn Robbins and Alex Edghill contributed to this report.This Guy Holds Patents On Popcorn Chicken, Steak-Umms And Dozens Of Other Cuts Of Meat from the meet-the-guy-who-patents-meat dept Back in May, we were one of the first to write about some people claiming to have figured out a new cut of steak, and trying to patent that cut. The story got a lot of attention in a lot of places, as many people (reasonably) think that patenting a cut of meat seems particularly crazy. The good folks over at Planet Money just recently decided to explore the question of meat cut patents. They talk to Tony Mata, the "inventor" of that new meat cut, dubbed the Las Vegas steak, but the... er... "meat" of the conversation actually involves talking to his mentor, Gene Gagliardi, the "inventor" of the Steak-Umm, KFC's popcorn chicken and, according to this video, Popeyes' "Rip'n Chick'n", which Gagliardi calls "Fing'r Pick'n Chick'n" and for which he holds US Patent 5,346,711 on a "Method of making an animal muscle strip product."In the Planet Money podcast, he also demonstrates some other cuts, which he won't let them videotape. I'm guessing he's okay with showing off the method in the '711 patent because, if I read it right, that patent expires in a month. In the video, he actually appears to admit that the "invention" itself wasn't original. He was "inspired" by the famed "Bloomin' Onion" at Outback Steakhouse, and a challenge from his wife to make a chicken version of the Bloomin' Onion.Gagliardi appears to hold somewhere around 40 patents on various cuts of meat, all starting from back in the day when he tried to make the meat in Philly Cheesesteaks easier to chew, and supposedly came up with the product that eventually went on to be
and go, sponsors do too, riders change teams, and the colours and equipment of the peloton are altered in various ways. The changes come in at the start of the new year but many months of hard work is typically required behind the scenes to get to that point. On a recent trip to Majorca CyclingTips’ roving reporter Dave Everett caught up with a few teams and their technical sponsors to see exactly what goes into preparing world-class teams with all the clothing and equipment they need for the new season. One team that’s had a massive overhaul for the 2015 season is MTN-Qhubeka, the African Pro Continental team that has been riding on Trek with SRAM and Zipp for the past few seasons. With Trek focusing its efforts and finances on its in-house Trek Factory Racing Team, MTN-Qhubeka managed to pull together a bunch of brands that many will recognise as the suppliers that were part of the initial Cervelo Test team of 2009. That team eventually morphed into Garmin-Sharp and is now known as Cannondale-Garmin. Brian Smith was brought on late last year as general manager for MTN-Qhubeka and has been instrumental in securing the sponsors that now supply the team. Cervelo, Rotor, KMC, 3T, Castelli and CeramicSpeed were all part of that initial Cervelo team; a team Smith helped bring together. Many of these brands had staff on hand at the training camps in Majorca to deal with any final problems, tidy up loose ends and educate riders and staff about new kit. For most brands, sponsorship of teams goes beyond supplying kit for the season. It’s an ongoing process of development and improvement. Castelli Castelli is entering its second year as clothing sponsor to MTN-Qhubeka. Along with MTN-Qhubeka the Italian producer supplies kit to the Cannondale-Garmin squad as well as the Swiss-based professional women’s team, Bigla. While fans of the sport get to see a team’s new kit in early January, for the manufacturers it’s a process that starts many months in advance. I asked ex-pro and now race performance director at Castelli, Andrea Peron, about how the brand goes about preparing for a new season. “If we are working with the same team it starts about 10 months in advance,” Peron said. “February we start with prototyping new products. We usually produce three models of an item in prototyping before we give it to a team. It’s not till June a team gets the first prototype.” It’s around July (and especially the Tour de France) that riders are signing new contracts for the following year and for manufactures and brands it’s no different. “Once the deal is struck and finalised ideally August is when raw materials will start to be sourced,” Peron said. “If all is going smoothly with sponsorship agreements and designs in place production is started in November”. For fans, the prospect of being a pro and receiving a wardrobe worth of clothing each year is an appealing prospect. And sure enough, the list of kit that Castelli supplies its teams with makes for extensive reading: 300 racing jerseys – this is an even split between the super lightweight climber’s jersey and Castelli’s aero fit jerseys 300 additional training jerseys – these are of a looser fit. A selection of these jerseys may be used by the team as gifts or prizes to sponsors and fans 500 pairs of bib shorts 1,500 pairs of team socks of varying length 1,000 pairs of gloves – this is a mix of every sort of conceivable glove that may be needed, from the deepest of winter warmer to the lightweight racing mitts 300 sets of shoe covers – again everything from deep winter covers to rain resistant covers and aero booties 5,500 cloth caps 3,000 musettes, most if not all of which will end up on the roadside as prized finds for cycling fans. The list above is just 70-80% of what a team will receive throughout the year. On top of this are the likes of jackets, top-ups and casual clothing. If there is a big change in sponsorship it could all be produced and supplied a second time. For Castelli riders much of this kit is straight off the peg with no or little alterations. A few pieces may differ from stock standard kit — the pros have a choice of leg length with their shorts, skin suits and Sanremo suits. The skin suits also come in several sleeve lengths. Castelli did at one point produce kit that was fully custom to a rider, but now with the amount of research they have pumped into their products they see no reason to do this. The company fulfils the teams’ initial clothing needs by shipping the items direct to the service course. Here the staff sort out and distribute the kit to the riders. Andrea Peron had a 13-year racing career throughout the 1990s and into the mid 2000s, starting with Gatorade then including Motorola, ONCE, Francais des Jeux, Fassa Bortolo and ending with CSC in 2006. In that time, and in the years since, he has seen a noticeable change in the kit that riders receive. “Now riders receive items for specific conditions, for instance they receive five different types of gloves. We used to get 10 different items, two different jerseys types, a thermal jersey, a jacket, a rain cape, shorts … now 65 different pieces are received by riders,” Peron said. “The overall quantity is about the same, the range of items now are designed for specific race and weather condition”. KMC MTN-Qhubeka’s chain sponsor KMC came on board via Spanish crank manufacturer Rotor. For a company like KMC the task of actually sponsoring a team is the first hurdle. With large teams sponsored by either of ‘the big three’ — Shimano, Campagnolo or SRAM — there is little chance that a team will deviate from using full groupsets. When an opportunity like that at MTN comes about, the likes of KMC jump at it. For KMC it’s quite a straightforward sponsorship and supply process. They supply 500 chains a year on average which are delivered to MTN-Qhubeka as and when the mechanics demand them. For a brand like KMC MTN-Qhubeka’s wild-card invite to the Tour de France is a huge marketing chance — one which KMC estimates will account for 80% of the team’s publicity this year. KMC’s work at the training camp involved making sure mechanics were happy with the products. Most riders only notice a chain when it doesn’t work. 3T Speaking with 3T it’s a similar setup to KMC. The items they supply the team with are essentially standard kit. Brand reps arrive at early training camps in December where, with the Retül bike-fit technology, they start the process of getting riders fitted out. With this information, the knowledge that 3T already has through experience, and also viewing the riders in training in a neutral environment, they are able to help them decide on what bars best suit them. Even if a rider has a history with 3T products they start the fitting process from scratch again. Any number of variables could have changed since the previous time they used them, from bike sponsor to saddle choice. Supply of 3T goods is taken straight from the company’s inventory. It’s a simple process that has a turnaround of about a week once they get every rider’s position nailed. Trek Factory Racing Trek Factory Racing is unlike MTN-Qhubeka and many of the other teams within the pro peloton in that bike brand Trek doesn’t just sponsor the team — it also holds the WorldTour Licence for the team. In essence the team is an arm of the Trek business. As I found out when I visited the service course last year, Trek funds the team in part from its advertising budget and also from its research and development budget. Bar the components made by Shimano — whom Trek has a close working relationship with — nearly every item is produced by Trek or its in-house brand Bontrager. The only exception would be the team’s powermeters which are made by SRM. Does this result in a whole different process for organisation and preparation of the team at the start of the season? I spoke with the team’s Technical Manager Jordan Roessingh to find out. “Typically from a planning perspective we start during the Tour de France,” Roessingh said. “The bike and component orders will typically happen in July and August, the year prior. And then we start taking delivery of product for the coming season starting in September/October and November — this is when the bulk of shipments arrive. “Trek is a little bit unique in that obviously we are a bike manufacture and we own the team, so there’s some of the ordering process that can be integrated between the two. A lot of the time we have products that are shipped directly from our suppliers to our service course, instead of going through Trek. This cuts down on some of the shipping and lead times. “There’s still a pretty significant ordering process to get every thing organised and in on time for the training camps.” Apparel is another thing that Trek’s in-house brand Bontrager supplies for the team. This, according to Roessingh, is one area that is especially complicated due to each rider having unique needs. The team actually offers each rider custom-fitted kit for every item that they will be using throughout the season. It’s a fitting process that starts pretty much as soon as the last pedal has been turned in anger in Europe. “This year we did our apparel fitting process in Lombardy. The day after Lombardy we had a small team camp where we went through rider by rider. It’s about an hour-long process where we have a size run of each piece of kit we offer them,” Roessingh said. “Then we can see if they want the zippers longer or shorter, sleeves longer or shorter, pieces may want to be tighter or looser as well. Whatever they want. “That way we know that each rider’s kit will fit perfectly [which] from an apparel perspective is really important”. Winter kit is delivered to riders at the end of the season including other jackets, thermal items and wet weather jackets. As for the race kit it’s the same as MTN-Qhubeka — the bulk of team kit arrives at the start of the season and there are top-ups and supplemental items provided throughout the year. Of all the items that the Trek Factory Racing Team seems to go through it’s the number of bib shorts that stand out. Each rider might go through 20-30 pairs of bibs throughout the year; an amount many amateur riders might only get through in a lifetime, let alone a season. Much of Bontrager’s standard clothing range that customers can buy is made in the far east, though the team’s clothing and Bontrager’s new race shop limited products are all produced by an unnamed Italian partner. This lends itself to an easier and closer partnership. If by any chance a team rider manages to take a national champ’s title or a leader’s jersey it’s a damn sight easier to get items produced and shipped in time from Italy, rather than Asia. As for the bikes the riders have a choice of the three top-tier models: the Domane, Madone and the Emonda. When organising and fitting a rider it depends on the history they have with Trek. Jordan Roessingh explained the advice and help the team offers to a rider to get them on the right bike. “A good example is Bauke Molloma. He’s a brand new rider on team and so we provided him with a Madone and Domane before the training camps so he could determine what bike he wanted,” Roessingh said. “We can also give the riders the quantifiable data so if they’re interested they can see how the bike performs from a laboratory perspective”. From talking with MTN-Qhubeka, Trek Factory Racing and multiple sponsors it’s clear that preparing for a new season is a longer and more involved process than many people might realise. The guys and girls in the back offices, factories and service courses of the sponsors, not to mention the team staff, are all instrumental in preparing the pros to race at their best and, ultimately, allowing us fans to enjoy the spectacle. So next time you see a pro posting a picture of all the kit they receive or their shiny new bike spare a thought for the people that put in the hard graft behind the scenes to make that possible.This strip, and its follow up (titled Home) have been in the pipeline for a while. I based the strip off a poem I wrote and pitched it knowing it was a long shot. We recently were going through some scripts that had been set aside and Becky got really excited about this idea – I’m super stoked at how the art turned out. ↓ Transcript A hulking, rust-pitted robot sits sad and alone in an arid land. Clouds roil overhead - a storm is coming. An adorably mangy kitten pokes its head out of a chink in the iron midsection, looking up at the robot with a mraow. The robot is surprised and delighted - it scratches the kitten’s head. Raindrops are just beginning to fall to earth.Australian computer security expert Troy Hunt has revealed the leak of 711 million email addresses, which was caused by a misconfigured spambot. Hunt runs HaveIBeenPwned.com, a site that allows you to see if your personal information has been compromised via a simple email search. Subscribers to the site can also be notified as soon as their information is discovered to have been compromised by such a data breach. Hunt has had many run-ins with spambots and their email datasets in the past. In a post to Hunt’s blog, he explained: Last week I was contacted by someone alerting me to the presence of a spam list. A big one. That’s a bit of a relative term though because whilst I’ve loaded “big” spam lists into Have I been pwned (HIBP) before, the largest to date has been a mere 393m records and belonged to River City Media. The one I’m writing about today is 711m records which makes it the largest single set of data I’ve ever loaded into HIBP. Just for a sense of scale, that’s almost one address for every single man, woman and child in all of Europe. Fortunately, the contents of this breach were exclusively email addresses, without any of the associated personal information. Furthermore, many of those addresses were merely attempts to guess at sensitive business emails. Others were “scraped” directly from the web, resulting in numerous defunct or invalid entries. Even so, the data exposed is almost twice the size of March’s similar River City Media breach. Unfortunately, there is not very much that an individual can do to remedy the situation. According to Hunt: Finding yourself in this data set unfortunately doesn’t give you much insight into where your email address was obtained from nor what you can actually do about it. I have no idea how this service got mine, but even for me with all the data I see doing what I do, there was still a moment where I went ‘ah, this helps explain all the spam I get.’ Follow Nate Church @Get2Church on Twitter for the latest news in gaming and technology, and snarky opinions on both.A Case Study in How False Christianity and Politics Destroyed Many Lives An extremely familiar phrase we hear quite frequently is some version of “drinking the Kool-Aid,” which references the unfortunate incident in which over 900 people perished in Jonestown, Guyana on November 18, 1978. The entire group of people either committed suicide by willfully drinking the cyanide-laced drink or gave the deadly potion to their children. It was at the command of their leader—Rev. Jim Jones—the one who the members of the Peoples Temple cult so devotedly followed that led to the greatest American tragedy prior to the 9-11 Attack. This reference describes how one might blindly follow another person or belief without thought or question, foolishly accepting or believing in the individual to the point of forsaking all truth and reason. This is the Rev. Jim Jones legacy and his story is practically faded by only a few years and probably for good reason, because the full story would identify very powerful and influential leaders today! Although many people might speak of the Kool-Aid reference, nearly a generation has passed without any knowledge of where it came from! Under normal circumstances, one might see how the media, politicians and even our lawmakers would be imposing increasingly stricter laws and regulations to “protect” unsuspecting victims of religious groups. In spite of Constitutional guarantees, the political class would be seeking a way to circumvent those protections (i.e. “the right to keep and bear arms”). However, the 1st Amendment—the “freedom of religion” clause—may never be attacked the way the 2nd Amendment is. Why? Not because the politicians are so reverent, nor are they so pious. Perhaps it is because of the risk of exposing the close relationship between the politicians and irresponsible church leaders. A close and honest study of the Jonestown Tragedy would name some very prominent as being major beneficiaries of Rev. Jim Jones’ abuse of those who trusted him. The men, women and children who died in the massive suicide in the South American jungle were victims well before that day—they were also victims of the political class! This is the one group of people that has been allowed to sink into the obscurity of history, because to remember them would do more to question the politician’s sincerity than practically anything else! (Perhaps churches and faith-based organizations would be in greater peril today if the Democratic Party power legacy today had not treaded through California!) Just as destructive as guns in the hands of the wrong people, so is the power to manipulate the minds of those most vulnerable solely for purpose of political gain! Those specifically in mind are the members of The People’s Temple who died in Jonestown, Guyana and those left stateside. Yes, those were terrifying times for the San Francisco Bay area… but let us not forget those 909 souls—of which 303 of them were children—who died of cyanide poisoning. This does not include Rev. Jones’ ordering his henchmen to gun down Congressman Leo Ryan and four others at the airstrip near Jonestown as they were preparing to leave! But how does this tie to Feinstein and Pelosi? Here’s how… During the mid and late seventies, both politicians were part of the all-powerful political machine that was ruled and controlled by an ultra-liberal faction of the Democratic Party during the mid and late seventies. This group controlled the Bay Area and demanded unwavering loyalty from anyone who sought political office. George Moscone, Willie Brown, Diane Feinstein and Nancy Pelosi were some of the leaders of this group. Pelosi had become the state Democratic Party chairman for northern California came from the city of San Francisco. However, one name is usually stricken from the record whenever this group is mentioned— Rev. Jim Jones! Yes, the same and very Rev. Jim Jones of Jonestown, Guyana infamy! It is the same Rev. Jones who convinced nearly 1000 of his People’s Temple congregation to leave California and live in a communal village in the South American country of Guyana he named Jonestown, but many people did not know about his strong political ties to the Democratic Party. As surely as the main-stream media is determined to associate Christians and conservatives with practically all of the gun violence we have experienced, they have been just as successful in diverting any notion of the left’s association with Rev. Jones or any other radical extremist! Even more so is the mystical connection between the politician and the preacher as they worked in concert to manipulate the People’s Temple church members. The matter of the pastor/leader of a church congregation first acquiring and ultimately abusing members to the degree of cultic fashion is no strange thing, especially when it comes to the Democratic Party’s unholy alliance with many of our predominantly minority churches! Shortly after the Jonestown tragedy, journalist Robert Lindsay wrote in the New York Times an article titled "How Rev. Jim Jones Gained His Power Over His Followers." He observed... "Of particular interest to politicians was the Temple's ability to produce 2,000 people for work or attendance in San Francisco with only six hours' notice." Rev. Jones’ ability to mobilize so many people, so quickly… who were willing to do practically anything he instructed them to do for the Democratic Party was one of the most cost-effective political machinery strategies ever! Having started his California church in Ukiah, Rev. Jones expanded his influence throughout the state with churches in at least six other major cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sacramento! His influence in the black community apparently raised the ire of many of the African American leaders including the Nation of Islam. However, this process is neither new nor unique. The marriage between the Democratic Party and the black church had become a well-recognized tradition, from the Northeast to the Deep South, with the western states being even more influenced! It has been obvious that the politicians had become more interested in the political benefits than the well-being of the church members. Therefore, this provokes an interesting question: at what point did Pelosi, Feinstein and other Democratic Party stalwarts begin to reject Rev. Jim Jones’ ideology and his quest for power, or did they? None of the Democratic Party leadership appeared to care how Rev. Jones handled the members as long as he produced voters and campaign workers! To benefit them, Rev. Jones commanded The People’s Temple members to work tirelessly with robotic devotion. Corey Buscher, former press secretary to the late Mayor George Moscone stated that Rev. Jones “made his followers available to support progressive Democrat candidates.” He also recognized that Rev. Jones “offered thousands of ‘foot soldiers’ willing to walk precincts and get out the vote… an offer no politician in his right mind could refuse.” Another political power broker had stated that “If you were having a rally for a presidential candidate, you need to fill up the crowd, you could always get busloads from Jim Jones’ church.” The Democratic Party of San Francisco often referred to The People’s Temple as “a ready-made volunteer workforce.” However, there became an increasing reports and complaints the abuse of members by Rev. Jones and Temple leaders—mentally, physically and sexually. As members were practically “forced” to campaign and even vote for the candidates, they were closely monitored and were required to provide proof of their assignment completion. Many of them were formerly homeless, hungry and poor—subject to control and manipulation; but as long as they performed for the Democratic Party, nothing was actually brought to light! Rev. Jones’ contributions to the Democratic Party power structure was so great that he was appointed to serve on the San Francisco Housing Authority Commission— of which he soon became the Chairman of as he also began to frighten many members of the party itself! As he began to cultivate his power, and make demands and payment for mobilizing the Temple members, no one was able to deny him. He had even became a powerful influence within the Jimmy Carter administration, including the president’s wife, Rosalynn. Rev. Jones even met privately with Vice president Walter Mondale aboard his campaign plane! In spite of Rev. Jim Jones’ power to manipulate and control masses of people, that matter was not of any real concern for the Democratic Party because they benefitted from it all! Only until Rev. Jim Jones’ own paranoia and threat of exposure by the media and concerned relatives did the political class begin to withdraw from him, but on the most part simply remained quiet. He had started building Jonestown in 1970, with the dream of creating a “socialistic paradise” far away from serious scrutiny. Even then, California State Assemblyman Willie Brown was a staunch defender of Rev. Jones, and with that political muscle, Jones was able to stave off much of the opposition from the media and political arenas. Governor Jerry Brown was also a staunch defender. On November 18th, 1978 of the 909 members who migrated to Jonestown, Guyana, nearly 70% of them were black and perished over there—an interesting demographical statistic! In addition, over 200 of the cult victims were children, in which most of the deaths were by cyanide poisoning as it was given to them by their own parents in a grape-flavored punch. It is clear that the people were led to destruction by a maniacal pastor in search of more power than the Bay Area Democratic Party political machine was willing to grant to him. Instead, the majority of the party leadership ran and hid—quite possibly for one of two reasons—or maybe even both! Today, the state of California, though beautiful and teaming with resources, is an economic disaster in the hands of the Democratic Party. Laden with debt and cities in bankruptcy, the dream to create a socialistic paradise has become an economic nightmare! However, it makes one wonder if Rev. Jim Jones would have left the United States—even in spite of the accusations—if he would have been able to see how the party he helped build was so successful today!Among the shoppers visiting HMV's flagship store on Oxford Street in central London on Tuesday to take advantage of its month-long sale – and perhaps to bid a fond farewell – was the broadcaster Paul Gambaccini. "It's inevitable and I've seen it happen in New York," he said of HMV's collapse into administration. "We lost Tower Records and you cannot buy a physical CD in Manhattan. That is an amazing thing. "It happened all across America, even the finest record stores could not survive. The march of time does not always go forward, sometimes it goes sideways, and what's happening now is a movement sideways, and in every aspect of entertainment in the past 15 years convenience has trumped quality." He added: "Even if the MP3 doesn't sound as good as some quality recordings, that doesn't seem to matter, it's the convenience that counts, and I understand that. You can't be King Canute and pretend the tide is not going to come in. The tide is coming in, and for these poor folks today [at HMV] it has arrived." Nostalgia was evident among the digital generation as they reluctantly accepted that the end of an era in music retailing beckoned. "I'm really disappointed because this suggests the end of buying physical music," said 18-year-old Ally Irwin. "I think, however, this is all understandable because HMV do charge quite a lot for music compared to iTunes, and when you can get so much music for free it's understandable why they went bust." HMV's prices were widely identified as a factor in the store's collapse. "This is very sad but it's been on the cards for ages," said Seb Fox, 30. "This is definitely to do with HMV charging high prices, and then when no one buys CDs they go into the sale at rock-bottom prices so they never make any money on them. Everyone buys online now." There was frustration at the announcement that any unspent gift cards and vouchers were now ineligible. "Loads of my friends got gift vouchers for Christmas, one person got £60, and now it's just worthless" Irwin said. Others were more forgiving. Liz Byrne, 31, said: "It's really awful regarding the gift vouchers, but on the other hand I do understand because HMV have got to try and keep the business going." On Twitter, the singer Paloma Faith wrote: "I'm devastated that HMV is closing down! I have been buying music in there for years. Going to the shops to buy an album is over." The rapper Professor Green tweeted: "We may as well just give up on any medium that involves hard copy and get on with it #sadtimes."BOSTON - The Red Sox sent a message to their pitching staff with the release of pitching coach Juan Nieves almost two weeks ago. Whether or not the addition of new pitching coach Carl Willis has helped, Red Sox starters have posted a much more respectable 3.55 ERA in eight starts since he took over the staff on May 10. Now it's time to jumpstart the offense. Boston has scored just 11 runs in its last six games. In 16 games this month, the team is hitting just.208 with a.279 on-base percentage and.334 slugging. The Red Sox returned home to Fenway Park on Tuesday after a 10-game road trip in which they went 5-5. There was no change to the lineup. "If it centered around one or two spots in the order, you might say, let's look to slide (Shane Victorino) in the two-hole like we did in Seattle," manager John Farrell said. "Or move him up ahead of a couple of guys in that bottom or middle third. We're in a situation where, to me, I think it's just the short shakeup would jump start us all, that's kind of having a little bit of a crystal ball. We have the capability here. "I'm not saying that there won't be changes, whether that's to the lineup or whether that's to our position player group. But coming off the road trip, I thought, 'OK, lets get through the off day still maintain some stability.' But always with an eye to what changes might help us." The obvious and most readily available answer for an offensive boost would be Rusney Castillo. Despite a handful of injuries this spring, Castillo is hitting.333 with a.400 on-base percentage and.528 slugging in 10 games for Triple-A Pawtucket. To this point, the Red Sox have kept him in Pawtucket in order to ensure he gets everyday at-bats and build consistency. But there's an increasing need in Boston. Shane Victorino is hitting.353 with a.428 on-base percentage and in five games since returning from a hamstring injury, but is not playing every day. In five games since being recalled on May 10, Jackie Bradley Jr. does not have a hit. Farrell noted on Tuesday that Castillo left the Pawtucket Red Sox for the birth of his child, but a callup may be pending upon his return to the team. "His timing, his ability to impact the baseball is starting to show up a little bit more," Farrell said of Castillo. "He's returned home obviously for the birth of his child. That's going to be a couple of days. Whether or not we allow him to get a game under his belt at Pawtucket before possibly looking at a change here, those are all possibilities." Dustin Pedroia leads Red Sox starters with a.276 average and.777 OPS. Hanley Ramirez's.816 OPS leads the team, but he's slipped since his shoulder injury. The offense needs help and Castillo could be in Boston sooner than later. "I guess in the short, he's doing what he can to impact a potential change," Farrell said. Follow MassLive.com sports reporter @jcmccaffrey on Twitter. She can be reached by email at [email protected] may have been Friday the 13th, but cannabis investors didn't suffer such bad luck: Terra Tech (TRTC) closed strongly and posted the best gain, but on below-average volume. CEO Derek Peterson, who was seen in New York earlier this week, will be participating in a live webinar on Wednesday, December 18th (free registration). GW Pharma (GWPH) rallied for the second straight day on below average volume. Hemp, Inc. (HEMP) closed down on the week despite a low-volume rally. mCig (MCIG) continued its advance, again, though, on weak volume. GrowLife (PHOT) dropped sharply early but trimmed its losses as volume was below the one-month average. Rob Hunt, President of GrowLife Hydroponics, will be participating in a live webinar on Monday, December 16th (free registration). Medical Marijuana, Inc. (MJNA) also retreated slightly on below-average volume. The Daily Dab is brought to you by 420 Investor, a large and rapidly growing community of Green Rush investors seeking to capitalize on cannabis. For just a dollar a day on an annual subscription ($360), you can get all of the benefits of being a part of 420 Investor, including analysis, alerts, trade recommendations, chat and video updates. Find out why 420 Investors are addicted to the service. To learn more about the sector, download your free guide.Image copyright Other The European Commission is to publish proposals in the spring designed to reduce the number of plastic bags used in Europe each year. Most of the 15,000 people who took part in a public consultation favoured an outright ban - but what are the options? Every year 800,000 tonnes of so-called single-use plastic bags are used in the European Union - the average EU citizen used 191 of them in 2010, the Commission says, and only 6% were recycled. More than four billion bags are thrown away each year. "The impact of this plastic waste can be seen littering our landscape, threatening our wildlife and accumulating as 'plastic soup' in the Pacific Ocean, which may cover more than 15,000,000 sq km," says Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik. So what are the options for addressing the problem and where have they been tried? Complete ban Last year Italy became the first country in Europe to ban non-biodegradable plastic bags. A number of countries have banned very thin plastic bags, including China, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda and Bangladesh - in Bangladesh's case, it was found that the bags had clogged up the drainage system, exacerbating deadly floods. European consultation (2011) 15,538 replies, 96.9% of which came from members of the public More than 70% of respondents were in favour of an EU ban on plastic bags 76% were in favour of a labelling system to indicate biodegradable bags Only 12% thought existing requirements for biodegradability were sufficient Source: European Commission Consultation results A handful of countries have banned plastic bags altogether, including Rwanda and Somalia, while some like Tanzania have banned ultra-thin bags. The United Arab Emirates, concerned about pollution and the risk to camels and other animals, has banned all plastic bags except oxo-biodegradables. British government minister Lord Henley said last year he was "not happy" the use of carrier bags in the UK had risen by 5% in 2010, after four years of decline. He suggested the UK might introduce a ban. Friends of the Earth are in favour of this as long as alternatives are adequately highlighted, people and shopkeepers have enough time to prepare, and it does not have a "disproportionate impact on the poor". In the US, local laws muddy the picture. "The city of Los Angeles doesn't have a ban but Los Angeles county does," says Ted Duboise, who runs the Plastic Bag Ban Report website. "There is a lot of confusion. You can go to one supermarket and they will have bags and a few miles down the road they're banned." Bag tax The Republic of Ireland introduced a charge of 15 euro cents (12p, 20 US cents) per bag in March 2002, which led to a 95% reduction in plastic bag litter. Within a year, 90% of shoppers were using long-life bags. The levy was raised to 22 cents in 2007, after evidence showed that the number of plastic bags used annually had risen from 21 per person immediately after the ban to 30 (compared with 328 previously). By this stage, the government had raised 75m euros (£62m, $99m) from the levy, which was put into an Environment Fund and used to reduce waste or research new ways of recycling. Belgium, Germany, Spain, Norway and the Netherlands are among the countries following Ireland's lead. Wales introduced a levy of 5p (six euro cents, eight US cents) per bag last year and Northern Ireland will do so next year. Wales also threatens shops that continue to give out bags free of charge with a £5,000 fine. Jennie Romer, a US lawyer and founder of plasticbaglaws.org, says: "Ireland's plastic bag levy is still widely regarded as the most successful charge on plastic bags, in part because the amount of the levy is relatively high and is adjusted based on per capita plastic bag usage." Long-life bags If shoppers stop using plastic bags, they must start using other kinds of bags, but there is no perfect solution. Stronger, heavier bags, whether made of fabric or plastic, have a bigger environmental impact than standard supermarket shopping bags. Last year Britain's Environment Agency published a Life Cycle Assessment of Supermarket Carrier Bags, which concluded that long-life bags have to be reused a number of times if they are to be environmentally a better option than standard plastic carrier bags. For instance, if a plastic bag is used just once, then a paper bag must be used three times to compensate for the larger amount of carbon used in manufacturing and transporting it, a plastic "bag for life" must be used four times, and a cotton bag must be used 131 times. If a plastic bag is reused, of course, then its carbon footprint per use decreases further - and the number of times the alternatives have to be used to match this low footprint is multiplied. Image copyright (C) British Broadcasting Corporation Image copyright (C) British Broadcasting Corporation Image copyright (C) British Broadcasting Corporation Image copyright (C) British Broadcasting Corporation Image copyright (C) British Broadcasting Corporation previous slide next slide The study took into account the fact that long-life bags are bigger than plastic carrier bags, and that fewer are needed for a weekly shop. Whatever type of bag is used, the key to reducing the impact is to reuse it as many times as possible either for shopping or as a bin liner. In 2010, a study by the University of Arizona also claimed reusable grocery bags could be a "breeding ground for dangerous food-borne bacteria and pose a serious risk to public health" - though it has to be noted that this work was funded by the American Chemical Council, which includes several plastics manufacturers. A scientist at the US-based Consumers Union criticised the study, saying that the same amount of bacteria could be found in an average bag of salad. Biodegradable bags The European Commission is considering introducing better ways of labelling biodegradable and compostable bags. Compostable bags only biodegrade in industrial composting plants. Biodegradable bags will biodegrade in the natural environment, but come in different types: Those made of corn will biodegrade in a landfill environment, but while doing so they produce methane, a powerful global warming gas Another type of bag is oxo-biodegradable, which will biodegrade if exposed to air or water, but not in landfill Symphony, a British company which manufactures oxo-biodegradable bags, claims it can be "programmed" to biodegrade within six to 18 months. Symphony's chairman, former Conservative MP Michael Stephen, told the BBC: "There is a huge patch of plastic roughly the size of Texas swirling about in the north Pacific. If it had been oxo
I think a revolution will need to thoroughly smash this capitalist state and this empire, immediately starting a long-term process of communization: creating what we need and want, freely producing for each other. Socialism is simply the word that Marx used for certain initial attempts at communization, for the moment when the workers’ movement begins to take over and the working class begins to abolish itself as a class, unleashing our pent up creative powers to build a classless society. This is a contingent, reversible moment where people either continue to make the revolution or allow it degenerate into state capitalism. Or, they fail entirely and a wave of fascist rebels or warlords start filling the vacuum. We have to admit that none of us can really guarantee the success of this communization process – especially if it has to happen under conditions of rising sea levels, pandemics, food insecurity, the proliferation of drug cartels, etc. If we had these answers, “communization ” would be debated in occupied factories right now, not in graduate school bars and suffocating, navel-gazing “ultraleft”, “left communist”, and anarchist scenes. We are not sure how to avoid the fates which have swamped so many past revolutions. But that’s exactly what we need to figure out. I think we can learn from the emphasis on direct democracy that many anarchist and indigenous movements have implemented- face to face decision making about what we want to create, about how we want to reorganize our society in ecological ways, or how we want our kids’ to learn and grow. Breaking the System’s Shock Absorbers However, I think we can also learn from the autonomist Marxists’ recognition that the current capitalist state is not monolithic or static. The state is the product of contradictory class forces, and since classes are constantly being composed and recomposed, the state can change and adapt, especially in response to pressures from below – from people like us. Capitalism and the state are currently in a moment of crisis and transition. They are having trouble governing. This does not automatically mean that revolution is around the corner, and even if revolution happens this does not automatically mean the outcome will be anarchistic communization. But we need to recognize that the current state has its own set of problems, and that our enemies are not always united in some grand conspiracy. Local and federal governments are allowing various corporations or ruling class factions to prioritize their own short term profits rather than investing in captalism’s longterm stability. We see this especially with the investments in trains carrying coal for export, instead of high speed passenger trains that could start to replace cars. We see it in the destablization of public education which allows various crackpot social entrepeneurs to market new products to “save” the system even while their products harm youth and make it more difficult to train the next generation of workers for the system. We also see this tendency when companies replace workers with machines, even though this eventually causes their rates of profit to fall and creates a potentially rebellious population of unemployed people. We may see it in drastic form if the Trans Pacific Partnership is passed, reinforcing multinational corproations’ ability to sue local governments that try to regulate them. This could close off a whole range of reformist political strategies such as lobbying, petitioning, collective bargaining. Why lobby someone who doesn’t have the power to give you what you want? All of this leaves the state and ruling class with less leeway to reproduce the illusion they represent some social contract or common good. That reality is both a cause, and an effect, of the creative rebellions that are happening here, and, more intensely, around the world. “Grassroots” groups like unions, nonprofits, etc. that used to be locked into stable relationships with the state may increasingly find themselves having to freelance. This creates a new political terrain and we will need to learn to navigate it. We will find ourselves betrayed, isolated, and crushed if we don’t remain independent of Sawant and the progressive union bureaucrats and social entrepreneurs who backed her election. But we will also find ourselves isolated and crushed if we abstain from future Occupy-like movements just because the last one produced a new socialist politician. I’m noticing a number of my comrades are trying to maintain their anarchist credentials by flippantly dismissing Kshama as just another progressive Democrat. I think they’re bending facts to fit their dogmas. It is obvious that Sawant is sincere about fighting the corporate-controlled Democratic party machine; this is evident in her call to seize the Boeing factories and to put them under democratic workers’ control, and in her refusal to take corporate donations. But breaking from the Democrats alone is not enough to replace capitalism and the state with total freedom, and it creates new problems for us at the same time as it solves old ones. We can’t solve the new ones by claiming Sawant is just an old one. We need to remember that the corporate status quo is not maintained solely by the two parties of the 1%. In fact, it isn’t maintained solely by the state bureaucracy. It is a product of social relationships that run throughout society – relationships that are continually reproduced and reinforced by hierarchal “grassroots” organizations like unions, nonprofits, religious groups, and activist groups. These shock-absorbers channel rebellious energy into safe cul-de-sacs where it won’t threaten the stability of the system. The state doesn’t simply rule through brute force – if it tried to crush every oppositional movement, this would just piss people off even more and we’d rise up to overthrow it. I know the grand juries and all the killer cops can make it seem this way, but I doubt we are on the verge of martial law or general suppression of all radical activity. The state still rules through hegemony and counterinsurgency – through winning the hearts and minds of potential opponents, rendering them a loyal opposition. Some radicals call this tendency “social democracy”. I’m not saying there is some grand conspiracy going on to brainwash us. Hegemony is always partial, tentative, contradictory, and dynamic. If the state aimed for total mind control it would become corny, obvious, and easier to mock. Usually it’s more subtle, and actually relies on everyday people creating new forms of incomplete rebellion ourselves, forms that can then set trends, allowing the system to market new, “edgy” commodities we can consume to blow off steam – everything from Kanye West’s appropriation of Black Block imagery to the corrosive proliferation of academic postmodernism through anarchist and activist subcultures. Also, not all of these cooptation efforts are centrally coordinated and calibrated to effectively maintain the stability of capital as a whole. Again, some of them are simply efforts of various factions of capital to make a short term profit, and at times these short term motives will actually undermine overall capitalist stability by popularizing a culture of rebellion (e.g. movies like Elysium or the Hunger Games). Other times, they undermine the overall hegemony by coopting a movement in a clunky way that is effective enough to avoid short term profit loss but not effective enough to prevent people from drawing radical conclusions over the long haul. Still other times, they attempt to directly make a profit off of people’s grievances, such as all the corporate education reform movements that promote Pearson, Inc.’s standardized testing products as a phony solution to the very real racialized inequality between Black students and white students in the public schools. The most classic forms of hegemony are patriarchy and white supremacy – things like the sexual violence in the Occupy camp that fractured the movement, or the failure of majority white longshore workers in Seattle to support the majority African port truckers when they went on strike here in 2012. These are not just imposed from above; we re-generate them in how we relate to each other on a daily basis. The system convinces us to internalize the shock absorbers that allow capitalism to run right over our antagonistic gestures. When we see this happening, we shouldn’t fall into an abyss of guilt and conclude that we’ve failed and that no alternative is possible. All of this is part of living in a capitalist society, and we’re not exempt from it just because we’re radicals. But that’s also exactly why we want to destory capitalism. Race and gender oppression are social constructions, and like any construction site, they can be sabotaged. For capitalism’s hegemony to work, the people who build the shock absorbers actually need a bit of leeway, breathing room to experiment at the grassroots level. Not every nonprofit worker or union organizer is a conscious social democratic hack. Some of them might be sincere revolutionaries, and others might just be good people trying to help out their neighbors. But at the macro level, these institutions operate by intertwining these good intentions with the constraints set by the system. In times of crisis, otherwise good people from these milieus are recruited into action to rapidly generate peace treaties that de-escalate struggles between the oppressed and the oppressors, the ruling class and the working class, the state and the ungovernable crowd. At that point, they become our opponents. So, what all of this means is that if we want freedom beyond the two party system, we’ll need more than militant action in the streets. We’ll also need more than socialists in office. You can’t smash a social relationship like people smash windows. You also can’t vote it out of office. We’ll need to break through these shock absorbers in a strategic and thorough way -and it will be a messy, impure process since the shock absorbers are intertwined with our daily lives and our very sense of who we are – so breaking through them is as much an act of social self-creation as it is an act of destructive transcendence. If we don’t do that, then any Leftward shift among elected politicians will remain largely symbolic and hollow, and militant actions in the streets will be easily isolated and contained. In Seattle, the Democratic Party would have lost control back in the ‘60s or earlier if it hadn’t forged a mutual alliance with shock absorbing institutions like nonprofits, identity-based activist organizations, and unions. Sawant represents a break from the Democrats. But does she represent an erosion of these more diffuse forces of hegemony, or is she going to reinforce them in new ways? Opposing the Dictatorship of the Dumpies Kshama has cultivated an edgy charisma based in the radical role she played in Occupy Seattle. Occupy was certainly a moment where everyday people started to shock the system by acting in unpredictably rebellious ways, and for a few months the system could not contain it. It wasn’t the first time that’s happened, and it won’t be the last. Kshama worked with many of us to help defend that dynamism, but as I will argue below, she only went so far, and future movements will need to go a lot farther. In the early days of Decolonize/ Occupy Seattle, the police had torn down our tents at Westlake but people refused to leave, sleeping out overnight on the concrete in the rain with nothing but tarps and sleeping bags. Every time the cops tried to clear us out of the park, angry people would swarm them and block their maneuvers, so instead they resorted to prison-guard tactics, shining lights in our eyes, trying to keep us up all night, trying to provoke us to get irritated with each other. The backbone and nerve center of the movement those nights were the houseless youth who absolutely refused to leave. For some of them, Westlake was their home before all of the the downwardly mobile urban professionals (dumpies) started showing up. Those dumpies are people who imagine themselves as part of the Seattle’s world-famous “creative class” of educated, progressive professionals. The problem is, the 2008 economic crisis dumped them out of their American dreams. Instead of moving up the food chain at Microsoft or wherever, they were thrown into the working class, disoriented and confused. Some of them found themselves sleeping next to the homeless youth at the Occupy camp, ready to fight together for a life worth living. They became comrades. Unfortunately, other dumpies thought that their managerial skills and education entitled them to run the movement. If they couldn’t make their mark as part of the creative class, they could make it here in the streets as social entrepreneurs. I was part of a core of several hundred people in the movement who constantly had to challenge these dumpies’ attempts to manage the movement in general, and the homeless youth in particular. We confronted them when they tried to call the cops on homeless youth for smoking weed, or when one of them insisted we make general assembly decisions via an iphone app he was marketing (as if everyone has an iphone!). Since then, some of those dumpies have gone on to staff various union, nonprofit, and activist efforts, solidifying Seattle’s civic image as a bastion of progressivism, and reinforcing some of it’s systemic shock absorbers. During the height of the occupation, some of those people naively thought they could work with the Mayor’s office to cut a deal legitimizing the movement in the eyes of the city’s leaders. Mayor McGinn came down to the camp bringing coffee one day. He also offered space at City Hall if the camp were to move there, vacating the Westlake location where we were disrupting business and generally tarnishing the city’s image as a safe place to invest. We were sending a clear message: we are the people who keep the emerald city running, who serve its coffee, care for its elderly and infants, and carry its baggage. Only now we were squatting in it’s core, throwing all of the social decay that eats at us right back into the faces of the city’s elites. The mayor kept insisting “don’t pay attention to the people behind the curtain”, but we were unavoidable. We knew that was our strength, and if we moved to City Hall, we would lose it. People were attracted to Occupy because we did what was necessary to fight against the 1%; we didn’t bend to what was considered possible or acceptable by the stale, or by the timid political class who had failed to prevent the economic crisis in the first place. So, instead of moving to City Hall, we helped organize the Night of 500 tents at Westlake and the eventual move to Seattle Central Community college, where the camp remained a hub of wildly independent, anti-systemic activity. Sawant and her party were part of both of those moves, and she worked closely with anarchists and other socialists at those moments. All of this helped shift the political conversation leftward; what was first seen as impractically radical became the new normal. Those of us who opposed working with the Democrats won out in several other political battles, some of which Sawant was a part of, and some of which she abstained from. For example, folks in the people of color caucus prevented Democrat county councilman Larry Gossett from using their event as a platform for his party politics. Nick Licata and other Democratic Party bigwigs hosted an Occupy event at Town Hall where they were trying to steer the movement into two- party electoral politics. Several of comrades from the movement had been invited to speak on the panel with Licata, the head of the state labor council, and other big-wigs. Instead of articulating vague populist politics that could be steered and shaped by the professionals, they took a clear and decisive stance defending the movement’s independence from the party and from the political and legal constraints of the current system. In retaliation, for the next 6 months the Stranger and other progressive mouthpieces kept attacking us as out of control, too toxic to touch, unable to work with our “natural allies”. As far as I remember, Kshama supported all of that, and during the first few months of the movement she never denounced us for being too radical. I’m not saying her track record in Occupy was one of unbounded revolutionary glory. Some claim she functioned as a figurehead in the general assemblies without putting in enough work to actually carry out the decisions she would propose. I hear where people are coming from, since there was a split between mental and manual labor on the movement. But I think this criticism is overblown since Kshama put in roughly the same amount of work as hundreds of other people who claim the movement as part of their biographies. Not everyone had the capacity to live in the camp 24/7 or be at every work group meeting. If everyone else in that situation can claim to be movement veterans, why can’t she? More importantly, I’d like to question the notion that someone only has a right to speak about the movement if they sacrificed their life energy doing work for the movement. This is a recipe for burnout, and, more ominously, it can play into authoritarian suppression of critical thinking. Finally, don’t we want to abolish alienated labor? If so, that means creating ways of getting things done that don’t involve guilt tripping individuals into doing more than they are wiling to do. Kshama’s party, Socialist Alternative, did put pressure on me to play a figurehead role alongside her, representing “the radicals” in the General Assemblies because they thought we both had sway with the movement. I though this would undermine our efforts to build up a horizontal movement with multiple voices. I firmly declined and explained that I’d be more effective acting collaboratively, rotating through multiple roles, and encouraging other comrades to rotate in and out of the spotlight. But the key point here is that Sawant is not lying when she said she was a part of the movement, and that she fought the Democrats within it. The Shock Absorbers Recalibrate a bit to the Left I don’t think Kshama’s campaign would have been possible if we all hadn’t risked political marginalization in order to defend Occupy Seattle from being swallowed into the Democratic party. That kind of swallowing is exactly what happened in other cities where activists were more cautious. We created a “new normal” in this city precisely because we were so out of control. A segment of progressives who usually trail the left wing of the Democratic party started brainstorming how to operate in this new environment, and it seems like some of them are starting to grope toward the possible formation of a 3rd party, or at least a kind of Left-wing Tea Party inside/ outside approach. I think that’s the story behind why the Stranger, some trade unions, and other forces that originally opposed Decolonize/ Occupy Seattle’s fierce independence are now supporting Sawant even though they denounced her when she was out in the streets with us. They are tentatively open to “socialist” independence from the Democrats, promoting a kind of “militant reformism” that I will analyze below. If this is an accurate assessment of the situation, it means they will probably end up offering support not only to Sawant, but also to more of us if we want to play ball. For example, check out the Stranger’s recent article where they listed Seasol on their list of the “smartest people in Seattle politics”, the people who are actually driving policy forward. Again, all of this opens up as many problems as it solves. The Port Shutdown, the Unions, and Sawant’s Party In the face of this flattery, we should all keep in mind that we had to risk loosing support from these forces during Occupy in order to achieve what we did, and we’ll have to do it again. The port shutdown of Dec 12th, 2011 is a key horizon in this regard. Decolonize/Occupy Seattle blockaded all container traffic in and out of the port on that day, in retaliation for the state repression of the Occupy camps, in opposition to austerity budget cuts, and in support of port truck drivers. This was part of a West Coast port shutdown that disrupted Wall St. on the Waterfront. It brought the Occupy movement closer to rank and file workers who were fighting against corporate tyranny in Longview, WA, in the farms of E. Washington, and in short-haul trucking up and down the coast. The international bureaucracy of the ILWU, the longshore union, opposed the action, out of fear it might bring down legal repression on them, and out of concern that we were challenging their turf. The media picked up on this to spread all sorts of distortions about our plans and intentions. We were attacked not only in the mainstream media, but also in the progressive and socialist presses. We pulled it off anyway. Without any support from labor bureaucrats or nonprofits leaders, we rallied the rank and file members of various unions, rank and file nonprofit workers, hip hop artists like Geo from the Blue Scholars, and many others. All of them joined the backbone of the movement who were pushing it all forward: the precarious children of the Great Recession, folks who work in service industries, who are unemployed or underemployed, who hate the fact that they are exploited on the job but don’t necessarily identify with the old labor movement and its affirmation of what it means to be a worker. These are many of the same people who are now fighting bosses and landlords through Seasol, who are fighting deportations in Who You Callin Illegal, or who are organizing on their jobs for a 15/hr minimum wage. Through this, thousands of participants in the port shutdown gained a sense of confidence in our ability to create ruptures – new situations previously deemed politically impossible. We learned we are capable of organizing significant, large, well-coordinated actions and campaigns without the support of the shock absorbers and their organizations. Despite their earlier defense of the movement’s independence, Sawant’s organization, Socialist Alternative, did not learn this lesson fully. Instead, they let themselves get disoriented by all the attacks against us in both the mainstream and the socialist press. In their own newspaper, Social Alternative affirmed that we were right to go ahead with the action despite the opposition from the union leadership, but they criticized us for not trying to coordinate the action with union leaders. This shows a lack of understanding of the real-time dynamics of the action. If we had tried to organize this in conjunction with the unions, the union leadership would have shut it down before it got off the ground. (For more on that, see this article and the comments in this one). This makes me wonder, does Socialist Alternative fully understand the limitations of the “progressive” bureaucratic forces that have since swung into action to support Sawant’s campaign? Their stance on the port shutdown seems to show an openness to the seductive appeal of these organizations: the claim that they can somehow help us reach and mobilize millions of people if we just moderate our message and our actions enough to “meet people where they’re at.” In reality, these organizations often do not know where people are at. They are often out of touch with their own social base, and they actually need us in order to mobilize people for their own ends – which is why they are even talking with us in the first place. The unions and the demand for $15/ hr The core demand fueling Sawant’s campaign is the call for a 15/ hr minimum wage in the city. This is something I support, because it is a struggle that workers themselves are fighting for, not simply an abstract leftist slogan raised to make a didactic point. However, winning it will probably require escalating strikes, blockades, occupations, and other illegal and semi-legal actions at a scale even larger than the port shutdown. Sawant would probably agree with that statement. But the question remains: how do build that kind of momentum? Will the union bureaucracies do it, or will they get in the way? As we learned during Occupy, large numbers of people only take risks like that if they are able to generate, spread, and shape the action themselves. People don’t like to be stage-managed in scripted demonstrations, especially when our lives and our freedom are at stake. And that logic of independent growth-through-struggle doesn’t mesh well with the logic of city hall politics, even socialist politics. It also doesn’t mesh well with the bureaucratic nature of most unions. To be clear, I am not siding with the corporate anti-union forces, who I am fighting as a teacher. I’m also not polemicizing against organization here, nor am I worshipping short term flash-in-the pan direct action without a strategy. I just think that workers’ self- organization is held back by the current array of labor laws and the unions that obey and reinforce them. When workers set clear goals for ourselves, we will certainly build various kinds of formal and informal organizations to sustain our activity toward these goals over time, and we will certainly debate and execute various strategies. But resilient, dynamic, and emergent organization in the era of horizontal mass communication requires an open-source proliferation of self-organization – not top-down, rigid bureaucratic structure. People need to be able to take an idea, a strategy, or an action, make it their own, adapt it as needed, and run with it; they then need to be able to assess the successes and failures of these efforts so others can learn from this and can evolve. I would wager that most people simply will not join something risky and difficult if they do not have this freedom, which is why I think that most existing unions and socialist political party organizations are outdated. You can’t just mobile people like chess pieces; that might work when you win a few exciting victories, but eventually the honeymoon effect wears off. People need to be able to mobilize and organize themselves. And when that happens, all sorts of seemingly impossible scenarios can become realities. We’ll need that kind of dynamic in order to win the 15/hr min wage, to stop the coal trains, to stop racist suspensions in the public schools, to stop deportations, to shut down the county’s plans for a new 210 million youth jail, or to do any of the other things we want to do. This is a fact that the Stranger and other “creative class” supporters of Sawant miss, because they are ignoring the recent history of this city – a history they failed to make because they were too busy sniping at us from the sidelines. They are also ignoring basic facts about the political economy of this region that indicate how hard some corporations will fight to prevent the emergence of things like a 15/hr wage. The economic boom here in Seattle is fragile and brittle, just like the capitalist system as a whole. It is based on the exploitation of low-wage precarious workers, and the racism that undergirds this, just like the capitalist system as a whole. And the corporate leaders will fight hard to keep it that way. The relative economic boom here is NOT fueled by a highly educated stratum of knowledge workers – that’s precisely the kind of Clintonian mirage that the 2008 crisis should have dispelled. Demanding a living wage will not automatically elevate more people into the so-called creative class. Not everyone is going to start working at Starbucks for 15 bucks /hr while they save up to go to UW and start their career at Microsoft or Amazon. In reality, they’ll be competing for that restaurant job with recent UW grads or older dumpies who can’t find work elsewhere. Low wage workers keep the floors swept and the packages moving at Amazon and Microsoft. They also keep the tech workers fed, clothed, and housed relatively cheaply, allowing these tech workers‘ own employers to pay them relatively little to support a “competitive” standard of living in this supposedly livable city. If low wage workers start to demand higher wages, the corporations that exploit them will threaten to move out of the city, like Boeing is doing because its own workers are refusing to be pushed down into the ranks of the precarious workforce. Or, the creative class will have to pay more for their lattes and Priuses and they’ll start to move to the Bay Area, creating a labor shortage at Microsoft, Amazon, etc. which could make it easier for the tech workers who remain to demand more autonomy and control on the job without getting fired – a kind of Office Space rebellion. So if we really want a living wage in Seattle, we need to build a movement that is prepared to occupy corporate businesses to prevent them from leaving, coupled with direct material solidarity with workers in other places around the country and around the world who the corporations are trying to move to exploit. That kind of movement for 15/ hr could be sparked by the sleeping giant that is currently waking up: the communities of folks who are undocumented and unafraid, many of whom are also working in low-wage industries like food service. Across the continent, undocumented youth are starting to take militant action independent from the Democratic Party. Groups like the National Immigrant Youth Alliance are infiltrating and organizing inside detention centers, and they are doing actions at the border against detentions. If these folks end up taking the lead in a movement against low wages and deportations, it might look less like a polite conversation about socialism in a Seattle Starbucks and more like the old school movement for the 8 hour workday (the movement that gave birth to May Day), or the IWW timber and shipyard strikes that culminated in the 1919 Seattle General Strike. But that’s precisely when all of the contradictions will reach a breaking point. I just don’t see the SEIU or UFCW union leadership being okay with any of that, nor do I see the Stranger endorsing it. If the unions were to organize in ways that encourage that kind of self-mobilization, it could easily get out of their control. People might demand more than simply a wage increase and SEIU union recognition under the existing labor laws – they might start organizing against capitalist control itself, like what has started to happen in labor and anti-austerity insurrections in other countries. This would also create a political crisis for the ruling class because they’d have to choose between their “liberal” / “social justice” credentials and their commitment to maintaining a favorable investment climate here. So if SEIU and the Stranger decide they’re going to try to reign in workers’ autonomy, or other insurrectionary moments that might emerge, what would Sawant do? She might decide that she is going to break with these forces, and with the other progressives who support them uncritically. After all, members of her campaign have told me that the unions didn’t even want to fight for the 15/hr demand that hard, and that her campaign pushed them on this. Maybe Sawant will do more than simply propose living wage ordinances. She might even do more than getting symbolically arrested in some stage-managed civil disobedience on a picket line, where the cops and the SEIU leadership coordinate ahead of time to make sure everything goes according to plan. She might encourage rank and file workers to go all-out, letting them know that she will back them even if the union leaders bail on them, even if they break the law, even if they determine their own strategy without her party’s input, even if they threaten to alienate all of the well-placed social entrepreneurs who backed her campaign. But her party’s stance on the 2011 Port Shutdown, and their lack of clarity on the role of the trade union bureaucrats in the Occupy movement leave me unwilling to assume she will do all of that simply because she is a socialist. So I think we should prepare to do it ourselves – with her, without her, or against her. Revolutionary growth vs. militant reformism Kshama is right though: something IS changing in Seattle. There has been enough independent, rebellious energy the past few years that socialist organizations, trade union and nonprofit leaders, and progressive journalists are talking about riding the wave of rebellion instead of trying to just contain it like Jean Quan did in Oakland. They’re becoming more flexible. The ethos of the progressive nonprofit worker, the progressive trade union staffer, and the class struggle anarchist are starting to merge into a new type of activism – what some call “venture syndicalism”. We will probably see more and more of this. Unions like SEIU will take lessons from Seasol and will start taking action outside of the framework of collective bargaining and the constraints of union recognition elections under the National Labor Relations board. Politicians like Sawant will get arrested, maybe even at rebellious, ungovernable demonstrations. But the question remains: what does success really look like in these actions? For militant reformists, success looks like winning specific policy changes, like the 15/hr minimum wage, by any means necessary. It is Saul Alinskyism on steroids: everything is about the win. “By any means” might involve breaking the law, but it might also involve sacrificing the growth and self-activity of movement participants at the altar of short-term tactical efficiency, the execution of strategy decided upon by centralized movement leaders. For people who want to create a revolutionary new society, success looks like learning through struggle. It looks like building up the confidence, capacity, and collective wisdom of the millions of people who we hope will eventually bring down capitalism, starting with ourselves and those around us. For us, every strike, every blockade, every occupation, every uprising is successful if it catalyzes the emergence of an intelligent, dynamic, unstoppably appealing multitude of people. It is successful if it helps us become the kind of people who have the confidence and knowledge necessary to reverse the climate catastrophe, to build direct democracy in every workplace school and neighborhood, to create to meet each others needs, not corporate profits. Where to start? How do we relate our immediate actions to these long-term goals? One thing we can do is to start creating our own media networks that can narrate our own struggles without relying on the corporate media or the mainstream “progressive” opinion makers like the Stranger. I’m not talking about some stale Leninist paper that looks like it was written in 1917 or 1971. I mean something that learns the lessons of hip hop – something that is beautiful, that communicates in multiple registers at once, that remixes past discourses into new syntheses, and that appeals to millions. I think efforts like Hip Hop Occupies, Tides of Flame, Creativity Not Control, the Seattle Community Media Lab, High Gods Entertainment, All Power to the Positive, the W.I.S.H. Plan A zine, and Christy X’s new movie about our comrade Dede’s struggle against deportation are good experiments moving in this direction, but we’ve got a long way to go. If we develop media networks then we will have something tangible to offer when we meet groups of people who are active in various struggles – against coal trains, deportations, suspensions, abuse on the job, etc. We can connect with those “militant minorities”, or “intermediate layers”, the groups of people within each of these struggles who want to go further than the shock absorbers within the struggle would allow, and can put our media at their disposal. We’ll find new comrades and build new communities with these folks, in ways that break out of the stifling, narrow activist scenes, without falling into vague and demoralizing hype about moderating our message in order to “meet the masses where they’re at”. We can support the efforts of these “intermediate” groupings/ tendencies, mobilizing our own networks to combine with theirs when appropriate, helping them convince the majority of the people in these struggles to break through the shock absorbers holding them -and all of us -back. We don’t need to teach people to strike, to occupy, or to demonstrate – more and more people who we’ve never met are doing this more and more often. With the rise of militant reformism, direct action might become commonplace. While direct action is almost always better than polite rallies and petitions, we need to keep in mind that there is nothing automatically revolutionary about it. We should participate in these struggles for sure. But instead of working ourselves to death trying to substitute our activity for the activity of millions by amping up our own intensity to win demands, we should focus our energies on breaking through those shock absorbers so that more and more people can unleash their own creative, rebellious energy – so that there will be more of “us”, and eventually we will no longer be a militant minority, but will become the majority. Of course, a key part of this should involve organizing our own campaigns in ways that are bottom-up, direct democratic, based in direct action, and independent from the politicians. Groups like Seasol, Who You Callin Illegal, the More4Mann coalition, and Washington Incarceration Stops Here are good examples of this, and they inspire others to take up similar types of organizing, formally and informally. These struggles share important skills, like how to make collective decisions under pressure, how to work through differences with each other in comradely ways, etc. – skills that all of us need to develop further if we want to become resilient and dynamic enough to overthrow the system. The biggest danger of the Sawant campaign is that the people who would otherwise be doing all of this might start trying to take shortcuts, thinking that you can simply project demands like 15/hr through political and mainstream media campaigns, and then workers will respond to your call and will start fighting for it. I have no personal hostility to Sawant. Maybe that means I’m condemned to anarchist hell by the gods of insurrection. But she hasn’t tried to stop me and my comrades from doing what we want to do- at least not yet. If she does, we’ll have to break through the obstacles she creates. If she doesn’t, then I’m not interested in wasting energy calling her out just for the sake of reaffirming abstract anarchist principles. I’d rather focus on putting the principle of autonomy into actual, physical practice. We all knew Kshama was a pro-electoral socialist when we first met her – why is everyone acting so surprised that she is not for the immediate destruction of the bourgeois state? That being said, I am worried that comrades will get disoriented and will stop doing what needs to be done, putting their energies into supporting future socialist campaigns instead of building up our independent capacities to make a revolution. Since capitalism already chews up most of our lives through paid and unpaid labor, we have preciously little time and energy left over when we clock out, and I hope we put it towards activities that will develop all of our capacities over the long haul. Without getting big headed about it, we need to remember that all the hype around “Seattle Socialism” would not even exist if we hadn’t been out here doing our thing all these years. By the height of the Occupy movement, the most popular chants in the streets became “Everything for everyone, the revolution has begun” and “politicians, we don’t need ‘em, all we want is total freedom”. It was this fierce independence that gave birth to the Kshama Sawant moment. So when the election honeymoon is over, what are we going to do next? I know that a bunch of us will stay in the streets, the neighborhoods, the schools, and the workplaces fighting shoulder to shoulder, and learning how to make a revolution. I hope you join us and refuse to leave, whether the Stranger and the new socialist(s) at city hall praise us, or whether they attack us as dangerous dreamers. If it comes to that, just keep in mind that we already redefined politics in this city once, and we can do it again. —– 1) Unless I specify otherwise, when I say “we” in this piece, I am not referring to any of the specific organizations, tendencies, or circles I’m a part of; I’m referring to the tens of thousands of people who have taken actions over the past few years that have pushed beyond activist business-as-usual. 2) When I say “Decolonize / Occupy ”
your tools are a starter set. In your ignorance, you chose wood that wasn’t properly seasoned. Wow, those dovetail joints take some precision, don’t they? This cabinet-making thing is hard! Nevertheless, with persistence and effort you complete your cabinet. It wobbles a bit. The drawers stick. The finish isn’t perfect. Buy hey, it’s a cabinet! You try to sell it to several furniture shops and they all politely decline. So are you going to sell it yourself? Or heave a sigh, make another cabinet, and see if you can make a better one? Devotion by Ros Barber review – the conflict between religion and science Read more Good writers become good because they undertake an apprenticeship. Serving your apprenticeship is important My first novel was my fourth novel. It was accomplished on the back of three complete novels (plus two half novels) that didn’t quite make the grade (even though two of them were represented by well-respected agents). Yes, it can be frustrating, having your beloved book (months or years of hard work) rejected by traditional publishers. But if you are serious about writing, you will simply raise your game. You will put in another few thousand hours and complete your apprenticeship. And when you do, you will be very glad that the first novel you wrote was not the first novel you published, because it will now feel embarrassing and amateurish. You can only be a debutante once. First novels are all about making a splash. You’ll find it hard to make a good impression if the first thing anyone saw from you was that wonky cabinet with sticky drawers. You can forget Hay festival and the Booker Traditional publishing is the only way to go for someone who writes literary fiction. With genre fiction, self-publishing can turn you into a successful author (if you can build a platform, if you enjoy marketing and are good at it, if you are lucky). But an author who writes literary fiction is dependent on critical acclaim and literary prizes to build their reputation and following. If genre fiction is chart music, literary fiction is opera: the audience is small, and there are limited ways to reach it. Self-published books are not eligible for major prizes like the Baileys, the Costa and the Man Booker, and getting shortlisted for major prizes is the only way a literary novel will become a bestseller. The chance of a self-published novelist getting their book reviewed in the mainstream press is the same as the chance of my dog not eating a sausage. The chance of an indie author being booked for a major literature festival? Donald Trump apologising to Mexico. You risk looking like an amateur Good writers need even better editors. They need brilliant cover designers. They need imaginative marketers and well-connected publicists. All these things are provided by a traditional publisher, and what’s more, it doesn’t cost you a penny. They pay you! If a self-published author wants to avoid looking like an amateur, they’d better be prepared to shell out some serious dosh to get professional help in all the areas where they don’t excel. And I mean serious. Paying some poor bugger in the Philippines a fiver, or bunging £50 to your PhotoShopping nephew will not result in a distinctive, professional-looking cover. And don’t get me started on the value of good editors, copy-editors and proof-readers, and how many times they have saved me from looking like a twonk. Providing these services to indie authors is a lucrative business. Indeed, many indie authors keep themselves afloat financially by offering these services to other indie authors: the new “authorpreneur” pyramid scheme. Which is all very well if what you’ve always wanted to do is start your own writing-related business. But if you’d rather be an author, why not practice your skill until you’ve written something a publisher will pay for? And enjoy the fact they’ll also foot the bill for everything else. 70% of nothing is nothing My final caveat is fiscal. You can put all of that effort in, do all that marketing, and still not make a living. Fiona Veitch Smith made the transition from self-publishing to traditional publishing. I do not earn much as a traditionally published author but I earn more than I did as a self-publisher. I published 7 books in 4 years and in that time only one of them went into profit – and that less than £100. And before anyone says it’s because I didn’t work hard enough, my friends and family who barely saw me for 4 years will tell you that I worked my butt off. So hard in fact that I attracted the attention of two separate traditional publishers who took me on (one for my adult books, one for my children’s books). I could no longer take the feeling of inadequacy every time I read an article by a self-publishing success story telling me if only I worked harder and smarter, did all the right social media promotions, spent 90% of my time marketing and only 10% writing – oh and subscribed to their blog or downloaded their latest how-to manual – I too could earn at least 5 figures a month. But the reality is, of dozens of self-publishers I knew, I was probably the most successful.” She has just sold Korean translation rights to her children’s books, which illustrates another benefit of traditional publishing. Publishers and agents have reach. With access to proper distribution networks, they can get physical books into real bookshops. They can represent you at the major book fairs and sell your books to international markets. Self-publishing? It generates a lot of noise on social media. It results in many flashy-looking websites from authorpreneurs keen to sell success secrets to other aspiring authorpreneurs. With Amazon’s Kindle and CreateSpace as the major outlets, it continues to put money in the coffers of the company largely responsible for destroying author incomes in the first place. But it isn’t a route to financial security. For those who prefer orchestrated backing to blowing their own trumpet, who’d privilege running a narrative scenario over running a small business, who’d rather write adventures than adverts, self-publishing is not the answer.When we think of bark, we usually think of the holidays. It's hard not to, since holiday barks are hard to miss during the season: everything from peppermint and white chocolate, to nut and dried fruit bark. And, it's also the time of the year when we too traditionally tend to make this treat.These are, after all, perfect ingredients to add to chocolate, so we threw on our Jack Daniel's apron (it's a must for cooking with Jack), got to making some Jack Daniel's Whiskey Bacon Caramel Bark, and never looked back. But when we stumbled upon a bark recipe with marshmallows, caramel, whiskey, and bacon, we had to break tradition, and make some in July (gasp). Before You Start Making Jack Daniel's Whiskey Bacon Caramel Bark Weigh/Measure all of your ingredients Prepare an 8x8 pan - line it with parchment paper (leaving a little paper overhang so you can remove the bark from the pan for cutting) and then coat with a non-stick cooking spray. Tip: spray the cooking spray on a paper towel and then rub on parchment, this way it doesn't pool on the bottom of the pan Prepare your caramel so it can cool before you put together the other elements Fry bacon for best results, but use microwavable bacon for ease. Cut into bits Jack Daniel's Whiskey Bacon Caramel Bark Ingredients Caramel 1 cup (240g) heavy cream 1 cup + 2 tbsp (225g) granulated sugar 3 tbsp (42g) unsalted butter 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (205g) light corn syrup 1/4 tsp (1.5g) salt 1/4 tsp (1g) vanilla extract Rest Of Bark 10 oz (280g) of semi-sweet chocolate 2 cups (100g) mini-marshmallows 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter 1 tbsp (14g) Jack Daniel's Whiskey 2-3 strips of bacon, cut into bits Jack Daniel's Whiskey Bacon Caramel Bark Step-By-Step Directions How To Make The Caramel 1) In a large saucepan, combine heavy cream, sugar, butter, and light corn syrup. Bring this to a boil on high till sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally. 2) Once the mixture comes to a big boil, reduce heat to medium and let it boil until it reaches 248 degrees (F) on a candy thermometer. This can take about 15-20 minutes. 3) Once it reaches 248 degrees (F), remove from heat and stir in vanilla and salt. 4) Let the caramel cool as you make the other components. NOTE: Please be careful as the caramel is extremely hot, and we don't want you to burn your fingers. How To Assemble The Bark NOTE: Please be careful as the caramel is extremely hot, and we don't want you to burn your fingers. 1) Melt 5 oz (140g) of the semi-sweet chocolate on a double boiler. If you don't have a double boiler you can use a heatproof bowl on a saucepan with simmering water. 2) Pour the melted chocolate in the prepared 8x8 inch pan with the greased parchment paper liner, and place in the freezer. 3) Next melt the marshmallows and butter in a saucepan till smooth, take off heat and mix in the Jack Daniel's Whiskey. 4) Pour marshmallow mixture on the frozen chocolate layer and put back in the freezer for about 10 minutes. 5) After the marshmallow layer is set, pour the cooled caramel as your next layer and place back in freezer for about 10 minutes. 6) Melt the remaining 5 oz (140g) of semi-sweet chocolate and layer on top of the caramel smoothing with an offset spatula. Sprinkle bacon pieces onto the chocolate while it's still melted. 7) Place back in the freezer for about an hour or until completely set. 8) Remove bark using the parchment paper and cut as you prefer.Four people have been charged after student protesters clashed with police in chaotic scenes in Melbourne's CBD on Wednesday afternoon. The protesters, who had earlier swamped Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey as he tried to enter the back of State Parliament, were rallying against proposed federal funding cuts to the education budget. Victoria Police said a 30-year-old Preston woman was charged with assaulting police and discharging a missile and was bailed by police. A Preston man, 27, was charged with hindering and resisting police and discharging a missile and was also bailed by police. A Thornbury man, 22, was charged with hindering and resisting police and was bailed. A 21-year-old Geelong West man was charged with recklessly causing injury. He remains in police custody. A man and a woman were arrested for breach of the peace and removed from the area. They were released with no charges, police said.The Dangerous Academic is an Extinct Species It was curiosity, not stupidity that killed the Dodo. For too long, we have held to the unfair myth that the flightless Mauritian bird became extinct because it was too dumb to understand that it was being killed. But as Stefan Pociask points out in “What Happened to the Last Dodo Bird?”, the dodo was driven into extinction partly because of its desire to learn more about a new, taller, two-legged creature who disembarked onto the shores of its native habitat: “Fearless curiosity, rather than stupidity, is a more fitting description of their behavior.” Curiosity does have a tendency to get you killed. The truly fearless don’t last long, and the birds who go out in search of new knowledge are inevitably the first ones to get plucked. It’s always safer to stay close to the nest. Contrary to what capitalism’s mythologizers would have you believe, the contemporary world does not heap its rewards on those with the most creativity and courage. In fact, at every stage of life, those who venture beyond the safe boundaries of expectation are ruthlessly culled. If you’re a black kid who tends to talk back and call bullshit on your teachers, you will be sent to a special school. If you’re a transgender teenager like Leelah Alcorn in Ohio, and you unapologetically defy gender norms, they’ll make you so miserable that you kill yourself. If you’re Eric Garner, and you tell the police where they can stick their B.S. “loose cigarette” tax, they will promptly choke you to death. Conformists, on the other hand, usually do pretty well for themselves. Follow the rules, tell people what they want to hear, and you’ll come out just fine. Becoming a successful academic requires one hell of a lot of ass-kissing and up-sucking. You have to flatter and impress. The very act of applying to graduate school to begin with is an exercise in servility: please deem me worthy of your favor. In order to rise through the ranks, you have to convince people of your intelligence and acceptability, which means basing everything you do on a concern for what other people think. If ever you find that your conclusions would make your superiors despise you (say, for example, if you realized that much of what they wrote was utter irredeemable manure), you face a choice: conceal your true self or be permanently consigned to the margins. The idea of a “dangerous” academic is therefore somewhat self-contradictory to begin with. The academy could, potentially, be a place for unfettered intellectual daring. But the most daring and curious people don’t end up in the academy at all. These days, they’ve probably gone off and done something more interesting, something that involves a little bit less deference to convention and detachment from the material world. We can even see this in the cultural archetype of the Professor. The Professor is always a slightly harrumphy—and always white and male—individual, with scuffed shoes and jackets with leather elbows, hidden behind a mass of seemingly disorganized books. He is brilliant but inaccessible, and if not effeminate, certainly effete. But bouncing with ideas, so many ideas. There is nothing particularly menacing about such a figure, certainly nothing that might seriously threaten the existing arrangements of society. Of ideas he has plenty. Of truly dangerous ones, none at all. If anything, the university has only gotten less dangerous in recent years. Campuses like Berkeley were once centers of political dissent. There was open confrontation between students and the state. In May of 1970, the Ohio National Guard killed four students at Kent State. Ten days later, police at the historically black Jackson State University fired into a crowd of students, killing two. At Cornell in 1969, armed black students took over the student union building in a demand for recognition and reform, part of a pattern of serious upheaval. But over the years the university became corporatized. It became a job training center rather than an educational institution. Academic research became progressively more specialized, narrow, technical, and obscure. (The most successful scholarship is that which seems to be engaged with serious social questions, but does not actually reach any conclusions that would force the Professor to leave his office.) The ideas that do get produced have also become more inaccessible, with research inevitably cloaked behind the paywalls of journals that cost astronomical sums of money. At the cheaper end, the journal Cultural Studies charges individuals $201 for just the print edition, and charges institutions $1,078 for just the online edition. The science journal Biochimica et Biophysica Acta costs $20,000, which makes Cultural Studies look like a bargain. (What makes the pricing especially egregious is that these journals are created mostly with free labor, as academics who produce articles are almost never paid for them.) Ideas in the modern university are not free and available to all. They are in fact tethered to a vast academic industrial complex, where giant publishing houses like Elsevier make massive profits off the backs of researchers. Furthermore, the academics who produce those ideas aren’t exactly at liberty to think and do as they please. The overwhelming “adjunctification” of the university has meant that approximately 76% of professors… aren’t professors at all, but underpaid and overworked adjuncts, lecturers, and assistants. And while conditions for adjuncts are slowly improving, especially through more widespread unionization, their place in the university is permanently unstable. This means that no adjunct can afford to seriously offend. To make matters worse, adjuncts rely heavily on student evaluations to keep their positions, meaning that their classrooms cannot be places to heavily contest or challenge students’ politics. Instructors could literally lose their jobs over even the appearance of impropriety. One false step—a video seen as too salacious, or a political opinion held as oppressive—could be the end of a career. An adjunct must always be docile and polite. All of this means that university faculty are less and less likely to threaten any aspect of the existing social or political system. Their jobs are constantly on the line, so there’s a professional risk in upsetting the status quo. But even if their jobs were safe, the corporatized university would still produce mostly banal ideas, thanks to the sycophancy-generating structure of the academic meritocracy. But even if truly novel and consequential ideas were being produced, they would be locked away behind extortionate paywalls. The corporatized university also ends up producing the corporatized student. Students worry about doing anything that may threaten their job prospects. Consequently, acts of dissent have become steadily de-radicalized. On campuses these days, outrage and anger is reserved for questions like, “Is this sushi an act of cultural appropriation?” When student activists do propose ways to “radically” reform the university, it tends to involve adding new administrative offices and bureaucratic procedures, i.e. strengthening the existing structure of the university rather than democratizing it. Instead of demanding an increase in the power of students, campus workers, and the untenured, activists tend to push for symbolic measures that universities happily embrace, since they do not compromise the existing arrangement of administrative and faculty power. It’s amusing, then, that conservatives have long been so paranoid about the threat posed by U.S. college campuses. The American right has an ongoing fear of supposedly arch-leftist professors brainwashing nubile and impressionable young minds into following sinister leftist dictates. Since massively popular books like Roger Kimball’s 1990 Tenured Radicals and Dinesh D’Souza’s 1992 Illiberal Education: The Politics of Race on Campus, colleges have been seen as hotbeds of Marxist indoctrination that threaten the civilized order. This is a laughable idea, for the simple reason that academics are the very opposite of revolutionaries: they intentionally speak to minuscule audiences rather than the masses (on campus, to speak of a “popular” book is to deploy a term of faint disdain) and they are fundamentally concerned with preserving the security and stability of their own position. This makes them deeply conservative in their day-to-day acts, regardless of what may come out of their mouths. (See the truly pitiful lack of support among Harvard faculty when the university’s dining hall workers went on strike for slightly higher wages. Most of the “tenured radicals” couldn’t even be bothered to sign a petition supporting the workers, let alone march in the streets.) But left-wing academics are all too happy to embrace the conservatives’ ludicrous idea of professors as subversives. This is because it reassures them that they are, in fact, consequential, that they are effectively opposing right-wing ideas, and that they need not question their own role. The “professor-as-revolutionary” caricature serves both the caricaturist and the professor. Conservatives can remain convinced that students abandon conservative ideas because they are being manipulated, rather than because reading books and learning things makes it more difficult to maintain right-wing prejudices. And liberal professors get to delude themselves into believing they are affecting something. Today, in what many call “Trump’s America,” the idea of universities as sites of “resistance” has been renewed on both the left and right. At the end of 2016, Turning Point USA, a conservative youth group, created a website called Professor Watchlist, which set about listing academics it considered dangerously leftist. The goal, stated on the Turning Point site, is “to expose and document college professors who discriminate against conservative students and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom.” Some on the left are delusional enough to think that professors as a class can and should be presenting a united front against conservatism. At a recent University of Chicago event, a document was passed around from Refusefascism.org titled, “A Call to Professors, Students and All in Academia,” calling on people to “Make the University a Zone of Resistance to the Fascist Trump Regime and the Coming Assault on the Academy.” Many among the professorial class seem to want to do exactly this, seeing themselves as part of the intellectual vanguard that will serve as a bulwark against Trumpism. George Yancy, a professor of philosophy and race studies at Emory University, wrote an op-ed in the New York Times, titled “I Am A Dangerous Professor.” Yancy discussed his own inclusion on the Professor Watchlist, before arguing that he is, in fact, dangerous: “In my courses, which the watchlist would like to flag as ‘un-American’ and as ‘leftist propaganda,’ I refuse to entertain my students with mummified ideas and abstract forms of philosophical self-stimulation. What leaves their hands is always philosophically alive, vibrant and filled with urgency. I want them to engage in the process of freeing ideas, freeing their philosophical imaginations. I want them to lose sleep over the pain and suffering of so many lives that many of us deem disposable. I want them to become conceptually unhinged, to leave my classes discontented and maladjusted…Bear in mind that it was in 1963 that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. raised his voice and said: ‘I say very honestly that I never intend to become adjusted to segregation and discrimination.’… I refuse to remain silent in the face of racism, its subtle and systemic structure. I refuse to remain silent in the face of patriarchal and sexist hegemony and the denigration of women’s bodies.” He ends with the words: “Well, if it is dangerous to teach my students to love their neighbors, to think and rethink constructively and ethically about who their neighbors are, and how they have been taught to see themselves as disconnected and neoliberal subjects, then, yes, I am dangerous, and what I teach is dangerous.” Of course, it’s not dangerous at all to teach students to “love their neighbors,” and Yancy knows this. He wants to simultaneously possess and devour his cake: he is doing nothing that anyone could possibly object to, yet he is also attempting to rouse his students to overthrow the patriarchy. He suggests that his work is so uncontroversial that conservatives are silly to fear it (he’s just teaching students to think!), but also places himself in the tradition of Martin Luther King, Jr., who was trying to radically alter the existing social order. His teaching can be revolutionary enough to justify Yancy spending time as a philosophy professor during the age of Trump, but benign enough for the Professor Watchlist to be an act of baseless paranoia. Much of the revolutionary academic resistance to Trump seems to consist of spending a greater amount of time on Twitter. Consider the case of George Ciccariello-Maher, a political scientist at Drexel University who specializes in Venezuela. In December of 2016, Ciccariello-Maher became a minor cause célèbre on the left after getting embroiled in a flap over a tweet. On Christmas Eve, for who only knows what reason, Ciccariello-Maher tweeted “All I Want for Christmas is White Genocide.” Conservatives became enraged, and began calling upon Drexel to fire him. Ciccariello-Maher insisted he had been engaged in satire, although nobody could understand what the joke was intended to be, or what the tweet even meant in the first place. After Drexel disowned Ciccariello-Maher’s words, a petition was launched in his defense. Soon, Ciccariello-Maher had lawyered up, Drexel confirmed that his job was safe, and the whole kerfuffle was over before the nation’s half-eaten leftover Christmas turkeys had been served up into sandwiches and casseroles. Ciccariello-Maher continues to spend a great deal of time on Twitter, where he frequently issues macho tributes to violent political struggle, and postures as a revolutionary. But despite his temporary status as a martyr for the cause of academic freedom, one who terrifies the reactionaries, there was nothing dangerous about his act. He hadn’t really stirred up a hornet’s nest; after all, people who poke actual bees occasionally get bee stings. A more apt analogy is that he had gone to the zoo to tap on the glass in the reptile house, or to throw twigs at some tired crocodiles in a concrete pool. (When they turned their rheumy eyes upon him, he ran from the fence, screaming that dangerous predators were after him.) U.S. academics who fancy themselves involved in revolutionary political struggles are trivializing the risks faced by actual political dissidents around the world, including the hundreds of environmental activists who have been murdered globally for their efforts to protect indigenous land. “University faculty are less and less likely to threaten any aspect of the existing social or political system…” Of course, it’s true that there are still some subversive ideas on university campuses, and some true existing threats to academic and student freedom. Many of them have to do with Israel or labor organizing. In 2014, Steven Salaita was fired from a tenured position at the University of Illinois for tweets he had made about Israel. (After a protracted lawsuit, Salaita eventually reached a settlement with the university.) Fordham University tried to ban a Students for Justice in Palestine group, and the University of California Board of Regents attempted to introduce a speech code that would have punished much criticism of Israel as “hate speech.” The test of whether your ideas are actually dangerous is whether you are rewarded or punished for expressing them. In fact, in terms of danger posed to the world, the corporatized university may itself be more dangerous than any of the ideas that come out of it. In Hyde Park, where I live, the University of Chicago seems ancient and venerable at first glance. Its Ye Olde Kinda Sorta Englande architecture, built in 1890 to resemble Oxbridge, could almost pass for medieval if one walked through it at dusk. But the institution is in fact deeply modern, and like Columbia University in New York, it has slowly absorbed the surrounding neighborhood, slicing into older residential areas and displacing residents in landgrab operations. Despite being home to one of the world’s most prestigious medical and research schools, the university refused for many years to open a trauma center to serve the city’s South Side, which had been without access to trauma care. (The school only relented in 2015, after a long history of protests.) The university ferociously guards its myriad assets with armed guards on the street corners, and enacts massive surveillance on local residents (the university-owned cinema insists on examining bags for weapons and food, a practice I have personally experienced being selectively conducted in a racially discriminatory manner). In the university’s rapacious takeover of the surrounding neighborhood, and its treatment of local residents—most of whom are of color—we can see what happens when a university becomes a corporation rather than a community institution. Devouring everything in the pursuit of limitless expansion, it swallows up whole towns. The corporatized university, like corporations generally, is an uncontrollable behemoth, absorbing greater and greater quantities of capital and human lives, and churning out little of long-term social value. Thus Yale University needlessly decided to open a new campus in Singapore despite the country’s human rights record and restrictions on political speech, and New York University decided to needlessly expand to Abu Dhabi, its new UAE campus built by low-wage workers under brutally repressive conditions. The corporatized university serves nobody and nothing except its own infinite growth. Students are indebted, professors lose job security, surrounding communities are surveilled and displaced. That is something dangerous. Left professors almost certainly sense this. They see themselves disappearing, the campus becoming a steadily more stifling environment. Posturing as a macho revolutionary is, like all displays of machismo, driven partially by a desperate fear of one’s impotence. They know they are not dangerous, but they are happy to play into the conservative stereotype. But the “dangerous academic” is like the Dodo in 1659, a decade before its final sighting and extinction: almost nonexistent. And the more universities become like corporations, the fewer and fewer of these unique birds will be left. Curiosity kills, and those who truly threaten the inexorable logic of the neoliberal university are likely to end up extinct. Illustrations by Chris Matthews.WWE is offering a “free preview” to fans who still have not signed up for the WWE Network. The offer is now live and runs through next Monday, July 14th. WWE says there is “no credit card required and no strings attached” as part of the promotion. “Get your FREE preview of WWE Network now and enjoy access to every WWE, WCW, and ECW pay-per-view event ever produced in history! It’s just like Netflix and Hulu, but also features 24/7 programming. Simply create an account and start watching immediately. No credit card required.” One of the new shows airing on the WWE Network this week is a “WrestleMania Rewind” special focused on CM Punk’s two Money in the Bank victories. The show’s description reads: “The Straight Edge Superstar, C.M. Punk, has been raging against the system ever since his WWE debut in 2006. Now, see the ‘Voice of the Voiceless’ shatter the glass ceiling in WWE through his performances in not one, but TWO Money-in-the-Bank ladder matches. Relive both high stakes matches from WrestleMania 24 and 25 in the entirety, and witness the rise of the ‘Best in the World,’ C.M. Punk.” Other new programming on the Network this week includes a “sneak peek” of the Monday Night War series after tonight’s RAW, this week’s episodes of Main Event and NXT and a Saturday Night’s Main Event marathon on Saturday. Visit WWE.com to check out the free 1-week trial of the WWE Network.In a brief appearance before reporters in his small Etowah County hometown of Gallant, Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore again denied wrongdoing and said that he doesn't even know his latest accuser, who came forward Monday. Moore spoke for a couple of minutes with reporters and took no questions. His wife, Kayla, also made a brief statement. "I can tell you without hesitation this is absolutely false," Moore told reporters. "I never did what she said I did. I don't even know the woman. I don't know anything about her." At a press conference in New York on Monday, Beverly Young Nelson alleged she was sexually assaulted by Moore in December 1977 when she was 16 years old and he was 30. Nelson produced a high school yearbook that she said Moore signed about a week before she said the assault occurred in Moore's car in the parking lot of a restaurant where she worked and he frequently visited. Nelson said she worked at the Olde Hickory House in Gadsden in northeast Alabama and that Moore would often flirt with her when he visited. She said he was known to touch her long red hair. "I don't even know where the restaurant is or was," Moore said in the late afternoon media visit. Nelson and New York attorney Gloria Allred, speaking today at a press conference, called on the Senate Judiciary committee to investigate the allegations ahead of the Dec. 12 Alabama special Senate election. Moore, a Republican is running against Democrat Doug Jones. New Roy Moore accuser, Beverly Young Nelson, claims he assaulted her in locked car when she was 16 "I was terrified. I thought he was going to rape me," Beverly Young Nelson said today. Moore reiterated a defense he has used since The Washington Post first reported last Thursday that four women -- all in their teens at the time -- said they had sexual or romantic encounters with Moore when he was in his 30s. Moore has said repeatedly that the allegations are false and an effort to keep him from being elected to the Senate on Dec. 12. He faces Democrat Doug Jones on the ballot. "If you look at this situation, you will see that I'm 11 points ahead or 10 points ahead, this race being just 28 days off, this is a political maneuver," Moore said. "It has nothing to do with reality. It's all about politics." The Moore campaign issued an response at 1:28 p.m. in an emailed statement to reporters. "Gloria Allred is a sensationalist leading a witch hunt, and she is only around to create a spectacle," said the statement, attributed to Moore campaign chair Bill Armistead. "Allred was the attorney who claims credit for giving us Roe v. Wade which has resulted in the murder of tens of millions of unborn babies." In her brief statement, Kayla Moore defended her husband. "I have been married to this man for 32 years," she told reporters. "We've been together for 33 altogether. He has never one time lifted a finger to me. He is the most gentle, most kind man I have ever known inmy life. He's godly and everybody in this community knows it. "These things are false and it's ugly. It's the ugliest politics I've ever been in in my life."ISLAMABAD: Electronic voting machines (EVMs) and biometric verification systems are not the last word in polling systems and around the world, countries are reverting to old-fashioned paper ballots due to the problems faced when incorporating modern methods into existing electoral processes. This was the crux of the discussion that took place on Thursday, during a discussion on ‘Can Technology Deliver Better Results?’ at the final day of the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) three-day conference on ‘Technology and Strengthening Democracy’. According to Mudassir Rizvi of the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen), the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is pursuing biometric verification and says that electronic voting machines (EVM) will be operational by 2016. The process whereby the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) and ECP are inviting bids for the development of these systems, however, is not transparent. “We don’t know what vendors are telling them in their presentations,” he said, adding that the ECP’s plans were “ambitious, but not completely viable”. He said that in the previous general elections, several electoral experiments were carried out; some of which were highly controversial while others, such as the magnetic ink, had failed miserably. Experts at UNDP conference question need for ECP’s ‘ambitious, but impractical’ approach Around the world, developed nations are moving back to a more paper-based system of voting because there are fears regarding the viability of electronic voting mechanisms. The fact that electronic voting mechanisms do not leave a paper trail, and may compromise voters’ right to secrecy, have forced many countries to revert, he said. In addition, he said that under the existing systems, ordinary citizens could ask for a review of the polling process at any point because the relevant records were available with government departments. In case ECP opts for a vendor-developed voting system, the technicalities of the voting process would be in the hands of whoever developed the system, Mr Rizvi said. When the house was opened for questions, the audience – composed mostly of development professionals and students posed very rudimentary queries about how technology in general could be applied to help solve specific problems around the elections. But speakers from the panel stressed that technology was merely a tool and that “machines were only as honest as their human users”. Ronan McDermott, a UNDP elections management specialist, summed up the confusion when he noted that biometric verification processes and EVMs, while complimentary, could also be used separately from each other. There are several different points where biometric verification can be conducted and it was not necessary to use it in tandem with EVMs. Some countries, he said used biometric verification at the entrance to polling stations to verify voters’ identity while still using paper ballots. He also spoke about anomalies in the system, such as people whose fingerprints are unreadable. He and Mr Rizvi stressed the importance of contingency planning for electoral exercises. Mr McDermott quoted the example of the recent elections in Kenya, where EVMs were in place and worked fine “until about lunchtime, when the batteries ran out in several polling stations and they had to revert to manual voting”. Calling for wider public discourse on the question of electoral reforms, he also said that something as significant as this should not be decided in isolation, even by a parliamentary committee, adding that wider public consultation was a must in a case such as this. Mr Rizvi also echoed this sentiment when he said that, “Technology is not a replacement for trust.” When asked what could be done to fix the problems with the human element, which consistently seemed to fail in nearly all electoral exercises, Mr Rizvi maintained that, “The human factor will continue to fail, unless there is strict enforcement of mechanisms and accountability.” Some key issues were raised during Q&A sessions. A participant from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa raised the issue of women not being allowed to vote and asked the panelists whether technology offered any solutions to this problem. “No,” was Mr McDermott’s matter-of-fact answer. “No technology can change what human beings do or think,” he said, adding that dealing with such issues required reform and accountability and a change of social attitudes. A participant hailing from Gilgit-Baltistan pointed out that despite being a citizen of Pakistan, he was unable to exercise his right to franchise in any voting exercise, save for elections to GB’s legislative assembly. This drew sympathetic applause from the audience, but when he asked what solutions technology could offer for him and his people, UNDP electoral consultant Skye Christensen said that it would perhaps be more prudent to wait until after the elections to introduce modern methods to the GB elections. Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2014Comcast Busted For Signing People Up For Services They Didn't Want, Never Asked For from the pay-more-for-nothing dept Earlier this year Washington State sued Comcast for routinely ripping off its customers. The original complaint (pdf) argued that Comcast violated Washington state’s Consumer Protection Act (CPA) by misrepresenting its "Service Protection Plan," which lets users pay a $5 per month additional fee to cover "all" service calls. But the investigation found that Comcast not only over-stated what the plan covered
Continue reading the main story “Teen cruising is way down from 2005, when it used to be bumper to bumper downtown,” said David Scott, a senior officer in Grand Haven, a popular resort town hugging the Lake Michigan shoreline. “Traffic downtown used to be so bad in the summer, you couldn’t drive faster than 10 miles an hour. Last Friday night, I didn’t even have to wait in line to get through a light.” Summer cruising appears to be ailing even in Modesto, Calif., a town immortalized in the film “American Graffiti.” Photo “I think it’s a pretty good observation that there is much less cruising in town this summer, and it has a lot to do with the gas prices,” said Sgt. Tom Blake of the Modesto police. “The kids are parking their cars near McHenry Avenue and congregating at the Sonic drive-in, the McDonald’s and the Starbucks.” Around the nation’s dinner tables, meanwhile, parents — many of them struggling to pay for their own gasoline — are having heart-to-heart talks with their teenagers. Lorraine Demuccio, an administrative assistant from Mount Pleasant, said gas prices prompted her to urge her 18-year-old daughter, Annalisa, to turn down a summer job as a nanny. The job “would have meant driving at least 20 minutes a day, each way, and then she’d be driving the kids to the pool and the beach,” Ms. Demuccio said. “She ended up taking a job at a day care center that she can walk to.” Margie Passias, a single mother from Palatine, Ill., said she was scrambling to find extra cash to hand over with the car keys when her two teenage daughters, Athina, 18, and Paulina, 16, clamor to drive her Chevy Tracker. “I sat the girls down on the living room couch one night and told them, ‘the only solution this summer is car-pooling,’ ” Ms. Passias recalled. “I told them not to drive on a regular basis, but I’m still giving them money for gas here and there. And with my financial situation, it is really hard.” Randy Ballschmiede, an airline mechanic from West Dundee, Ill., said that while he could empathize with the passion of his son, Kevin, for cruising with friends, he was not sure the teenager had fully come to grips with today’s financial realities. Advertisement Continue reading the main story “We live a very cautious life financially, but Kevin seems to think there is no end to the money,” Mr. Ballschmiede said. “He tells me about his buddy, whose parents gave him a gas credit card, and I told him, ‘That is not going to happen at our house.’ ”Shiner, Texas, a town of two thousand an hour and a half east of San Antonio, is known to most Texans as the home of Shiner Beer, one of the best-selling independent beers in the country. Now, it's the focus of the national spotlight for a beating death. Jesus Mora Flores of Gonzales had come to the area to tend horses on a farm situated between the towns of Shiner and Yoakum. The 47-year-old man was spotted forcibly carrying a 5-year-old girl into a secluded pasture. A witness rushed to find the child's father, who was nearby tending to a horse on his farm. When the father heard his daughter's screams, he followed the sound of her voice and discovered Jesus Mora Flores on top of the little girl, the man's pants and underwear pulled down. The enraged father yanked the sexual molester off of his child and punched him in the head and neck. He continued to pound on him with his fists until Flores fell limp at his feet. Upon realizing what he had done, the father called 9-1-1. "I need an ambulance," he told the dispatcher. "This guy was raping my daughter and I beat him up and I don't know what to do. This guy is fixing to die on me, man, and I don't know what to do." (The identity of the 23-year-old rancher is not being released to protect the privacy of his daughter.) The father grew frantic when emergency vehicles had difficulty locating his remote ranch on a two-lane country road. He screamed at the dispatcher saying he would put the man in his truck and drive him to the hospital. "Come on! This guy is going to die on me! I don't know what to do. He's going to die! He's going to f------ die!" Emergency personnel administered CPR upon arrival but could not generate a heartbeat. When Lavaca County Sheriff Micah Harmon arrived, he found a distraught, crying father who had not intended to kill. He had not meant to kill anyone. The Travis County Medical Examiner in Austin ruled that Flores died from "blunt force head and neck injury." The manner of death was homicide. The father faced possible prosecution for murder. A special grand jury was called and reached its decision yesterday. District Attorney General Heather announced their findings at a news conference, "Under the law, deadly force is justified to stop a sexual assault." No charges would be filed against this father. There are those who may disagree with this conclusion who feel that as abominable as the actions of Flores were, he did not deserve a death sentence delivered through vigilante justice. I understand their sentiments, but I cannot agree because I can put myself in the father's place. If I found a half-naked man on top of my 5-year-old daughter, I might not have the strength to kill him. But I do know I would jump on his back and try to rip his eyes right out of his head. And, quite honestly, I doubt if I would be as remorseful as this young father on his ranch near Shiner. How would you react if you discovered the same horror that he did?The hierarchy of the best M&M's flavors is already a hotly debated subject, as Twitter can attest, and M&M parent company Mars isn't making it easier to get everyone on the same page. (Almond for the win, IMO.) That's because it's rolling out caramel M&Ms, which sound so delicious they'll make you question why they weren't already a flavor. The caramel M&Ms will be slightly larger than the original, according to Delish, and come on the heels of the candy brand's 75th anniversary. Only downside: They won't be released this year, and are not hitting shelves until May of 2017. The reason behind the delay is that the process took "years" to perfect. "It was a big technological challenge for us," Mars VP of research and development Hank Izzo told CNN. "We never before had a M&M lentil with a true soft center, so we had to figure out how to not make the chocolate too sticky or too soft that it could collapse." M&M's is so serious about the caramel-filled candies, they opened a brand new $100 million manufacturing site in Topeka, Kansas, just for this variety. As for why they decided to go with caramel? According to Izzo, it's "extremely trendy," something to which your local Starbucks barista can attest.The photographs above were taken by Lewis Wickes Hine who made a specialty in this period of photographing teenage and child laborers. Usually if the photos depict the same kinds of work they were taken on the same day ir in very close proximity. I note that as the following photos are on the same topic, and likely on the same day, but actually aren't dated. LOC Caption: Sarah Crutcher, 12-year-old girl herding cattle. Route 4, c/o S.O. Crutcher. She was out of school (#49 Comanche County) only 2 weeks this year and that was to herd 100 head of cattle for her father, a prosperous farmer. She said: "I didn't like it either." She is doing well in school. Is in Grade 8.] Location: [Lawton, Oklahoma] I think one of the interesting things about this photographs is, contrary to the modern image of what women wore when doing livestock work in the early 20th and late 19th Centuries, she's dressed in completely typical female attire for the time. She's riding wearing a fairly long skirt and a woman's hat that is typical for the period. LOC Title: 14-year-old boy hauling water on farm near Lawton. Francis Heinz, Route B, Box 11. Location: Lawton, Oklahoma I note the caption says he's hauling water, but he's actually filling the tubs up with a garden hose. He'll likely haul the water somewhere after that. Bartrum Choate, age 12, driving colts to town. Lawton, Oklahoma. April 14, 1917.Scientists at the Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, earlier this year claimed a world-record efficiency of 18.7 percent for flexible copper indium gallium (di)selenide (CIGS) solar cells on plastics. Now the scientific details of their novel low-temperature deposition technology and the multilayered device have been published in the journal Nature Materials, and the researchers say they are excited about the possibility of using the process on low-cost metal foils such as aluminum or low-carbon steel. According to the researchers, the key to their thin-film breakthrough is the control of the energy band gap grading in the CIGS semiconductor, the layer that absorbs light and converts it into electricity. The lab says doctoral students Adrian Chirilã and Patrick Bloesch got the composition profile for the CIGS layer just right for enabling more efficient charge carrier collection and reduced interface recombination “by developing an innovative growth process by carefully controlling the Ga and indium (In) evaporation flux during different stages of the evaporation process.” The low-temperature process developed by the Swiss team not only yielded an 18.7 percent-efficiency cell on polymer foils, the lab says, “but also another record efficiency of 17.7 percent on steel foil without any diffusion oxide or nitride barrier layer” typically used in higher-temperature processes. “We have thus shown that this low-temperature process is also applicable on low-cost metal foils such as aluminum or Mild-steel, achieving comparably high-efficiency cells and indicating a severe cost reduction potential with this technology,” says researcher Ayodhya N. Tiwari.Feminist News All \| National News \| Global News December-06-12 Textbooks in Saudi Arabia Feature Photographs of Women For the first time in the history of public education in Saudi Arabia, new textbooks will feature photographs of women. The textbooks, designed for third year high school English students, feature a woman as a nurse about to give someone an injection. In the photograph, she is wearing a headscarf and a surgical mask. The photograph is also accompanied by an exercise asking students to discuss men and women's changing involvement in traditional jobs. The textbooks also picture a woman in a science lab. In the original photograph she was not wearing a veil, but the publishers of the textbook altered the image to cover her face before final publication. Photographs of women have been banned from Saudi textbooks since the country first adopted a public education system in 1926. If women were pictured in a textbook, it was only a drawing and not a picture of a real woman. The textbooks are currently only in an experimental phase and have limited circulation. At the end of the current academic year, the textbooks can then become authorized for full circulation in the school system. Media Resources: Daily Caller 12/5/12; Jezebel 12/5/12; Al Arabiya 12/4/12Margaret Lueg, the other -and better - half of the Newsbrowser team, took it upon herself to research this notorious local outlaw. She writes: When I did this research into the history of Cushy Glen in 2005, I had not expected there to be so little hard evidence of his exploits, given the amount of tales told about him locally. Most of these tales seem to have a common source and have been embroidered and retold for 200 years. Cushy Glen Cushy Glen was a robber and highwayman who was born in the parish of Magilligan and is infamous in the Limavady area for robbing travellers on the mail coach road from NewtonLimavady to Coleraine. He is reputed to have murdered several travellers and dumped their bodies in the 'Murder Hole' at the foot of Windy Hill. For 170 years the old coach road to Coleraine was called the Murderhole Road, but was renamed Windyhill Road in the 1970's. A section of the road can be seen below. Cushy Glen, according to the OS memoirs of 1834 lived with a gang of robbers at the Murder Hole. It was here that he was shot by James Hopkins. The OS memoirs also refer to the white Tory Cave in which Cushy Glen, a noted robber with a gang of others, resided. This cave was on the border of the parishes of Magilligan and Dunboe. Further on the memoirs refer to 'The Robbers' Cave which is the name of a limestone cavern on the cliffs at Gortmore. Cushy Glen was supposed to have hung around Bridge Street in Coleraine to identify travellers worthy of robbing and he then followed them along the lonely road over the mountain. (How did he do that? Must have had a horse.) According to the OS Memoirs, James Hopkins of Bolea was one such traveller whom Cushy tried to rob in 1799 but was shot in the attempt. James Hopkins died at Bolea on 7 March 1853 aged 94. The lower storey of James Hopkins' house in Bolea is still in use today as a shed. Rev William Knox was the minister of 1st Dunboe Presbyterian Church from 1765 until his death on 29 August 1801. He lived in a house called “Fairview” overlooking the village of Articlave. Tradition has it that he ministered to Cushy Glen after the robber was shot by James Hopkins. The late Sam Henry wrote a poem about Dunboe with the following lines: So to the highwayman good William Knox With eyes blindfolded, saved him from the shocks That death still batters on the sinning soul And pointed him the way to heaven's goal. Sam Martin's Historical Gleanings refers to Paddy Cushy Glen – a noted robber who lived at the Back Strand, afterwards removed to the Murderer's Hole on the road between Limavady and Coleraine. He had a brother called James Cushy Glen who was executed in Derry for stealing 3 bullocks, who were the property of Mr Hughy. There is a tale that James may have been walked in chains from Limavady to Derry to be hanged. Memoirs of the Coleraine Knoxes written down by R Kyle-Knox: (unpublished papers) 'That night two masked men called on my great-grandfather at his house. They told him he must come and visit a dying man but he must consent to be blindfolded. After some hesitation he agreed to their terms and went with them. He was absent three days leaving his family in greatest consternation. On his return he was brought back blindfolded as before. He never knew himself where he had been, but he told them he had spent the time at the bedside of the highwayman Cushy Glen and had closed his eyes after his death.' Pat Cushy Glenn - sources Londonderry Journal -21 March 1780 and 24 April 1781 The Derry Journal, previously the 'Londonderry Journal and Donegal and Tyrone Advertiser' is one of Ireland's oldest newspapers having been established in 1772. In its pages are documented the life of Derry and its hinterland from the late 18th century. The following advertisement appeared in the Journal dated 21 March 1780: 'Joseph Smith and Pat Glenn accused of being accessories to the murder of John Kelly late of Aughill, Tamlaghtard (Magilligan) will surrender ourselves to the next Assizes'. However, it appears that Pat Glenn failed to turn himself in and went on the run, as revealed in a subsequent advertisement dated 24 April 1781. 'John Church (and others who are not named) of Coleraine offer a reward for the apprehension of Robert Jack, Bernard Dogherty, John McCoy, James Miskimmen, Bryan McNogher and Patrick Cushaglen, who are accused of murdering John Kelly in the parish of Magilligan'. Here we have Pat Glenn and Patrick Cushaglen used interchangeably in a contemporary source, thus adding substance to the oral history. In the Belfast Newsletter, (online database) a similar advertisement with additional names appeared in the edition dated 29 May – 1 June 1781. John Church of Coleraine was offering reward for the apprehension of the following men for the murder of John Kelly of the parish of Magilligan – Robert Dougherty, Bernard Dougherty, Jack Dougherty, John McCoy, James Maskimman, John Maskimman, Bryan McNagher and Patrick Cushyglen. Mention was made of 'daring violent outrages'. Bernard Dogherty was subsequently apprehended and imprisoned but escaped, as noted in the Derry Journal of 12 March 1782.'reward offered by Michael Ross, William Lenox, Sheriffs, for the apprehension of the following who escaped March 5 from Londonderry jail – Bernard Dogherty, shoemaker charged with murder, formerly resided at Newtownlimavady aged about 35 years...' Patrick Cushy Glenn remained at large until he was shot by James Hopkins at the Murder Hole Road some years later. The Murder Hole and the Ram's Horn Tradition has it that Cushy Glenn held up the Coleraine stagecoach near Sconce Hill, robbed and murdered the passengers and dumped their bodies in a hole near the old coach road. This road was then known locally as the Murderhole Road. The road officially became Windyhill Road in the 1970's. Several tales about Cushy Glenn revolve around a small house on that road near the junction with Bolea Road. It was occupied until about 50 years ago by Gilbert Purcell, a shepherd with Grange Park and had two magnificent ram's horns – one on each gatepost. Stories tell of the house having been Cushy's home, a roadside inn, a hotel and various other fanciful things. Some local people (of normally great common sense) are convinced they have'seen things' in the vicinity of the house. Incidentally, the area is very isolated, surrounded by shadows and trees, through which the Windyhill wind moans and whistles – and that's on a bright sunny day. Cushy's wife Many tales refer to Cushy Glenn's wife aiding and abetting him in his dastardly deeds – helping him to bury the bodies, encouraging him with wifely inquiries such as 'Did you get him Cushy?' and generally being a real bad lot. However, it appears that she did exist and remarried some time in 1807. In the marriages section of Belfast Newsletter dated 11 December 1807 are the following thought-provoking entries: -MARRIED- At Newtonlimavady, Miss Mullin, of Scrugan, near Dungiven, to Mr. Samuel Birnie, late merchant, Newtonlimavady Mrs. Cushie Glen, widow of the late Mr. Patrick Cushie Glen, of the Murder-hole, to Mr. Wm. Lecky, nailer, Newtonlimavady. A few days ago, Mr. Robert Glen, of Ballyfrench, to Miss Miller, of Ballyhalbert. On Monday last, Mr. John Logan, of Centry-hill, near Castlereagh, to the agreeable Miss Ann Richardson, of Ballytrim, near Killileagh. An interesting twist in the wife tale, is that Cushy Glenn and his brother 'lived with a woman and a whole bake of wains' up the mountain somewhere. The brother was hanged for stealing bullocks and Cushy was shot by a local farmer. A Presbyterian minister was called to treat Cushy for his wounds and somehow in the tale, the minister's wife took pity on the 'poor wains', bringing them food and eventually taking one of the girls to work in her house. The girl grew up honest and hardworking and changed her name to be rid of her beginnings. Probably married a prince, too. This impressive sculpture of Cushy Glen was installed in 2013 by Limavady Borough Council at Langantea picnic area as part of their Sculpture Trail of myths and legends. The robber is shown behind the bank at the side of Windyhill Road, lurking malevolently, knife in hand, awaiting his next victim. The work is by the well-known Derry sculptor, Maurice Harron. For the written facts and many of the references quoted I am indebted to Mr Bobby Forrest and Dr Hugh Mullin, both of whom were most helpful in supplying papers and pointers to information. Other anecdotes have been supplied by my mother's family who used to live in the Bolea and Stradreagh areas and from relatives of other families from these two townlands. Sources: Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland (written down in 1834 from verbal accounts of the areas surveyed) Genealogical extracts from the Londonderry Journal 1772-1784: Donald M Schlegel, Baltimore 2001 (reprint – Genealogical Publishing Company) Belfast Newsletter Index, 1737-1800 online at http://www.ucs.louisiana.edu/bnl/ Further reading: Dr Mullin's papers are available to view in Coleraine Library Who Shot Cushy Glenn? by Jacqueline McAlister – Journal of Coleraine Historical Society 2000 Stories of Highwaymen in Irish history and folklore: An Illustrated History of Limavady and the Roe Valley by Douglas Bartlett The Irish Highwaymen by Stephen Dunford From Glen to Glen (Roe Valley Tales Re-told) by Mary Ellen Hayward Stand and Deliver - Stories of Irish Highwaymen by Jim McCallen ---o0o--- And finally here is a link to Margaret's own website of oil paintings.Pennsylvania has already been under the watch of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and concerns that the practice of this fracking has caused a risk to human life as well as the environment and has required regulators to maintain regular sampling of local water supplies. Pennsylvania is also the only state which has allowed this wastewater to be partially treated and returned to local rivers and community drinking water. My Dad and I used to fish in the Susquehanna for bass when I was a kid. We've hunted in Bradford County. Now the "shale boom" has turned the area and others in PA. upside down with newly minted millionaires selling their age-old wooded tracts of property to the highest bidder, pretty much heedless of the environmental impact. Chesapeake Energy Corp (you have to love the irony) has this to say about their unregulated mishap: Chesapeake said a piece of equipment failed late Tuesday while the well was being hydraulically fractured, or fracked. In the fracking process, millions of gallons of water, along with chemical additives and sand, are injected at high pressure down the well bore to break up the shale and release the gas. But not to worry, trumpets the Business Insider. The event has had no impact on Chesapeake energy shares, which are up more than the broader market, 2.75%, and natural gas prices are higher. With remarkable synchronicity, known energy magnate and self-promoting blowhard Boone Pickens picked a poor day to criticize President Obama's recent statements of concern about hydraulic fracturing: TULSA, Okla. - Billionaire energy magnate T. Boone Pickens on Wednesday defended a controversial natural gas drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing, a day after President Barack Obama expressed concern that the process could pollute groundwater. "That's the first time I ever heard him saying anything about fracking," Pickens said of the drilling method that uses water, sand and other additives to free natural gas underground. "The president, I'm sure, knows very little about fracking. And Boone knows so much about it. I'm sure he thought the anniversary of the Gulf oil disaster was just exquisite timing for his paean to the virtues of gas drilling. Pickens, who spoke Wednesday at the 2011 Sustainable Enterprise Conference in Tulsa, said out of the 800,000 wells that have been fracked in the Southwest, he didn't know of a single lawsuit or complaint that arose from the process. "I've fracked over 3,000 wells myself; they fracked on my ranch yesterday," I won't hold my breath waiting for Pickens to comment on this spill. One thing seems clear: these "concerned billionaires" and corporations have no compunction whatsoever about fracking us all. Update: news report from the local TV station, it was still not under control as of Wednesday night. http://www.wnep.com/... The news report is also instructive in its depiction of local resident reaction as "cautiously optimistic." No detractors of Chesapeake are put on camera. Further Update: As of 3 pm Thursday it appears the well is still not under control, although they are routing the poisonous water into containment vessels. Chesapeake is considering a "top kill" technique to plug the well. They have halted the fracking procedure in seven wells, temporarily. http://www.reuters.com/...In the 17th-century, although the English had the opportunity, they chose not to make land on Cuba. They bypassed the island because they saw flickering lights that they believed were the campfires of the Spanish. Those lights were actually fireflies. The humble, yet brilliant firefly probably changed the course of history, which isn't surprising since it has long captured our imagination: In the Philippines, one story tells that they are the remnants of a star on the forehead of the Princess Alitaptap, who was sent from the heavens. The star was shattered when she was killed. The pieces rose as fireflies following her death. Another Filipino story proposes that fireflies are the descendants of a vain young man who offended a fairy. She turned him into a bug and told him that he would remain that way until he could find another more beautiful than her. So he searches each night, carrying a torch to illuminate his way. Still another Filipino legend tells that fireflies got their lights at the suggestion of the sampaguita bush: They took refuge from the dark in the leaves of the bush, and told it they were hiding from the fruit bat, who would only cease its pursuit when the moon was full. The sampaguita bush advised them to carry torches and travel in groups to emulate the moon and blind the fruit bat. In Japan, fireflies are the tears shed by a beautiful moon princess who had to return to the sky on her twentieth birthday and leave behind those she loved. And among the Cherokee, there a legend about the stars descending from the heavens to help find a lost child. They took the form of fireflies to guide searchers to her location. Bioluminescence, the ability of some organisms to produce their own light by chemical reaction, has fascinated humans for centuries. So called "living light," has been recognized in folklore, superstition, and the arts. For example, sailors once thought the bioluminescent wake from the bows of their ships were evidence of Poseidon's hand, glowing fungi have been thought to be lost spirits or fairies, and Tennyson has likened the Pleiades to a swarm of fireflies. In fact, bioluminescence is one of the oldest fields of study. Aristotle was the first to record in detail the light he observed in sea creatures, noting that the light was cold as compared to the light cast by a fire or a candle. Creatures of Light: Nature's Bioluminescence is an exhibit opening this Saturday—March 31st—at the American Museum of Natural History that looks to continue Aristotle's initial forays. Fireflies are not the only organisms to glow. They're just the ones that we've most likely come in contact with. And it's a starting point for Creatures of Light that draws visitors in with something familiar, reminding them of childhood summer pursuits and explaining some of the mystery of the phenomenon. After passing under a giant glowing mushroom—and feeling a bit like you've fallen down the rabbit hole—visitors get to know nature's own flashlight. From there, the exhibit takes visitors across the tree of life through different environments—from dinoflagellates in Mosquito Bay to glowworms in the Waitomo cave system to corals in the Bloody Bay Wall in the Cayman Islands—to explore the evolution of bioluminescence in a variety of species. Each environment becomes its own world. For example, you can stick your head into a cavern and look up at the glowworms dangling from the ceiling. Or scatter the dinoflagellates as you "wade" in Mosquito Bay—where the light emitted by these protists was once so bright that tourists could read in the evening by the water. (When the canal was widened for development prospects, the light disappeared.) You'll also travel to the depth of the ocean to visit briefly with anglerfish, ponyfish, jellyfish, and flashlight fish. The exhibit is also careful to note the difference between bioluminescence, which is an internal chemical reaction, and fluorescence, which is triggered by an external factor, such as a particular wavelength of light. For example, the corals in the Bloody Bay can appear as red, green, and orange depending on the wavelength of light they're exposed to, which greatly changes the appearance of the coral, fishes, and anemone that call this environment their home. All of that aside, the exhibit is also a chance to confront legends: Panellus stipticus, the bitter oyster mushroom, grows in the forests of the eastern United States. The light it generates was believed by North American settlers to be supernatural—fairy lights that would lead you to your doom if you followed them. The sense of doom associated with the fungus is likely rooted in the fact its often found on decaying wood, hardly making it a welcoming context. The light is likely an evolutionary defense system that warns potential predators that there's no meal to be had with these mushrooms. Dinoflagellates are single-celled marine plankton that are found throughout the world. They give water its sparkle under the moonlight. And they're the basis for reports of "burning" seas by sailors who caught sight of their mysterious light in the water. They're triggered by movement, and the light is actually part of their defense system: it will startle predators or attract larger predators that will find a meal in their would-be attacker. (It's the circle of life, folks.) These tiny creatures were likely also the basis for the Poseidon's Wheel legend: the luminescent wake from the bows of ships resemble the spokes of a wheel. It was apparently a short leap for sailors to associate those spoke with Poseidon's chariot. And to meet the strange citizens of the deep: The anglerfish is equipped with her own luminescent lure. The depths of the ocean hides her true nature, and inquisitive fish soon find themselves wishing they'd stayed away from the light. The vampire squid is so named for its cape-like arms. Because this squid lives in the depths of the ocean, it doesn't have the camouflage as a defense technique. Instead, it uses bioluminescence to frighten predators away. All organisms respond similarly to illumination: even as we're drawn to light, it can also be a warning. In most cases, scientists believe bioluminescence has a communicative function—which is also what we're doing as we illuminate our world. Light, for many, means power in more than one sense of the word, especially when you consider that it's only recently that light has come to most of the world. Prior to the mid-1800s, people in small towns and villages were used to darkness following sunset that was broken only by the odd candle or lantern. But a relationship to light is clearly not unique to our species. Bioluminescence has evolved numerous times as the chemistry to produce this light varies between organisms—and we've only just scratched the surface in understanding its purpose and potential applications. Let there be light, indeed. Creatures of Light opens on March 31st, 2012 at the American Museum of Natural History.Image: iStock If information really is the lifeblood of modern organisations, then CIOs could create huge benefits from opening their data to new, creative pairs of eyes. Research from consultant McKinsey suggests that seven sectors alone could generate more than $3 trillion a year in additional value as a result of open data: that is, taking previously proprietary data (often starting with public sector data) and opening up access. So, should your business consider giving outsiders access to insider information? ZDNet speaks to three experts. More viewpoints can mean better results Former Tullow Oil CIO Andrew Marks says debates about the potential openness of data in a private sector context are likely to be dominated by one major concern: information security. "It's a perfectly reasonable debate until people start thinking about privacy," he says. "Putting information at risk, both in terms of customer data and competitive advantage, will be a risk too far for many senior executives." But what if CIOs could allay c-suite peers' concerns and create a new opportunity? Marks points to the Goldcorp Challenge, which saw the mining specialist share its proprietary geological data to allow outside experts pick likely spots for mining. Read this Open data: Is there a business case? It's very easy to ascertain that 'open is good', but is there a clear business case for opening up your data? That's been a key question at the Open Knowledge Festival in Helsinki, and not one with easy answers. Read More The challenge, which included prize money of $575,000 helped identify more than 110 sites, 50 per cent of which were previously unknown to the company. The value of gold found through the competition exceeded $6bn. Marks wonders whether other firms could take similarly brave steps. "There is a period of time when information is very sensitive," he says. "Once the value of data starts to become finite, then it might be beneficial for businesses to open the doors and to let outsiders play with the information. That approach, in terms of gamification, might lead to the creation of new ideas and innovations." London transport authority TfL, for example, is committed to the provision of free, open data. The initiative allows app developers to create a range of travel products, helping customers to trace the whereabouts of their Tube trains, bikes, and buses. Marks says these projects help prove that, when it comes to data, more is likely to mean different - and possibly better - results. "Whether using big data algorithms or the human touch, the more viewpoints you bring together, the more you can increases chances of success and reduce risk," he says. "There is, therefore, always likely to be value in seeking an alternative perspective. Opening access to data means your firm is going to get more ideas, but CIOs and other senior executives need to think very carefully about what such openness means for the business, and the potential benefits." Create clear data standards for outside experts Some leading firms are already taking steps towards openness. Take Christina Scott, chief product and information officer at the Financial Times, who says the media organisation has used data analysts to help push the benefits of information-led insight across the business. Her team has democratised data in order to make sure that all parts of the organisation can get the information they need to complete their day-to-day jobs. Scott says the approach is best viewed as an open data strategy, but within the safe confines of the existing enterprise firewall. While the tactic is internally focused currently, Scott says the FT is keen to find ways to make the most of external talent in the future. "We're starting to consider how we might open data beyond the organisation, too," she says. "Our data holds a lot of value and insight, including across the metadata we've created. So it would be great to think about how we could use that information in a more open way." Part of the FT's business includes trade-focused magazines. Scott says opening the data could provide new insight to its B2B customers across a range of sectors. In fact, the firm has already dabbled at a smaller scale. "We've run hackathons, where we've exposed our APIs and given people the chance to come up with some new ideas," she says. "But I don't think we've done as much work on open data as we could. And I think that's the direction in which better organisations are moving. They recognise that not all innovation is going to happen within the company." Scott says it would be possible, at a technical level, to open more data now. While there is a way, however, there must be a will - and she recognises that governance and security must be right in order to placate both senior business stakeholders and external data experts. "You have to make sure the data is easy to understand," says Scott. "There's a difference between people who've worked with the data internally on a day-to-day basis, and who understand the classifications we use, and those who are coming to the information afresh. The preparation work would involve making sure we have very clear data standards and explanations for outsiders." Be ready to make a leap of faith CIO Omid Shiraji is another IT expert who recognises that there is a general move towards a more open society. Any executive who expects to work within a tightly defined enterprise firewall is living in cloud cuckoo land, he argues. More to the point, they will miss out on big advantages. "If you can expose your sources to a range of developers, you can start to benefit from massive innovation," he says. "You can get really big benefits from opening your data to external experts who can focus on areas that you don't have the capability to develop internally." Many IT leaders would like to open data to outside experts, suggests Shiraji. For CIOs who are keen to expose their sources, he suggests letting small-scale developers take a close look at in-house data silos in an attempt to discover what relationships might exist and what advantages could accrue. Shiraji says he would have liked to draw on outside help in some of his previous roles, especially when it came to finding new ways to use data to enrich people's lives. However, CIOs can sometimes be thwarted by rules and regulations beyond their influence. "It can be a struggle," he says. "But I have always thought that the potential rewards are definitely bigger than the risks. It takes a massive leap in faith for organisations to recognise that opening data
ating to the appropriate style is what ES6 Module Transpiler is designed to do. We can write our JavaScript using the new syntax and use the library’s included compile-modules script to convert it to our desired format: $ compile-modules -s -m point --type amd < point.js define("point", [], function() { "use strict"; function Point(x, y) { this.x = x; this.y = y; } return Point; }); $ compile-modules -s --type cjs < point.js "use strict"; function Point(x, y) { this.x = x; this.y = y; } module.exports = Point; Now you can write JavaScript using this shiny new syntax but still deploy to existing JavaScript runtimes in the real world. In addition to supporting CommonJS and AMD, you can still use the old school approach and stuff everything into the global namespace: $ compile-modules -s --type globals < point.js (function(exports) { "use strict"; function Point(x, y) { this.x = x; this.y = y; } exports.Point = Point; })(window); There is one more thing. It works with CoffeeScript, too: $ compile-modules -s --coffee -m point --type amd <<EOF class Point constructor: (@x, @y) -> export = Point EOF define("point", [], -> "use strict" class Point constructor: (@x, @y) -> return Point ) This library will be updated over time as the working draft of ES6 changes, so check out the current README for the correct syntax and a full rundown on how to use it. Open Source ES6 Module Transpiler was born out of Yehuda Katz’s js_module_transpiler, which is effectively the same library but written in Ruby. We decided to rewrite it in JavaScript since we wanted something that supported CoffeeScript and didn’t require pulling in yet another language (Ruby) when you’re already working with JavaScript. The project is Apache licensed and is on Github. An online demo is available on its Github Pagessite. You can install it using npm just for its command-line script as shown above: $ sudo npm install -g es6-module-transpiler Or use it as a library: import Compiler from "es6-module-transpiler"; var es6Script = "import jQuery from 'jquery';"; var amdScript = new Compiler(es6Script, "script-name").toAMD(); If you’re developing a Node.js module using the ES6 module syntax you can even use the included require support to require files written using the new syntax directly — no transpiling required: // point.js function Point(x, y) { this.x = x; this.y = y; } export = Point; // myapp.js require("es6-module-transpiler/require_support").enable(); var Point = require("./point"); // directly require file with imports/exports While this is convenient for development, you should transpile your library for distribution so as not to incur a performance penalty on every call to require. Contributing We hope you enjoy using ES6 Module Transpiler in your apps, and we hope you contribute back any improvements you make!In the US, Apple started 2013 as the top OEM and it has only further increased its lead in February. Samsung is gaining as well, but not quite as quickly. Rounding out the top five are HTC, Motorola, and LG, all of which lost share. In the platform space, Google is still first courtesy of Android, Apple is second with iOS, but the latter is gaining on the former. In fact, Apple’s gains in the hardware space have been so large recently that not only did iOS gain significantly but Android has taken a hit for the second month running. Again, rounding out the top five are BlackBerry, Microsoft, and Symbian. The latest data comes from comScore, which as usual surveyed over 30,000 mobile subscribers in the US. The analytics firm says 133.7 million Americans owned smartphones (57 percent mobile market penetration) in January, up 8 percent since November. Between those three months, here is how the top five smartphones OEMs fared: As you can see, Apple gained 3.9 percentage points in terms of smartphone subscribers (from 35.0 percent to 38.9 percent) while Samsung jumped 1.0 percentage points (from 20.3 percent to 21.3 percent). HTC fell 1.7 points (from 11.0 percent to 9.3 percent), Motorola dropped 1.1 points (from 9.5 percent to 8.4 percent), and LG dipped 0.2 points (from 7.0 percent to 6.8 percent). Samsung and Apple gained a combined 4.9 points while the other three lost 3.0 points together. In other words, the duo continues to steal share from OEMs even not in the top five, at least in the US. It appears that the iPhone 5 is helping keep Apple ahead, while Samsung is still managing to push forward. With the Galaxy S4 announced but not available till April, we don’t expect Samsung to outgain Apple before the device hits the market. HTC’s continued losses don’t surprise us, and it seems that the company is pretty much betting everything on its One device. Google meanwhile still hasn’t figured out what to do with Motorola, and LG’s bleeding has restarted again, despite the Nexus 4. On the software side, Google is still dominating but Apple is gaining steadily as of late. Android has dropped for the second month in a row, and Microsoft has actually managed to gain share for the first time: Samsung’s gains are simply not enough anymore to offset the losses of other Android makers as well as Apple’s iPhone 5 push. Google lost 2.0 percentage points between November and February (down from 53.7 percent to 51.7 percent). Apple meanwhile increased its share by 3.9 percentage points (moving from 35.0 percent to 38.9 percent, which happens to be identical to the figure for its smartphone share). BlackBerry was down 1.9 points (from 7.3 percent to 5.3 percent), Microsoft gained 0.2 points (from 3.0 percent to 3.2 percent), and Symbian seems to have hit rock bottom at 0.5 percent. BlackBerry has only just celebrated its BlackBerry 10 launch in the US, so we won’t see an improvement till later as the company continues to be the biggest loser in these studies, month after month. At the same time, we said last month that Microsoft’s fall appeared to be slowing, “suggesting it may finally start gaining soon with Windows Phone” and it appears that may have finally happened – though it’s too early to tell. We don’t expect Google’s drop to continue (the One and S4 will likely bring a rebound). The Android-iOS duopoly in the US is still solid at 90.6 percent market share, however, and a disruption is more than overdue. Top Image credit: Jung Yeon-Je/Getty Images Read next: Scribd reveals it was hacked this week, informs 'less than 1%' of its users their passwords were compromisedICAP President Fernando González Llort speaking during the event in support of the decolonization of Puerto Rico in Havana. Photo: Karoly Emerson (ICAP) Even in the midst of the difficult conditions in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria, Edwin González, representative of the Puerto Rican Mission to Havana, stressed that his country’s struggle for decolonization continues to be a priority for all those committed to social emancipation. On the occasion of the commemorations of the Grito de Lares (the Lares uprising of September 23, 1868), which continues to inspire current generations to fight for national sovereignty, the Puerto Rican activist noted that the struggle for true independence endures. The country continues to be governed by the United States, currently exerting huge pressure on the island to pay off its massive debt, much of which is owed to U.S. investors. González explained that Puerto Ricans are currently facing a very difficult situation, after being hit by two hurricanes, Irma and Maria, with the destruction yet to be fully quantified. This is aggravated by the complex economic crisis, including the impossibility of accessing funds to repair damages, and the population’s lack of material resources. He noted that the Financial Oversight and Management Board, appointed by the U.S. government to impose austerity measures, with wide-ranging power over local authorities, has approved just 2 billion dollars to respond to the emergency, despite the widespread destruction. Edwin González, representative of the Puerto Rican Mission to Havana, expressed his gratitude for Cuba’s offer to help those affected by Hurricane Maria. Photo: Karoly Emerson (ICAP) González added, “The positive aspect of the moment is seeing our people united, helping each other to conduct self-evacuation during the hurricane and now cleaning up their areas and streets to try to restore normality in the shortest possible time. This attitude strengthens us as a nation, and we advance in our struggle to achieve the decolonization of Puerto Rico.” He thanked Cuba for the offer of aid to help hurricane victims, still awaiting a response from the United States. “Unity among the Puerto Rican people and that vision of the country, far removed from the North American territory, will help us triumph against colonialism, beyond the decisions of the Financial Oversight Board, the annexationist government, and economic problems faced at this moment,” he stressed. Since 1975, a day of support for the decolonization of Puerto Rico has been held every year in the Cuban capital, coordinated by the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP). The event recalls the Declaration of Independence pronounced with the Grito de Lares and pays tribute to the founding father of the Puerto Rican homeland, Ramón Emeterio Betances, and independence patriot Filiberto Ojeda, assassinated on September 23, 2005, by agents of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). During this year’s commemorations, ICAP President Fernando González Llort expressed his confidence that one day Puerto Rico will be free, and activities to mark this important date will be of a different character: “Perhaps at that time we will celebrate the national holiday, but keep in mind the commitment of Cubans to accompany the Puerto Rican people always.” The decorated Hero of the Republic of Cuba recalled Comandante en Jefe Fidel Castro Ruz, an educator of the new generations on the subject of solidarity with this sister nation, and stated that Cubans today have the responsibility to support the independence struggles of the peoples of the world. He also referred to Filiberto Ojeda, asserting that “One day there will be schools and streets with his name and the people of Puerto Rico will have him in their hearts as one of the unyielding fighters for the country’s independence. He was able, at over 70 years of age, to leave us an example of resistance, of struggle, of being willing to make the greatest sacrifices for the dream of a free and independent Puerto Rico.” The event concluded with a performance by Puerto Rican trova singer-songwriter, Roy Brown, who emphasized the feeling of his people in his chorus: “Thus I shout at the villain: I would be Puerto Rican even if I were born on the moon…”Debian Bug report logs - #825394 systemd kill background processes after user logs out Reported by: Guus Sliepen <[email protected]> Date: Thu, 26 May 2016 16:18:06 UTC Severity: normal Merged with 825941 Found in version systemd/230-1 Fixed in version systemd/230-2 Done: Martin Pitt <[email protected]> Bug is archived. No further changes may be made. Toggle useless messages Report forwarded to [email protected], Debian systemd Maintainers <[email protected]> : Bug#825394 ; Package systemd. (Thu, 26 May 2016 16:18:10 GMT) (full text, mbox, link). Acknowledgement sent to Guus Sliepen <[email protected]> : New Bug report received and forwarded. Copy sent to Debian systemd Maintainers <[email protected]>. (Thu, 26 May 2016 16:18:10 GMT) (full text, mbox, link). Message #5 received at [email protected] (full text, mbox, reply): From: Guus Sliepen <[email protected]> To: Debian Bug Tracking System <[email protected]> Subject: systemd kill background processes after user logs out Date: Thu, 26 May 2016 18:16:09 +0200 Package: systemd Version: 230-1 Severity: normal >From the changelog of systemd version 230: > systemd-logind will now by default terminate user processes that are > part of the user session scope unit (session-XX.scope) when the user > logs out. It is now indeed the case that any background processes that were still running are killed automatically when the user logs out of a session, whether it was a desktop session, a VT session, or when you SSHed into a machine. Now you can no longer expect a long running background processes to continue after logging out. I believe this breaks the expecations of many users. For example, you can no longer start a screen or tmux session, log out, and expect to come back to it. For this reason, I think it is a bad decision on the part of the systemd maintainers to enable this feature by default, and it should rather be disabled by default in Debian, either by compiling systemd with --without-kill-user-processes or by setting KillUserProcesses=no in /etc/systemd/logind.conf. -- Package-specific info: -- System Information: Debian Release: stretch/sid APT prefers unstable APT policy: (500, 'unstable'), (1, 'experimental') Architecture: amd64 (x86_64) Foreign Architectures: i386 Kernel: Linux 4.5.0-2-amd64 (SMP w/12 CPU cores) Locale: LANG=nl_NL.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=nl_NL.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8) Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system) Versions of packages systemd depends on: ii adduser 3.114 ii libacl1 2.2.52-3 ii libapparmor1 2.10-4 ii libaudit1 1:2.5.2-1 ii libblkid1 2.28-5 ii libc6 2.22-9 ii libcap2 1:2.25-1 ii libcap2-bin 1:2.25-1 ii libcryptsetup4 2:1.7.0-2 ii libgcrypt20 1.7.0-2 ii libgpg-error0 1.22-2 ii libkmod2 22-1.1 ii liblzma5 5.1.1alpha+20120614-2.1 ii libmount1 2.28-5 ii libpam0g 1.1.8-3.2 ii libseccomp2 2.3.1-1 ii libselinux1 2.5-3 ii libsystemd0 230-1 ii mount 2.28-5 ii util-linux 2.28-5 Versions of packages systemd recommends: ii dbus 1.10.8-1 ii libpam-systemd 230-1 Versions of packages systemd suggests: pn systemd-container <none> ii systemd-ui 3-4 Versions of packages systemd is related to: ii udev 230-1 -- Configuration Files: /etc/systemd/system.conf changed [not included] -- no debconf information Information forwarded to [email protected], Debian systemd Maintainers <[email protected]> : Bug#825394 ; Package systemd. (Thu, 26 May 2016 23:18:04 GMT) (full text, mbox, link). Acknowledgement sent to Matt Taggart <[email protected]> : Extra info received and forwarded to list. Copy sent to Debian systemd Maintainers <[email protected]>. (Thu, 26 May 2016 23:18:04 GMT) (full text, mbox, link). Message #10 received at [email protected] (full text, mbox, reply): From: Matt Taggart <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Subject: Re: systemd kill background processes after user logs out Date: Thu, 26 May 2016 16:16:19 -0700 I found this old link that might help Systemd broke nohup? https://lwn.net/Articles/556084/ What happens if you use nohup(1)? -- Matt Taggart [email protected] Information forwarded to [email protected], Debian systemd Maintainers <[email protected]> : Bug#825394 ; Package systemd. (Thu, 26 May 2016 23:39:03 GMT) (full text, mbox, link). Acknowledgement sent to Christian Rebischke <[email protected]> : Extra info received and forwarded to list. Copy sent to Debian systemd Maintainers <[email protected]>. (Thu, 26 May 2016 23:39:03 GMT) (full text, mbox, link). Message #15 received at [email protected] (full text, mbox, reply): From: Christian Rebischke <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Subject: systemd kill background processes after user logs out Date: Fri, 27 May 2016 01:34:09 +0200 Hello, You should quote the full changelog and not just the part that is 'bad' in your mind. >systemd-logind will now by default terminate user processes that are part of >the user session scope unit (session-XX.scope) when the user logs out. This >behavior is controlled by the KillUserProcesses= setting in logind.conf, and >the previous default of "no" is now changed to "yes". For debian it would be enough to set this to "no" again with --without-kill-user-processes option to "configure" >This means that user sessions will be properly cleaned up after, but >additional steps are necessary to allow intentionally long-running processes >to survive logout. Here comes the important part. Seems like the systemd-devs are working on a way to allow intentionally long-running processes in a specific user scope. And here is another way for allowing these long-running processes: >While the user is logged in at least once, [email protected] is running, and any >service that should survive the end of any individual login session can be >started at a user service or scope using systemd-run. systemd-run(1) man >page has been extended with an example which shows how to run screen in a >scope unit underneath [email protected]. The same command works for tmux. And another way for allowing long-running processes. >After the user logs out of all sessions, [email protected] will be terminated >too, by default, unless the user has "lingering" enabled. To effectively >allow users to run long-term tasks even if they are logged out, lingering >must be enabled for them. See loginctl(1) for details. The default polkit >policy was modified to allow users to set lingering for themselves without >authentication. > >Previous defaults can be restored at compile time by the >--without-kill-user-processes option to "configure" You see? No reason to complain about. Best regards Christian Rebischke. Information forwarded to [email protected], Debian systemd Maintainers <[email protected]> : Bug#825394 ; Package systemd. (Thu, 26 May 2016 23:39:06 GMT) (full text, mbox, link). Acknowledgement sent to Michael Biebl <[email protected]> : Extra info received and forwarded to list. Copy sent to Debian systemd Maintainers <[email protected]>. (Thu, 26 May 2016 23:39:06 GMT) (full text, mbox, link). Message #20 received at [email protected] (full text, mbox, reply): From: Michael Biebl <[email protected]> To: Matt Taggart <[email protected]>, [email protected] Subject: Re: Bug#825394: systemd kill background processes after user logs out Date: Fri, 27 May 2016 01:35:18 +0200 Am 27.05.2016 um 01:16 schrieb Matt Taggart: > I found this old link that might help > > Systemd broke nohup? > https://lwn.net/Articles/556084/ > > What happens if you use nohup(1)? I guess that wouldn't really make a difference. What makes a difference is when you enable "lingering" for your user, which tells systemd that there will be long running processes. See the NEWS file at [1] for further information or the loginctl man page [2] Regards, Michael [1] https://github.com/systemd/systemd/blob/master/NEWS#L29 [2] https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/loginctl.html#enable-linger%20USER... -- Why is it that all of the instruments seeking intelligent life in the universe are pointed away from Earth? Information forwarded to [email protected], Debian systemd Maintainers <[email protected]> : Bug#825394 ; Package systemd. (Fri, 27 May 2016 04:51:03 GMT) (full text, mbox, link). Acknowledgement sent to Andrew Rodland <[email protected]> : Extra info received and forwarded to list. Copy sent to Debian systemd Maintainers <[email protected]>. (Fri, 27 May 2016 04:51:04 GMT) (full text, mbox, link). Message #25 received at [email protected] (full text, mbox, reply): From: Andrew Rodland <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Subject: Re: systemd kill background processes after user logs out Date: Fri, 27 May 2016 00:38:59 -0400 >the previous default of "no" is now changed to "yes". But why exactly has the default been changed to a value that's obviously wrong for the majority of Linux systems in existence? Perhaps instead the tiny minority of systems that are used in a workstation-like fashion, where this behavior might arguably make some kind of sense, could set the option to yes, and all other systems could benefit from a sensible default that doesn't break things for dubious reasons? Just a thought. Information forwarded to [email protected], Debian systemd Maintainers <[email protected]> : Bug#825394 ; Package systemd. (Fri, 27 May 2016 08:21:11 GMT) (full text, mbox, link). Acknowledgement sent to Guus Sliepen <[email protected]> : Extra info received and forwarded to list. Copy sent to Debian systemd Maintainers <[email protected]>. (Fri, 27 May 2016 08:21:13 GMT) (full text, mbox, link). Message #30 received at [email protected] (full text, mbox, reply): From: Guus Sliepen <[email protected]> To: Christian Rebischke <[email protected]> Cc: [email protected] Subject: Re: systemd kill background processes after user logs out Date: Fri, 27 May 2016 10:18:39 +0200 On Fri, May 27, 2016 at 01:34:09AM +0200, Christian Rebischke wrote: > Hello, > You should quote the full changelog and not just > the part that is 'bad' in your mind. > >systemd-logind will now by default terminate user processes that are part of > >the user session scope unit (session-XX.scope) when the user logs out. This > >behavior is controlled by the KillUserProcesses= setting in logind.conf, and > >the previous default of "no" is now changed to "yes". I mentioned these options later in my bugreport. > For debian it would be enough to set this to "no" again with > --without-kill-user-processes option to "configure" Yes, I hope the systemd maintainers will indeed make this change. > >This means that user sessions will be properly cleaned up after, but > >additional steps are necessary to allow intentionally long-running processes > >to survive logout. > > Here comes the important part. Seems like the systemd-devs are working on a > way to allow intentionally long-running processes in a specific user scope. > > And here is another way for allowing these long-running processes: [...] > And another way for allowing long-running processes. You are missing the point. The way people using Linux (or any UNIX for that matter) have been starting background processes for the last 30 years is to just run it with nohup <command> & or in a screen session. Now suddenly systemd wants to change this, by having you jump through extra hoops. If there was a damn good reason for this, I would maybe say, ok, migrating to the new way is worth the pain. But I really don't see what the benefit of this change is, apart from maybe cleaning up some stray gconf and pulseaudio processes from the list of processes. But lets talk about the pain: almost noone will read the changelog. You cannot expect everyone to read every changelog everytime they upgrade their machine. You cannot expect people to reread the manual of every program after every update. So even people who have known the workings of systemd intimately up to version 229 will be taken by surprise by this change. And when they find out for the first time that their background processes have been killed, they won't know why. Even if they make the connection to their logging in and out of sessions, I'd think that they still don't know that there is something like logind that manages "user sessions" for them. So they will start blaming other things, annoying other people, who in turn will finally get annoyed at systemd. Especially if you are told that hey, from now on you have to manually set your user session to linger, or start your program in a separate user session, or edit some config file as root on every machine you maintain, I know that I would be very tempted to just type "sudo apt-get install sysvinit-core", because that is just easier. > >Previous defaults can be restored at compile time by the > >--without-kill-user-processes option to "configure" > > You see? No reason to complain about. What do you mean? There is every reason to complain about this change in systemd! If noone complained then noone would do anything about it. I'm complaining so Debian will change the default behaviour, and I'm complaining so hopefully some systemd developers get a clue that these kind of changes are not appreciated. -- Met vriendelijke groet / with kind regards, Guus Sliepen <[email protected]> Information forwarded to [email protected], Debian systemd Maintainers <[email protected]> : Bug#825394 ; Package systemd. (Fri, 27 May 2016 09:42:11 GMT) (full text, mbox, link). Acknowledgement sent to Nicolai Langfeldt <[email protected]> : Extra info received and forwarded to list. Copy sent to Debian systemd Maintainers <[email protected]>. (Fri, 27 May 2016 09:42:12 GMT) (full text, mbox, link). Message #35 received at [email protected] (full text, mbox, reply): From: Nicolai Langfeldt <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Subject:... Date: Fri, 27 May 2016 11:32:06 +0200 The principle of least surprise applies. Information forwarded to [email protected], Debian systemd Maintainers <[email protected]> : Bug#825394 ; Package systemd. (Fri, 27 May 2016 10:42:43 GMT) (full text, mbox, link). Acknowledgement sent to Michael Biebl <[email protected]> : Extra info received and forwarded to list. Copy sent to Debian systemd Maintainers <[email protected]>. (Fri, 27 May 2016 10:42:43 GMT) (full text, mbox, link). Message #40 received at [email protected] (full text, mbox, reply): From: Michael Biebl <[email protected]> To: Nicolai Langfeldt <[email protected]>, [email protected] Subject: Re: Bug#825394:... Date: Fri, 27 May 2016 12:28:15 +0200 Am 27.05.2016 um 11:32 schrieb Nicolai Langfeldt: > The principle of least surprise applies. Please, this is a bug tracker, not a discussion forum. -- Why is it that all of the instruments seeking intelligent life in the universe are pointed away from Earth? Information forwarded to [email protected], Debian systemd Maintainers <[email protected]> : Bug#825394 ; Package systemd. (Fri, 27 May 2016 12:12:10 GMT) (full text, mbox, link). Acknowledgement sent to Michael Biebl <[email protected]> : Extra info received and forwarded to list. Copy sent to Debian systemd Maintainers <[email protected]>. (Fri, 27 May 2016 12:12:10 GMT) (full text, mbox, link). Message #45 received at [email protected] (full text, mbox, reply): From: Michael Biebl <[email protected]> To: Guus Sliepen <[email protected]>, [email protected] Subject: Re: Bug#825394: systemd kill background processes after user logs out Date: Fri, 27 May 2016 14:09:55 +0200 Hi Guus, Am 26.05.2016 um 18:16 schrieb Guus Sliepen: >> systemd-logind will now by default terminate user processes that are >> part of the user session scope unit (session-XX.scope) when the user >> logs out. > > It is now indeed the case that any background processes that were still > running are killed automatically when the user logs out of a session, > whether it was a desktop session, a VT session, or when you SSHed into a > machine. > > Now you can no longer expect a long running background processes to > continue after logging out. Unless you use systemd-run/linger, then you can still expect those background processes to continue to run. But I guess this wasn't your point. I believe this breaks the expecations of > many users. For example, you can no longer start a screen or tmux > session, log out, and expect to come back to it. For this reason, I > think it is a bad decision on the part of the systemd maintainers to > enable this feature by default, and it should rather be disabled by > default in Debian, either by compiling systemd with > --without-kill-user-processes or by setting KillUserProcesses=no in > /etc/systemd/logind.conf. The new requirement of having to enable lingering and starting tmux/screen/nohup/ via systemd-run can certainly be considered a nuisance and something our users are not necessarily aware of. I share that concern. So a NEWS.Debian entry would be the least we should do. And maybe documenting it in the release notes. That all said, we'll discuss that within the team. I couldn't get hold of Martin on irc, so this might take a couple of days (I won't be around much over the weekend). I personally need to do some more research first, e.g. how that affects systemd/dbus user sessions. Regards, Michael -- Why is it that all of the instruments seeking intelligent life in the universe are pointed away from Earth? Information forwarded to [email protected], Debian systemd Maintainers <[email protected]> : Bug#825394 ; Package systemd. (Fri, 27 May 2016 13:57:04 GMT) (full text, mbox, link). Acknowledgement sent to Stefanos Harhalakis <[email protected]> : Extra info received and forwarded to list. Copy sent to Debian systemd Maintainers <[email protected]>. (Fri, 27 May 2016 13:57:04 GMT) (full text, mbox, link). Message #50 received at [email protected] (full text, mbox, reply): From: Stefanos Harhalakis <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Subject: Re: systemd kill background processes after user logs out Date: Fri, 27 May 2016 14:55:59 +0100 Hi there, As you know, one of the two reasons screen is used is to allow for things to stay running if you get disconnected. In this spirit, I personally run long-term things like backups and dist-upgrades under screen (under X) in order to prevent interrupting them if (e.g.) X crash. On the server side, I use screen in order to keep things running even if I get disconnected. My belief is that I am not the only and and I that a behavior change like this should not enter testing lighthearted (I understand this is only in unstable so far) even if it is the default behavior systemd chooses to have. Other than that, I'd be curious to see why this choice has been made by systemd. I'm sure that there are good reasons, but I can't seem to be able to find a reference to them. If you are aware of a link could you please share it? Thanks, Stefanos Information forwarded to [email protected], Debian systemd Maintainers <[email protected]> : Bug#825394 ; Package systemd. (Sat, 28 May 2016 02:24:04 GMT) (full text, mbox, link). Acknowledgement sent to [email protected] : Extra info received and forwarded to list. Copy sent to Debian systemd Maintainers <[email protected]>. (Sat, 28 May 2016 02:24:04 GMT) (full text, mbox, link). Message #55 received at [email protected] (full text, mbox, reply): From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Maybe related to this post and bugs Date: Sat, 28 May 2016 04:13:28 +0200 Information forwarded to [email protected], Debian systemd Maintainers <[email protected]> : Bug#825394 ; Package systemd. (Sat, 28 May 2016 02:54:03 GMT) (full text, mbox, link). Acknowledgement sent to [email protected] : Extra info received and forwarded to list. Copy sent to Debian systemd Maintainers <[email protected]>. (Sat, 28 May 2016 02:54:03 GMT) (full text, mbox, link). Message #60 received at [email protected] (full text, mbox, reply): From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Re: systemd kill background processes after user logs out Date: Sat, 28 May 2016 04:50:45 +0200 It is most probably related to this https://github.com/systemd/systemd/issues/2900 Information forwarded to [email protected], Debian systemd Maintainers <[email protected]> : Bug#825394 ; Package systemd. (Sat, 28 May 2016 17:18:14 GMT) (full text, mbox, link). Acknowledgement sent to Zbigniew Gralewski <[email protected]> : Extra info received and forwarded to list. Copy sent to Debian systemd Maintainers <[email protected]>. (Sat, 28 May 2016 17:18:14 GMT) (full text, mbox, link). Message #65 received at [email protected] (full text, mbox, reply): From: Zbigniew Gralewski <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Bug#825394: systemd kill background processes after user logs out Date: Sat, 28 May 2016 19:08:26 +0200 Yes, i sign also. New functionality is not expected behaviour. I also run long term commands under screen
or accredited, according to the federal Department of Education. In a case that is not directly related to World Wide, children at a number of privately operated facilities in Florida recently said they had been abused in programs with little governmental control because the schools are regulated as religious institutions. ‘Manipulative’ Students Mr. Lichfield said that accusations of mistreatment by troubled adolescents are common in the business. “All schools working with disturbed teens have a few students who are angry and manipulative, with long histories of lying and dishonesty, who will make allegations,” he wrote. “Find one school for me that does not. The schools we provided services for had such volume that even a very small percentage of students who make such allegations start to add up, but every school has about the same percentage of students who didn’t like being there and are willing to make such allegations.” Mr. Lichfield’s lawyer, J. Ralph Atkin, said that parents of the nearly 20,000 children who have attended World Wide schools during the past 20 years had a satisfaction rate of 96 percent, and that the schools’ employees had been required by law to report signs of mistreatment. Mr. Atkin himself owned a World Wide program in the Czech Republic during the 1990s. It was investigated by Czech authorities after accusations of child abuse and was later closed; World Wide said no children had been mistreated there. A lawsuit on behalf of more than 350 former students and their parents in a Utah state district court claims that World Wide’s programs provide little education or mental health help, and that staff members engage in outright assault. “In many instances,” the suit says, “the abuse could be accurately described as torture of children.” In May, a lawsuit against a World Wide-related company was resolved for $3 million without the company admitting liability — nine years after a 16-year-old girl hanged herself in a bathroom stall at a facility in Montana called Spring Creek Lodge Academy, which has since closed. Before her suicide, the girl had been punished by being forced to carry a bucket of rocks, according to depositions by the school’s owners and staff. Owners of the facilities that are currently open say their programs have no connection to World Wide, and turned down requests to visit. But in interviews, former students, parents and staff members — many of them, like Mr. Chomakhidze, not part of a lawsuit against World Wide — described them as spartan places.From 20th July to 31st July, The Elder Scrolls Online will host a special Midyear Mayhem event, celebrating the intense PvP gameplay found in ZeniMax Online Studios’ award-winning online RPG. Players can earn unique rewards like the exclusive Midyear Victor’s Laurel Wreath hat, and earn double Alliance Points, PvP gear, and rare crafting items during the event. Loot and bonuses are available in all PvP modes: join hundreds of players in the massive campaigns of Cyrodiil, engage in close-quarters street fights in the Imperial City, and compete in the intense, 4v4v4 arena-style showdowns of the Battlegrounds in Morrowind. For all of the details and instructions on how to join the Midyear Mayhem event, please visit the official site at: http://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-gb/news/post/2017/07/18/test-your-mettle-in-the-midyear-mayhem-pvp-event ** Reminder: Midyear Mayhem Begins on July 20 at 3:00 pm BST and ends on July 31 at 3:00 pm BSTSCE Patents 3D “Eye Tracking Contact Lenses”, Gaze Control Sony wants to track your tongue, they want to track your body, they want to track your emotions, and now they want to track your eyes. PSLS has exclusively uncovered (why this matters) a Sony Computer Entertainment patent for “magnetized eye tracking contact lenses” to create an eye-controlled interface. As shown in the image above, a headset may also be needed to sense the magnets in the contact lenses, but the patent describes an IR camera as a possible alternative. The contact lenses themselves are quite high-tech, with one embodiment including a “medium, active material, control circuitry, power source, and one or more antenna elements.” Blink tracking is also detailed, with both blinks and eye movement mentioned as possible control methods for the computer interface. A separate SCE patent PSLS has uncovered that covers gaze control, but without contact lenses, mentions several uses for eye controls, including a game one: Gaze control gaming is already viable, with systems developed for those with disabilities, but the costs are extremely high. Meanwhile, “contact lenses can offer highly accurate eye tracking information at low cost”. Head movement is also generally not possible without ruining the eye tracking, while these patents aim to track head movement and eye movement. A user’s ear lobes may be tracked along with other features. Perhaps what is even more interesting is that Sony mentions the possibility of the magnetic contact lenses being used for 3D viewing. “Contact lenses in embodiments can be passive (e.g., utilizing color or polarity for 3D viewing) or active, for example, using a liquid crystal layer that is normally transparent but darkens when a voltage is applied.” 3D glasses are currently a huge turn off for consumers, but is a contact lens-based option really the solution? Share your thoughts in the comments below.People pass graffiti along the border structure in Tijuana, Mexico, on Jan. 25. (Julie Watson/AP) President Trump is intent on completing a border wall with Mexico, even if it means instigating a trade war with the U.S.'s second-biggest export market. His spokesman said Wednesday that the U.S. might levy a blanket 20 percent tax on Mexican imports as one way of fulfilling Trump's campaign promise that Mexico would pay for the wall. Trump promotes the notion that migrants have been flooding across an insecure border, and taking jobs that would otherwise go to Americans. To be sure, there are indeed millions of unauthorized immigrants working in the U.S., though economists are divided on whether the contributions to the economy they make ultimately create more job opportunities for U.S. citizens. The Pew Research Center estimates that “the U.S. civilian workforce included 8 million unauthorized immigrants in 2014, accounting for 5% of those who were working or were unemployed and looking for work.” And the largest chunk of those unauthorized immigrants are indeed from Mexico, which is the clear target of the wall, along with other Central American countries. But since a tipping point in 2012, the net flow of migration from Mexico, both legal and not, has actually decreased. From 2009 to 2014, Pew estimates that 1 million Mexicans and their families (including U.S.-born children) left the U.S., while 870,000 Mexicans arrived. The numbers are estimates, of course, because the flow of unauthorized migration across the U.S.-Mexico border is, by its nature, surreptitious. Pew uses a modeling tool that draws from various sources, including Mexico’s national household survey, to make its best estimate. Another measure of how many people are trying to cross the border illegally is how many get caught every year. And that number is going down for Mexicans, too, from more than 400,000 in fiscal 2010 to about 177,000 in the current one to date. People fleeing gang-related violence spiraling out of control in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala have added significantly to that number in the past year, but the overall trend remains one of net flow southward. [Why a wall won’t keep America’s newest immigrants out] Mexico's own economy has improved, and growing opportunities there have have caused many who once migrated to return home. Simultaneously, the American economy now supports far fewer construction and manufacturing jobs than it once did, and those were a mainstay of the Mexican migrant community. Under President Barack Obama, the U.S. also began more strictly enforcing immigration laws and greatly expanded its use of deportations. Some called Obama the “deporter in chief.” Meanwhile, migration from Asia to the United States has ramped up, and now outpaces overall arrivals from Mexico. This would've been unthinkable a decade ago, when more than 10 times as many people from Mexico came to the U.S. as from China. In 2014, roughly 136,000 people came to the U.S. from India, 128,000 from China and 123,000 from Mexico, according to census data. Between 2009 and 2014, 45 percent of all immigrants to the U.S. were born in Asia. Asian immigration is widespread geographically, too. A Wall Street Journal analysis found that across much of the heartland and New England, they far outpace arrivals from Mexico and Central America. Even California registered more Chinese immigrants than Mexican immigrants in 2014, with India not far behind. The study noted that “there were 31 states where more immigrants arrived from China than from Mexico that year, up from seven states in 2005. Newly arrived immigrants from India in 2014 outnumbered those from Mexico in 25 states, up from four states in 2005.” By and large, recent Asian immigrants are well educated and as such compete with a different set of Americans for jobs, but also contribute to faster-growing sectors of the American economy. In The Post's Wonkblog, Ana Swanson cites the research of Jed Kolko, the chief economist at Indeed, a job search engine, who found that “about half of immigrants 25 and older in 2015 who arrived in the U.S. in the last five years had a bachelor’s degree, up from roughly one-third of those who arrived between 2006 and 2010 and 27 percent of those who arrived in 2005 or earlier.” For perspective, only 31 percent of American citizens 25 or older have a bachelor’s degree. As China and India's economies (and populations) have grown, they have also begun to send more of their students to U.S. universities than ever before. Read more: Fearing Trump’s wall, Central Americans rush to cross the U.S. border 5 challenges Trump may face building a border wall Mexican president cancels visit to Washington as tensions with Trump administration intensifyThe Red Scare By Mark Sisson It’s a headline you’ve probably seen by now splashed all over the news sites and channels – “Eating More Red Meat Ups Mortality Risk.” (Red meat once again wears the black hat: surprise, surprise.) Actually, millions of readers/viewers have likely stumbled across the caption and unfortunately taken it at face value. But you know us by now. It’s just too much fun being the merry skeptics when it comes to these sound bites of misinformation. First things first. If you haven’t read about the aforementioned study yet (or want to read the full text for yourself – always advisable), here’s the link to the free full text. The report was published in the March 23rd issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine and has been picked up by just about every major news organization this week. The gist goes something like this: the researchers administered a “Food Frequency Questionnaire” to approximately half a million people (ages 50-71) who were part of the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study. Participants responded to 124 questions regarding specific food and drink intake as well as portion size in the previous twelve months. (The questionnaire (PDF) is an engrossing read in and of itself.) Researchers then followed the group for ten years and recorded mortality statistics. The results: At the end of the ten year period, 47,976 men and 23,276 women had died. Researchers checked causes of death and overall mortality against reported meat consumption. Their conclusion: “Red and processed meat intakes were associated with modest (my emphasis) increases in total mortality, cancer mortality, and cardiovascular disease mortality.” More specifically, those participants (20%) who consumed the most red meat (median = 62.5 grams per 1000 daily calories) showed slightly greater risk for overall, cardiovascular and cancer death than the 20% who consumed the least (median = 9.8 grams per 1000 daily calories) red meat. The same statistic held for processed meat intake (“most” median = 22.6 grams; “least” median = 1.6 grams). The inverse trend was found for white meat (turkey, chicken and fish): those who ate the most white meat showed less risk for overall, cardiovascular and cancer death (as well as death from other causes) than those who ate the least white meat. As mentioned, I invite you to read the full study and judge for yourselves. It’s as full of holes as your average Swiss cheese. (Smells like it too.) Where to start? How about the whole self-report questionnaire? All together now: let’s recall what we ate over the last year and summarize it in a few lines… Ah, the broad brush of the observational study… As for some specific critiques… There is, not surprisingly, no accounting for carb intake in this study. We know (broken record alert) that carbs drive insulin and insulin drives fat production, fat storage, inflammation and coronary heart disease. (Now if only this point would ever get equal time…) Even a moderate carb diet produces enough added insulin to drive production of triglycerides from both the extra carbs and the ingested fats. Maybe all these people ate an average of enough extra carbs that the added fats from the meat contributed more to the slightly higher average build-up of CHD in the highest quintile. (How much of their red meat consumption came in the form of steaks and roasts versus hamburgers with their obligatory buns, etc.?) Fittingly, a lesser publicized study this week reported that a third of Americans have high triglyceride levels. (Check out our recent post on blood markers for more on the whole lipid picture.) Of course, the researchers and general media are pinning the risk (as always) on saturated fat consumption instead of carbohydrate intake, the true culprit in triglyceride measures. And don’t even get me started on the effects of HFCS on triglycerides. The establishment never seems to tire of this saturated fat hobby horse, and its treatment of both the triglyceride findings and the meat study further confirm this. (Yes, I’m contending that the meat study is another thinly veiled attempt to “confirm” Conventional Wisdom thinking – conscious or unconscious.) Scientific method, after all, is predicated on hypothesis. Let’s hypothesize the same things over and over again: fat or, in this case, red meat is bad for you. Starting from that mindset, it’s not too surprising that you can “prove” it by loosely correlating/conflating meat intake with mortality. Maybe you can’t and won’t, but your results will likely be influenced by the limitations of your scope, your focus, the assumptions that lead you to discount various factors that have everything to do with your results. I could hypothesize that the air in California is bad for you, and I could bias the study by focusing my analysis in and around Bakersfield and in doing so prove my hypothesis. Or I could focus on the pristine air in Mammoth and get a different result. What if the hypothesis in this study had been that conventional “CAFO” meat (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations: hormones, antibiotics, pesticide residue, grain-fed) slightly increases cancer and coronary heart disease? You would then necessarily test standard meats against clean 100% grass-fed/finished, hormone-free, pesticide and antibiotic-free meats, and maybe test them all against a meatless diet. But in this case they didn’t. If they had, I could predict that they would see a measurable difference between those who ate ANY amount of CAFO meat and those who ate only clean meats. There is no separation between the two in this current study – if in fact any of those participating ate any grass-fed clean meat at all. I could conceivably use this study to “prove” my ongoing point that CAFO meats, processed meats, etc are somewhat less healthy…exactly as we say they are in the Primal Blueprint. But then there are so many other confounding factors…. The authors acknowledge that the preparation of meats could be a factor. We know that overcooking meats can produce HCAs (heterocyclic amines), which are carcinogenic, and maillard reactions, which may be atherogenic. At MDA, we suggest that you not routinely overcook meat for these reasons. There is no accounting for the preparation of the meat in this study, except to acknowledge that processed meats may increase risk. Furthermore, it’s been shown that consumption of vegetables and other antioxidant-rich foods/supplements/drinks (like wine) with meat can neutralize the potential carcinogenic attributes conferred by cooking/overcooking. The highest meat group had the lowest antioxidant intake. Maybe that explains the minor difference – even in the face of all other variables. Finally, there remains a dizzying (uh, discounting?) array of other variables (on top of the aforementioned variables) put together in one rather telling little package. In the authors’ own words, “Subjects who consumed more red meat tended to be married, more likely of non-Hispanic white ethnicity, more likely a current smoker, have a higher body mass index, and have a higher daily intake of energy, total fat, and saturated fat, and they tended to have lower education and physical activity levels and lower fruit, vegetable, fiber, and vitamin supplement intakes.” Hmmm… This statement seems to say it all (well, almost) if you ask me. The authors ultimately seem pretty good at unraveling their own argument. Too bad most of the media outlets can’t seem to pick up on that point. For your further reading pleasure, Michael R. Eades, M.D. takes on this latest bunk in his blog by highlighting a few just as timely studies that didn’t get as much press this past week. (Spoiler alert: the studies actually contradict the findings of this observational meat maligning research.) As Dr. Eades suggests, the media has unappreciated power in determining what studies get press and which don’t. Predictably, those that bolster the prevailing mindset tend to get picked up. (The large numbers of subjects inherent in broad observational studies like these also act as bright, shiny enticements, however illusory their results are.) The real take home message from this study is this: Don’t be obese, do exercise, don’t smoke, eat plenty of vegetables and fruit, take supplements, avoid processed meats, avoid overcooked meats, eat from a variety of animal foods. (And when you eat red meat or any other meat, try to eat the cleanest form possible because it would appear that the hormone-laced, antibiotic-tainted, grain-fed CAFO meat may slightly increase your risk of CHD and cancer – or not.) Red meat itself, at the end of the day, appears to be little more than a red herring. Thoughts and reactions? I’d love to hear them. Further Reading: Did Grok Really Eat That Much Meat? The Primal Blueprint Carbohydrate Curve Smart Fuel: Lamb Post navigation If you'd like to add an avatar to all of your comments click here!Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and House Speaker Joe Straus bring dueling priorities on social issues to the State Capitol. Lean coffers will make it difficult to pay for existing programs, let alone anything new. The 85th Texas Legislature opens today in Austin. Lawmakers have already filed well over 1,300 bills, with more on the way. That’s a lot of ground to cover in a session that lasts fewer than five months. For a preview, Eddie Robinson spoke with News 88.7 politics and government reporter Andrew Schneider. Interview Highlights: What’s the first order of business? “There’s always lot of basic housekeeping, administrative stuff to take care of at the start of any session. There’s also the State of the State Address coming up, where Governor [Greg] Abbott will tell legislators what he sees as some of the most pressing issues that need to be addressed. That’s tentatively set for January 31, but the date’s not yet official. And then there’s overriding question of the budget. The comptroller just issued his two-year revenue forecast. That’s going to play a big role in figuring out what the state can afford to do over the next two years.” What are some of the major issues legislators will be tackling this session? “Well we have a few guideposts from what Lieutenant Governor [Dan] Patrick and House Speaker [Joe] Straus have said over the past few months. Patrick laid out more than two dozen ‘top priorities.’ Some of the big ones include tax reform, particularly slowing the growth of property taxes. That’s popular with homeowners, not so much with local governments that get the largest part of their revenue from property taxes. He’s talking about new abortion restrictions, tightening immigration enforcement, promoting school choice. Straus is talking more about issues like getting more money for foster care and Child Protective Services.” What about issues of particular importance to Houston? “Straus says he wants to reform the state’s school finance system. He says he’d like to end the system by which the state helps to fund poorer school districts by taking property tax money from wealthier ones, what’s often called the ‘Robin Hood recapture system.’ That’s something Mayor [Sylvester] Turner was hoping for last year when he campaigned for a ‘No’ vote on Proposition 1. Prop 1 was essentially a referendum on whether HISD would hand over the money to the state voluntarily. The ‘No’ vote means the state can detach valuable commercial property from HISD and give it to another district. “There’s also a bill that would put Texas back at the center of the debate over LGBT rights, the so-called ‘bathroom bill.’ That would bar transgender people from using the bathroom, locker room, changing facility, etc., of the gender with which they identify. It’s a direct response to the defunct Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, or HERO, as well as the transgender directive the Obama Administration came out with last year. Patrick says this is a must-pass. He says it’s a matter of women’s privacy and common sense. Straus says it’s not as big an issue for him, although he’s sensitive to the mood of his members. There’s already been a lot of push-back on this one, not just from Democrats and LGBT groups but also from the business community. A lot of employers have said they’re opposed to it, that it could discourage companies from doing business in the state. So this is by no means a sure thing. “One other big issue for Houston is pension reform. Last year, Mayor Turner proposed a plan to overhaul the city’s pension system. The [Houston] City Council passed a resolution in favor of it, but the Legislature has to sign off on the plan before it can go into effect.” When should we expect to see the pace pick up in the session? “Typically, things start to get serious early in March. From then on, we can probably expect to see bills passing in bursts, a bunch at a time, rather than in a steady stream. And then we can probably expect a lot of activity on the biggest bills at the end of May, before the regular session adjourns on May 29.”DENVER—Marijuana consumers in Colorado could be in store for purchasing limits well below what they’re allowed to have. A state task force set up to regulate recreational weed in Colorado agreed Monday to recommend marijuana purchasing caps. Adults over 21 in Colorado are allowed to have up to an ounce of weed, but the task force recommended that a single transaction at a pot shop be capped at a lower amount. “This just empowers us to prevent diversion” of the drug to kids and others who can’t have marijuana, said Christian Sederberg, a lawyer and marijuana activist on the task force. Regulators did not agree what the smaller cap should be, punting that decision to the state Legislature, which will ultimately decide all of Colorado’s marijuana rules. Commercial pot sales in Colorado could begin by next year after state voters decided to flout federal drug law and permit adults to have small amounts of it. The marijuana purchasing cap was suggested by Colorado Deputy Attorney General David Blake, who argued that Coloradans should face the same pot-shop purchasing caps as out-of-state visitors, a decision made last week. Blake declined to explain the cap to reporters after the task force meeting. Attorney General John Suthers was a prominent opponent of marijuana legalization, which voters here approved by a wide margin despite legal warnings about violating federal drug law. Sederberg said marijuana legalization backers agreed to purchasing limits because he said most pot users won’t find it onerous. Sederberg said average daily pot smokers use about half a gram a day, well below the 1 ounce possession limit. Sederberg compared pot limits to kegs of beer. There’s no limit on alcohol possession, but people seeking kegs of beer must sign their names and agree not to share beer with minors, Sederberg pointed out. The task force also agreed to labeling requirements to include potency. Marijuana regulators decided that the drug’s potency can’t be capped—but pot should be clearly labeled so consumers know its strength. The labels would have to state the amount of THC, marijuana’s psychoactive ingredient. Pot would also have to carry labels stating “there may be health risks associated with the consumption of this product.” “The idea is to warn people about the dangers of ingesting marijuana,” said Jack Finlaw, a lawyer for Gov. John Hickenlooper and co-chairman of the task force. The state Legislature will ultimately decide whether to try potency limits. The same task force voted last week against a residency requirement for adults over 21 buying marijuana. If adopted, that recommendation would open the door for marijuana tourism. The task force failed to agree how to test pot for banned toxins such as pesticides and herbicides. The task force agreed broadly that testing requirements should be set later, but they couldn’t agree how often pot strains should be tested or who should certify the tests. The task force has less than a week to settle regulations. Anything the group can’t agree to will be punted to the state Legislature and the state Department of Revenue, which will oversee Colorado’s eventual commercial pot industry. ——— Online: Amendment 64 task force: http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/Revenue-Main/XRM/1251633708470It is a hard and lengthy task to become acquainted with the vagaries of the language, not to mention the forgotten or altered meanings of many words. Some of these vagaries are aptly illustrated by the story of the Frenchman who said to an American: I am going to leave my hotel. I paid my bill yesterday, and I said to the landlord, ‘Do I owe anything else?’ He said, ‘You are square.’ ‘What am I?’ He said again, ‘You are square.’ ‘That’s strange,’ said I. ‘I lived so long that I never knew I was square before.’ Then, as I was going away, he shook me by the hand, saying, ‘I hope you’ll be round soon.’ I said, ‘I thought you said I was square; now you hope I’ll be round.’ He laughed and said, ‘When I tell you you’ll be round, I mean you won’t be long.’ Then, seeing me count my change twice over, he said, ‘Are you short?’ I did not know how many forms he wished me to assume: however, I was glad he did not call me flat.Patient given nivolumab, a new generation cancer drug, shown to have a reduced reservoir of dormant HIV cells and a boosted immune response A new generation cancer drug has raised hopes for those living with HIV after it was found to reduce the reservoir of dormant HIV cells in the body and boost the immune response of a patient. Doctors say the effect the cancer drug nivolumab appeared to have on the patient offers a tantalising hope that it might provide a way to eradicate the virus from patients. “This first report of a successful depletion of the HIV reservoirs opens new therapeutic perspectives towards an HIV cure,” the authors of the study write in a letter to the journal Annals of Oncology. Child treated for HIV at birth is healthy nine years on without further treatment Read more The results are based on findings from a 51-year-old man who had HIV since 1995, and was being treated for lung cancer. After relapsing less than six months after surgery and first-line chemotherapy, he was given the drug nivolumab. The man then showed a dramatic reduction in reservoirs of HIV-infected cells and increased activity from CD8 “killer” T-cells, a key immune system attack weapon. “This is the first demonstration of this mechanism working in humans. It could have implications for HIV patients, both with and without cancer, as it can work on HIV reservoirs and tumour cells independently,” said Prof Jean-Philippe Spano, head of the medical oncology department at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital AP-HP in Paris, who led the research. “The absence of side effects in this patient is also good news, and suggests this could be an optimum treatment for HIV-infected patients with cancer.” But, the team also urge caution, noting that in another patient with HIV where nivolumab was administered there was no drop in the reservoir of dormant cells, while they also note the need to study the toxicity of such drugs in those with HIV. The drug appears to have the effect of “waking up” white blood cells that are infected with HIV but which are lying low in reservoirs around the body and are not producing HIV. In this state the cells are unable to be attacked by anti-retroviral therapy or the immune system, but when reactivated – and the cells start to produce HIV – they can be. “Increasingly, researchers have been looking into the use of certain drugs that appear to re-activate the latent HIV-infected cells,” said Spano. “This could have the effect of making them visible to the immune system, which could then attack them.” If the reservoirs are cleared of dormant infected cells, patients could potentially be cured. The patient, the team note, has been given 31 injections of nivolumab, administered every 14 days since December 2016. While the man’s HIV levels initially increased, they then dropped and the activity of certain T-cells, including CD8 “killer” T-cells, rose. By 120 days after treatment began the team say a dramatic and sustained drop in the levels of dormant infected cells was observed. Scientists testing HIV cure report'remarkable' progress after patient breakthrough Read more Experts warn it is too soon to celebrate, noting that it was not clear if the reservoirs would regrow, and that results from other cancer patients with HIV who had been given nivolumab were as yet unreported. Prof Stephen Evans, professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said the caution was merited. “We need larger randomised trials to see if this or similar anti-cancer drugs might have a notable effect on the HIV reservoir,” he said. “Until we have such data, talks of cure are premature, but it could lead to new approaches in dealing with HIV.” The news comes on the same day that a new study into a vaccine against HIV is launched, covering countries including South Africa, Malawi and Zimbabwe. The trial, which involves 2,600 sexually active women followed up over three years, will explore the efficacy of a placebo compared to a vaccine based on two shots and which is designed to provide protection against multiple strains of HIV. Another boost comes from the New England Medical Journal, which bears further good news, revealing that a US-funded programme to prevent HIV is having a positive effect in Uganda’s rural Rakai District. The approach, which included making anti-HIV drugs freely available to those with the virus as well as offering condoms, advice and voluntary male circumcision, led to a 42% drop in the rate of new HIV infections between the start of the programme in the early 2000s and 2016.Rust Async Libraries Cheat Sheet for Node.js Developers Grant M Blocked Unblock Follow Following Jan 5, 2017 Mio is a bit like libuv and libev before that. It’s a lightweight IO library over the OS abstractions. Futures are basically the same as promises. Java and C# also call them Futures. The futures library also provides streams, which are similar to Node streams but more strongly typed. Streams are to futures as arrays are to values. Streams can even be viewed as a Future using into_future, where the resolved value is the next item in the stream along with the rest of the stream. This seems like a really neat feature. Tokio-core depends on / is built on top of Futures and Mio. This library provides the I/O primitives and event loop for async I/O in Rust. It’s the connection between futures and mio. For example, connecting a TCP stream returns a Future resolving to a TCP stream, and a TCP listener implements a stream of TCP streams (accepted connections). Reactor::Core is an instance of an event loop (like that of which you get implicitly in JavaScript). Reactor seems to be a commonly used name for an event loop type object. Timeout is like setTimeout and interval is like setInterval. Those are the basics, so the examples should be fairly self-explanatory. Here is another good read on Tokio.Image caption The brothers were apparently mistaken for robbers A court in Pakistan has given the death penalty to seven people who were caught on camera beating two teenaged brothers to death last year. Six others were sent to life in jail while nine policemen, including the then police chief of Sialkot district, were given three-year jail terms. Video of the killings in Sialkot showed police officers standing by as a mob beat the pair to death. The brothers were mistaken for robbers, officials said. Footage showed the youths protesting their innocence as they were beaten with sticks and wires. The brothers, Mughees Butt, 19, and Muneeb Butt, 15, were then strung up on poles. At one point, the screaming youths ask to be shot so their ordeal could end. The case caused outrage in Pakistan. The anti-terrorism court in the city of Gujranwala announced its sentences shortly before midnight on Tuesday. A total of 27 people had been charged in the case. Five were acquitted on grounds of insufficient evidence. The policemen were found guilty of not intervening, and possibly abetting, the killings. Those convicted can appeal in the high court.Should We Fix Malleability in Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash? If so, how? And when? Written by Jonald Fyookball. If you’re a Bitcoiner or crypto-enthusiast, you’ve probably heard this “malleability” issue being discussed and wondered what it’s all about. Maybe you’ve probably heard a bunch of conflicting ideas and opinions about it too. Let’s break it all down. What’s Malleability? There’s different types of malleability, but to make a long story short, if you create a Bitcoin transaction, someone else (such as a miner or exchange) can modify the transaction ID (txid) before it gets put into a block. What’s a transaction id? Well, think of it as like a “receipt number” for your transaction. Keep in mind, with malleability, a third party cannot change the recipient of the funds, nor the amount, nor the fee… they can only change the txid. So what’s the big deal? Hold on, we’re gonna get to that. I want to give you the complete picture here. Feature or Bug? The first thing to realize is that malleability is sort of “baked into” the design of Bitcoin. Bitcoin uses a kind of cryptography called the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA). And it is a well-known fact that these digital signatures are malleable. In other words, a third party can change the signatures in certain ways, but they will still be valid. The same is also true for other types of digital signatures. For example, an ECDSA signature which is an (r,s) pair can be malleated as (r, -s). All you do is take the negative of “s” and the signature is still valid… although different. Now combine this with the fact that Bitcoin transactions (including the signatures) are hashed to create a chain of ownership. Because ECDSA signatures are inherently malleable, and those signatures are part of each transaction, that means that Bitcoin transactions are going to be malleable. Because of all this, you could reasonably call malleability a ‘feature’ of Bitcoin. Yet, you could also call it a bug since there are some non-desirable consequences of this. I think the best words to use are that this is an issue, and that a change to Bitcoin code to handle this would be an enhancement. Malleability is Not a Huge Problem Right off the bat, I can tell you that anyone claiming that malleability is a huge, urgent problem is either uninformed or lying. That’s because malleability has been around for 9 years since the beginning. The infamous Mt Gox thefts have been blamed on malleability but those theories have been debunked. As the properties of malleability are well known, no wallet or other software should be relying on transaction ids, and if they are, that software can and should be fixed. Malleability in Bitcoin still exists today. Even in BTC, Segwit only prevents malleability in Segwit transactions, which currently make up about 5–10% of the total transactions. Malleability as a Political Tool One of the benefits of fixing malleability is that it makes other projects (such as the Lightning Network) easier to implement. Because certain groups desire those projects, they may greatly exaggerate the need to fix malleability. Just be aware that this has been going on. Does Malleability Help Wallet Development? Another one of the claimed benefits of fixing malleability is that it will help developers of wallets — for example because its supposedly “easier to monitor transactions by txid”. I think this is highly debatable. Wallets and other software already have code to handle transactions. And many of the proposed changes for malleability actually add a great deal of complexity to Bitcoin, rather than simplify it. 0-Conf Transactions Now that we have discussed what I consider the “non-issues”, we come to the actual issue, and it has to do with 0-conf transactions. In Bitcoin, you know a transaction is confirmed once a miner includes it in a block and publishes the block to the blockchain. The more confirmations, the more secure the transaction. Transactions not yet included in a block can be said to be unconfirmed, pending, “out there in the mempool”, zero confirmation, or “0-conf”. Most everyone knows that a transaction that is unconfirmed is less secure than a transaction that has at least 1 confirmation. But how much less secure
of golf Sky Sports has been the home of golf's second major of the year since 1994, but which has been your favourite US Open during that time? The tournament heads to a new venue this week at Erin Hills in Wisconsin, six years on from hosting the US Amateur Championship, which will offer a new challenge to the world's top players. Erin Hills is the latest venue to host the US Open Dustin Johnson is defending champion after winning last year's incident-filled tournament at Oakmont, a year on from narrowly missing out on victory to Jason Day. From Tiger Woods' record-breaking success to British players achieving major victories, we've into the archives to pick 10 of the best US Opens during its time on Sky Sports. Which is your favourite US Open? Vote for your selection now from the options below! Think we've missed a classic from that time? Let us know by tweeting us using @SkySportsGolf! Watch the US Open throughout the week live on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golfJoshua Ashley Klayman is a counsel in the Finance + Projects group at global law firm Morrison & Foerster LLP and co-head of the firm’s Blockchain + Smart Contracts group. Martin Kovnats, Donald Johnston, Matthew Liberatore and Shannon Corregan work at Canadian law firm Aird & Berlis LLP, where they specialize in M&A, private equity and data security. In this opinion piece, the authors present a detailed overview of Canada’s recent ruling on initial coin offerings and what they mean for the market. The list of jurisdictions that are silent on the question of whether blockchain tokens may be securities has grown smaller. Less than a month after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) each issued guidance regarding the application of their respective securities laws to token sales, Canada has weighed-in with a warning that largely is consistent with those nations’ messages: issuers beware, tokens may be securities. On August 24, the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA), an organization composed of Canada’s provincial and territorial securities regulators, released Staff Notice 46-307 Cryptocurrency Offerings, which addresses how Canadian securities laws may apply to cryptocurrency offerings – a category that includes initial token sales and initial coin offerings, cryptocurrency investment funds and the cryptocurrency exchanges that trade such products. In addition, the notice helps to clarify which tokens may be considered securities for the purposes of Canadian securities legislation. A welcoming tone Unlike the recent SEC report, the notice does not focus on a particular enforcement action or on a potential bad actor or fraudster. Instead, the notice provides generalized advice to those contemplating raising capital via a token sale or creating a cryptocurrency investment fund, and invites such businesses to reach out to local securities regulatory authorities to discuss ways in which to comply with Canadian securities law. Indeed, the release accompanying the notice struck a welcoming tone, quoting Louis Morisset, CSA chair and president and CEO of the Autorité des marchés financiers, who said: “The technology behind cryptocurrency offerings has the potential to generate new capital raising opportunities for businesses and we welcome this type of innovation. … Given the growing activity in this novel area, we are publishing guidance to help fintech businesses understand what obligations may apply under securities laws.” In the notice itself, the CSA refers to its regulatory “sandbox” and expresses encouragement for financial innovation, including with respect to cryptocurrency offerings, stating: “We want to encourage financial market innovation and facilitate capital raising by fintech businesses, while at the same time ensuring fair and efficient capital markets and investor protection.” It continues: “As cryptocurrencies become more popular and mainstream, balancing the demand for new investment opportunities and the need to protect investors from high-risk or fraudulent activities is extremely important. In order to avoid costly regulatory surprises, we encourage businesses with proposed cryptocurrency offerings to contact their local securities regulatory authority to discuss possible approaches to complying with securities laws. We welcome digital innovation and we recognize that new fintech businesses may not fit neatly into the existing securities law framework.” ‘Facts and circumstances’ test Consistent with the recent U.S. and Singapore guidance regarding token sales, the notice does not state that all cryptocurrency offerings automatically will constitute trades in securities and, instead, explains that a facts-and-circumstances-type inquiry will apply. The CSA notes that, in certain cases, a coin or token may be considered a security for the purposes of Canadian securities law, and that cryptocurrency offerings must be assessed individually to determine if they fall within the ambit of the legislation. Crucially, the CSA notes that “in assessing whether or not securities laws apply, [the CSA] will consider substance over form.” The Canadian tests for what may be considered a security are, in many ways, similar to the U.S. securities analysis. Section 1 of Ontario’s Securities Act (OSA) provides a lengthy but non-exhaustive definition of “security,” which includes “any investment contract.” This definition may capture a purchase of coins or tokens where the value of such coins or tokens are dependent upon the future profits or success of a particular business. In Canada, the leading case for determining whether an investment contract exists is the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in Pacific Coast Coin Exchange v. Ontario (Securities Commission) (“Pacific Coin”). The four-pronged test announced by Pacific Coin is arguably based on the Howey test that exists under U.S. law. Under Pacific Coin, an investment contract exists when there is: An investment of money in a common enterprise with the expectation of profit that comes significantly from the efforts of others. Prior to the CSA’s release of the notice, there had been some speculation in Canada that Canadian authorities might rely on the “family resemblance test” set out in “Ontario Securities Commission v. Tiffin” or adopt an entirely new approach for classifying and regulating tokens, coins and cryptocurrency offerings. The notice, however, seems to indicate that Pacific Coin remains the key case for determining what may constitute a security. If an instrument satisfies the Pacific Coin test, it is an investment contract under Canadian securities law, and therefore a security for the purposes of section 1 of the OSA. If a given token or coin is deemed to be a security under the Pacific Coin test, the applicable cryptocurrency offering for such token or coin may be classified as a trade in securities, in which case, Canadian securities laws would apply to the transaction. Selected securities law considerations As discussed in the notice, Canadian securities law, among other things: Requires a seller of securities to provide a prospectus (or rely on an exemption). Imposes civil liability to investors if transactions fail to comply with securities laws. And requires registration if the business conducting the ICOs/ITOs is trading in securities for a business purpose (the “business trigger”). Below are some of the considerations highlighted in the notice: Prospectus and trading requirements: To be in compliance with Ontario securities legislation, sellers of securities must either file a prospectus with the regulatory authorities or rely on a prospectus exemption. In the notice, while the CSA mentions that, as of the date of the notice, no business had used a prospectus exemption to complete a cryptocurrency offering in Canada, it also states that it anticipates that cryptocurrency businesses may rely on the accredited- investor exemption (which requires investors to pass an asset test), or the offering memorandum exemption (which implements various specific disclosure obligations on the part of the issuer), depending on the provincial securities legislation in consideration. The notice also mentions that consideration should also be given to the trading of coin/token securities, post-cryptocurrency offering, on exchanges and to the applicable restrictions on secondary trading. Registration requirements: If a token or coin seller meets the business trigger-test by trading in securities for a business purpose, the seller will be required to either register as a dealer or rely on an exemption from the dealer registration requirement. In the notice, the CSA lists, among others, the following important considerations for determining whether a natural person or entity is trading in securities: solicitation of a broad investor base (including retail investors); use of the Internet, including public websites and discussion boards, to reach a large number of potential investors; and raising a significant amount of capital from a large number of investors. Marketplace requirements: If a cryptocurrency exchange offers instruments that are securities, the exchange may be required to comply with the Canadian securities laws governing “exchanges,” either by applying for recognition as a marketplace, or by applying for an exemption from recognition. In the notice, the CSA notes that, as of the date of the notice, no cryptocurrency exchange had been recognized in any Canadian jurisdiction, nor had any cryptocurrency exchange been exempted from recognition. Additional considerations The notice also advises that fintech businesses establishing investment funds that will or may have cryptocurrency exposure should be prepared to consider or discuss with Canadian regulators a range of issues, including but not limited to: The potential for full prospectus disclosure requirements, in the case of funds for which fund investors are expected to or will include retail investors. Due diligence efforts of the fund with respect to any cryptocurrency exchange that the fund will use to buy or sell coins or tokens (e.g. bitcoin). Appropriate registration categories, which may include registration as (among others) a dealer, an adviser and/or an investment fund manager. Valuation (and auditing of the fund’s valuation) of cryptocurrencies and securities in the fund, as well as selection of one or more cryptocurrency exchanges. “Custody” in the cryptocurrency context, including requiring the relevant custodian to have expertise relevant to holding cryptocurrencies (including “experience with hot and cold storage, security measures to keep cryptocurrencies protected from theft and the ability to segregate the cryptocurrencies from other holdings as needed”). Takeaways Overall, the notice clarifies that cryptocurrencies, as well as cryptocurrency offerings, exchanges and investment funds, remain subject to the existing Canadian securities law framework. The CSA appears to be signaling that it wishes to collaborate and interact with businesses in the coin and token space, to avoid regulatory surprises while encouraging financial innovation and development. We will see whether the Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan will take a similar approach after the provincial by-election in the province on September 7. Canadian coin image via Shutterstockby Last November, the Church abruptly changed the Handbook of Instructions. It added being in a same-sex marriage to the definition of apostasy. It also stated that children of married (or cohabitating) same-sex parents cannot receive a name and a blessing, be baptized, ordained, or serve a mission without First Presidency approval, and even then on conditions that the child (1) is committed to living the doctrines of the church, disavowing the practice of same-sex cohabitation and marriage; and (2) is of legal age and not living “with a parent who has lived or currently lives” in a same-sex marriage or cohabitation. I do not personally agree with this policy change. I think it was wrong. I do not understand how this is what God wants from His Church, and I don’t ascribe this to God. I have tried, but I can’t get an answer that this is right. These are my personal views, which should not be ascribed to anyone else. I simply felt the need to publicly describe my feelings on the topic. While I believe this policy is wrong, I do not believe the Brethren are without God’s light and knowledge. It’s complicated. I desperately love this Church, but I don’t think Mormonism requires that we all agree with everything that comes out of Salt Lake. Friends of mine have expressed their opinions already, at BCC and elsewhere. Ronan in particular has written some very powerful things, which have weighed on my mind enormously: No Behold the Broken Camel How Abrahamic Tests Work Don’t Reap Me Bro I am figuring out what it means to be an active LDS person who does not agree with this policy. A number of people feel lost and dismayed by this policy, and you may see some more posts at BCC about searching for Mormon identity in this new world. I must find a way to survive and even thrive in a Church that I love, even if I cannot agree with everything the Church does. I am not leaving; I am trying to find my way. I’m hoping that by writing about this, I can set the stage for navigating it all a little more clearly. Thanks for your understanding.Tax day is here once more, and tens of millions of Americans will rush to file their income taxes by this year’s deadline of April 18 (rather than April 15 for a variety of reasons). Although most of us probably identify the federal income tax with the revenue that ultimately fills the goverment’s coffers and allows it to spend our hard-earned cash, it actually makes up less than half of all revenue. What makes up the rest, and how those figures have changed in recent decades, is actually quite surprising. The official statistics show that in the 1940s and 1950s, corporations picked up a major share of supporting the federal government. Today, it is taxes on workers that increasingly fund the military, entitlement programs, health care and other spending. So as you prepare your taxes – at the same time that Congress and the Trump administration are gearing up to reform the tax code – here’s a brief primer on how what you put on line 63 of your 1040 becomes a part of U.S. government revenue. The income tax: Steady as she goes Since World War II the federal government’s revenue has come from four main sources. The first place is individual income taxes. The U.S. has continuously had a personal income tax since 1913, when the 16th Amendment was ratified by two-thirds of the states. Prior to that, an individual income tax was deemed unconstitutional and most government revenue came from customs duties. The income tax takes not only a portion of wages but also money earned from interest, dividends, capital gains and other sources. In 1945, the personal income tax provided a bit over 40 percent of all federal government revenue. In 2015, the latest available figures, personal income taxes provided 47 percent of revenue. This is a relatively small rise compared to the dramatic changes in the other three categories. The wealthiest Americans pay most of this tax, with individuals with adjusted incomes of US$250,000 or more (2.7 percent of filers in 2014) covering 51.6 percent of the tab. Those with incomes of less than $50,000 (62.3 percent of filers) paid 5.7 percent of federal income taxes that year. Companies bearing less of the burden The second category is corporate income taxes, which may be changed drastically in coming months if some Republicans have their way. These taxes take a portion of businesses’ profits. Many corporate leaders complain bitterly about the taxes they pay, pointing to the fact that the statutory rate is the third-highest in the world at 39 percent. Nevertheless, many corporations have become quite skilled at avoiding taxes, meaning the effective rate they actually pay is considerably less, or an average of 19 percent in 2012. As a result, overall businesses’ funding of the federal government has fallen dramatically since 1945. Back then, corporations provided over one-third of all federal revenue. In 2015, the figure was a bit over 10 percent, a three-fold reduction. I’ll leave it to the reader to determine what to make of this fact as Congress considers lowering how much companies are taxed in coming years. Taxing workers The third category is social insurance taxes. These are the taxes that pay for Social Security and Medicare. They are what some people see listed on paystubs as FICA, which stands for Federal Insurance Contributions Act taxes. They are also called payroll taxes because they affect only people who are working, or on payrolls. In addition, since the Social Security tax affects only the first $127,200 in income, middle- and lower-income Americans pay a larger share of this. So even among people who earn so little income that they owe no federal income taxes, most still had to pay payroll taxes, as well as other levies. In fact, the vast majority of American families pay more in FICA than in federal income taxes. For example, the 17 million families in the fifth quintile of incomes are estimated to pay a total of $80 billion in payroll taxes in the current fiscal year but only $21 billion in federal income taxes. In 1945, the government got less than 10 percent of its revenue from these sources. The amount and the underlying tax rates have risen dramatically over time. Today one-third of the U.S. government’s revenue comes from FICA, a four-fold growth. During the Great Recession, social insurance taxes reached a peak of 42 percent of all federal revenues. In general, these taxes are earmarked to pay for the entitlements. And part of the growth has happened because of the addition of Medicare in the mid-1960s. Another reason is that people in the U.S. are living longer today than in the 1940s. This means the social security system has to support retirees for longer periods of time. Sinking excise taxes Finally, we come to excise and other taxes. Excise revenues are money from taxing things like gasoline, alcohol, tobacco and telephone calls. Other taxes are revenue from sources like customs duties and inheritance taxes. In the mid-1940s the government got about 16 percent of all revenue from this last group. Since then the figure has fallen and is now below 10 percent. Total revenue from this last category has increased steadily over time. Its share, however, has fallen primarily because income from the other sources has grown much faster. Why this matters Understanding these changes in the source of government revenue is important. And it’s quite surprising since most people focus their ire on the burden of income taxes each year. Meanwhile Social Security and Medicare taxes are buried in paycheck stubs and rarely talked about. This leads many people to overlook these stealth deductions to their pay. Taxes discourage an activity by either raising the cost of doing it or lowering the rewards. Over time, the U.S. government’s tax policy has been shifting the burden of who pays to run the country from corporations to workers. This benefits businesses and people who own shares in companies since they receive a larger share of profits. However, this discourages working. The rising importance of payroll taxes reduces the incentive for people to work more hours since the rewards are less. And it even causes many people to retire early. This shift is troubling, and contrasts with a common refrain from Washington that hard work matters. To quote President Barack Obama’s introduction to his 2013 budget: “America was built on the idea that anyone who is willing to work hard and play by the rules can make it if they try – no matter where they started out.” It is a shame that this rhetoric does not match the federal government actions over time. Instead, the steady shift toward payroll taxes means politicians are increasingly penalizing the very foundation on which the U.S. was built.poster="http://v.politico.com/images/1155968404/201701/2847/1155968404_5294966197001_5294934786001-vs.jpg?pubId=1155968404" true Trump signs executive actions to advance Keystone, Dakota Access pipelines Keystone XL has been at the center of one of the largest opposition campaigns in the history of the environmental movement. President Donald Trump signed executive actions on Tuesday to advance the Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines, reversing decisions made by the Obama administration and setting off a clash with Democrats and environmental activists who vehemently oppose the projects. Trump said that approving the cross-border oil line would be “subject to a renegotiation of terms by us,” comments that suggest that he plans to revive his campaign-trail bid to claim “a piece of the profits” from the pipeline for U.S. taxpayers — a legally and politically risky proposal. Story Continued Below Keystone XL, which was rejected by former President Barack Obama in 2015, has been at the center of one of the largest opposition campaigns in the history of the environmental movement, with activists conducting a years-long effort to kill the project. During the presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly promised to approve Keystone XL, which would carry Canadian oil sands crude from Alberta to Texas, and he said he wants the U.S. government to get 25 percent of the pipeline's profits. Another of the executive actions signed on Tuesday was aimed at identifying high priority infrastructure projects and speeding the required environmental reviews that Trump blamed for slowing construction of important infrastructure projects. "The regulatory process in this country has become a tangled up mess. And very unfair to people," Trump told reporters gathered in the Oval Office. "We intend to fix our country, our bridges, our roadways. We can't be in an environmental process for 15 years if a bridge is going to be falling down or if a highway is crumbling. So we're expediting environmental reviews and approvals," he added. And he said the materials used to build the pipelines in the U.S. should come from American companies — a move that would put "a lot of steelworkers" back to work, although the memo says only that the Commerce Secretary should submit a plan within 180 days use U.S. steel "the maxmum extent possible and to the extent permitted by law." "We will build our own pipeline, we will build our own pipes. That's what it has to do with. Like we used to, in the old days," he said. Building the Keystone XL pipeline would also be a boon for Trump's friend and early energy adviser Harold Hamm, the founder and CEO of Continental Resources, the oil company that is the biggest oil producer in North Dakota's Bakken field. The pipeline would help transport oil from those wells, which have relied in the past on trains to get the crude to customers. "My goodness, that's a pipeline that is certainly needed. It brings the best, highest quality crude oil from the Bakken to the population centers," Hamm told an industry event in December. TransCanada said the day after Trump’s election that it “remains fully committed to building Keystone XL” but has publicly offered no details since about when it would re-apply for the border-crossing permit that the new president invited on Tuesday. Keystone has come up during meetings between Trump aides and officials of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government, a source told POLITICO. Trump's memo invites TransCanada to "promptly" resubmit its Keystone XL application and it directs the State Department to make a decision on the project within 60 days. It was not immediately clear if Trump was altering the 2004 George W. Bush administration order that requires a broad inter-agency review of cross-border pipeline projects led by the State Department, but simplifying that process move that would make it easier to approve Keystone. While Trump has long been expected to take steps to approve Keystone, two people familiar with the issue said Trump administration officials have had little communication with the State Department in the runup to the executive actions. One of those people said State did not sign off on the executive actions. Building Keystone XL faces a number of obstacles. The pipeline is still awaiting approval from Nebraska state regulators for its proposed route, and many landowners in the state are opposed to the project. “There’s so many other things that come along with Keystone XL that Trump is going to have to deal with: that it’s foreign oil, that they’re using foreign steel and they’re using eminent domain to take land away from people who voted for him,” said Nebraska-based anti-Keystone activist Jane Kleeb. “I think Trump is not prepared for the amount of protests from Nebraska Republicans that are coming his way.” The planned 1,100-mile Dakota Access pipeline, which would run from North Dakota to Illinois, has also become a focal point of progressive opposition to fossil fuel projects. Native American tribes joined with activists in protests that have occasionally turned violent and caught national attention over the last few months. The Standing Rock Sioux, which has been at the center of the protests because of the threat the tribe says the pipeline poses to its water supply, said Trump's order violates previous agreements they had struck with the federal government. “President Trump is legally required to honor our treaty rights and provide a fair and reasonable pipeline process,” Dave Archambault II, chairman of the tribe, said in a statement. “Americans know this pipeline was unfairly rerouted towards our nation and without our consent. The existing pipeline route risks infringing on our treaty rights, contaminating our water and the water of 17 million Americans downstream.” Any move to approve the pipelines will face legal challenges from environmental groups, and Democrats and activists immediately bashed Trump over the pending actions. Jamie Henn, co-founder of the environmental group 350.org, promised that greens will fight Trump. "We're going to fight Keystone XL and Dakota Access along the route, but we're also going to jiu jitsu this attack into energy to take on fossil fuel infrastructure all across the country,” he said. “While countries like China and Germany continue to make progress in their transition away from the dirty energy of the past, this action will roll back the progress we have made,” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said in a statement. “Encouraging the production of this oil, which includes Canadian tar sands – one of the dirtiest fuels in the world -- is a huge step backward.” Trump previously owned between between $15,000 and $50,000 of stock in Energy Transfer Partners, the company behind the Dakota Access pipeline. A Trump spokeswoman told reporters last year that he sold his stake in the company. Rick Perry, Trump’s nominee for energy secretary, sat on Energy Transfer Partners’ board, but he resigned earlier this month. Earlier Tuesday at a meeting with auto industry executives, Trump criticized the sometimes lengthy process required to secure environmental permits required to build infrastructure projects. “Our friends that wanna build in the United States, they go many, many years and then they can’t get the environmental permit over something that nobody ever heard of before,” he said. “And it’s absolutely crazy. I am, to a large extent, an environmentalist. I believe in it. But it’s out of control.” Shane Goldmacher, Isaac Arnsdorf, Elana Schor, Eric Wolff and Madeline Conway contributed to this reportLucas, Lauren, Leith, Lindsay and Logan Curtis live, go to school and work together— they’re quintuplets from Michigan who all have jobs at the same McDonald’s. According to Mlive.com, customers usually don’t realize that the non-identical siblings are related. Leith, Logan and Lucas work in the kitchen, Lauren works at the counter and drive-thru and Lindsey works in the lobby. “We call it McCurtis,” the quintuplets’ mom joked of the name of the fast-food joint. The teens seem to like it. “It’s cool that I can rely on my siblings to get our work done and collaborate with them at work,” Lucas said. And there’s another benefit to having five members of the same family work together: They all carpool and take turns paying for gas. [Mlive.com] Write to Tessa Berenson at [email protected] number of attempted attacks on the U.S. power system has risen to between 3,000 and 4,000 per month, according to the former head of the nation's largest electricity operator. PJM Interconnection's former CEO, Terry Boston, discussed the challenges of the electric grid at President Trump's National Infrastructure Advisory Council quarterly meeting Tuesday, led by the Department of Homeland Security. "At PJM, we had 3 to 4,000 attempts per month at our firewalls to get into our system," he said at the meeting. He wants Energy Department personnel with security clearances to be trained to work alongside employees of the electric grid operator to better coordinate with the federal government during a cyberattack. "I would suggest... that we add cross training federal [Department of Energy] contractors on industry control systems to have a stronger response team with appropriate clearance when under attack," Boston said. He said security clearances are denied to private-sector employees most often because the federal government cannot disclose who is attacking. But he told the advisory council that PJM and the utility industry don't need that information to understand the threat and coordinate with the federal government. "Industry needs to know when, how and what to protect under the threat. Not who or why," he said. "Generally, the reason something is classified is because [of] who the threat is from. And we don't need to know that to mitigate the threat on the system." Boston was the CEO of PJM Interconnection until December 2015, where he ushered in a number of key changes to the 13-state market that PJM oversees. He is intimately familiar with the challenges the grid faces from the risk of cyber and physical attacks. A PJM spokeswoman said Boston was not speaking on behalf of the grid operator. She had no comment on his assertions of the number of attempted hacks on the grid operator. Boston now is director of the Chicago-based Gridliance, which describes itself as the nation's first independent transmission-only company that is focused on working with publicly owned utilities and rural cooperatives to solve transmission challenges and cost issues. In 2014, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering for his work on electric grid management and planning. The president's advisory group held Tuesday's meeting to discuss draft recommendations to better coordinate with the private sector to respond to attacks. It recommends bringing the electricity sector together with Wall Street and the financial and telecommunications sectors to better coordinate their preparations for an attack. Administration officials at the meeting said Trump supports the idea and is endorsing the involvement of Wall Street and the telecom sector in an electric grid attack exercise slated for November called Grid-X. Industry officials at the meeting expressed concern that without a coordinated and proactive government response to the threat of a cyberattack on the energy grid and other sectors, the nation is at risk of an attack akin to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.Even as the NFL turns a blind eye to the lengthening list of players protesting America by refusing to stand for the national anthem, the league has decided to crack down on a player who announced his intention to wear cleats to memorialize the vicious terror attacks on September 11, 2001. Now a police union is vowing to pay the player’s NFL fine if he’ll wear them despite the league’s punishment. The NFL has officially banned Tennessee Titans linebacker Avery Williamson from wearing cleats custom made as a memorial to the victims and first responders who fell in the line of duty during that terrible day on 9/11. In response the disappointed Williamson announced that instead of wearing them during Sunday’s game with the Minnesota Vikings he would auction them off with the proceeds going to benefit Operation Warrior Wishes. But after hearing of the NFL’s denial of Williamson’s request to honor the fallen, two police unions stepped forward pledging to pay what would be a $6,000 NFL fine if the player ignored the league’s demands and wore them anyway. “We read, with understandable interest, [the Tennessean newspaper article] on Avery Williamson and the NFL’s stance on Avery honoring the September 11th victims,” Bobby Egbert, the public information officer for the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association, wrote to the newspaper. “We, along with the New Jersey State Police Benevolent Association, are offering to pay any reasonable fine levied by the NFL if Avery chooses to wear his 9/11 cleats.” Egbert added, “The PAPD is the police department that has always patrolled the World Trade Center complex. On September 11, 2001, the PAPD lost 37 police officers at the World Trade Center, the largest, single loss ever suffered by a police department in the history of American law enforcement.” For his part, the player said he doesn’t want to cause anyone any trouble and just wanted to do a nice thing for the country. “I don’t want to draw negative attention, so I’m just going to focus on playing the game,” Williamson said of the ban on the cleats. “Once I heard from them, I didn’t even try to argue anything. I just left it alone. I didn’t want to press the issue.” The shoes Williamson calls his “patriot cleats” are blue with red- and white-striped Nike swooshes featuring the words “Never Forget” and “9/11” on the back. Also a number “11” representing the Twin Towers appear. The shoes were airbrushed by True Blue Customs in Lexington, Kentucky. In its denial the NFL reminded Williamson that all teams must be uniform on the field and no single player may wear unauthorized gear or sport special decorations upon that gear. The ban is usually aimed at keeping unauthorized financial sponsorships from appearing on field. This isn’t the first time the NFL has denied a player’s request to honor police or first responders, even as other players are permitted to indulge protests against the U.S.A. and support for Black Lives Matter. Only last month the NFL refused to allow the Dallas Cowboys to wear decals on their helmets showing support for the Dallas Police Department, which lost five officers in one terrible attack in July. The “Arm In Arm” decal was to have been worn when the team opened its preseason schedule during a game with the Los Angeles Rams. At the time a representative of the Dallas Fallen Officer Foundation slammed the NFL for its decision. “The NFL is in a very influential position and has the ability to evoke change, raise awareness and show its support for law enforcement by making the decals available to all NFL teams,” Dallas Fallen Officer Foundation President and Dallas PD Sergeant Demetrick Pennie told Breitbart Texas. The officer added that the professional football league missed an opportunity to facilitate positive change as well. Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at [email protected] Donald Trump’s order to ban immigrants from seven Muslim-majority nations, the White House on Sunday said the US President was only delivering what he promised during his campaign, even as the decision invited backlash from some of his own Republican party members. “This is nothing new. President Trump talked about this throughout the campaign and throughout the transition,” White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told ABC News. WATCH WHAT ELSE IS IN THE NEWS Advertising “Protecting this nation and our people is the number one priority of this president and our government,” Spicer said in a defence of the executive orders signed by Trump earlier this week which calls for temporary ban on nationals from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the US. The order immediately suspends entry of Syrian refugees into the US and bans nationals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Yemen, Syria and Somalia for at least 90 days. Spicer said the countries were first flagged as “countries of particular concern” by the previous administration of Barack Obama. “They should be asked certain questions. They should go through certain vetting,” Spicer said. The White House also pushed back on the argument that the executive orders literally means a ban on Muslims. Advertising “These seven countries, what about the 46 majority Muslim countries that are not included. Right there, it totally undercuts this nonsense that this is a Muslim ban,” White House counselor Kellyanne Conway told Fox News separately. “This is a ban on prospective travel from countries, trying to prevent terrorists in this country, from countries that have a recent history of training and exporting and harboring terrorists,” she said. However, three Republican Senators – Ben Sasse, Susan Collins and Jeff Flake – joined the anti-Executive Order protest. “The president is right to focus attention on the obvious fact that borders matter. At the same time, while not technically a Muslim ban, this order is too broad,” said Sasse. In a statement, Flake called the order unacceptable. “President Trump and his administration are right to be concerned about national security, but it’s unacceptable when even legal permanent residents are being detained or turned away at airports and ports of entry,” he said. “Enhancing long term national security requires that we have a clear-eyed view of radical Islamic terrorism without ascribing radical Islamic terrorist views to all Muslims,” Flake said. Lawyers have begun to throng American airports, offering legal assistance to people who were detained at the airports. Volunteer lawyers, sitting on the floor at airport terminals, worked pro-bono on a preparing habeas corpus petitions for detainees at the JFK. American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) National said on Twitter “If you know someone entering country, tell them not to sign anything before talking to lawyer.” Appearing on CNN, Senator Rob Portman said the travel ban imposed on people from seven countries were identified by the previous administration. “I think the previous homeland security secretary had named those countries because of a lack of information and the fact that either ISIS or al Qaeda was present in those countries,” he said. “In my view, we ought to all take a deep breath and come up with something that makes sense for our national security and, again, for this notion that America has always been a welcoming home for refugees and immigrants,” he said. Advertising “In fact, we are more welcoming than any country in the world, and we should continue to do so,” Portman said.Verizon is trying to convince the Federal Communications Commission that it won't sue to block net neutrality rules as long as they're issued without reclassifying broadband providers as utilities. Yet, Verizon did sue the FCC the last time it crafted net neutrality rules without relying on its utility regulation powers. In 2010, the FCC issued rules preventing Internet service providers from blocking or discriminating against traffic by relying on Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act, rather than the stronger powers the FCC has under Title II, which covers utilities or "common carriers." Verizon sued and won, with a federal appeals court stating that the FCC could not issue what amounted to common carrier rules without first reclassifying broadband service as a utility, similar to the traditional phone network. That's why the FCC is now considering reclassifying broadband. It wants the next set of net neutrality rules to survive a court challenge. "We are going to be sued," FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said last week. In response to Wheeler's statement, Verizon Executive VP Randal Milch e-mailed Wheeler to say Verizon won't sue if the FCC uses Section 706, even though that's exactly what Verizon did last time. Section 706 requires the FCC to encourage the deployment of advanced telecommunications capability to all Americans, and it can be used to govern broadband providers' treatment of Internet traffic. Milch's e-mail was made public in an ex parte letter filed with the commission yesterday. Milch wrote that rules based on Section 706 "will not be the object of a successful court challenge—by Verizon or anyone else." In the blog post Milch's e-mail referred to, Verizon said that Title II regulation "fairly guarantees litigation." Given that Verizon now wants net neutrality rules based on Section 706, if only to avoid stricter utility regulations, the company probably wishes it hadn't sued to block the FCC's first attempt at net neutrality rules based on Section 706. Verizon's fellow ISPs wish the same. AT&T and Comcast reportedly tried to convince Verizon not to sue over the 2010 rules. ISPs are reportedly furious with Verizon now that it's "victory" in court could backfire in a spectacular way for all broadband providers.Projections of future distribution and density of parasites and vectors are highly dependent on the accuracy of climate models. Over the last year, and particularly in recent months, it has been debated whether the projected future changes in climate might be wrong; -not wrong in the sense there will be
parks are also located on this side of the city: Jackson Park, bordering the waterfront, hosted the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893, and is the site of the aforementioned museum; and slightly west sits Washington Park. The two parks themselves are connected by a wide strip of parkland called the Midway Plaisance, running adjacent to the University of Chicago. The South Side hosts one of the city's largest parades, the annual African American Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic, which travels through Bronzeville to Washington Park. Ford Motor Company has an automobile assembly plant on the South Side in Hegewisch, and most of the facilities of the Port of Chicago are also on the South Side. The West Side holds the Garfield Park Conservatory, one of the largest collections of tropical plants in any U.S. city. Prominent Latino cultural attractions found here include Humboldt Park's Institute of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture and the annual Puerto Rican People's Parade, as well as the National Museum of Mexican Art and St. Adalbert's Church in Pilsen. The Near West Side holds the University of Illinois at Chicago and was once home to Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Studios, the site of which has been rebuilt as the global headquarters of McDonald's. The city's distinctive accent, made famous by its use in classic films like The Blues Brothers and television programs like the Saturday Night Live skit "Bill Swerski's Superfans", is an advanced form of Inland Northern American English. This dialect can also be found in other cities bordering the Great Lakes such as Cleveland, Milwaukee, Detroit, and Rochester, New York, and most prominently features a rearrangement of certain vowel sounds, such as the short 'a' sound as in "cat", which can sound more like "kyet" to outsiders. The accent remains well associated with the city.[198] Entertainment and the arts [ edit ] Renowned Chicago theater companies include the Goodman Theatre in the Loop; the Steppenwolf Theatre Company and Victory Gardens Theater in Lincoln Park; and the Chicago Shakespeare Theater at Navy Pier. Broadway In Chicago offers Broadway-style entertainment at five theaters: the Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre, Bank of America Theatre, Cadillac Palace Theatre, Auditorium Building of Roosevelt University, and Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place. Polish language productions for Chicago's large Polish speaking population can be seen at the historic Gateway Theatre in Jefferson Park. Since 1968, the Joseph Jefferson Awards are given annually to acknowledge excellence in theater in the Chicago area. Chicago's theater community spawned modern improvisational theater, and includes the prominent groups The Second City and I.O. (formerly ImprovOlympic). The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) performs at Symphony Center, and is recognized as one of the best orchestras in the world.[199] Also performing regularly at Symphony Center is the Chicago Sinfonietta, a more diverse and multicultural counterpart to the CSO. In the summer, many outdoor concerts are given in Grant Park and Millennium Park. Ravinia Festival, located 25 miles (40 km) north of Chicago, is the summer home of the CSO, and is a favorite destination for many Chicagoans. The Civic Opera House is home to the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The Lithuanian Opera Company of Chicago was founded by Lithuanian Chicagoans in 1956,[200] and presents operas in Lithuanian. The Joffrey Ballet and Chicago Festival Ballet perform in various venues, including the Harris Theater in Millennium Park. Chicago has several other contemporary and jazz dance troupes, such as the Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and Chicago Dance Crash. Other live-music genre which are part of the city's cultural heritage include Chicago blues, Chicago soul, jazz, and gospel. The city is the birthplace of house music (a popular form of electronic dance music) and industrial music, and is the site of an influential hip hop scene. In the 1980s and 90s, the city was the global center for house and industrial music, two forms of music created in Chicago, as well as being popular for alternative rock, punk, and new wave. The city has been an epicenter for rave culture, since the 1980s. A flourishing independent rock music culture brought forth Chicago indie. Annual festivals feature various acts, such as Lollapalooza and the Pitchfork Music Festival. A 2007 report on the Chicago music industry by the University of Chicago Cultural Policy Center ranked Chicago third among metropolitan U.S. areas in "size of music industry" and fourth among all U.S. cities in "number of concerts and performances".[201] Chicago has a distinctive fine art tradition. For much of the twentieth century, it nurtured a strong style of figurative surrealism, as in the works of Ivan Albright and Ed Paschke. In 1968 and 1969, members of the Chicago Imagists, such as Roger Brown, Leon Golub, Robert Lostutter, Jim Nutt, and Barbara Rossi produced bizarre representational paintings. Henry Darger is one of the most celebrated figures of outsider art. Chicago contains a number of large, outdoor works by well-known artists. These include the Chicago Picasso, Miró's Chicago, Flamingo and Flying Dragon by Alexander Calder, Agora by Magdalena Abakanowicz, Monument with Standing Beast by Jean Dubuffet, Batcolumn by Claes Oldenburg, Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor, Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa, and the Four Seasons mosaic by Marc Chagall. Chicago also has a nationally televised Thanksgiving parade that occurs annually. The McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade is seen across the nation on WGN-TV and WGN America, featuring a variety of diverse acts from the community, marching bands from across the country, and is the only parade in the city to feature inflatable balloons every year.[202] Festivals [ edit ] Television personality Wendy Williams previews the Chicago Food Truck Festival on Fox News in Chicago More than 400 neighborhood festivals are celebrated annually in Chicago, most during the warm summer months. As many as 300,000 people enjoy the traditions, entertainment, and cuisines of the respected neighborhoods.[203] Larger, city-sponsored festivals celebrating music or food are held in Grant or Millennium Parks and feature world-class artists. Some of the more famous festivals include: Chicago Blues Festival Chicago Food Truck Festival – gathers gourmet food trucks in the south loop [204] of Chicago during the summer. of Chicago during the summer. Chicago Gospel Music Festival Taste of Chicago Chicago Jazz Festival Chicago Country Music Festival Chicago Summerdance World Music Festival Chicago[205] All City-funded festivals are free to attend. Tourism [ edit ] Ferries offer sightseeing tours and water-taxi transportation along the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. Aerial View of Navy Pier at Night In 2014, Chicago attracted 50.17 million domestic leisure travelers, 11.09 million domestic business travelers and 1.308 million overseas visitors.[206] These visitors contributed more than US$13.7 billion to Chicago's economy.[206] Upscale shopping along the Magnificent Mile and State Street, thousands of restaurants, as well as Chicago's eminent architecture, continue to draw tourists. The city is the United States' third-largest convention destination. A 2011 study by Walk Score ranked Chicago the fourth-most walkable of fifty largest cities in the United States.[207] Most conventions are held at McCormick Place, just south of Soldier Field. The historic Chicago Cultural Center (1897), originally serving as the Chicago Public Library, now houses the city's Visitor Information Center, galleries and exhibit halls. The ceiling of its Preston Bradley Hall includes a 38-foot (12 m) Tiffany glass dome. Grant Park holds Millennium Park, Buckingham Fountain (1927), and the Art Institute of Chicago. The park also hosts the annual Taste of Chicago festival. In Millennium Park, the reflective Cloud Gate public sculpture by artist Anish Kapoor is the centerpiece of the AT&T Plaza in Millennium Park. Also, an outdoor restaurant transforms into an ice rink in the winter season. Two tall glass sculptures make up the Crown Fountain. The fountain's two towers display visual effects from LED images of Chicagoans' faces, along with water spouting from their lips. Frank Gehry's detailed, stainless steel band shell, the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, hosts the classical Grant Park Music Festival concert series. Behind the pavilion's stage is the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, an indoor venue for mid-sized performing arts companies, including the Chicago Opera Theater and Music of the Baroque. Navy Pier, located just east of Streeterville, is 3,000 ft (910 m) long and houses retail stores, restaurants, museums, exhibition halls and auditoriums. In the summer of 2016, Navy Pier constructed a DW60 Ferris wheel. Dutch Wheels, a world renowned company that manufactures ferris wheels, was selected to design the new wheel.[208] It features 42 navy blue gondolas that can hold up to eight adults and two kids. It also has entertainment systems inside the gondolas as well as a climate controlled environment. The DW60 stands at approximately 196 ft (60 m), which is 46 ft taller than the previous wheel. The new DW60 is the first in the United States and is the sixth tallest in the U.S.[209] Chicago was the first city in the world to ever erect a ferris wheel. On June 4, 1998, the city officially opened the Museum Campus, a 10-acre (4.0 ha) lakefront park, surrounding three of the city's main museums, each of which is of national importance: the Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum, the Field Museum of Natural History, and the Shedd Aquarium. The Museum Campus joins the southern section of Grant Park, which includes the renowned Art Institute of Chicago. Buckingham Fountain anchors the downtown park along the lakefront. The University of Chicago Oriental Institute has an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern archaeological artifacts. Other museums and galleries in Chicago include the Chicago History Museum, the Driehaus Museum, the DuSable Museum of African American History, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, the Polish Museum of America, the Museum of Broadcast Communications, the Pritzker Military Library, the Chicago Architecture Foundation, and the Museum of Science and Industry. With an estimated completion date of 2020, the Barack Obama Presidential Center will be housed at the University of Chicago in Hyde Park and include both the Obama presidential library and offices of the Obama Foundation.[210] The Willis Tower (formerly named Sears Tower) is a popular destination for tourists. The Willis Tower has an observation deck open to tourists year round with high up views overlooking Chicago and Lake Michigan. The observation deck includes an enclosed glass balcony that extends 10 feet out on the side of the building. Tourists are able to look straight down. In 2013, Chicago was chosen as one of the "Top Ten Cities in the United States" to visit for its restaurants, skyscrapers, museums, and waterfront, by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler.[211][212] Cuisine [ edit ] Chicago lays claim to a large number of regional specialties that reflect the city's ethnic and working-class roots. Included among these are its nationally renowned deep-dish pizza; this style is said to have originated at Pizzeria Uno.[213] The Chicago-style thin crust is also popular in the city.[214] Most famous for its pizza in Chicago include favorites, such as Lou Malnati's and Giordano's. The Chicago-style hot dog, typically an all-beef hot dog, is loaded with an array of toppings that often includes pickle relish, yellow mustard, pickled sport peppers, tomato wedges, dill pickle spear and topped off with celery salt on a poppy seed bun.[215] Enthusiasts of the Chicago-style hot dog frown upon the use of ketchup as a garnish, but may prefer to add giardiniera.[216][217][218] A distinctly Chicago sandwich, the Italian beef sandwich is thinly sliced beef simmered in au jus and served on an Italian roll with sweet peppers or spicy giardiniera. A popular modification is the Combo—an Italian beef sandwich with the addition of an Italian sausage. The Maxwell Street Polish is a grilled or deep-fried kielbasa—on a hot dog roll, topped with grilled onions, yellow mustard, and hot sport peppers.[219] Chicken Vesuvio is roasted bone-in chicken cooked in oil and garlic next to garlicky oven-roasted potato wedges and a sprinkling of green peas. The Puerto Rican-influenced jibarito is a sandwich made with flattened, fried green plantains instead of bread. The mother-in-law is a tamale topped with chili and served on a hot dog bun.[220] The tradition of serving the Greek dish saganaki while aflame has its origins in Chicago's Greek community.[221] The appetizer, which consists of a square of fried cheese, is doused with Metaxa and flambéed table-side.[222] One the world's most decorated restaurants and a recipient of three Michelin stars, Alinea is located in Chicago. Well-known chefs who have had restaurants in Chicago include: Charlie Trotter, Rick Tramonto, Grant Achatz, and Rick Bayless. In 2003, Robb Report named Chicago the country's "most exceptional dining destination".[223] Literature [ edit ] "Hog Butcher for the World/Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat/ Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler,/ Stormy, Husky, Brawling, City of the Big Shoulders." Carl Sandburg's most famous description of the city is as Chicago literature finds its roots in the city's tradition of lucid, direct journalism, lending to a strong tradition of social realism. In the Encyclopedia of Chicago, Northwestern University Professor Bill Savage describes Chicago fiction as prose which tries to "capture the essence of the city, its spaces and its people". The challenge for early writers was that Chicago was a frontier outpost that transformed into a global metropolis in the span of two generations. Narrative fiction of that time, much of it in the style of "high-flown romance" and "genteel realism", needed a new approach to describe the urban social, political, and economic conditions of Chicago.[224] Nonetheless, Chicagoans worked hard to create a literary tradition that would stand the test of time,[225] and create a "city of feeling" out of concrete, steel, vast lake, and open prairie.[226] Much notable Chicago fiction focuses on the city itself, with social criticism keeping exultation in check. At least, three short periods in the history of Chicago have had a lasting influence on American Literature.[227] These include from the time of the Great Chicago Fire to about 1900, what became known as the Chicago Literary Renaissance in the 1910s and early 1920s, and the period of the Great Depression through the 1940s. What would become the influential Poetry magazine was founded in 1912 by Harriet Monroe, who was working as an art critic for the Chicago Tribune. The magazine discovered such poets as Gwendolyn Brooks, James Merrill, and John Ashbery.[228] T. S. Eliot's first professionally published poem, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock", was first published by Poetry. Contributors have included Ezra Pound, William Butler Yeats, William Carlos Williams, Langston Hughes, and Carl Sandburg, among others. The magazine was instrumental in launching the Imagist and Objectivist poetic movements. From the 1950s through 1970s, American poetry continued to evolve in Chicago.[229] In the 1980s, a modern form of poetry performance began in Chicago, the Poetry Slam.[230] Sports [ edit ] Sporting News named Chicago the "Best Sports City" in the United States in 1993, 2006, and 2010.[231] Along with Boston, Chicago is the only city to continuously host major professional sports since 1871, having only taken 1872 and 1873 off due to the Great Chicago Fire. Additionally, Chicago is one of the six cities in the United States to have won championships in the four major professional leagues and, along with New York and Los Angeles, is one of three cities to have won soccer championships as well. Several major franchises have won championships within recent years – the Bears (1985), the Bulls (91, '92, '93, '96, '97, and '98), the White Sox (2005), the Cubs (2016), the Blackhawks (2010, 2013, 2015), and the Fire (1998). The city has two Major League Baseball (MLB) teams: the Chicago Cubs of the National League play in Wrigley Field on the North Side; and the Chicago White Sox of the American League play in Guaranteed Rate Field on the South Side. Chicago is the only city that has had more than one MLB franchise every year since the AL began in 1901 (New York hosted only one between 1958 and early 1962). The two teams have faced each other in a World Series only once: in 1906, when the White Sox, known as the "Hitless Wonders," defeated the Cubs, 4-2. The Cubs are the oldest Major League Baseball team to have never changed their city;[232] they have played in Chicago since 1871, and continuously so since 1874 due to the Great Chicago Fire. They have played more games and have more wins than any other team in Major League baseball since 1876.[233] They have won three World Series titles, including the 2016 World Series, but had the dubious honor of having the two longest droughts in American professional sports: They had not won their sport's title since 1908, and had not participated in a World Series since 1945, both records, until they beat the Cleveland Indians in the 2016 World Series. The White Sox have played on the South Side continuously since 1901, with all three of their home fields throughout the years being within blocks of one another. They have won three World Series titles (1906, 1917, 2005) and six American League pennants, including the first in 1901. The Sox are fifth in the American League in all-time wins, and sixth in pennants. The Chicago Bears, one of the last two remaining charter members of the National Football League (NFL), have won nine NFL Championships, including the 1985 Super Bowl XX. The other remaining charter franchise, the Chicago Cardinals, also started out in the city, but is now known as the Arizona Cardinals. The Bears have won more games in the history of the NFL than any other team,[234] and only the Green Bay Packers, their longtime rivals, have won more championships. The Bears play their home games at Soldier Field. Soldier Field re-opened in 2003 after an extensive renovation. The Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) is one of the most recognized basketball teams in the world.[235] During the 1990s, with Michael Jordan leading them, the Bulls won six NBA championships in eight seasons.[236][237] They also boast the youngest player to win the NBA Most Valuable Player Award, Derrick Rose, who won it for the 2010–11 season.[238] The Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL) began play in 1926, and are one of the "Original Six" teams of the NHL. The Blackhawks have won six Stanley Cups, including in 2010, 2013, and 2015. Both the Bulls and the Blackhawks play at the United Center. The Chicago Fire Soccer Club is a member of Major League Soccer (MLS) and plays at Toyota Park in suburban Bridgeview, after playing its first eight seasons at Soldier Field. The Fire have won one league title and four U.S. Open Cups, since their founding in 1997. In 1994, the United States hosted a successful FIFA World Cup with games played at Soldier Field. Chicago will be home to a new USL team starting in 2020. They plan to play in a 20,000 seat stadium located in Lincoln Park.[239] The Chicago Sky is a professional basketball team based in Rosemont, Illinois, playing in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). They play home games at the Allstate Arena. The team was founded before the 2006 WNBA season began. The Chicago Marathon has been held each year since 1977 except for 1987, when a half marathon was run in its place. The Chicago Marathon is one of six World Marathon Majors.[240] Five area colleges play in Division I conferences: two from major conferences—the DePaul Blue Demons (Big East Conference) and the Northwestern Wildcats (Big Ten Conference)—and three from other D1 conferences—the Chicago State Cougars (Western Athletic Conference); the Loyola Ramblers (Missouri Valley Conference); and the UIC Flames (Horizon League).[241] Parks and greenspace [ edit ] When Chicago was incorporated in 1837, it chose the motto Urbs in Horto, a Latin phrase which means "City in a Garden". Today, the Chicago Park District consists of more than 570 parks with over 8,000 acres (3,200 ha) of municipal parkland. There are 31 sand beaches, a plethora of museums, two world-class conservatories, and 50 nature areas.[242] Lincoln Park, the largest of the city's parks, covers 1,200 acres (490 ha) and has over 20 million visitors each year, making it third in the number of visitors after Central Park in New York City, and the National Mall and Memorial Parks in Washington, D.C.[243] There is a historic boulevard system,[244] a network of wide, tree-lined boulevards which connect a number of Chicago parks.[245] The boulevards and the parks were authorized by the Illinois legislature in 1869.[246] A number of Chicago neighborhoods emerged along these roadways in the 19th century.[245] The building of the boulevard system continued intermittently until 1942. It includes nineteen boulevards, eight parks, and six squares, along twenty-six miles of interconnected streets.[247] Part of the system in the Logan Square Boulevards Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.[248] With berths for more than 6,000 boats, the Chicago Park District operates the nation's largest municipal harbor system.[249] In addition to ongoing beautification and renewal projects for the existing parks, a number of new parks have been added in recent years, such as the Ping Tom Memorial Park in Chinatown, DuSable Park on the Near North Side, and most notably, Millennium Park, which is in the northwestern corner of one of Chicago's oldest parks, Grant Park in the Chicago Loop. The wealth of greenspace afforded by Chicago's parks is further augmented by the Cook County Forest Preserves, a network of open spaces containing forest, prairie, wetland, streams, and lakes that are set aside as natural areas which lie along the city's outskirts,[250] including both the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe and the Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield.[251] Washington Park is also one of the city's biggest parks; covering nearly 400 acres (160 ha). The park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in South Side Chicago. Law and government [ edit ] Government [ edit ] The government of the City of Chicago is divided into executive and legislative branches. The Mayor of Chicago is the chief executive, elected by general election for a term of four years, with no term limits. The current mayor is Rahm Emanuel. The mayor appoints commissioners and other officials who oversee the various departments. As well as the mayor, Chicago's clerk and treasurer are also elected citywide. The City Council is the legislative branch and is made up of 50 aldermen, one elected from each ward in the city.[252] The council takes official action through the passage of ordinances and resolutions and approves the city budget.[253] The Chicago Police Department provides law enforcement and the Chicago Fire Department provides fire suppression and emergency medical services for the city and its residents. Civil and criminal law cases are heard in the Cook County Circuit Court of the State of Illinois court system, or in the Northern District of Illinois, in the federal system. In the state court, the public prosecutor is the Illinois State's Attorney; in the Federal court it is the United States Attorney. Politics [ edit ] During much of the last half of the 19th century, Chicago's politics were dominated by a growing Democratic Party organization. During the 1880s and 1890s, Chicago had a powerful radical tradition with large and highly organized socialist, anarchist and labor organizations.[254] For much of the 20th century, Chicago has been among the largest and most reliable Democratic strongholds in the United States; with Chicago's Democratic vote the state of Illinois has been "solid blue" in presidential elections since 1992. Even before then, it was not unheard of for Republican presidential candidates to win handily in downstate Illinois, only to lose statewide due to large Democratic margins in Chicago. The citizens of Chicago have not elected a Republican mayor since 1927, when William Thompson was voted into office. The strength of the party in the city is partly a consequence of Illinois state politics, where the Republicans have come to represent rural and farm concerns while the Democrats support urban issues such as Chicago's public school funding. Chicago contains less than 25% of the state's population, but it is split between eight of Illinois' 19 districts in the United States House of Representatives. All eight of the city's representatives are Democrats; a Republican has only represented a significant portion of the city twice since 1973, for one term each–Robert P. Hanrahan from 1973 to 1975, and Michael Patrick Flanagan from 1995 to 1997. Machine politics persisted in Chicago after the decline of similar machines in other large U.S. cities.[255] During much of that time, the city administration found opposition mainly from a liberal "independent" faction of the Democratic Party. The independents finally gained control of city government in 1983 with the election of Harold Washington (in office 1983–1987). From 1989 until May 16, 2011, Chicago was under the leadership of its longest-serving mayor, Richard M. Daley, the son of Richard J. Daley. On May 16, 2011, Rahm Emanuel was sworn in as the 55th mayor of Chicago. Because of the dominance of the Democratic Party in Chicago, the Democratic primary vote held in the spring is generally more significant than the general elections in November for U.S. House and Illinois State seats. The aldermanic, mayoral, and other city offices are filled through nonpartisan elections with runoffs as needed. Formerly a state legislator representing Chicago and later a US Senator, the city is home of former United States President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. The Obamas' residence is located near the University of Chicago in Kenwood on the city's south side.[256] Crime [ edit ] Chicago had a murder rate of 18.5 per 100,000 residents in 2012, ranking 16th among US cities with 100,000 people or more.[257] This was higher than in New York City and Los Angeles, the two largest cities in the United States, which have lower murder rates and lower total homicides. However, it was less than in many smaller American cities, including New Orleans, Newark, and Detroit, which had 53 murders per 100,000 residents in 2012. The 2015 year-end crime statistics showed there were 468 murders in Chicago in 2015 compared with 416 the year before, a 12.5% increase, as well as 2,900 shootings—13% more than the year prior, and up 29% since 2013. Chicago had more homicides than any other city in 2015 in total but not on per capita basis, according to the Chicago Tribune.[258] In its annual crime statistics for 2016, the Chicago Police Department reported that the city experienced a dramatic rise in gun violence, with 4,331 shooting victims. The department also reported 762 murders in Chicago for the year 2016, a total that marked a 62.79% increase in homicides from 2015.[259] In June 2017, the Chicago Police Department and the Federal ATF announced a new task force, similar to past task forces, to address the flow of illegal guns and repeat offenses with guns.[260] According to reports in 2013, "most of Chicago's violent crime comes from gangs trying to maintain control of drug-selling territories",[261] and is specifically related to the activities of the Sinaloa Cartel, which by 2006 sought to control illicit drug distribution, against local street gangs such as the Vice Lords, Black P. Stones, Black Disciples, among others.[262] Violent crime rates vary significantly by area of the city, with more economically developed areas having low rates, but other sections have much higher rates of crime.[261] In 2013, the violent crime rate was 910 per 100,000 people;[263] the murder rate was 10.4 – while high crime districts saw 38.9, low crime districts saw 2.5 murders per 100,000.[264] The number of murders in Chicago peaked at 970 in 1974, when the city's population was over 3 million people (a murder rate of about 29 per 100,000), and it reached 943 murders in 1992, (a murder rate of 34 per 100,000).[265] However, Chicago, like other major U.S. cities, experienced a significant reduction in violent crime rates through the 1990s, falling to 448 homicides in 2004, its lowest total since 1965 and only 15.65 murders per 100,000. Chicago's homicide tally remained low during 2005 (449), 2006 (452), and 2007 (435) but rose to 510 in 2008, breaking 500 for the first time since 2003.[266][267] In 2009, the murder count fell to 458 (10% down).[268] and in 2010 Chicago's murder rate fell to 435 (16.14 per 100,000), a 5% decrease from 2009 and lowest levels since 1965.[269] In 2011, Chicago's murders fell another 1.2% to 431 (a rate of 15.94 per 100,000).[270] but shot up to 506 in 2012.[272] In 2012, Chicago ranked 21st in the United States in numbers of homicides per person, but in the first half of 2013 there was a significant drop per-person, in all categories of violent crime, including homicide (down 26%).[273] Chicago ended 2013 with 415 murders, the lowest number of murders since 1965, and overall crime rates dropped by 16 percent.[274] (In 1965, there were 397 murders.[275]) In 2013 Chicago was falsely named the "Murder Capitol" even through the murder rate was only slightly higher than the national average. It was also nicknamed Chiraq by Chicago drill rappers.[276] According to police, the nickname was first heard in 2010. At that time, the murder rate was historically low for Chicago.[277] According to FBI St. Louis, New Orleans, Detroit and Baltimore had the highest murder rate.[278] Jens Ludwig, director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab, estimated that shootings cost the city of Chicago $2.5 billion in 2012.[279] Employee pensions [ edit ] In September 2016, an Illinois state appellate court found that cities do not have an obligation under the Illinois Constitution to pay certain benefits if those benefits had included an expiration date under whichever negotiated agreement they were covered. The Illinois Constitution prohibits governments from doing anything that could cause retirement benefits for government workers to be "diminished or impaired." In this particular case, the fact that the workers' agreements had expiration dates let the city of Chicago set an expiration date of 2013 for contribution to health benefits for workers who retired after 1989.[280] Education [ edit ] Guinness World Records as the largest public library building in the world. Since its completion in 1991, the Harold Washington Library has appeared inas the largest public library building in the world. Schools and libraries [ edit ] Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is the governing body of the school district that contains over 600 public elementary and high schools citywide, including several selective-admission magnet schools. There are eleven selective enrollment high schools in the Chicago Public Schools,[281] designed to meet the needs of Chicago's most academically advanced students. These schools offer a rigorous curriculum with mainly honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses.[282] Walter Payton College Prep High School is ranked number one in the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois.[283] Northside College Preparatory High School is ranked second, Jones College Prep is third, and the oldest magnet school in the city, Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, which was opened in 1975, is ranked fourth.[284] The magnet school with the largest enrollment is Lane Technical College Prep High School.[citation needed] Lane is one of the oldest schools in Chicago and in 2012 was designated a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.[285] Chicago high school rankings are determined by the average test scores on state achievement tests.[286] The district, with an enrollment exceeding 400,545 students (2013–2014 20th Day Enrollment), is the third-largest in the U.S.[287] On September 10, 2012, teachers for the Chicago Teachers Union went on strike for the first time since 1987 over pay, resources and other issues.[288] According to data compiled in 2014, Chicago's "choice system", where students who test or apply and may attend one of a number of public high schools (there are about 130), sorts students of different achievement levels into different schools (high performing, middle performing, and low performing schools).[289] Chicago has a network of Lutheran schools,[290] and several private schools are run by other denominations and faiths, such as the Ida Crown Jewish Academy in West Ridge. Several private schools are completely secular, such as the Latin School of Chicago in the Near North Side neighborhood, the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools in Hyde Park, the British School of Chicago and the Francis W. Parker School in Lincoln Park, the Lycée Français de Chicago in Uptown, the Feltre School in River North and the Morgan Park Academy. There are also the private Chicago Academy for the Arts, a high school focused on six different categories of the arts and the public Chicago High School for the Arts, a high school focused on five categories (visual arts, theatre, musical theatre, dance, and music) of the arts.[citation needed][291] The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago operates Catholic schools, that include Jesuit preparatory schools and others including St. Rita of Cascia High School, De La Salle Institute, Josephinum Academy, DePaul College Prep, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, Brother Rice High School, St. Ignatius College Preparatory School, Mount Carmel High School, Queen of Peace High School, Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School, Marist High School, St. Patrick High School and Resurrection High School. The Chicago Public Library system operates 79 public libraries, including the central library, two regional libraries, and numerous branches distributed throughout the city. Colleges and universities [ edit ] Since the 1850s, Chicago has been a world center of higher education and research with several universities. These institutions consistently rank among the top "National Universities" in the United States, as determined by U.S. News & World Report. Top universities in Chicago are: the University of Chicago; Illinois Institute of Technology; Loyola University Chicago; DePaul University; Columbia College Chicago and University of Illinois at Chicago. Other notable schools include: Chicago State University; the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Illinois Institute of Art – Chicago; East–West University; National Louis University; North Park University; Northeastern Illinois University; Robert Morris University Illinois; Roosevelt University; Saint Xavier University; Rush University; and Shimer College.[292] William Rainey Harper, the first president of the University of Chicago, was instrumental in the creation of the junior college concept, establishing nearby Joliet Junior College as the first in the nation in 1901.[293] His legacy continues with the multiple community colleges in the Chicago proper, including the seven City Colleges of Chicago: Richard J. Daley College, Kennedy–King College, Malcolm X College, Olive–Harvey College, Truman College, Harold Washington College and Wilbur Wright College, in addition to the privately held MacCormac College. Chicago also has a high concentration of post-baccalaureate institutions, graduate schools, seminaries, and theological schools, such as the Adler School of Professional Psychology, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, the Erikson Institute, The Institute for Clinical Social Work, the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, the Catholic Theological Union, the Moody Bible Institute, the John Marshall Law School and the University of Chicago Divinity School. Media [ edit ] Television [ edit ] The Chicago metropolitan area is the third-largest media market in North America, after New York City and Los Angeles and a major media hub.[294] Each of the big four U.S. television networks, CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox, directly owns and operates a high-definition television station in Chicago (WBBM 2, WLS 7, WMAQ 5 and WFLD 32, respectively). Former CW affiliate WGN-TV 9, which is owned by the Tribune Media, is carried with some programming differences, as "WGN America" on cable and satellite TV nationwide and in parts of the Caribbean. The former Harpo Studios in West Loop, Chicago was home of The Oprah Winfrey Show from 1986 until 2011 and other Harpo Production operations until 2015. Chicago has also been the home of several prominent talk shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, Steve Harvey Show, The Rosie Show, The Jerry Springer Show, The Phil Donahue Show, The Jenny Jones Show, and more. The city also has two PBS member stations: WTTW 11, producer of shows such as Sneak Previews, The Frugal Gourmet, Lamb Chop's Play-Along and The McLaughlin Group, and WYCC 20. As of 2018, Windy City Live is Chicago's only daytime talk show hosted by Val Warner and Ryan Chiaverini at ABC7 Studios with a live weekday audience. Since 1999, Judge Mathis also films his
says Leshem. Strawberries were especially amenable, although thick-skinned fruits such as oranges were untreatable. It also breathed new life into bags of prepared salads, often the saddest items on supermarket shelves. Nitric oxide could do big things for the food and flower industries. "It is cheap and plentiful, with no identifiable side effects at the very low concentrations we use," Leshem says. However, there is reluctance to using it. Thirty years ago, it was classified as a toxic gas at much higher concentrations. Now we know that plants and animals make their own nitric oxide, attitudes need changing, argues Leshem. Nitric oxide might also be used to fight crop diseases. "We've discovered that plants use nitric oxide much as animals do, to turn on their immune system," says Daniel Klessig at Rutgers University, New Jersey. Klessig found that at the first hint of infection, a plant launches a nitric oxide attack, telling the cells at the infection site to commit suicide and kill off the invader, then warn the entire plant to defend itself. The gas also comes to the rescue of plants wilting in drought. Steven Neill, at the University of West England in Bristol, gave plants a whiff of nitric oxide and found they squeezed shut their tiny leaf pores, stopping their water supplies from evaporating. He's now trying out Viagra and expects to boost the nitric oxide effect. "I don't think Viagra will be a panacea for drought plants," he says, "but spraying crops with products that can make nitric oxide might be sensible." Saving a plant from the droop may not be as sexy as rescuing an erection, but its repercussions could be far more awesome. It has been estimated that 65% of the Earth's water supplies pass through plant stomata at some time. "Global water shortage is going to be a big environmental problem this century, so anything that improves water efficiency in plants is attractive," says Neill. Which just goes to show how Viagra and its nitric oxide buddy give plants a huge lift.An almost completely unknown group with strong ties to the Koch brothers has identified itself as the secret source of almost a quarter of a billion dollars received by conservative political groups in 2012.The group, Freedom Partners, raised $256 million in the year following its creation in November 2011, and made grants totaling $236 million to conservative groups, according to Politico, which was shown a draft of an IRS document the group plans to file shortly. As Politico put it, the upshot of Freedom Partners’ revelation is that “a totally unknown group was the largest sugar daddy for conservative groups in the last election, second in total spending only to Karl Rove’s American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS.” The list of groups that benefited from Freedom Partners’ funding is a roster of conservative organizations large and small: $115 to the Center to Protect Patient Rights, $32.3 million to Americans for Prosperity, $15.7 million to the 60 Plus Association, $13.6 million to the American Future Fund, $8.2 million to the Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee, $3.5 million to the National Rifle Association, $3.1 million to the LIBRE Initiative, $2 million to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. And that’s just the start. Originally named the Association for American Innovation, Freedom Partners is organized as a 501(c)6 tax-exempt chamber of commerce. The designation allow it to keep its donors secret (but is different from the 501(c)4 “social welfare” group status that became popular after the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision.) On its website, which was registered in early September, Freedom Partners claims to have over 200 members. And according to Politico, those members are drawn from the semiannual conferences hosted by Charles and David Koch, the billionaire businessmen and conservative donors. Each member of Freedom Partners pays at least $100,000 in annual dues. “Other than payment of dues, the only requirement for membership is sharing our mission,” Freedom Partners states on its site. Freedom Partners was able to remain in the shadows during an election year because many (if not all) of the groups it gave money to in 2012 also keep their donors secret. But while dark money groups don’t have to disclose many details about the money they take in, they do have to tell the IRS more about the money they give out in the form of grants. Hence the IRS filing that the group shared with Politico. “There’s a mystery around us that makes an interesting story,” Freedom Partners’ President Marc Short told Politico in an interview. “There’s also a vilification that happens that gets exaggerated when your opposition thinks you’re secretive. Our members are proud to be part of [the organization].” Short has spent his career working for prominent Republicans. He was chief of staff of the House Republican Conference when it was chaired by Mike Pence, now governor of Indiana. Other members of Freedom Partners’ five-person board have strong ties to the Koch brothers and their company, Koch Industries. Dr. Richard Fink is an executive vice president and member of the board of directors of Koch Industries, as well as the CEO of Koch Companies Public Sector, which provides “legal, government, philanthropy, and community relations services to Koch companies.” Wayne Gable is a former managing director of international government affairs at Koch Industries. Kevin Gentry is vice president at Koch Companies Public Sector. And according to Politico, Freedom Partners’ vice president of strategic communications is James Davis, who served as communications director of the 2012 Republican National Convention. According to KochFacts.com, a website maintained by Koch Industries, Freedom Partners operates “independently of Koch Industries, and educates the public about a broad range of issues.” On its website, Freedom Partners lists four key issues: cronyism in America, federal spending, energy policy, and health care reform. “Freedom Partners’ principal goal is to educate the public about the critical role played by free markets in achieving economic prosperity, societal well-being, and personal happiness,” the group states. “Freedom Partners awards grants to organizations to conduct nonpartisan issue advocacy and bring these important societal and economic issues to the public’s attention. These relationships give Freedom Partners an opportunity to reach across the country to build coalitions that advance our mission.” While the extent of Freedom Partners’ spending was unknown until this week, both Politico and The Huffington Post had previously caught wind of the group’s existence while it was known as the Association for American Innovation. In articles earlier this year, both outlets suggested that the association was formed in response to the results of the 2012 election. In February, Politico reported that Koch Brothers had “blessed the formation of a new secret money nonprofit group, the Association for American Innovation. … [It] will wage a behind-the-scenes push in state capitols for reforms consistent with the brothers’ small-government, free-enterprise philosophy, including possibly curbing union power and abolishing income taxes.” In April, The Huffington Post reported that the Association for American Innovation “is expected to ultimately funnel millions of dollars to other dark money groups nationwide.”Not long ago I heard from a reader who wanted advice on how to stop someone from scanning his home network, or at least recommendations about to whom he should report the person doing the scanning. I couldn’t believe that people actually still cared about scanning, and I told him as much: These days there are countless entities — some benign and research-oriented, and some less benign — that are continuously mapping and cataloging virtually every device that’s put online. One of the more benign is scans.io, a data repository of research findings collected through continuous scans of the public Internet. The project, hosted by the ZMap Team at the University of Michigan, includes huge, regularly updated results grouped around scanning for Internet hosts running some of the most commonly used “ports” or network entryways, such as Port 443 (think Web sites protected by the lock icon denoting SSL/TLS Web site encryption); Port 21, or file transfer protocol (FTP); and Port 25, or simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP), used by many businesses to send email. When I was first getting my feet wet on the security beat roughly 15 years ago, the practice of scanning networks you didn’t own looking for the virtual equivalent of open doors and windows was still fairly frowned upon — if not grounds to get one into legal trouble. These days, complaining about being scanned is about as useful as griping that the top of your home is viewable via Google Earth. Trying to put devices on the Internet and then hoping that someone or something won’t find them is one of the most futile exercises in security-by-obscurity. To get a gut check on this, I spoke at length last week with University of Michigan researcher Zakir Durumeric (ZD) and Michael D. Bailey at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (MB) about their ongoing and very public project to scan all the Internet-facing things. I was curious to get their perspective on how public perception of widespread Internet scanning has changed over the years, and how targeted scanning can actually lead to beneficial results for Internet users as a whole. MB: Because of the historic bias against scanning and this debate between disclosure and security-by-obscurity, we’ve approached this very carefully. We certainly think that the benefits of publishing this information are huge, and that we’re just scratching the surface of what we can learn from it. ZD: Yes, there are close to two dozen papers published now based on broad, Internet-wide scanning. People who are more focused on comprehensive scans tend to be the more serious publications that are trying to do statistical or large-scale analyses that are complete, versus just finding devices on the Internet. It’s really been in the last year that we’ve started ramping up and adding scans [to the scans.io site] more frequently. BK: What are your short- and long-term goals with this project? ZD: I think long-term we do want to add coverage of additional protocols. A lot of what we’re focused on is different aspects of a protocol. For example, if you’re looking at hosts running the “https://” protocol, there are many different ways you can ask questions depending on what perspective you come from. You see different attributes and behavior. So a lot of what we’ve done has revolved around https, which is of course hot right now within the research community. MB: I’m excited to add other protocols. There are a handful of protocols that are critical to operations of the Internet, and I’m very interested in understanding the deployment of DNS, BGP, and TLS’s interception with SMTP. Right now, there’s a pretty long tail to all of these protocols, and so that’s where it starts to get interesting. We’d like to start looking at things like programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and things that are responding from industrial control systems. ZD: One of the things we’re trying to pay more attention to is the world of embedded devices, or this ‘Internet of Things’ phenomenon. As Michael said, there are also industrial protocols, and there are different protocols that these embedded devices are supporting, and I think we’ll continue to add protocols around that class of devices as well because from a security perspective it’s incredibly interesting which devices are popping up on the Internet. BK: What are some of the things you’ve found in your aggregate scanning results that surprised you? ZD: I think one thing in the “https://” world that really popped out was we have this very large certificate authority ecosystem, and a lot of the attention is focused on a small number of authorities, but actually there is this very long tail — there are hundreds of certificate authorities that we don’t really think about on a daily basis, but that still have permission to sign for any Web site. That’s something we didn’t necessary expect. We knew there were a lot, but we didn’t really know what would come up until we looked at those. There also was work we did a couple of years ago on cryptographic keys and how those are shared between devices. In one example, primes were being shared between RSA keys, and because of this we were able to factor a large number of keys, but we really wouldn’t have seen that unless we started to dig into that aspect [their research paper on this is available here]. MB: One of things we’ve been surprised about is when we measure these things at scale in a way that hasn’t been done before, often times these kinds of emergent behaviors become clear. BK: Talk about what you hope to do with all this data. ZD: We were involved a lot in the analysis of the Heartbleed vulnerability. And one of the surprising developments there wasn’t that there were lots of people vulnerable, but it was interesting to see who patched, how and how quickly. What we were able to find was by taking the data from these scans and actually doing vulnerability notifications to everybody, we were able to increase patching for the Heartbleed bug by 50 percent. So there was an interesting kind of surprise there, not what you learn from looking at the data, but in terms of what actions do you take from that analysis? And that’s something we’re incredibly interested in: Which is how can we spur progress within the community to improve security, whether that be through vulnerability notification, or helping with configurations. BK: How do you know your notifications helped speed up patching? MB: With the Heartbleed vulnerability, we took the known vulnerable population from scans, and ran an A/B test. We split the population that was vulnerable in half and notified one half of the population, while not notifying the other half, and then measured the difference in patching rates between the two populations. We did end up after a week notifying the second population…the other half. BK: How many people did you notify after going through the data from the Heartbleed vulnerability scanning? ZD: We took everyone on the IPv4 address space, found those that were vulnerable, and then contacted the registered abuse contact for each block of IP space. We used data from 200,000 hosts, which corresponded to 4,600 abuse contacts, and then we split those into an A/B test. [Their research on this testing was published here]. So, that’s the other thing that’s really exciting about this data. Notification is one thing, but the other is we’ve been building models that are predictive of organizational behavior. So, if you can watch, for example, how an organization runs their Web server, how they respond to certificate revocation, or how fast they patch — that actually tells you something about the security posture of the organization, and you can start to build models of risk profiles of those organizations. It moves away from this sort of patch-and-break or patch-and-pray game we’ve been playing. So, that’s the other thing we’ve been starting to see, which is the potential for being more proactive about security. BK: How exactly do you go about the notification process? That’s a hard thing to do effectively and smoothly even if you already have a good relationship with the organization you’re notifying…. MB: I think one of the reasons why the Heartbleed notification experiment was so successful is we did notifications on the heels of a broad vulnerability disclosure. The press and the general atmosphere and culture provided the impetus for people to be excited about patching. The overwhelming response we received from notifications associated with that were very positive. A lot of people we reached out to say, ‘Hey, this is a great, please scan me again, and let me know if I’m patched.” Pretty much everyone was excited to have the help. Another interesting challenge was that we did some filtering as well in cases where the IP address had no known patches. So, for example, where we got information from a national CERT [Computer Emergency Response Team] that this was an embedded device for which there was no patch available, we withheld that notification because we felt it would do more harm than good since there was no path forward for them. We did some aggregation as well, because it was clear there were a lot of DSL and dial-up pools affected, and we did some notifications to ISPs directly. BK: You must get some pushback from people about being included in these scans. Do you think that idea that scanning is inherently bad or should somehow prompt some kind of reaction in and of itself, do you think that ship has sailed? ZD: There is some small subset that does have issues. What we try to do with this is be as transparent as possible. All of our hosts we use for scanning, if look at them on WHOIS records or just visit them with a browser it will tell you right away that this machine is part of this research study, here’s the information we’re collecting and here’s how you can be excluded. A very small percentage of people who visit that page will read it and then contact us and ask to be excluded. If you send us an email [and request removal], we’ll remove you from all future scans. A lot of this comes down to education, a lot of people to whom we explain our process and motives are okay with it. BK: Are those that object and ask to be removed more likely to be companies and governments, or individuals? ZD: It’s a mix of all of them. I do remember offhand there were a fair number of academic institutions and government organizations, but there were a surprising number of home users. Actually, when we broke down the numbers last year (PDF), the largest category was small to mid-sized businesses. This time last year, we had excluded only 157 organizations that had asked for it. BK: Was there any pattern to those that asked to be excluded? ZD: I think that actually is somewhat interesting: The exclusion requests aren’t generally coming from large corporations, which likely notice our scanning but don’t have an issue with it. A lot of emails we get are from these small businesses and organizations that really don’t know how to interpret their logs, and often times just choose the most conservative route. So we’ve been scanning for a several years now, and I think when we originally started scanning, we expected to have all the people who were watching for this to contact us all at once, and say ”Please exclude us.’ And then we sort of expected that the number of people who’d ask to be excluded would plateau, and we wouldn’t have problems again. But what we’ve seen is, almost the exact opposite. We still get [exclusion request] emails each day, but what we’re really finding is people aren’t discovering these scans proactively. Instead, they’re going through their logs while trying to troubleshoot some other issue, and they see a scan coming from us there and they don’t know who we are or why we’re contacting their servers. And so it’s not these organizations that are watching, it’s the ones who really aren’t watching who are contacting us. BK: Do you guys go back and delete historic records associated with network owners that have asked to be excluded from scans going forward? ZD: At this point we haven’t gone back and removed data. One reason is there are published research results that are based on those data sets, results, and so it’s very hard to change that information after the fact because if another researcher went back and tried to confirm an experiment or perform something similar, there would be no easy way of doing that. BK: Is this what you’re thinking about for the future of your project? How to do more notification and build on the data you have for those purposes? Or are you going in a different or additional direction? MB: When I think about the ethics of this kind of activity, I have very utilitarian view: I’m interested in doing as much good as we possibly can with the data we have. I think that lies in notifications, being proactive, helping organizations that run networks to better understand what their external posture looks like, and in building better safe defaults. But I’m most interested in a handful of core protocols that are under-serviced and not well understood. And so I think we should spend a majority of effort focusing on a small handful of those, including BGP, TLS, and DNS. ZD: In many ways, we’re just kind of at the tip of this iceberg. We’re just starting to see what types of security questions we can answer from these large-scale analyses. I think in terms of notifications, it’s very exciting that there are things beyond the analysis that we can use to actually trigger actions, but that’s something that clearly needs a lot more analysis. The challenge is learning how to do this correctly. Every time we look at another protocol, we start seeing these weird trends and behavior we never noticed before. With every protocol we look at there are these endless questions that seem to need to be answered. And at this point there are far more questions than we have hours in the day to answer. Tags: Heartbleed vulnerability, Michael D. Bailey, University of Michigan, Zakir Durumeric, ZmapWe’re getting closer to the end of my first travel sketchbook! We’re still in the Bahamas. 🙂 This was one of my favorite parts during our day trip to the island of Nassau. Instead of going on the cruise-organized events (which are overpriced, and full of dumbass tourists), we opted to rent a car and go explore for ourselves. We came across some local shops/bars/eats underneath a large overpass across from the Atlantis resort. The Harbor, looking out at the overpass. Remember this? Along with lots of yummy Bahamian beer (think Corona to the 10th power) there was also an obscene amount of conch shells everywhere. And I mean everywhere, piles of dirty conch shells sat in the harbor behind the small shops, and shopping carts were being lugged around by the locals. media: micron pens As it turns out, conch is a fairly common part of the Jamaican diet. Conch fritters, (sort of like fried hushpuppies with conch) were could be regularly bought in Florida. Here, the Bahamians were happy to prepare it for you fresh…and raw. O.o harvesting live conch… Add a little salt and lemon, and take your bag of chopped fresh (and likely still wiggling) conch home to eat conch salad! One of the many conch piles… I never tried this. I’ll pass on the raw salty lemon snail muscle that was touched with salty raw lemon conch hands. Normally I love to try strange foods. But alas, hygiene prevails. I’m good. 🙂 Coming Soon! New tattoo. More travel Sketches. Artist Statement for the upcoming show. New paper collages. Oh and hey! Don’t forget about my Etsy Store if you’re in need of some creative love. ❤ Advertisements(Reuters) - The death this week of an American university student held prisoner for 17 months by North Korea left Ohio municipal worker Jeffrey Fowle shaken. FILE PHOTO: Jeffrey Fowle (C) and his wife Tatyana (R), are greeted by U.S. Air Force 88 Air Base Wing Commander Col. John Devillier upon arrival at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio early October 22, 2014. Marie Vanover/U.S. Air Force/Handout via REUTERS Fowle, 59, is one of 16 Americans who have been imprisoned by the reclusive state over the last two decades, including three who remain detained. Like student Otto Warmbier, he visited North Korea with a tour group and was taken into custody at the airport when trying to leave. But Fowle was released in relatively good physical health after a six-month detention. Warmbier, 22, died at a Cincinnati hospital on Monday, just days after he was released from captivity in a coma. The family declined an autopsy. “Otto Warmbier’s death was a sudden tragedy for all of America,” Fowle said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. “It doesn’t take much to get in trouble in North Korea.” Both men committed infractions that would be considered minor in most parts of the world. Fowle left a Bible behind in a nightclub in the coastal city in Chongjin. Warmbier was convicted for trying to steal a banner linked to former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il from a Pyongyang hotel used by foreign tourists. However, in the eyes of North Korea, where Kim Jong Il is revered as a demigod and proselytizing is seen as an assault on the state, the two had committed heinous crimes. Fowle spent nearly a month of his detention in a hotel for foreigners and then was moved to a guest house in another part of Pyongyang. Like others held under varying terms of detention, from cramped, windowless shacks offering little protection from the country’s bitter cold to hotel rooms, Fowle recalled the sense of isolation he felt. “The emotional strain was high, especially during the early part of my detention when I was coached on how to formulate my admission of guilt,” Fowle said, adding, “I was never physically abused.” The longest-serving of the American prisoners, Christian missionary Kenneth Bae, has said he had to shovel coal, haul rocks and had about 30 guards keeping watch over him as their sole prisoner during his two years in captivity beginning in 2012. “Although we don’t know everything about life in North Korea, this much is sure: innocent people like Otto are suffering,” Bae said in a statement after Warmbier’s death. The news of Warmbier’s death reminded George Hunziker, 59, of his younger brother Evan’s imprisonment in North Korea after being charged with spying in 1996. Evan Hunziker, then 26, was held for three months and committed suicide about a month after his return to the United States. George Hunziker said his brother was young like Warmbier and did not realize the seriousness of his actions. He swam from China across the border with North Korea and was arrested. He was later charged with spying. “You’re in America and you think you can do stuff and there’s no consequences, but in North Korea you don’t have those same privileges,” he said. “I wish somebody could do something about those crazy people over there.” For a graphic on Americans detained by North Korea click tmsnrt.rs/2pmE3ksThis week Vulture is running a series of stories about the comedy produced in, and inspired by, New York and Los Angeles. Yesterday comedian Chris Gethard wrote about his decision to stay in NYC. Today we have guides for comedy fans seeking good shows in each city. New York City is home to some of the best stand-up comedy in the world. And improv. And sketch. And this one show where they use Tinder in real time. Point is, as a comedy fan, it can be hard to decide which comedy shows to check out, especially when there are consistently funny, surprisingly cheap shows going on every night of the week. One solution? Let your binge-watching guide you. Here is what comedy to see and where to see it in New York, based on your televised or streamed comedy preferences. If you like The Nightly Show, you’ll like Two Beers In. Political roundtables can be great with the right balance of host, panelists, and topics, but they’re always more fun with booze. Charlie Todd and Cody Lindquist invite comedians, journalists, and various thinkers to chug a couple of beers onstage and get into politics. Only a few months old, the show has already included guests like Daily Show correspondent Hasan Minhaj and NY1’s Pat Kiernan; who knows what brave, familiar faces will step up next. UCB East, 153 E. 3rd St.; every other Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. If you like Adult Swim, you’ll like Murderfist. Do you prefer your comedy weird, dark, and/or gross? Murderfist is the sketch group you want. “We are Murderfist and we are here to fuck you!” they declare over thumping music and strobe lights at the beginning of every show. Sketches often involve violent deaths and dildos, cast members in various states of undress, and a descent into the darkest corners of humanity. The People’s Improv Theater, 123 E. 24th St.; one Saturday per month at 9:30 p.m. If you like WTF With Marc Maron, you’ll like Employee of the Month. A comedian and writer, Catie Lazarus has been hosting talk shows for nearly a decade, and each month, her late night-style show welcomes guests to talk about their careers, whether glamorous or just unusual. She almost always features a comedian (recent guests include Sarah Silverman and David Cross), and she has the amiable curiosity of a fellow comic with the research and well thought-out questions of a serious interviewer. Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St.; last Thursday of the month. If you like The Daily Show, you’ll like 2 Dope Queens. Can’t get enough of The Daily Show’s smart take on the issues of the day? 2 Dope Queens will hit the spot. Hosted by stand-up comedian and Vulture contributor Phoebe Robinson and Daily Show correspondent Jessica Williams, the duo mix up their social and political commentary with personal stories and invite a selection of their favorite comics to perform in their bi-monthly shows. A recent New York Times article said the duo’s “onstage chemistry suggests they have the potential to be the next formidable breakout team.” Union Hall, 702 Union St., Brooklyn; every other Wednesday at 8 p.m. If you like @midnight, you’ll like Punderdome 3000. Puns are often disparaged in comedy, but done well, they can be exquisite. Punderdome 3000 not only showcases some of New York City’s finest punsters, it turns wordplay into a competitive sport, with audience applause determining who moves forward in this multi-round contest. Hosted by the father-daughter duo of Fred and Jo Firestone, it’s become a huge hit, selling out every month to a pun-loving Brooklyn crowd. Littlefield, 622 Degraw St., Brooklyn; first Tuesday of every month. If you like Louie, you’ll like the Comedy Cellar. If watching the opening credits to Louie hasn’t already made you want to make a trip to the Cellar, maybe the reminder that you can actually see Louis C.K. perform there will convince you. It doesn’t really matter which show you see — the lineups are well curated — though the late-night show is known for seeing bigger drop-ins. After the show, you can usually see a huddle of comics you’ll recognize hanging out at the Olive Tree Café upstairs or running to do another set at the Cellar’s sister club, the Village Underground, around the corner. The Comedy Cellar, 117 Macdougal St.; nightly showcases at 7:30, 9:30, and 11:30 p.m. If you like Comedy Central Roasts, you’ll like Roast Battle. The popular L.A. show has found an East Coast home thanks to the show’s former co-host, Rell Battle. Two comedians go head to head with thoroughly researched (and thoroughly brutal) insult jokes — just like a rap battle, but with comedy. Not for people who are offended by jokes about 9/11, abortion, or just about any other controversial reference possible. New York Comedy Club, 241 E. 24th St.; every other Thursday at 10 p.m. If you like BoJack Horseman, you’ll like Picture This. If you like animated comedies, how about animated stand-up comedy? Picture This pairs some of your favorite comedians with animators who illustrate jokes on the spot. Hosted by Peggy O’Leary, it’s just like having your portrait drawn at a fair, only instead of mildly insulting caricatures, you get to see one-of-a-kind depictions of what’s going on inside funny people’s heads. Union Hall, 702 Union St., Brooklyn; monthly. If you like Curb Your Enthusiasm, you’ll like Gravid Water. Professional theater actors are given a scene from a play and told to memorize their half of the lines, only to be paired with an improv comedian who doesn’t even know what play they’re in. Created and directed by Stephen Ruddy, it’s the perfect combination of skilled acting and totally off-the-cuff comedy that any fan of scripted improvised Curb will appreciate. The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, 307 W. 26th St.; last Monday of every month at 8 p.m. If you like Comedy Bang! Bang!, you’ll like Sweet. Hosted by comedian and Tonight Show warm-up comic Seth Herzog, along with Jimmy Fallon’s Late Show President Obama impersonator Dion Flynn, this weekly stand-up showcase has the same fluid weirdness of Comedy Bang! Bang! (and the strong host/sidekick combination doesn’t hurt the comparison). The alternative vibe flows through both sets and weird interstitial bits, which can sometimes involve Herzog’s mother coming onstage, or end in a dance party with a bunch of comedians. The Slipper Room, 167 Orchard St.; Tuesdays at 9 p.m. If you like Saturday Night Live, you’ll like ASSSSCAT 3000. If SNL is the pinnacle of weekend comedy on TV, ASSSCAT is that of the New York Comedy scene. A staple of the Upright Citizens Brigade since its inception, the lines around the block will tell you that this is where the best come out to play. Top UCB improvisers (sometimes including Amy Poehler) do their thing while a celebrity monologuist provides inspiration for scenes based on a single suggestion from the audience. To get into the free late show at 9:30, grab a book and a snack and plan to be in line for at least an hour. It’s always worth it. The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, 307 W. 26th St.; Sundays at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. If you like live-tweeting The Bachelor, you’ll like Tinder Live! Comedian Lane Moore hosts this show that captures all the magic of this truly ridiculous era in app-based dating in real time. If you take The Bachelor about as seriously as your own hapless quest for romance, you’ll relate to Moore’s live-swiping and laugh at her reactions and messages to would-be suitors. It’s also a great place to take a date — maybe not a Tinder date, but perhaps a second or third OKCupid date, so you can look down on the people still trying to find love on Tinder. The Bell House, 149 7th St., Brooklyn; or Union Hall, 702 Union St., Brooklyn; monthly. If you like Inside Amy Schumer, you’ll like the Stand. If you’re looking for something to tide you over until the new season of Inside Amy Schumer, the Stand is the perfect solution. Like that show, a night of stand-up at the Stand will hit topics across the board, with smart political material, quirky alternative ideas, and hilarious filth. It’s a place where big names like Louis C.K., Jim Gaffigan, and Tracy Morgan love to drop in, as well as plenty of writers and performers from Inside Amy Schumer. You’ll almost surely walk away with a new favorite up-and-coming comedian. The Stand, 239 Third Ave.; nightly starting at 7 p.m. If you like The Meltdown With Jonah and Kumail, you’ll like Whiplash. If you’re a fan of Comedy Central’s iteration of this popular weekly comedy show in Los Angeles, you’ll love Whiplash, one of New York’s most consistently funny stand-up shows. Hosted by Aparna Nancherla since original host Leo Allen moved to L.A., Whiplash, like the Meltdown, has the benefit of combining newer comics doing their best material with unannounced, famous guests dropping by to experiment. The combination pretty much guarantees you’re going to see a good show every time. UCB Chelsea, 307 W. 26th St.; Mondays at 11 p.m. If you like Jimmy Kimmel Live, you’ll like Running Late With Scott Rogowsky. Everyone thinks they could host a late-night talk show, but very few actually put that belief to the test. Scott Rogowsky has been running his live late-night show since 2011, and five years in, he’s got it down. Just as Kimmel often brings his cousin Sal into the mix, Rogowsky’s co-host is his own father, Marty, and Running Late delivers TV-quality guests; recent shows have featured Amy Sedaris, Jon Hamm, Jerry Springer, Morgan Spurlock, and Janeane Garofalo. Various venues; monthly.Get the Recipe Real Tacos Al Pastor More Mexican Food Recetas deliciosas to transport your tastebuds south of the border. I have been working on this recipe for longer than any other recipe I've ever worked on. The number of times I've told Erin, "Sure, go ahead and put it on the schedule for next week," only to swap it out at the last minute because I wasn't happy with the results is a number higher than I care to count. But at long last, I'm pretty darn pleased with the results. It all started about a year and a half ago when the good folks at Columbus Food Adventures took me on a whirlwind taco tour of Columbus, Ohio, which, believe it or not, has some of the finest taco trucks in the country. Particularly impressive were the tacos al pastor from Taqueria Los Guachos. There, in true al pastor form, the taqueras marinate thin, thin slices of pork shoulder in a mixture of chilies and aromatics colored bright red with achiote. The slices are then stacked onto a vertical skewer, forming a large, bell-shaped trompo (spinning top), which gets topped with an onion and pineapple, and slowly rotates in front of a vertical grill. If there's a reason it resembles shawarma or doner kebab, it's because the concept was first introduced to Mexico by Lebanese immigrants. As the trompo spins, it slowly cooks, the fat from the pork shoulder dripping out and across the surface of the meat, basting it as it crisps. As each outer layer of meat crisps up, the taquera shaves it off with a sharp knife, catching it in a soft corn tortilla before topping it with a bit of the roasted pineapple, salsa, cilantro, and onions. It's really glorious stuff. Juicy and crisp with a deep chili flavor tempered by sweet roasted pineapple. It doesn't really get much smokiness, per se—the fire is usually a simple gas fire—but it does get a little bit of singed char. Those in the know will ask for theirs to be cooked up extra-crisp on the plancha after it's been sliced. The results are almost bacon-like in their succulence. The question is: Can we replicate this at home? Meaty Matters The problems with such an endeavor are immediately obvious. First off, there are the basics. What's the best meat to use? How do I slice it so thin? How about the marinade? Is there an ideal time to marinate for? Then there
Ben Larson (Sean Teale), né Aaron, has infiltrated. He’s a former Red Zoner and current member of an opposition group that’s embedded itself within the luxurious confines of the Green region. He’s looking for an old friend (or flame), and he’s willing to risk the whole operation to do so. In order to be the hero, he has to blend in with the villains. But he can only do that by keeping one foot in the Red Zone. Advertisement It’s quite a bind that Ben’s in—life in the Green Zone is so good that anyone who appears less than satisfied is suspect. Teale’s layered performance deftly teases Ben’s inner conflict, even as he flashes waxen smile after smile to make his way up the corporate ladder. He’s also allowed to play more than the sycophant during flashbacks and trips to the Red Zone. These are more than just expository journeys; they lend emotional heft to the series, and provide a nice counterpoint to the controlled setting of the Green Zone, which still has plenty of simmering tensions. As for the rest of the cast, Dennis Haysbert is reliably menacing as Julian, the head of Spiga’s torture department who might not enjoy the wet work as much as his ascension suggests. Julia Ormond’s Elizabeth is bland at first, though that could be a matter of characterization. As Spiga CEO, she’s one of the most powerful people alive—who’s literally keeping food out of people’s mouths—but Ormond sometimes struggles to display a sufficiently cold demeanor to match the script. She could be letting Elizabeth’s feelings about her estranged daughter Laura (Allison Miller) distract her. Like Ben, Laura’s having trouble keeping up the facade. Miller keeps up with her co-star, readily pivoting between biotech scion and guilt-ridden survivor. Unfortunately, the quality of the performances is a bit one-sided; even though they’re literally more colorful, the Red Zone inhabitants are mostly just teeming masses for a good chunk of the first half of the season. The standouts are Terrence, a black-market dealer; Theo, a reluctant cage fighter; and Iliana, Theo’s sister who’s held captive in the Green Zone. They’re a bit more single-minded than their Green Zone counterparts, which limits the performances. It’s inadvertently another example of the inequality therein. Advertisement Incorporated’s other glaring problem is that it might be a little too timely. Just like the well-appointed dwellings of its Green Zone, Incorporated complements the current TV and sociopolitical landscape well. Its dystopian bent is de rigueur, so much so that the series suffers from the other side of that savvy coin—it’s almost indistinguishable from its counterparts. The steely, sterile environs of the corporate headquarters can be found in everything from High-Rise to the Divergent series (coming soon to a TV near you, interestingly enough). Right now, it’s following its lead character’s suit and hiding in plain sight.Newt Gingrich has devised a new plan to get himself a few steps down the road to the G.O.P presidential nomination. The best part about it: it throws in sharp relief what has gone wrong with American politics. Professor Newt Gingrich’s latest plan for prolonging the bitter Republican primary battle in hopes of a miracle (or at least until his favorability ratings sink to the single digits) involves a strategy of campaigning in the most conservative enclaves of California, which for the first time this year will reward most of its Republican delegates to the first-place finisher in each congressional district. Under this theory, if Gingrich does well enough in targeted pockets of the most populous state, he could wind up with as many delegates as if he had won outright in smaller states—and thus be a force to be reckoned with all the way to the nominating convention in Tampa in August. As an electoral strategy, this has about as much chance of winning the nomination for Gingrich as a blizzard does of striking Palm Springs on the day of the primary, June 5. “It’s kind of pathetic, and a patently bankrupt strategy,” said Thomas Mann, one of Washington’s pre-eminent congressional scholars, with a perch at the left-leaning Brookings Institution. But Gingrich’s plan is also a metaphor for a lot of what’s wrong with the American political system these days, because the mere fact that there are such politically polarized geographic pockets—and that politicians and their pollsters, direct-mail experts, and strategists have made a science of exploiting them—is part of the reason Washington doesn’t work anymore. “It’s kind of pathetic, and a patently bankrupt strategy,” said Thomas Mann, one of Washington’s pre-eminent congressional scholars. Gone are the days when congressional districts might actually require candidates to campaign for votes in the middle. A combination of decades of hyper-partisan redistricting (designed above all to protect incumbents of whatever stripe) and a remarkable pattern of residential self-selection (NPR listeners buy organic together in one suburb, while N.R.A. members circle the wagons down the road) has made most of the nation’s 435 congressional districts redder and redder—or bluer and bluer—than ever, with only a handful of truly contested seats. “There’s no question that we have had ‘The Big Sort,’’’ Tom Mann told me, referring to the 2008 book of that title by the Texas journalist Bill Bishop and his sociologist colleague Robert Cushing, which explored the trend of geographic self-selection by every trait imaginable. “People have tended to be more and more attracted to neighborhoods and communities with like-minded people. It’s what produces, frankly, most of the safe Democratic and Republican districts, more so than redistricting does.” The twist, Mann said, is that in primary elections, the differences from one congressional district to another are not terribly great, just as the substantive policy differences between Gingrich, Mitt Romney, and Rick Santorum are not so vast, either. So while Gingrich might theoretically appeal to certain conservative voters in the Central Valley, for example, odds are that Santorum would have a comparable claim on their affections. (In California, as in most other states, the Democrats award their delegates proportionally, based on statewide vote totals for each candidate). The differences from district to district are much more pronounced in a general election, which is why Karl Rove made such a point of identifying every potential Republican voter when he was trying to re-elect an unpopular George W. Bush in 2004. In a general election, high turnout in less populated conservative areas can compensate for (or even exceed) the large liberal vote totals in urban areas. So why has team Gingrich made such a point of floating his latest big idea? “What it tells us is that he’s thinking rapidly,” said Mann. “He can’t get any news coverage. He doesn’t have any money,” outside the millions that the casino magnate Sheldon Adelson has contributed to his Super pac. “So he’s trying to signal that he has options for campaigning in even large states by focusing on some individual districts. I see it as more a move of desperation than anything else; there’s not a finely honed strategy at work here.” Come to think of it: what a confession of failure it is for anyone who’s campaigning to be president of all the people to suggest that a good way to get there is to win the support of just some of the people in localized enclaves here and there. That sounds like a strategy tailor-made for, well, the Balkans. We’ve seen how that worked out.Genre filmmaking has a reputation as a man’s field. That goes for audiences as well as filmmakers. To the novice, it’s easy to see why. For a long time women’s bodies have been used to titillate male adolescent horror fans — shrieking, squirming, disposable ciphers. Academic studies of gender and horror cinema such as Carol J. Clover’s 1992 book Men, Women, and Chain Saws and female-fronted films changed the landscape of the genre, proving women could terrify audiences just like men, and that women were watching — but also craving stories they could relate to. The popularity of horror heroines like Ripley in Ridley Scott’s Alien proves the need for women who aren’t simply victims. But there’s room for all types of narratives and characters for, about, and by women — including the Freddies, Jasons, and Michael Myers of the world. Here, we discuss 50 horror films directed by women that feature a range of tropes and ideas. In our current cinematic climate, where only five percent of studio releases have a woman behind the camera, we hope you’ll support more women making movies that scare the hell out of you. In My Skin New French Extremity director Marina de Van explores the alienation we — and particularly women — often feel regarding our bodies in this dark, body horror-driven tale of self-destruction. The Slumber Party Massacre Amy Holden Jones turned down a job editing Spielberg’s E.T. so she could direct 1982’s The Slumber Party Massacre, written by feminist writer and activist Rita Mae Brown. The film doesn’t take itself too seriously and revels in a parodic account of the slasher genre, where the guys make all the dumb decisions and the murderer gets chased by a bunch of high school girls. Also, hooray for scenes featuring young women (here, all-star athletes) talking and acting like actual teenagers. Slumber Party Massacre II Roger Corman — King of the Bs and mega producer who helped kick-start the careers of many now-famous directors (including Martin Scorsese and James Cameron) — was one of the rare producers in the early days of genre filmmaker offering directing gigs to women (in this case, Deborah Brock). While not nearly as clever as the first entry in the Slumber Party Massacre series, there’s something to be said for the film’s ridiculous villain who wields an electric guitar drill. The Hitch-Hiker Ida Lupino was a pioneering director whose career spanned the ‘40s and ’50s — a time when you’d be hard-pressed to find a woman behind the camera. Her 1953 film The Hitch-Hiker — about two men held at gunpoint by an escaped murderer — has a reputation as the first film noir directed by a woman. But the movie’s psychological horror and gritty realism wins it a spot on this list. Near Dark Nomadic vampires roam dusty small-town back roads by night, stirring up trouble and slaughtering for fun. The undead in Kathryn Bigelow’s Near Dark don’t rely on bloodsucking romanticism. Theirs is a life of brutality where vampirism is akin to addiction and madness. American Psycho Mary Harron adapted Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho (previously considered unfilmable), showcasing the chameleonic talent of Christian Bale — here as a psychopathic investment banker who spends the 1980s at absurdly trendy restaurants, comparing business cards with his colleagues (when he’s not killing them), and seducing terrorizing women. Harron’s satiric twist and sharp visual style created the perfect environment for the slick serial killer. Trouble Every Day Claire Denis treats us to a cannibal love story (Vincent Gallo and Béatrice Dalle) where hunger for flesh and human longing are one. Boxing Helena Jennifer Chambers Lynch, daughter of David Lynch, has established a fascinating career of her own. Other entries in her filmography might speak more to outright horror, but there’s something endlessly weird and wonderful about her debut feature, the story of a surgeon who holds a woman captive by amputating her limbs. Blending quiet horror, fantasy, and erotic drama (one might even say dramedy), Lynch created the strangest fairy tale of the ‘90s. Messiah of Evil American Graffiti screenwriters Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz directed this Lovecraftian oddity about a zombified cult that takes over a seaside town. Messiah of Evil has a disquieting, Euro-horror feel — part of its surreality stemming from investors taking over the project once the budget ran out. Luckily, it works. American Mary Canadian twin filmmakers Jen and Sylvia Soska created an antiheroine in Katharine Isabelle’s (Ginger Snaps) titular character without forcing audiences to give respect or approval — all too rare in female characters. There are a lot of gray areas in the Soskas’ story about a disenchanted medical student whose career takes a dark turn when she enters the world of underground surgery and extreme body modification. Jennifer’s Body A bloody portrait of female rivalry and friendship, director Karyn Kusama brought Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody’s vision of high school hell to the big screen. Pathogen Emily Hagins directed the 2006 zombie horror flick Pathogen when she was only 12 years old. Her films tend to draw on personal stories, which means these are real teen characters and not the invention of a middle-aged man. Amer Neo-giallo Amer, from directors Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani, is a tribute to the Italian thrillers from the ‘60s and ‘70s, featuring stylish murder set pieces, lots of female flesh, and cringe-worthy violence. Amer is a trilogy tale told from the female perspective, sharing observations about female sexuality and anxiety — not unlike Polanski’s Repulsion. Ravenous A group of soldiers at a remote military outpost in the Sierra Nevada Mountains during the 1800s meet a mysterious stranger who shares a horrifying tale of cannibalism. Antonia Bird’s darkly comedic Ravenous draws parallels between the consumption of flesh and our material culture of excess. Organ Kei Fujiwara starred in the gear-grinding, transgressive Japanese cult film Tetsuo: The Iron Man. She went heavy on the gore in her second directorial effort, Organ — which also explores the limits and horror of the human body. The Captured Bird Former Rue Morgue magazine editor Jovanka Vuckovic is having an exciting year. She’ll be working on her feature debut with legendary horror author Clive Barker — an adaptation of his short story “Jacqueline Ess” — originally part of Barker’s Books of Blood. Game of Thrones actress Lena Heady will star in the movie. Vuckovic will also direct an entry in an upcoming all-female horror anthology, XX (along with Karyn Kusama, Mary Harron, and Jennifer Lynch). Her short film The Captured Bird was produced by Guillermo del Toro and centers on a little girl whose chalk drawings lead to the discovery of ferrying supernatural creatures. Blood Diner A semi-sequel to Herschell Gordon Lewis’ blood-soaked classic Blood Feast, Jackie Kong’s Blood Diner is another gastronomic gore show. Pet Sematary Stephen King adaptations tend to be unpredictable, but music video director Mary Lambert (Madonna, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Annie Lennox) added some genuinely creepy and atmospheric touches to 1989’s Pet Sematary. Come for the creepy cat, stay for the Ramones song. Humanoids from the Deep Roger Corman-produced films are known for their exploitation style, with a thread of social commentary throughout. Barbara Peeters’ 1980 film Humanoids from the Deep is no different, combining elements of ‘50s monster movies, Jaws, and gender/racial subtext (told through scenes of rape, corporate betrayal, and gory violence). It should be noted that Peeters’ version of Humanoids was tamer than Corman knew his intended audience would expect, so he brought in another director to add the titillating footage. According to IMDb: “Actress Ann Turkel once said why she chose to do this film: ‘It was an intelligent suspenseful science-fiction story with a basis in fact and no sex.’ However, with the filming of additional footage, the sex content changed.” But Corman and company were no mere schlocksters. The work of his directors in the producer’s New World Pictures canon demonstrates a thoughtful history underneath the sometimes sleazy exterior. Office Killer The artist of a thousand faces, Cindy Sherman, made an office-set horror film starring the famously squeaky-voiced actress Carol Kane as a killer, plus Molly Ringwald and Jeanne Tripplehorn. It’s camp, social satire, and unapologetically low-budget. Fans of Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills series will appreciate the understated feminist perspective about women in positions of power. A Night to Dismember Sexploitation film goddess Doris Wishman was making films for nearly three decades by the time she filmed 1983’s A Night to Dismember. It was her take on the slasher film craze happening at the time, but almost half the movie was destroyed by a disgruntled lab worker, leaving Wishman to quickly pick up the pieces. “This movie pretty much forges a genre of its own. The pace moves like a bullet, loosely throwing together erratic violence and dreamy visuals with the collage aesthetic of an early Guided By Voices record,” writes author Joseph A. Ziemba. “Soundtrack cues comprised of Jazzercise schlock, spooky library music, and wailing 80s shit-rock overlap. Dialogue is dubbed in the ‘Wishman Style,’ which means that we hear voices, but don’t see mouths moving. Or we hear voices while the camera focuses on an ashtray. The violence is snail-paced and gentle, possibly because no one wanted to hurt themselves with the real knives and axes that were in their hands. Dismember is a bizarro trash-horror experience that trumps most any other. You’ll never be bored.” Blood Bath Stephanie Rothman, known for directing feminist-minded exploitation films like The Student Nurses, and prolific exploitation filmmaker Jack Hill both contributed to 1966’s Blood Bath — about a lunatic artist who believes he’s a vampire and boils the bodies of women in a large vat. Due to all the confused reshoots, Blood Bath sometimes feels like watching three movies at once — but its atmospheric qualities linger in the mind. Tenement Fred Beldin on Roberta Findlay’s “‘revisualization’ of her own childhood: After spending the ’60s making some of sexploitation’s most bizarre features with then-husband Michael Findlay and pursuing a solo career in the pornography industry of the ’70s, director Roberta Findlay turned to horror and action films during the Reagan years, many of which are abysmal, unpleasant creations shunned by even the hardiest exploitation mavens. However, Tenement is the director’s best feature, as cheap and sleazy as any other Findlay production, but possessed of a tension and cruelty that generates real suspense. Despite ridiculous costumes for the marauding gang members (which make them look more like an MTV dance troupe than street thugs), their ruthlessness leads to some very disturbing sequences in which boilerplate action film rules of engagement are ignored. The cowering residents of the besieged apartment building are all fair game, from sweet old ladies to innocent youngsters, and the film accelerates its pace as the villains chase their prey up one flight after another. Tenement is no lost classic; at certain points a suspension of disbelief is required that many viewers won’t be willing to muster, and it’s a bottom-dwelling exploitation drama to the core. Still, the film provides visceral thrills that might surprise those familiar with (and dismissive of) the rest of Findlay’s catalogue, and a 2005 DVD release of the film makes it more accessible to the curious. Mirror Mirror High school goths! Demonic mirrors! Rainbow Harvest! Karen Black! Yvonne De Carlo! If this doesn’t compel you to see Marina Sargenti’s 1990 film Mirror Mirror, there is no hope. Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare I hope some Joe Schmo movie producer or recycle-happy studio supporting Saw XCIX or the same male directors making the same supernatural sequels will one day wake up and remember that a woman, Rachel Talalay, directed a successful entry in a long-running horror series. Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare was supposed to be the last film in the series, but a strong box office performance kept the franchise alive. It’s by no means a perfect film, but it does feature an ass-kicking protagonist (like many of the Freddy films). Blood & Donuts Vampires, donuts, and David Cronenberg as a crime boss. Just do it. Kiss of the Damned Xan Cassavetes’ sexy, moody vampire tale Kiss of the Damned evokes the erotic undead films from the ’70s. It’s a refreshing take on the vampire genre that explores relationships and responsibility. The Rage: Carrie 2 I’m always a little surprised that more women haven’t directed a Carrie film. Brian De Palma’s 1976 movie has some great subversive qualities, like the book, and isn’t afraid to shatter male fantasies — spinning off of Stephen King’s original story. As our own Tom Hawking wrote, “it’s not so much sex that’s the issue here — it’s puberty, and in particular female puberty, with the book’s constant emphasis on blood an ever-present reminder.” I won’t tell you that The Rage: Carrie 2 (sometimes referred to as “emo Carrie”) is a great movie, but if you’re curious where the series has wandered… Carrie Boys Don’t Cry director Kimberly Peirce offered this entry in the Carrie canon, starring Chloë Grace Moretz. “It’s a strange thing to say about a movie so obsessed with the red stuff, but this Carrie is bloodless,” writes A.A. Dowd. Spookies A great ‘80s creature feature by Genie Joseph (as Eugenie Joseph) that goes bonkers with the special effects. Soulmate A ghostly, gothic mystery from actress Axelle Carolyn about a widow who retreats to an isolated Welsh cabin following a suicide attempt and the tragic death of her husband. Critic Scott Weinberg writes: “What’s most interesting about Soulmate is that its writer/director is a serious fan of hack’em up slash-fests that are knee-deep in carnage and/or crazy monsters — yet her first film is most assuredly a ‘supernatural drama’ in every sense of the phrase.” Silent House The most talked-about aspect of Laura Lau’s Silent House was that it was presented as a single-take movie (but actually filmed in 12-minute takes and edited so as to appear seamless). If there’s one other reason to see the 2011 film, it’s for star Elizabeth Olsen, whose impressive turn in Martha Marcy May Marlene left audiences wanting more. The Countess Oh hi, Julie Delpy directed and stars in a movie about Countess Báthory, who murdered young girls — reportedly to bathe in their virgin blood to retain her youth. It’s not a straight horror film, as the actress-director explains: “It sounds like a gothic [story] but it’s more a drama. It’s more focusing on the psychology of human beings when they’re given power.” A lot of women were killed at the time because the men were busy at war—that’s all they knew [how] to do over three generations of wars—and they became less and less capable [of ruling] countries. The women started taking over in small castles—not the king or anything like that. In small areas, she’d rule the castle. The switching period is the Renaissance period when men realized they were losing control and that’s when the witch hunt thing started to get rid of women, more or less. Báthory might have been a victim to show to people that women cannot be powerful because they become crazy and kill people. The Commune Elisabeth Fies is a Jill of all trades: actress, writer, producer, film festival founder, academic, screenwriting/filmmaking mentor, and more. Her 2009 film The Commune: A New Cult Classic was awarded Best International Picture at Bram Stoker Festival. “When Jenny Cross has to spend summer vacation with her deadbeat dad in his creepy commune, she thinks clean living and boredom will kill her. But some fates are worse than death.” Roman Horror fans will remember director Angela Bettis as the star in Lucky McKee’s underrated horror film May. The duo swap roles here, with McKee starring in Bettis’ debut feature, Roman. As anyone familiar with the work of both artists, there is no easy way to categorize the 2006 film about a lonely and obsessive man who yearns for a human connection. The emphasis on relationships instead of gore (though there is some of that) is what Bettis does best. Forced Entry Porn star and filmmaker Lizzy Borden (aka Janet Romano-Zicari) looked to the life of serial killer Richard Ramirez to inspire her disturbing 2002 XXX film, Forced Entry. The making of the movie was recorded in the PBS Frontline documentary American Porn, which led to Borden’s prison term for distributing “obscene materials.” The extreme nature of her work was explored in Salon’s 2002 article Porn Provocateur. Janelle Brown writes: It didn’t take long for Lizzy to establish herself as a woman who went where no woman, and most men, would dare to go. The covers of the films that she has produced are difficult to even look at, covered as they are with hardcore snapshots of sex and blood. There’s Cannibalism, a horror-porno in which various internal organs are consumed after an orgiastic release. There’s the Sexually Intrusive Dysfunctional Family series, which features such props as a decapitated pig’s head. Cocktails features a grinning girl with a filth-smeared face and a bowl underneath her chin. (Forced Entry, fortunately, has no cover art.) Sex in Borden’s films is almost always violent. Urine, excrement, blood and spit are prominent. Many films feature witches, Satan, robots, aliens and assorted otherworldly creatures. No orifice goes unviolated, and the more revolting the means, the better. Borden’s response to claims that she’s degrading women? “Everyone gets degraded. I mean, even if she was a secretary in the office, she’s going to get some kind of harassment, whether sexual or verbal — you know? So this is normal. Women get degraded every day, and so do men.” A Visit from the Incubus Anna Biller makes movies that look like they’ve been ripped from the pages of ’60s or ’70s genre filmmaking. Her 2001 short film A Visit from the Incubus combines elements of Westerns, vaudeville, ’60s vampire films, and musicals. Of Dolls and Murder The subject matter might be more frightening than the film itself, but this 2012 documentary on dollhouse crime scene creator Frances Glessner Lee (the founder of Harvard’s department of legal medicine and the first program in the nation for forensic pathology) deserves mention. Bonus: the film is narrated by John Waters. Hood of Horror Spoofing old-school anthology horror films and hip hop culture, Stacy Title’s Hood of Horror stars Snoop Dogg as a Tales from the Crypt-style narrator. “Snoop Dogg cuts an impressive figure as our guide to the hood, but he’s not a great actor, and his entourage (a couple of ‘hos with spooky contact lenses and/or fangs) looks like runners-up in an amateur Halloween costume contest,” writes Cinefantastique. “Fortunately, the supporting cast shoulders the acting burden well, with old pros like Ernie Hudson (GHOSTBUSTERS) and Jason Alexander (SEINFELD) breathing a little life into scenes here and there.” Lip Stick Indie scream queen and director Shannon Lark has been championing women in horror for quite some time. She co-founded the former Los Angeles-based Viscera Film Festival (supporting female filmmakers) with writer and filmmaker Heidi Martinuzzi. Her short film Lip Stick centers on “a lonely woman with an overwhelming obsession of masturbation, [who] must extricate herself from what consumes her every moment.” Visible Secret Hong Kong New Wave figure Ann Hui made this odd little horror-comedy about the bizarre events happening amongst a group of strangers. Hui’s latest movie, The Golden Era, is China’s Oscar submission at the upcoming 87th Academy Awards. Her recent work focuses on social issues of her home country, but films like this and The Spooky Bunch are genre-savvy. Death in Charge Devi Snively participated in 2007’s Directing Workshop for Women (one of eight women), presented by the American Film Institute, where she created Death in Charge. “In the tradition of E.C. Horror Comics, this cautionary tale examines life through the eyes of Death who gets derailed when an impatient single Mom carelessly mistakes the scythe-carrying cloaked one for her tardy babysitter and leaves Death to care for her precocious 9-year-old daughter.” The Babadook Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook was a hit at Austin’s Fantastic Fest this year, sweeping the Best Actor/Actress/Picture/Screenplay award categories. “The Babadook is a child’s tale brought to life by a lethal combination of fear and grief, and as Amelia’s already tenuous affection for her son threatens to sever completely it adds a moving, psychologically devastating layer of terror to potential supernatural threat,” writes Film School Rejects’ Rob Hunter. “It’s a simple tale, wonderfully told, and pretty much guaranteed to send chills coursing through your body.” The Party Is Over Venezuelan-born filmmaker Gigi Romero shot her 2011 short film Se acabó la fiesta (The Party is Over) for an Internet film festival (she was a finalist). It’s a tense, original slice of horror that doesn’t take the obvious route in a story about a man who wakes up with a mysterious woman in his bed. Carver This is the Kickstarter-funded project of 13-year-old horror fan Emily DiPrimio. It’s a throwback to the slasher films of the 1980s that uses only practical effects. This girl knows what she’s doing. DeGenerazione / “Prospettive” Asia Argento, daughter of Italian horror maestro Dario Argento, is currently celebrating the festival run of her latest film, Incompresa. But in 1994, she was putting her own mark on the genre with her entry “Prospettive” in the anthology DeGenerazione. “Shot for free by everyone involved, Degenerazione is an incredibly enjoyable mess of creativity over cash, putting to shame most no budget horrors of the last decade or so thru’ sheer cheekiness alone,” writes Ashton Lamont. Hide and Seek Kayoko Asakura’s chilling 2013 short Hide and Seek (a festival favorite) finds a young girl and Koto [traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument] teacher having a very bizarre lesson. Learn more about her debut feature film It’s a Beautiful Day in this interview. “I thought I would like to make a slasher horror film, which had a main female character being a serious killer,” she says. “I wanted her to be an unusual female character. I mean she is not very feminine. So from this standpoint I had the idea for the story of this film.” Among Friends Danielle Harris is best known to the horror community as a scream queen and star of the Halloween series. She made her directorial debut with the horror-comedy Among Friends in 2013 (she also stars in the film). It has an ‘80s bent to it, in the vein of April Fool’s Day or Happy Birthday to Me. The Mafu Cage “One of the most compelling and uniquely dark films of the psychotic woman subgenre, Karen Arthur’s adaptation of Eric Westphal’s play You and Your Clouds stars Lee Grant as Ellen, an astronomer who lives with her feral sister Cissy,” author Kier-la Janisse writes. Arthur was “the first woman to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series (for an episode of Cagney & Lacey).” A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night Another refreshing, evocative take on the undead genre from Ana Lily Amirpour, whose “auspicious debut feature is a sly, slinky vampire romance set in an imaginary Iranian underworld.”Why is it important? The People’s Project almost from its inception embraced dealing with finding solutions to the problem of aerial reconnaissance. We launched and implemented several successful projects with this focus and not did not stop developing new solutions to this most pressing problem, including consulting with the military and their requirements. It is important to understand that one type of UAV can not address all the problems Ukraine’s troops face at the front, universal and effective solutions exist simultaneously. It is important that the men have the right machine to fit the specifics of their tasks and missions. For intelligence operations conducted on the contact line to find the right and most effective device for operational reconnaissance is no mean feat. It is clear when moving quickly to change their place of deployment a huge "bird" is not convenient. This posed the question of finding aircraft of compact design that combine the benefits of small UAVs yet still pack a punch in terms of serious specifications. Thus UKRSPECSYSTEMS company created the folding PC-1 Quadcopter. The PC-1 Quadcopter will be a useful mobile intelligence unit for the exploration of territory; any units located near the front line will be able to to view the area around camp, and detect and track enemy vehicles and human forces at short distance. The quadcopter features a complex design that fits easily into a backpack, yet can be quickly deployed. In order to be ready to fly, the copter requires less than three minutes preparation time. It features gyro-stabilized suspension and is equipped with a 10x zoom camera. Length in folded state 495 mm Length in unfolded state 560 mm Height (with battery) 140 mm Distance between rotors 690 mm Weight 4200 g Range, up to 5 000 m Flight time up to 40 minutes Power supply 2 batteries delivering 6 500 Digital encrypted telemetry link AES 128 Built-in 2-axle gyro-stabilized gimbal EO camera with 10x zoom Digital encrypted telemetry link Encrypted video signal Range reception and control – 5 km Flight path programming ability Compact folding design Video of deployment and operation of the quadcopter Folding PC-1 Quadcopter Built-in two-axle gimbal EO camera with 10x zoom Backpack Remote control for copter 7" screen for viewing live video Android based tablet 2 batteries delivering 6 500 A·h Battery charger USB telemetry module Where does the money go? The funds collected will be spent on the production of seven quadcopters developed by a group of enthusiasts, who set up UKRSPECSYSTEMS especially for Ukraine’s military taking into account their needs and concerns. A single copter kit will include all of the above technology, but, if necessary, equipment can be supplemented.We have a clear understanding of and experience in the production of UAVs to be used to improve the combat capability and effectiveness of Ukraine’s forces. Testing the PC-1 Quadcopter in the rain 15:56 15:55 17:42 19:11Alexis Tsipras was sworn in as Greece’s first openly atheist leader and is one of many European leaders who don’t believe in God, including those from France and Croatia. Alexis Tsipras, who was just sworn in as Prime Minister of Greece, will go down the books of history as the first Greek Head of Government to take a purely political oath, one totally free from religious pledges. Reuters noted that Tsipras took a very surprising turn when he opted for a civil oath, over a more traditional biblical one. Though the ceremony was presided over by an Archbishop, Tsipras requested that it not be religious in nature as he is an atheist. This makes Tsipras the country’s first openly atheist leader. This also brings the number of popular European Leaders that have climbed to the apex of public service despite not believing in God to three: the other two being Francois Hollande of France, and Zoran Milanović of Croatia. Through an analysis of public speeches and statements made by European Leaders, Quartz was able to lump Hollande and Zoran Milanović alongside Tsipras, in terms of religious beliefs. “I have reached a point where what is clear to me is the conviction that God doesn’t exist, rather than the contrary,” Hollande told a journalist back in 2002. Francois Hollande was also noted to have told a Catholic that he doesn’t practice religion. “I respect all faiths. Mine is not to have one,” he said. Though Francois Hollande was brought up in a family strongly rooted in Roman Catholicism, he jettisoned the faith much later. Most surprising as an atheist leader is Zoran Milanović, who was somehow able to find his way to the top, despite the fact that 90% of the total Croatian population is dominated by Catholics. Milanović’s stand as an atheist is one that has seriously irritated religious leaders across the country, as Milanović never attends church on religious holidays. Beyond France and Croatia, just recently, Simonetta Sommaruga, the sitting President of Switzerland, has reportedly left the Catholic Church. She presently describes her religious status as “searching.” The UK might soon join the league of countries headed by an atheist Leader. This is so, as Ed Miliband of the Labour Party, who is potentially the next Prime Minister, was caught on record saying he doesn’t believe in God. Though the seemingly increasing number of Heads of Government that are atheist might make it seem the whole block of European Leadership is drifting towards the atheist pole, there are much more Leaders who have openly and firmly proclaimed Christianity to match the numbers on the flipside. An example is Angela Merkel of Germany, who has declared “I believe in God and religion is also my constant companion, and has been for the whole of my life.” Norway is another shining example of a European nation headed mostly by Christians. There are presently 17 out of 18 ministers in government who said they belonged to the Lutheran church. After all has been said and done, the emergence of a self-proclaimed atheist Tsipras as Prime Minister is something of remarkable significance. Could this mean that more atheist leaders are to come, given a good portion of the general European population doesn’t believe in God? Time, as they say, shall tell. Resources Follow the Conversation on TwitterThis is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form. AMY GOODMAN: We turn now to the West Memphis Three. A new film looking at the case of the three young men in West Memphis, Arkansas, who were imprisoned for the 1993 slayings of three eight-year-old boys after an investigation largely fueled by unsubstantiated
The Arkansas litigation does not target fracking itself, but rather the disposal of the leftover toxic, briny water known as “flowback.” Millions of gallons of wastewater are typically trucked from the fracking site to the well site, where they are injected thousands of feet underground into porous rock layers, often for weeks or months at a time. Seismologists say fracking can cause tiny “micro earthquakes” that are rarely felt on the surface. The process of disposing of the wastewater, though, can trigger slightly larger quakes when water is pumped near an already stressed fault, even one that hasn’t moved in millions of years, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Only a handful of the 30,000 injection wells across the country have been suspected of causing earthquakes, the U.S. Geological Survey has said. That rare event likely happened in central Arkansas, said Scott Ausbrooks, a geologist at the Arkansas Geological Survey in Little Rock who lives in Greenbrier and said he received calls from panicked neighbors when the quakes were rattling the town more than a dozen times a day. Ausbrooks said he became interested in studying wastewater injection in the area because it had previously experienced some earthquakes, including a notable swarm in the 1980s. He worked with Steve Horton from the University of Memphis Center for Earthquake Research and Information to set up seismic monitors around eight disposal wells. They found that 98 percent of the 2010-11 swarm of small quakes occurred within 3.7 miles of two of the wells. “Given the strong spatial and temporal correlation between the two wells and seismic activity on the fault,” Horton wrote in a study published in “Seismological Research Letters” in the March/April 2012 issue, “it would be an extraordinary coincidence if the recent earthquakes were not triggered by the fluid injection. For these reasons, I conclude that fluid injection triggered the recent seismicity.” It was only after the wastewater injection wells went online that scientists discovered a previously unknown fault, now called the Guy-Greenbrier fault, Ausbrooks and Horton said. The Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission declared a permanent moratorium on new injection wells in almost 1,200 square miles (3,100 sq km) around the newly discovered fault. The commission now requires new wells to be between 1 mile and 5 miles from known faults, and it more closely monitors the amount and pressure of injected wastewater. The EPA currently has no regulations relating to earthquakes and disposal wells - known as Class II wells - but the agency began working on a report addressing the issue in the wake of a spike in quakes in the central and eastern United States. In a November 2012 draft report, the EPA said it was studying “injection-induced seismicity” in central Arkansas; north Texas; Braxton County, West Virginia; and Youngstown, Ohio. In Texas, operators in 2009 voluntarily plugged two disposal sites after regulators started investigating whether the wells touched off several quakes around the Dallas Forth-Fort Worth International Airport. Virginia’s Department of Environmental Protection in 2010 reduced the rate of wastewater injection allowed after a series of small tremors. And in Ohio, officials shut down five injection wells in Youngstown following a 4.0 earthquake on New Year’s Eve 2011 in an area that had never experienced seismic activity before, the EPA report said. The EPA said the draft, obtained by the specialized news service EnergyWire through a Freedom of Information Act request, was a “technical report” as opposed to a policy blueprint and “is still under development.” SEEKING PLAINTIFFS While the federal regulatory process plays out, the relationship between injection wells and earthquakes could first be thrashed out in court. Defense lawyers say proving negligence could be a difficult hurdle. “You have to prove that the conduct was unreasonable,” said Thomas Daily, an Arkansas lawyer who represents energy firms and is not involved in the earthquake cases. “You are not liable for a bolt out of the blue.” The plaintiffs’ attorneys, from the Little Rock firm Emerson Poynter, claim the companies should have known the risks of drilling in a historically seismic area. “The scientific proof is absolutely there,” said plaintiffs’ lawyer Scott Poynter. Slideshow (11 Images) Emerson Poynter lawyers said they currently represent 35 homeowners, about half of whom have yet to file lawsuits but plan to do so in state court. Along U.S. highway Route 65, which cuts through Greenbrier, the firm sprung for a billboard that features an illustration of a cracked brick wall next to the caption, “Earthquake damage?” written in a shaky looking font. The firm’s phone number is at the top. No matter how many people sign on, state regulators said the lawsuits will not deter oil and gas drilling. “It’s something that happened, we addressed it and developed some rules to keep it from happening again and everyone has moved on,” said Lawrence Bengal, director of the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission. “Whether the past will result in some award of money to someone I really don’t know. But I don’t know what more could have been done.”Nothing in life is inevitable so the old saying goes, other than death and taxes and maybe Arsenal finishing fourth in the Premier League, so the recent old news that the Catholic population of Northern Ireland may soon reach a voting majority might cause sleepless nights. Of course, Unionists will be quick to point out that substantial numbers of Catholics, including a proportion of SF voters, would not vote for a United Ireland if a referendum were to be held tomorrow. Such ‘soft’ nationalists, the theory goes, have been seduced by the NHS and generous welfare provisions into voting for their economic, rather than cultural interests. So far, so good, but nothing stays the same and the winds of change are growing strong. For a start, there is no body of evidence to suggest Catholics are casting first preferences in any significant numbers for Unionist parties. Their contentment (if that’s what it is), within the Union has been attained though EU membership which has made the border largely invisible, and the Good Friday Agreement which placed Nationalism on an equal footing with Unionism. All that changed with the last election. The DUP’s dire warnings about a ‘Radical Republican agenda’, got enough to the polls for it to just about keep its nose in front. The tactic, tried and tested since 1922, stopped votes leaking to Unionist rivals and maintained the DUP’s cherished position as ‘the leader of Unionism’, but the associated dog whistling – hostility to any manifestation of Irishness – which plays well to its voters also raised Nationalism from its slumber. Foster somehow managed to get twice as many SF stay-at-homes out than for her own party. Now that they smell victory, even more armchair Republicans may turn out to deliver the coup de grâce next time. It’s a mess and a mess of Unionism’s own making. Sectarian scare tactics win elections but they alienate the very moderate Catholics the Union needs if it is to survive beyond the next few years. Despite Scots-Gaelic and Welsh having legal recognition in other UK devolved regions, replicating the gesture in N. Ireland is portrayed as a ‘concession’ to ravenous reptiles that will inevitably return for more. Designated flag days are fine for Finchley but not Belfast. Here, being British means proving it by flying the Union flag wherever and whenever possible and by cheerfully following Theresa May over the cliff edge of Brexit, even if a hard border, either at Newry or Stranraer is the result. None of these things endear northern Catholics to the Union and unless enough of them can be persuaded they can live in a UK where their Irish identity is cherished, increasing numbers will be prepared to take a chance on the relative unknown of a United Ireland rather than a totally unknown post-Brexit UK. Massive constitutional and economic change is coming, so a border poll is no longer a choice between the status quo and change, but between two vastly different futures. Which one are Northern Nationalists likely to find more attractive? Leadership and imagination is required from Unionism but it unfortunately neither are ever rewarded. Nesbitt tried in a humble way and failed. His move let Foster blame him for an electoral disaster of her own making. The DUP can win the next assembly election and maybe the one after that by casting Gerry Adams and Republicans as Lord Voldemort and his evil minions, but if she wants to win a real border poll, something more will be required – a generosity of spirit that so far, has been entirely lacking. If Unionism doesn’t change its obsession with opposing any form of Irishness and regarding any change as a concession, a United Ireland will be inevitable. Nationalists just have to sit back and watch as Unionists slowly destroy the very thing they claim to cherish. As Napoleon said, ‘Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.’NETGEAR has announced the first AC3200 router. The R8000 Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band WiFi Router is no longer a rumor. It's the first router based on Broadcom's XStream platform announced only in two months ago, beating ASUS' RT-AC3200 announced a few weeks ago at Computex. The "Tri-Band" branding refers to the three radios in the XStream architecture; one covers the 2.4 GHz band, while the second radio covers the low 5 GHz band (Channels 36 - 48) and the third radio covers the high band (Channels 149 - 165). NETGEAR R8000 Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band WiFi Router A total of six non-upgradeable antennas are configured as three dual-band for the 2.4 and 5 GHz low band radios and three single-band for the high-band 5 GHz. The router comes configured with a single 5 GHz SSID with the router automatically assigning devices to one of the two radios based on actual connect rate. (For more on XStream see MU-MIMO vs. XStream: The Coming Battle For Wi-Fi Airtime.) NETGEAR R8000 feature callouts NETGEAR's specs say the R8000 supports alternative distros that will be available from MyOpenRouter.com. Other features include: Dual-core 1 GHz Broadcom BCM4709 CPU Beamforming support IPv6 support Open VPN server Gigabit WAN (1) and switched LAN (4) ports One each USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports for storage and printer sharing Not among the R8000's features is Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO) support. That requires a "Wave 2" 802.11ac chipset, which Broadcom's XStream architecture doesn't have. The first MU-MIMO capable routers will be based on either Quantenna or Qualcomm Atheros silicon and require client devices also supporting MU-MIMO. ASUS announced its Quantenna-based RT-AC87U at CES and recent Forum posts indicate that engineering samples are in the field. But no firm ship date has been announced. It is unclear whether the RT-AC87U will support MU-MIMO when it starts shipping. NETGEAR's outed R7500 X4 Nighthawk presentation material clearly states that it will be "MU-MIMO Ready". The R8000 is available for pre-order today at an MSRP of $299.99, with shipments starting July 11.Amonkhet is right on the horizon, and it brings many surprises along with it. Hazoret the Fervent, a dog that's a God. Prowling Serpopard, a Cat that's a Snake. May I interest you in a Snake that's also a mummy? Say hello to Honored Hydra. Honored Hydra features one of the new mechanics from Amonkhet. Embalm is an activated ability that creates a token copy of the creature with embalm. The ability can be activated if a creature card with embalm is in your graveyard and only at sorcery speed. (Embalming is hard work; you can't rush these things.) Once the mummification process is complete, you end up with a token that is a copy of the original, except now it's also a white Zombie in addition to its other creature types. Take the Honored Hydra token, for example. Looking good in the afterlife, my snek friend. Honored Hydra is a nice throwback to Roar of the Wurm from Odyssey, a seven-mana sorcery that makes a 6/6 Wurm token and flashes back for four mana. Honored Hydra plays out similarly, except it's more aggressively costed and there also are differences between embalm and flashback. The first thing that stands out about embalm is how much value you can get out of a single card. Once you've cast it from your hand and Honored Hydra hits the graveyard, you've essentially drawn a copy of Honored Hydra again. While it's technically not a card in hand, it's still providing you with virtual card advantage. In the case of Honored Hydra, the embalm cost is significantly lower than its regular casting cost. This means that if we find low-cost ways to get Honored Hydra into the graveyard, we can get a sweet discount on the mummification process for this snake. Vessel of Nascency and Grapple with the Past are two efficient and low-cost ways to mill yourself in Standard. You can use both of these cards to advance your game plan and sculpt your draws. If you reveal an Honored Hydra while casting either spell and allow the Hydra to hit the graveyard, you'll have the option to embalm it later in the game whenever you see fit. Cryptbreaker is a card that has great synergy with the creature type Zombie, and it plays double duty with Honored Hydra. Not only is Cryptbreaker a discard outlet to get Honored Hydra into the graveyard, but once embalmed, the Zombie Snake Hydra can be tapped to activate Cryptbreaker's ability and draw you more cards. Let's be real though: you're gonna have a 6/6 mummified Hydra on the battlefield. Drawing cards is amazing, but so is attacking your opponent with a Snake mummy. Lastly, a really nice thing about the way embalm is templated is that when you get the token copy, you're not actually casting a card. That means that counterspells can't stop you from embalming creatures. Pretty nice tech to fight against control decks. Of course, the card can be countered when it's cast from your hand, but that just puts it in your graveyard... ding! Overall, Honored Hydra and embalm are fun to play around with during deck building and brewing. I'm also very curious to see how important Zombies will be in Amonkhet, and how much our mummy Snake friend can help us in that department. What do you think about Honored Hydra and the rest of the Amonkhet previews? You can let me know on Twitter @gabyspartz, or on my stream at twitch.tv/gabyspartz. Amonkhet Prereleases begin April 22, so be sure to check out the rest of the cards in the Card Image Gallery to get ready for the newest set!The last memory Marco Streller has of a UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie was trudging off after FC Basel 1893's 7-0 loss at the hands FC Bayern München. With the Swiss champions back in this stage for the first time since that chastening 2011/12 experience, their captain is confident his side will be better for that experience when they face FC Porto this time around. "It was quite a harsh blow but we learned some key lessons," said the 33-year-old forward. "Bayern won the Champions League a year later, they were one of the best teams in the world. But we learned our lessons, and we are a step further in the mental aspect now." That campaign was not without successes – including a first-leg win against Bayern and a 2-1 home success over Manchester United FC – and this season a home win against Liverpool FC followed up by a matchday six draw at Anfield has helped Basel reach the knockout phase for the second time. "We deservedly qualified," said Streller. "We're very proud that we are able to do something great on the European scene." The Swiss international is hoping the winter break – Streller scored in the club's return from a two-month hiatus on 8 February – will ensure Basel are fresh. "We took some distance, we focused. That does a lot of good, it gives you some balance, it is important. Naturally we are looking forward to it, we are intensively preparing. Half of our training staff are Portuguese; they know Porto very well and we fully trust them." One of those staff members is coach Paulo Sousa, once a player at Porto's great rivals SL Benfica and Sporting Clube de Portugal, and Streller is sure his insider knowledge can make the difference. "His role will be crucial. We trust him. If anyone knows Portuguese football well then it has to be him. It can be a real asset that Paulo and his staff know Porto like the back of their hand. We are playing attractive football that bears the signature of our coach, and we're all very happy about it." Though they have avoided last season's finalists Club Atlético de Madrid in the draw as well as FC Barcelona, Chelsea FC and Bayern, Porto – who cruised through Group H undefeated – provide a stern test, one Streller is refusing to underestimate. "They have won the Champions League in the past, they've always had great players," he said. "At the moment they also have great players, so it will be a difficult game for us; we're aware of that. Porto are the clear favourites." Two games away from making history by helping the club getting to the quarter-finals for the first time, the former VfB Stuttgart attacker knows his side can cause an upset but will not get ahead of himself. "I'm certain that we stand a chance in the two games, but at the same time we've always struggled against Portuguese teams in the past. That's why it will be very difficult. We are talking about the round of 16 in the Champions League; there are only good opponents left. That's why we are looking forward to this encounter very much."Given that VR headsets are so expensive, we’re always on the lookout for deals that might entice more people to dive in, and UK retailer Game might just have the best offer yet for PlayStation VR (PSVR). The company is currently offering Sony’s headset along with a copy of the rather excellent PSVR compatible survival horror revival, Resident Evil 7, and the just-launched blockbuster first-person shooter (FPS), Farpoint for £349.99. That basically means two of PSVR’s biggest games are completely free. You also get a two month pass to a movie streaming service, Now TV, for what it’s worth. While that’s a great deal, be warned; it doesn’t include the PSVR’s Aim Controller, which is heavily featured in Farpoint. You can play the game with a DualShock 4, but it was specifically designed for the new controller, which also launches today, and the Aim controller is currently only being sold as a bundle with the game for £75. The set also doesn’t come with the PlayStation Camera, which is essential to actually use PSVR. Another bundle offers the camera for free, but no games. Unless you already have the camera, you’ll need to mix and match. If you think this deal might be for you (it’s still worth it for the free copy of Resident Evil 7 alone), we’d recommend hanging onto your copy of Farpoint until Sony offers a standalone version of the Aim Controller (or another bundle). The device will also support upcoming games like Arizona Sunshine and Dick Wilde, so hopefully a standalone version isn’t too far off. Make sure to check back with UploadVR later today; we’re going to have a lot more coverage of Farpoint and the Aim Controller very soon. Tagged with: Farpoint, Resident Evil 7: BiohazardCLOSE The Diamondbacks need a shortstop. Scott Bordow and Jay Dieffenbach discuss that and the Hamilton hazing scandal in the Shot Clock. Would the DIamondbacks be better off with Chris Owings, not Yasmany Tomas, in left field? (Photo: Charlie Kaijo/azcentral sports) Torey Lovullo may turn out to be a wonderful manager for the Arizona Diamondbacks but he’s already made two questionable decisions. The first: Making Archie Bradley the long reliever instead of giving him a more prominent role in the back of the bullpen. Bradley was electric Tuesday, striking out seven batters in 3 1/3 innings and hitting 99 on the radar gun. That performance wasn’t an aberration, either. Bradley was dominant the last couple weeks of the Cactus League, allowing just two earned runs in 13 innings while striking out 10 batters. Given the Diamondbacks’ set-up men aren’t exactly Andrew Miller, why not let Bradley pitch the seventh or eighth inning rather than mopping up in an 8-4 loss. MORE BORDOW: Time for Taijuan Walker to fulfill potential The second decision? Playing Yasmany Tomas in left field and Chris Owings at shortstop. Simply put, it’s a mistake. The Diamondbacks would be better off starting Nick Ahmed at short and moving Owings to the outfield. It would strengthen them defensively at two positions, significantly so. Ahmed is a far better defender than Owings, and Owings would be a plus defender in left (or right, if David Peralta shifts over) while Tomas is considered one of the worst defenders in the game, regardless of position. MORE: What the Diamondbacks are wearing in 2017 Yes, Tomas hit 31 homers and drove in 83 runs last year. But Owings will get on base more often and steal at least 20 bases. Plus, scoring runs isn’t the Diamondbacks’ problem, even if Ahmed can't hit a lick. Preventing runs – particularly with a shaky pitching staff – is paramount. Tomas’ $68.5 million contract shouldn’t factor into the equation. The worst thing the Diamondbacks can do is compound that mistake by continuing to tie themselves to it. For more from The Heat Index, go to heatindex.azcentral.com.Self-driving cars are most definitely the future. They have been for decades. For Google, that future isn't quite as close as you might think—as of right now, its autonomous vehicle would fail a driver's license test before it ever got out of the parking lot. MIT Technology Review took a closer look at the driving challenges Google's driverless cars still can't tackle. Most of them are so ubiquitous, so mundane, it's almost funny. It's also a reminder: It'll be quite some time before humanity is permanently relegated to the shotgun seat. Advertisement Weather If we dunderheaded meatbags only ever had to drive in sunny, temperate weather, we probably wouldn't be so eager to hand the keys over to HAL. But most of us who rely on automobiles use them come rain, snow, or worse. The Version 1.0 driving software located between your ears knows how to react to changing conditions, whether that means avoiding ice, making out lane lines under the snow, or just taking it easy when the pavement's wet. Self-driving cars haven't quite mastered that yet. In fact, forget about snow—Google's autonomous runabouts haven't even been tested in heavy rains yet. Google's Chris Urmson tells MIT Technology Review that safety concerns have so far prevented it. Advertisement Potholes Avoiding potholes isn't just about keeping your coffee from spilling out of your cupholder; those craters can do a number on your tires and wheels. But Urmson admits that Google's autonomous car won't recognize a pothole in the road—or worse, an open manhole—unless it's marked off with traffic cones. Yeesh. Roads That Haven't Been Thoroughly Googled Autonomous cars don't have the nimble brain capacity to deal with unpredictable unknowns, so they rely on meticulously collected information from (human-driven) scanner cars that analyze the route ahead of time. Think Google Street View, but a thousand times more detailed. Advertisement Every time Google's self-driving car trundles down a street, MIT writes, "intricate preparations have been made beforehand, with the car's exact route, including driveways, extensively mapped. Data from multiple passes by a special sensor vehicle must later be pored over, meter by meter, by both computers and humans. It's vastly more effort than what's needed for Google Maps." Unfortunately, a laughably tiny number of roads in the U.S. have been Googlified for autonomous car use. Yes, that number will naturally go up, and yes, it's unreasonable to expect a robocar with today's limited tech to explore uncharted territory. But this presents a hyper-magnified version of the same problem that faces electric cars: The inability to just get out there and go wherever. Construction Okay, so you can't drive on wet roads, or rough roads, or unscanned roads. But even the roads you drive every day aren't necessarily a go—because they've definitely changed over time. That means road construction, with lane diversions, detours, alternate traffic routes, temporary stop signs, and all kinds of unexpected changes. Advertisement Some of these changes can be picked up by the Google car's sensors. It's trained to recognize stop signs, for example, even if they're in unfamiliar places. But more complex changes, like a four-way stop, will send the little flivver into its slowest, most cautious mode of operation. "I could construct a construction zone that could befuddle the car," Urmson says. "Google says that its cars can identify almost all unmapped stop signs," MIT tells us, "and would remain safe if they miss a sign because the vehicles are always looking out for traffic, pedestrians and other obstacles." Don't worry about blowing that stop sign—the car will totally stop if it senses a problem. Or will it? Pesky Humans This is undoubtedly the most vexing problem with self-driving car tech: It's not great at detecting the humans that invariably pop up alongside (or in the middle of) the road. "Pedestrians are detected simply as moving, column-shaped blurs of pixels—meaning, Urmson agrees, that the car wouldn't be able to spot a police officer at the side of the road frantically waving for traffic to stop," MIT writes. Advertisement That's bad news for pedestrians, cyclists, road crews, traffic cops—pretty much anyone who might be around when an autonomous car piddles by. And yes, it's going to change. It has to, if autonomous cars are going to someday share the roads with us in any meaningful way. ...And They Won't Really Help Traffic The day will come when engineers teach these self-driving cars to navigate all these problems, and more. But even when that day comes, autonomous cars might not necessarily solve one of the biggest problems plaguing our roads: congestion. Advertisement As we pointed out when Google first showed the world its koala-faced golf cart, autonomous cars of any variety still take up space on freeways and city streets. They still require parking spaces. Even if they're someday able to drive in space-saving formation, or weave through intersections in a choreographed dance that never requires a red light for cross traffic to pass, they'll still be eating up several square feet of road space per passenger. But Will They Make Us Safer? Volvo, the most brazen automaker when it comes to autonomous tech, has promised that by the year 2020 it will completely eliminate crash-related deaths in its cars. Clearly, snatching the wheel out of the average, easily-distracted homosapiens' hands will eliminate a whole lot of the 33,000 road fatalities in the U.S. each year. But as our own Wes Siler points out, eliminating human error entirely still leaves about 3,300 fatalities on the table. Advertisement That's a huge improvement, but it's still more than sixty times the number of people killed in bus accidents every year. If you want the safest vehicle on the road, the best bet is still to skip the car entirely—no matter who's driving—and opt for public transportation. Especially considering self-driving cars can't even handle simple obstacles like snow yet. Until autonomous cars can safely navigate the complex world and its crosswalks, parking garages, rainy days, road debris, and tens of thousands of other unexpected distractions, we're still gonna have to steer and stop for ourselves. Google's Chris Urmson says he wants his company's self-driving cars to be road-ready by the time his 11-year-old son is eligible for his license. But until Google, and everyone else, can make an autonomous vehicle that's at least as capable as the moron in the car in front of you, that's probably a very optimistic target.Overview While focusing on champions you personally enjoy and have practiced a fair bit is generally the best way to pick champions, it's also wise to select champions that fit especially well with your team, deal well with key aspects of the enemy team, or have enough utility to fit into just about any composition. In this guide I'll go over good champion choices in 3 different scenarios - Blind Pick (no knowledge of your opponent's champions or your own carry), Weak Early Game/Range Disadvantage (your carry is weak early game or your opponent has a significant range advantage over your lane), or Strong Early Game/Range Advantage. Blind Pick Thresh - bar none the best support in the game, Thresh brings a bit of everything to the table. He has decent harass and peel, with 3 of his abilities having different forms of crowd control to help lock down opponents. On top of this, he's one of only two champion in the game with a tool to reposition teammates instantly. Dark Passage makes him particularly deadly with carries that lack quick escapes over walls but have other uses, like Kog'Maw, Draven or Jinx. Thresh also fits particularly well in pick comps filled with assassins, as he can set up kills on priority targets or help pull your team out of a botched dive. Thresh Runes and Masteries can vary greatly, as he benefits from AD, AP, HP, and resistances alike. The most common thresh builds feature a mix of HP, Cooldown reduction and resistances. Personally, maxing Cooldown reduction early in the game is a priority, as the lower the Cooldown for Death Sentence, the more likely an enemy will be caught out of position as a result. Dr. Mundo - Not your typical support by any means, but there's few champions you'd rather have in laning phase than a good Dr. Mundo. Like other tank supports, you won't be easy to kill, and Dr. Mundo's poke and inherent health regen make him one of the best early game bullies; because of this, a strong lane bully marksman paired with Dr. Mundo, like Caitlyn or Lucian, can zone out nearly any opposing bot lane. As an added bonus, if you grab Dr. Mundo early in the pick phase you will likely give your Top Laner or Jungler a free counter pick (assuming the enemy then picks their top laner before your team). I wrote a full guide on Support Mundo a few months ago, so if you're interested in knowing what kinds of Runes, Masteries, build orders and other tips I might have, you can check it out here: http://team-dignitas.net/articles/blogs/League-of-Legends/5005/The-Element-of-Suprise-Support-Mundo Weak Early Game/Range Disadvantage Braum - one of the tankiest champions in the game with decent harass, it's hard to punish the Heart of the Freljord whether with sustained poke or quick burst. A good Braum can soak up incredible amounts of damage for his carry while setting up strong harass through his long range q's and auto stun passive. Braum also serves as a great answer to supports that rely on single spells to land on priority targets, like Blitzcrank or Morgana, since Braum can simply jump in front of the carry and in most cases, soak up the followup damage without much concern. I go as tanky as I possibly can early in the game with my Runes and Masteries, with flat Armor Marks and Quints, flat HP Seals, flat Magic Resist Glyphs and a full defense mastery page. The flat HP and resistances, coupled with Braum's immensely powerful early game make him a threat to be reckoned with from the the gate. Nami - the runner-up for the title of the best overall support in the game, Nami's healing and peeling can make any carry's life a bit easier. Nami has deceptively great range, making her great at harassing, even while she's focused on healing. The movement speed buffs on your carry for every spell you cast is also incredibly helpful for your carry to position better or get out of sticky situations. Nami also fits in nearly every team composition, largely because her Tidal Wave serves as a fantastic tool for both engaging and disengaging team fights. I prioritize movement speed on nami, so I run 3 Movement Speed Quints along with flat Armor Marks, flat HP seals, flat AP Glyphs and 9/0/21 Masteries, making sure to take every point in Fleet of Foot. The small bit of AP helps her sustain and harass enough to make a noticeable difference, which can often times be the determining point in a close skirmish. Cooldown Reduction is another must-have stat for Nami, as her lowest base Cooldown on any spell is 10 seconds. Strong Early Game/Range Advantage Leona - in many ways an opposite tank to Braum, instead of jumping to your carry and protecting them, Leona is all about locking an opponent in place. Having a gap closer, single target stun and a ranged aoe stun means even if your opponent burns Flash, there's still a good chance you can secure the kill. The only real downside to Leona (and one of the primary reasons you need a carry that has a lot of power on their own) is she'll often be doing little to peel for her carry in fights, and rather be focused on picking out priority targets. Like Braum and Dr. Mundo, I also stack as much HP and resist as I can with Leona, taking the same Rune and Masteries. Leona's Zenith Blade throws her into what can easily be unfavorable positions (especially if your target Flashed away when you started the cast), so it's important to give yourself the best chance at being able to survive Soraka - while Soraka's revamped kit can still help weak early game laners survive bad trades, she excels as a support that can amplify a lane bully's dominance. With Soraka's very low Cooldown on heal, she becomes the focus for most opponents - which can work in your favor when you're looking for opportunities for harass. The only way to really defeat Soraka is through quick burst, which is rare for bot lane opponents to get early in the game. Soraka's biggest weakness in her new kit is the fact that healing an ally now costs her 10% of her max health. This means stacking HP on Soraka (which actually used to be quite strong) is now relatively meaningless, and the stats she'd most prefer are HP Regeneration and Resistances instead. Keeping this in mind, I run flat Armor Marks, scaling HP Regeneration Seals, flat Magic Resist Glyphs and 2 Movement Speed Quints and 1 flat Armor Quint. For masteries, I run a 0/15/15 page, again, focusing on HP Regeneration and Resistances as the primary focus. Conclusion In truth, there a lot of things you can factor in when choosing your champions, and there are significantly more choices than I presented in this article available. Likewise, simply because your lane has better synergy and/or an overall better matchup does not guarantee anything - anyone can make mistakes and lose even the most favorable matchups. That being said, often times your familiarity with a champion will be much more crucial than any strategy you can preemptively come up with - the only way to know what works best for you is to simply go out and try it out!Clark Gascoigne, +1 202 293 0740 ext. 222 E.J. Fagan, +1 202 293 0740 ext. 227 GFI Urges G7 Leaders to Push for an Illicit Financial Flows Goal in the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda GFI Calls for Implementation Assessments on Beneficial Ownership Commitment to Be Published by End of 2014 WASHINGTON, DC – G7 leaders meeting in Brussels reiterated their commitment to curtailing illicit financial flows stemming from crime, corruption, and tax evasion in a communiqué released today, as Global Financial Integrity (GFI) called on world leaders to push for an explicit illicit financial flows commitment in the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The communiqué states that “We will continue to work to tackle tax evasion and illicit flows of finance, including by supporting developing countries to strengthen their tax base and help create stable and sustainable states.” Heather Lowe, GFI’s legal counsel and director of government affairs, said “While this is not a ground-breaking communiqué, this statement demonstrates that the G7 is willing to put in the sustained effort necessary to tackle illicit financial flows. They got the ball rolling on this issue at Lough Erne, and while we appreciate the continued momentum, we need them to ensure that the effort truly engages and encompasses developing countries. We continue to have significant concerns that developing countries are being excluded from these critical developments.” Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda Today’s communiqué states that the G7 countries “commit to work with all partners to agree an ambitious and universal post-2015 agenda, anchored in a single set of clear and measurable goals.” They go on to say that the post-2015 development agenda “should be centered on people and focused… on balancing the environmental, economic and social dimensions of sustainable development….” GFI research finds that illicit financial flows drain roughly US$1 trillion per year from developing countries—stifling economic growth and fueling crime, corruption, and tax evasion. “Illicit financial flows are the single biggest impediment to sustainable economic development in poor countries. As G7 leaders are clearly committed to curtailing illicit financial flows as well as to truly sustainable development commitments, it only makes sense that they push to make the curtailment of illicit flows a stand-alone commitment within the forthcoming UN Sustainable Development Goals,” noted Ms. Lowe. Corporate Ownership Transparency Key Illicit financial flows are facilitated by opacity in the global financial system, with anonymous shell companies being a favored tool of money launderers. The G7 leaders reiterated their Lough Erne commitment to addressing the abuse of anonymous companies and trusts today, saying: “We remain committed to prevent
, the entire lineup is home guys. Colorado has been dismal all year scoring and Orlando’s defense is much better. The gamble is worth it. Captain This week is tough to pick. Without Giovinco, there isn’t a clear cut captain choice. New England and Colorado have defense that can step up at times. So, in the spirit of going big, it’s Villalba this week. DC hasn’t shown they can defender well and Atlanta are just too potent. He’s ready for a great round. Share this: Tweet Email Print©TOLGA AKMEN/LNP/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK Read more: A strange rebirth of Tory England? Who is the most powerful man in British politics? Philip Hammond maybe? First husband Philip May? No. The real answer is a beer-drinking Aston Villa fan, the “red Tory” thinker with the biggest beard in British politics since the days of Lord Salisbury and Keir Hardie. Nick Timothy has been at Theresa May’s side for much of the past decade, and seeing as she keeps her own cards so close to her chest, knowing where he stands is likely to be as good a guide as any to where a new May government will go. He is her policy thinker, her speechwriter and is ruthlessly loyal. He is indispensable in driving the priorities that for a long time made May an outsider in a party where the two competing worldviews are Thatcherite possessive individualism and Cameronian metropolitan liberalism—both of which Timothy and May reject. Born into a successful working-class family on the eastern side of Birmingham, grammar school educated, Timothy made his way through the party machine to emerge as an adviser to May in 2007. All the while, he coveted the idea of becoming MP for Sutton Coldfield, a rare seat near his home that stayed blue through the New Labour years. He looked to have an opening when the incumbent member, Andrew Mitchell, found his career on the line over the so-called “Plebgate” affair, but Mitchell survived. David Cameron then gave Timothy’s fate another twist. First, he kicked him off the Tory candidates’ list as a way of punishing May for a public spat with Michael Gove. Second, he pledged the EU referendum, which would lead to his own downfall and May’s ascent. All of which meant that in July 2016, Timothy moved to the heart of government as Downing Street joint chief of staff, along with his long-time ally Fiona Hill. Thus it is that he is currently overseeing the Tory machine from central office, writing the manifesto, and plotting May’s return to power as—in the judgment of the Spectator’s James Forsyth—the most left-wing Conservative leader for a generation. If May wins, Timothy is expected to return to his post with his authority burnished and his ambitions in overdrive. But is May really a left-wing Conservative? The evidence is at best mixed, but there is less doubt about Timothy’s leanings. His hero is Birmingham’s most dazzling late-19th-century son, Joseph Chamberlain. He wrote a laudatory Conservative History Group pamphlet entitled “Our Joe,” which pleaded with the party “to remember its historical debt to Radical Joe.” What does this mean in practice in the 21st century? Chamberlain promoted many causes during what may be the most divisive career in British political history, and it would be wrong—not to mention anachronistic—to imagine Timothy embraces them all. But he does embrace Chamberlain’s view that Conservatives must use government for “the betterment of the working classes” with the aim of unifying the country. That is why he talks to Labour thinkers like Maurice Glasman and Matthew Taylor, and why he is drawn to writers like David Goodhart and David Willetts. And that’s why, in his own mind, he continues to promote policies ranging from selective education to affordable home building, corporate co-determination and direct intervention on energy prices. Timothy was, unlike May, a “Leaver,” but he’s no ideological Atlanticist. He is a strong believer in the nation state and the virtuous role of government, though not the big state. That mix may confuse the left, but it also sets him at odds with the laissez-faire bent of much of the Tory right. Most assuredly, Timothy is no libertarian: he loathes Ayn Rand. The big questions, once the election is done, will be whether Timothy and May will have the authority and the worked-out plans to give these ideas a real go. Given the demands of pressures of Brexit, on which Timothy is effectively chief adviser, that is uncertain. His early efforts last year were naive, with retreats on industrial democracy and a miscued launch of the grammar school revival. Much of the Tory Party remains hostile to the Timothy agenda, as does the Daily Mail. Yet if May wins big on 8th June, Timothy will have an unrivalled chance to change Britain. Where will Theresa May’s surprise ballot leave the government, the opposition and a divided country? Join us for our big election debate on the 6th of June 2017. Tom Clark, Prospect’s editor, will be joined by Nick Cohen, Matthew Parris and Meg Russell of the Constitution Unit. 12072795785c76aea3b85af5.16800244Edith Windsor kept a thank you note from a 9-year-old named Grace, who’d written to thank her for making it possible for her parents to marry. She showed it to a reporter from Time Magazine who came to interview her in 2013, and also on her wall she had a framed picture from Alison Bechdel, also expressing thanks for “paving the way.” They called her an “unlikely activist,” Edie Windsor, who radiated with magnetic charm, and who died today, in Manhattan, at the age of 88. Her second wife, Judith Kasen-Windsor, who she married in 2016, has not specified a cause of death. Edith Windsor, whose parents came to the U.S from Russia when she was a little girl, read voraciously, and kept forever the 19-volume dictionary her father used to learn English. When Edith Windsor was 13, she was elected vice president of her eighth-grade class. Edith Windsor’s mother told her that if anybody at school called her a “dirty Jew,” she should pull their hair. She told the reporter from Time Magazine that once upon a time she’d seen a lesbian couple dancing at a gay bar and thought to herself, “I hope I have that when I’m old.” Edith Windsor met the love of her life, Thea Spyer, at a restaurant named Portofino, in Greenwich Village. She’d asked her friend, “if you know where the lesbians are, please take me,” and so her friend took her. Thea was a psychologist. Edith was a computer programmer. Maybe you know this already, maybe you’ve seen the documentary. When Edith and Thea were engaged, Thea wore a circular diamond pin instead of a ring, so people wouldn’t ask too many questions and expose them. They couldn’t be out, not then. There were some places where they could be out, certain homes and bars and vacation towns. But nothing like it is today. Women like Edie Windsor and quite notably Edie Windsor herself created change, fighting for things many young gays take for granted, that later generations won’t really understand how we ever lived without. She lived a double life; she had to. Nothing like it is today — like could she have ever imagined that on the day of her death, a social media application called Twitter would turn into a virtual collage of selfies various LGBTQ people had taken with Edie Windsor, and their memories of her? In 2012, Edith Windsor went to court, challenging the federal Defense of Marriage Act, protesting that she was asked to pay $363,000 in estate taxes when Thea died because the federal government did not recognize their marriage. They’d been together for 44 years. “It’s just a terrible injustice, and I don’t expect that from my country. I think it’s a mistake that has to get corrected,” Edie told NPR. In 2012, a judge in Windsor’s case ruled that Section 3 of DOMA was unconstitutional, and the case then went on to the Supreme Court. In 2013, the Supreme Court issued a 5-4 decision also declaring Section 3 of DOMA to be unconstitutional and enshrining that fact as federal law. Same-sex married couples were granted federal recognition and earned access to myriad federal benefits. State laws banning same-sex marriage around the nation remained in place until another Supreme Court decision in 2015. Thea Spyer, Edith’s wife, had been kicked out of Sarah Lawrence for kissing a woman — which is funny to imagine, I mean, it’s Sarah Lawrence. Thea was intentionally “playing the field” when she met Edie at the restaurant but life comes at you fast, doesn’t it? After dinner, Edith and Thea went to a party. At the party, they danced all night.I have read Susan Hatler books before and liked them but this one was really disappointing. I almost didn't bother to finish. On and on and on Ginger droned about her dad's drinking being why she can't try with the hot ER doc Greg who clearly wanted her. Not quite sure why he kept trying after all the times she turned him down. How many times did she have to explain why she was turning him down? We get it! Your dad was a raging alcoholic ER doc who dealt with the stress and sadness of what happens in the ER with booze and so you didn't want the same life. How many times do you have to explain it in the book? Once or twice would have sufficed. Her sister Mary Ann was ridiculous and took advantage of her. Getting facials but can't afford her half of the rent? Grow up and quit covering for her! And her mom. Seriously, how old are you that you'd let your mom get away with controlling your life? By the end I wasn't even rooting for her to get the guy - he was too good and nice for her and she was too stubborn and judged people not by their behavior but by her dad's behavior. I also found it frustrating that even though she was adamant she didn't want kids, she all of a sudden changes her mind after feeling her friend's baby move in her belly at a shower. Eye roll. The one thing I liked was the characters, even the cats, being named after Gilligans Island characters.[India], August 4 (AN): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday hit out at Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Yadav for his remark on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and said it is better to get associated with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) rather than forming an alliance with the Congress, adding that "Lalu Yadav is nothing but a thing of the past. "Where Nitish Kumar have gone if not for the NDA? Become Sonia'sharnam gachhami'? Lalu's story has now become a history. He would go to jail with his entire family on the charges of corruption soon," BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Choubey told ANI. Choubey said Lalu may do whatever he wants but it won't harm BJP. Earlier, Lalu called Nitish Kumar a 'palturam' and termed his alignment with the NDA a case of 'NaMo sharnam gachhami'. He also slammed Narendra Modi led union Government and said that it has imposed a situation of 75 per cent emergency in the country. Backing his allegation, he said that the way central agencies are being misused it seems that there is an emergency in the country. He also said that the people who are associated with BJP have been roaming free despite being involved in a number of scams. (ANI)Barry Alvarez hasn't coached a game since winning the 2006 Capital One Bowl. Credit: Getty Images By of the Madison - According to a source close to the UW football program, athletic director Barry Alvarez does not plan to allow Bret Bielema to coach the Badgers in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 against Stanford and may lead the team on the sideline himself. That source said Alvarez, who was out of town and unavailable for comment, planned to oversee the team while he searches for a replacement for Bielema, who accepted a job Tuesday to coach the University of Arkansas. Alvarez's last game as coach at UW was the 2006 Capitol One Bowl, a 24-10 victory over Auburn. He led UW to victories in the 1994, 1999 and 2000 Rose Bowls. "That would sell a lot of tickets," a source said. Bielema did not return messages, but according to another source the outgoing coach met with the UW players in a brief but emotional meeting Tuesday night. The players were not told who would be coaching the team in Bielema's absence. Alvarez released a statement Tuesday night. It read, in part: "Along with finding a new coach, my other main objective is to make sure that our student-athletes, specifically our seniors playing in their final game as Badgers, have a tremendous experience in the Rose Bowl. "We will do everything within our power to make that happen." If Alvarez decides it is best to have a current member of the staff coach the team, the logical choices would be defensive line coach Charlie Partridge or defensive coordinator Chris Ash. Ash joined the staff in 2010 and served as the team's secondary coach. He has been co-defensive coordinator/secondary coach for the last two seasons. Partridge, who came to UW in 2008 from Pittsburgh, has the most seniority on the staff and is the associate head coach. He is also co-defensive coordinator. Bielema himself has dealt with the news of coaches accepting jobs elsewhere before the Rose Bowl. Two years ago, Bielema allowed then-defensive coordinator Dave Doeren to coach UW against TCU in the 2011 Rose Bowl after Doeren had accepted the head-coaching job at Northern Illinois. UW lost to TCU, 21-19, though Doeren said afterward he did not feel his performance as defensive coordinator was compromised by his hiring at Northern Illinois. "I wanted to finish the ride," Doeren said at the time. "I asked him: 'Is this something we can talk about or is it out of the question?' " Bielema made it clear at the time he believed Doeren could handle the job and allowed him to coach in the game. In the days leading to UW's Rose Bowl game against Oregon last season, the players learned they would be losing Paul Chryst and Bob Bostad, at the time UW's offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. Chryst was named head coach at Pittsburgh. He hired Bostad and eventually added tight ends coach Joe Rudolph and linebackers coach Dave Huxtable, though Bostad took a job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL before the season started. UW lost to the Ducks, 45-38, in an entertaining game that wasn't decided until the final minute. All of Bielema's departing assistants coached in that game. According to sources close to the program, the players learned throughout the day of Bielema's decision and were stunned to learn he would be leaving. "No one saw this coming," a source said. Did anyone see Alvarez on the sideline one more time? Likely not, though that now appears possible.Washington (CNN) The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate armed services committee are asking Defense Secretary James Mattis to investigate accusations of torture at prisons in Yemen run by United Arab Emirates forces where US forces were also interrogating prisoners. Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Jack Reed of Rhode Island sent a letter to Mattis on Thursday asking him to investigate the alleged abuses, which were revealed in an Associated Press report Thursday. "We request that you direct an immediate review of the facts and circumstances related to these alleged abuses, including US support to the Emirati and Yemeni partner forces that were purportedly involved," the senators wrote in the letter, obtained by CNN. "We also request that you conduct a thorough assessment of what, if anything, US forces knew about these alleged abuses or subsequently learned about them," they added. The Associated Press reported there was a network of 18 prisons run by UAE or Yemeni forces, and that US forces participate in interrogations, although no instances were found where US forces participated in abuses. Read MoreThis article is over 10 years old Lavish displays of synchronised swimming and extravagant rallies mark one of secretive nation's biggest public holidays North Korea today celebrated the birthday of its leader, Kim Jong-il, with lavish displays of synchronised swimming, extravagant rallies and the customary paeans in the state-owned media. However, there were no reports that the 67-year-old had appeared in public, fuelling speculation that he has not fully recovered from a stroke he apparently suffered last summer. His birthday celebrations came amid fears abroad that Pyongyang plans to stage a missile test. There are growing concerns that the country is preparing to test a long-range missile, following surveillance reports of long objects being moved towards the coast and of Chinese ships vacating the area. The official Korean Central news agency (KCNA) reported earlier today that Pyongyang would press ahead with a launch, saying it was part of a space programme. On the inter-Korean border, defectors and activists in South Korea flew tens of thousands of anti-Kim leaflets to the North by balloon, ignoring a warning from their government that the campaign could provoke Pyongyang. Activists put North Korean cash into some of the vinyl leaflets in an effort to entice North Koreans to read their calls for an uprising against Kim. Suzanne Scholte, the chairwoman of the North Korea Freedom Coalition, based in the US, said the leaflet campaign was a way of providing North Koreans with "true information about their circumstances". "It is more important than ever that North Koreans realise that the greatest threat to their well-being and security is their own dear leader," she said during the leafleting campaign at the border town of Imjingak. Inside the North, the KCNA reported a surge of congratulatory messages and gifts flooding in from overseas for Kim. Streets and villages in North Korea had been festooned with flowers and other decorations to mark the anniversary, and the country was overflowing with "warm wishes" for the leader, the agency said. "Comrade Kim Jong-il is a great politician, a heaven-made commander and an affectionate father who safeguards and illuminates the fate of our nation and people," the country's main Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in a lengthy editorial. "We have to sincerely uphold the dear general's military-first leadership." Kim's birthday is one of the North's biggest national holidays, along with that of his late father and national founder Kim Il-sung, who died in 1994. His apparent stroke last year has raised concerns about possible instability in the totalitarian nation in case he is incapacitated, because he has not named any of his three sons as a successor.Even though the Alabama Crimson Tide didn’t win the national championship, the team still had an outstanding season. It also has a very bright future ahead of it. Please note that I’m not suggesting that this loss won’t sting throughout the offseason. It certainly will. The Tide took a 14-point lead in the second quarter, and had a 10-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter. According to ESPN, Alabama was 97-0 under Nick Saban when leading by double digits heading into the final period. For a brief moment, it looked like the Tide would extend that record to 98-0. After Clemson pulled ahead 28-24 in the fourth quarter, Jalen Hurts led the team on a 6-play, 68-yard scoring drive to retake the lead with just over two minutes remaining. However, the Tigers won the game – and the national championship – on the final series thanks to the precision passing of Deshaun Watson. Although the ending was certainly a disappointment, it’s tough to argue that the 2016-17 campaign was anything other than a success. Despite having to break in some new starters on offense this year, Alabama was still one of the better units in the country, ranking 14th in scoring and 11th in rushing. And while the passing game didn’t routinely throw for 300 yards, Hurts was one of the more accurate passers in the country this season, completing 64.7% of his throws (heading into Monday night’s action). On the other side of the ball, Alabama’s defense was clearly the best in the country this year. It led the nation in scoring defense, total defense, run defense, and yards per play. In addition, the Tide D ranked in the top 10 in turnovers forced, interceptions, sacks, tackles for a loss, and third down conversion percentage. It’s tough to argue with those results, which is why Alabama will be in the mix for the national championship again in 2017. Sure, they’ll have to replace a few key players next season. But, with Jalen Hurts, Bo Scarbrough, and several starters from the nation’s best defense returning, there’s no reason to think that the Tide won’t be in the College Football Playoff next year.In the first 4 parts of the The Brewing Monks, we looked specifically at the history of the Trappist order and the current Trappist Breweries. In the first part, The Brewing Monks: A Brief History of the Trappist Order and Monastic Brewing, I looked at the history of the Trappist order and how abbeys become involved in brewing. In the Second Part, The Brewing Monks: The Trappist Breweries (Part 1), I delved into the history of Rochefort, Stift Engelszell, Westmalle, and Westvleteren. In the third part, The Brewing Monks: The Trappist Breweries (Part 2), I covered the history of Chimay, Orval, La Trappe, and Achel. In 2015, a new brewery was added at one of the oldest monasteries in Italy. Their story is told here: The Brewing Monks: The 11th Trappist Brewery – Tre Fontane. The next part will cover the Trappist Monasteries that are in the process of adding a brewery in or have beer ventures that would allow them to add one in the future. Edited & Updated 10/21/2013 Edited & Updated 03/07/2014 Edited & UPdated 12/03/2016 Almost Trappist Update: Zundert and Spencer Abbey have both released their beers with the official Authentic Trappist Product logo. Therefore, I’ve updated and moved them to their rightful place alongside their Trappist brethren in this series. Not Quite Trappist Abbaye du Sainte Marie Mont des Cats – Godewaesvelde, France (Est. 1650, Original Brewery Est. 1848) The original abbey at Mont des Cats was established by the “Hermits of St. Anthony” in 1650 and remained with that order until 1792 when the French Revolution forced the abandonment of their home. The site lay dormant until the Cisterician Order sent monks to reestablish the site at Mont des Cats in 1826. The monks built their first brewery in 1847 and continued to expand it until restrictive laws by the French Parliament forced the monastery to shut down the brewery. The final blow to the brewery came during WWI when the Germans shelled the abbey doing considerable damage to the brewery. As the monks rebuilt, they decided not to reopen the brewery. The monastery survived on its farm lands and by selling cheese. However, their financial needs become too much for cheese alone to maintain. The monks decided to return to their roots and sell a beer. Their initial decision was to have the beer brewed by the monks of Chimay who created a unique recipe for the abbey of Mont des Cats which falls into the Tripel style range. Mont des Cats is allowed to use the word Trappist on the label because the beer is brewed at a Trappist Brewery for a Trappist monastery. They aren’t allowed to use the ATP logo because it’s not brewed within their own walls. There are no short-term plans to build a brewery on site, but the monks haven’t ruled it out and will probably build one at some point (here is the press release announcing the release of their beer). The beer is currently only available in Western Europe. Abbey of New Clairvaux – Vina, California (Est. 1955, No Brewery) New Clairvaux was founded in 1955 when Trappist monks from Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky found a new place to expand. The site of the monastery was on land that has hosted a vineyard since the mid 19th century. Although the monks survived on the orchards and on the dairy products they produced. It wasn’t until 2000 that they sought to revive the vineyards and begin producing wine. In 2010, Sierra Nevada Brewing announced a joint venture with New Clairvaux to begin producing beer. The venture would be called Ovila, after a Cistercian chapter house that was originally built in Spain during the 12th century. The chapter house had been acquired by the Hearst family in the 1930’s. They’d intended to use its stones to create a mansion. Their plans never came to fruition. The monks of New Clairvaux got the stones in the mid-90’s and began re-assembling the chapter house. Some of the proceeds of the collaboration are going to help the New Clairvaux monks rebuild their chapter house on-site in California. They have produced 6 beers in the 2 years they’ve been collaborating. The first 4 beers were a dubbel, a saison, a quad, and a golden. At the end of 2012, they retooled the beers to include ingredients produced on the monks’ land. The first was a Belgian Quad brewed with plums. The second was a Saison brewed with mandarin oranges and peppercorns. While this collaboration isn’t a “Trappist” labeled product, New Clairvaux would only need to add a brewery to the property to begin the process of joining the ATP breweries. More About Monastic Brewing The Brewing Monks: The Benedictine Breweries (Part 1) – A look at some of the Benedictine Monasteries producing beer commercially. The Brewing Monks: The Benedictine Breweries (Part 2) – A look at some more of the Benedictine Monasteries producing beer commercially. Resources/References Great Beers of Belgium by Michael Jackson, (Brewers Publications, 2008) brew like a monk by Stan Hieronymus, (Brewers Publications, 2005) The Oxford Companion to Beer edited by Garret Oliver, (Oxford University Press, 2012) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trappist_order http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cistercian_order http://www.trappist.be/en/pages/the-international-trappist-association Like this: Like Loading...In his first public words since Wednesday morning’s shootings, Prime Minister Stephen Harper called the attacks “despicable” and “cold-blooded murder.” “In the days to come, we will learn more about the terrorist and any accomplices he may have had,” he said. “But these attacks are a grim reminder that Canada is not immune to the types of terrorist attacks we have seen elsewhere around the world.” He called the attacks on the military and on Parliament “by their very nature attacks on our country, on our values, on society, on us Canadians, a free and democratic people who embrace human dignity for all. “We will not be intimidated. Canada will never be intimidated,” he said. He promised the country will “redouble our efforts” to keep Canada safe and fight terrorists abroad who have “the hope of bringing their savagery to our shores. They will have no safe haven.” Speaking after Harper, NDP leader Tom Mulcair said the attack was “carried out on the very ground where we come together to exchange ideas with the knowledge that whatever our differences, we will always resolve them peacefully.” “It was intended to make us more fearful of our neighbours and less confident in ourselves,” he said. But he said Canada and Canadians are stronger than that. “Today’s events have instead only succeeded in drawing us closer and making us stronger.” While Canadians are “stricken with disbelief,” he added that “we shall not waver. “We woke up this morning in a country blessed by love, diversity and peace, and tomorrow we will do the same. These acts were driven by hatred but also designed to drive us to hate. They will not. We will stand up and we will stand together. We will persevere and we will prevail.” Speaking later in the evening, Liberal leader Justin Trudeau echoed the first two leaders in praising the heroism of those who tried to save lives Wednesday. Trudeau said Canadians will see many pictures from the shootings in the days to come. “But there is one picture that we must remember,” he said. “It’s the picture that we have of Canadians helping other Canadians and protecting other Canadians. That’s who we truly are. And that’s who we will continue to be.” [email protected] twitter.com/TomSpears1A GoFundMe page has been created for Whitchurch-Stouffville Mayor Justin Altmann’s replica chain of office after he charged taxpayers $1,949 for the “promotional item.” The page was created on Thursday “to pay the town back” for the cost of the red chain, dubbed the “people’s community chain.” Whitchurch-Stouffville Mayor Justin Altmann sports a second chain of office at the town's Remembrance Day service Saturday. After being cited for innapropriate use of the official chain of office, Altmann personally requisitioned and billed the town for this second chain. ( Mike Barrett / Metroland ) On Thursday evening, $757 of the $1,949 goal has been raised. One of the donors appears to Altmann’s wife, Jenny Altmann, who gave $100. The chain of office, which is passed down from mayor to mayor to symbolize authority, caused tension among councillors after Altmann allowed the chain to be worn by kids, a blind therapy dog and Santa. The councillors said the chain should be worn only by the mayor at official council events. The formal motion from December placed limitations on the original chain’s use, including that it not taken beyond the borders of the town, only be worn at official council meetings, and that it be displayed in a publicly accessible area of town hall locked in a display case. Article Continued Below After councillors suggested the official royal blue chain be locked up in a display case, they noticed Altmann purchased a replica costing $1,949 from Swyrich Corp. “With all the crap going on in Whitchurch Stouffville and the contemptious (sic) debate of the Chain of Office the Mayor is NOT ALLOWED to remove from office or wear as he see's fit, I've had enough and feel that if the town wants to complain about this one and the fact it was expensed then let's chip in to raise the $1949 to pay the town back for this undue hardship which equates to $.01 per resident,” the GoFundme page’s author Kevin Wagg wrote. The chain is not the main issue in town, the page says but an issue of “BULLYING and a constant witch hunt” of Altmann. Altmann caused controversy this year with his creation of a “CSI-style” wall of photos in his office washroom. On the wall was dozens of photos of fellow of former councillors, town staffers and Star reporter Noor Javed. In September Altmann defended his use of the chain and his wall describing it as his “mind map.”According to a Jakarta police spokesman, there is a high chance that Daesh (the Islamic State) are involved in the series of terror attacks across the Indonesian capital. BALI (Indonesia), (Sputnik) – It is highly probable that the Daesh jihadist group was involved in explosions in Indonesia’s Jakarta, police spokesman Budi Gunawan said Thursday, as cited by the local media. "It was most probably conducted by the Daesh," Gunawan said, as quoted by the Detik news outlet. At least 10 people were killed in a series of explosions in the Indonesian capital after several assailants entered the downtown area on motorcycles, carrying rifles and explosives. © REUTERS / Beawiharta Daesh Threatened Indonesia With Attacks Prior to Jakarta Blasts Head of the Department of Public Relations of Jakarta’s Metropolitan Police Muhammad Iqbal said the situation in the city had been normalized, the media reported. "Four of the assailants have been neutralized, the situation in the area (of the attacks) is calm," Iqbal said, as quoted by the news outlet. Earlier on Thursday, President of Indonesia Joko Widodo called the incident an act of terrorism. Daesh is outlawed in a number of countries, including the United States and Russia.When pointing to statistical evidence of patriarchy, many people immediately look to those in power. 103 women hold seats in congress, a record number but nevertheless a disproportionate minority. Many feminists argue that to rid society of the patriarchy we need to do a better job of electing powerful women. Meanwhile, people continue to cede power over their own lives to the State. The State is a patriarchal institution, controlled by men with the interests of men in mind. Its function is maintaining its own power and upholding the status quo. With a State that inevitably attempts to dominate our bodies and our minds, feminists must recognize that the way to defeat patriarchy is not to join or cater to the State, but to take its power away and return it to ourselves. Anarcha-feminist Emma Goldman wrote in Anarchism and Other Essays, “Anarchism stands for the liberation of the human mind from the dominion of religion and liberation of the human body from the coercion of property; liberation from the shackles and restraint of government. It stands for a social order based on the free grouping of individuals…” Anarchism is naturally complementary to feminism. If feminism aims at crushing the antiquated and evil cultural notion that women are property, it is a means for women to liberate and empower themselves, so they can finally live as free individuals. Statist feminism, the attempt to liberate women through the State, is futile because it relies on a patriarchal institution to go against its very nature and uplift those it inherently oppresses. The struggle for women’s rights requires us to free ourselves from the chains of patriarchy, not to learn to live with them. The central planning of the State negates the lived experiences of individual women by attempting to treat them as a class or a category, rather than as individuals. The last thing women need is old white men in Washington discussing their reproductive rights. State-enforced patriarchal norms are evident in restrictions on abortion, standardized maternity leave (different women have different needs), and prescriptions for birth control which limit their accessibility. Patriarchy also seen in restrictions on employment, from professional licensing requirements to bureaucracy to zoning laws that make it difficult for women to work for themselves. The State prevents women from lifting themselves up and puts them at the mercy of their bosses and legislators, who are also usually men. Women continue to look to the State for help without realizing they are signing a contract with their oppressors. Most people make decisions based on self-interest; that is, they make decisions to better their own position by weighing the perceived costs and benefits of each option. This seems like common sense, but what people often forget is that politicians are no exception. Public choice theory says that politicians make decisions like other human beings. Just watch House of Cards to see what I mean. Public choice theory explains why voters are so often disappointed in their elected officials. Politicians make the decisions they need to make to maintain their power by catering to special interests, following party lines, and securing campaign funds. They are not in Congress because they care about bettering the lives of Americans but because they care about themselves. Understanding public choice theory helps us understand why the government run by men will never free women. Politicians work to secure their power by convincing people that they need the government to do things for them. To paraphrase Harry Brown, the government breaks our legs, hands us crutches, and expects a thank you. They do not have our best interests in mind, and it is foolish to expect them to. Rather than asking for better crutches, women must crush the hand that breaks us and liberate ourselves from the fists of patriarchy. Lately, I’ve seen a lot of feminists wearing shirts that say, “A woman’s place is in the House and the Senate,” which is a play on the phrase, “A woman’s place is in the home.” Politicians, or women who empower themselves by oppressing other women, are not worthy role models. Women should draw inspiration not from war criminals and tyrants, but from real revolutionaries. Revolutionary women are women who stand up for themselves and take their power back. They do not seek to make friends with the patriarchy, but to destroy it where it stands. They are women like Emma Goldman, bell hooks, Angela Davis, Lucy Parsons, and Voltairine de Cleyre. Revolutionary women lead the fight for our rights boldly and are not afraid of a little controversy. Feminists should knock down patriarchal institutions, not depend on them. Revolutionary women do not find themselves drinking coffee with old white men in Washington, directing our lives, but instead on the front lines of a social movement that encourages self-direction. A woman’s place is not in the House or in the Senate, passing laws that increase women’s dependence on the patriarchal State. A woman’s place is in the revolution. AdvertisementsApple launched a new version of the iTunes Extras feature that will let Apple TV users access bonus content for movies they buy through the service on their HDTVs — and also let studios dynamically update related material for their titles. The goal for Hollywood is to give consumers new reasons to buy digital movies, instead of renting or watching them on a subscription VOD service, as DVD sales continue to shrink. “It brings the consumer a whole new level to their homevideo experience,” said Mary Daily, president and CMO for 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. “Apple is helping to take that digital experience to the next level. You now have a substantial amount of people who have access to additional content on the big screen in the living room.” The tech giant offers iTunes Extras for several hundred titles, now available with a newly designed interactive interface for Apple TV set-tops. The updated version of Extras also is available for Macs and PCs, and Apple expects to make the updated version of Extras available on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch when it releases iOS 8 this fall. The Extras content is
production and nervous system health. Food sources: beef, eggs, fresh vegetables, kidney, legumes, liver, mushrooms, nuts, saltwater fish, whole rye flour Sunflower seeds are a good source of zinc. Zinc is easily used up by stress, and a stressful period can often be charted from where white spots grow on the fingernails WHITE SPOTS ON NAILS What’s causing it? Need for zinc Although white spots on the nails are often assumed to be a calcium deficiency, it is actually another mineral loss they are indicating. The mineral zinc is very important for many of the enzyme systems in the body, for immunity and for the production of hormones, including insulin and sex hormones. It is the most abundantly used mineral in the body and allows energy production, but also all healing and replication (like fertility and sexual health) rely on good levels. Alternating constipation and diarrhoea is a sign of a magnesium deficiency It is easily used up by stress and we can often chart a stressful period from where white spots appear grown from the nail bed. Zinc in plant foods is less bioavailable that in animal foods because it binds to phytate (a fibre) that makes it difficult to absorb, so vegetarians may want to consider a supplement of about 15-20mg a day. Food sources: fish, meat, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, nuts, oysters and other shellfish, crab, rye flour, cheddar cheese ALTERNATING CONSTIPATION AND DIARRHOEA What’s causing it? Need for magnesium Magnesium is an essential mineral with about 70 per cent in the bones and the remaining 30 per cent in the soft tissues and body fluids. We use up massive amounts in the stress response and when we eat sugar. Our ability to calm muscles and brain after stress rely on this ‘calming mineral’ and you can see a vicious cycle can be set up when stress depletes it and our coping capacity is diminished. Low levels are associated with classic stress-related symptoms like anxiety, irritability, insomnia, depression and muscle pains. As the muscles of the digestive tract also rely on magnesium for calming and we feel stress keenly in the enteric nervous system in the gut, low levels often manifest there as difficulty regulated digestive muscle function and we can tend to constipation (seizure) or diarrhoea (spasm). Often these can alternate as the body struggles to find ‘normal’. Plenty of food sources and perhaps a supplement of 300-500mg magnesium citrate a day may help. Food sources: buckwheat, nuts, soybeans, dark green vegetables, carrots, peas, sweet potato, sunflower and sesame seeds, lentils, avocado, cauliflower, fish, meat BLEEDING GUMS What’s causing it? Need for vitamin C Vitamin C is an antioxidant and needed for at least 300 metabolic functions in the body. It aids in the production of anti-stress hormones, interferon (immune-system protein) and is needed for the production of collagen, from which we make all body tissues. This is why the classic vitamin C full-on deficiency, scurvy involves haemorrhaging – body tissues are unable to be replenished and break down. Citrus fruits are a rich source of vitamin C. If the body is deficient in this nutrient some people suffer bleeding gums and bruise easily A very mild form of this can be seen in easy bruising and bleeding gums when brushing teeth, signs we are probably using up vitamin C very quickly in the stress response. Other signs of deficiency include susceptibility to infection/colds and difficulty recovering from illness. It is depleted by smoking, alcohol, analgesics, oral contraceptives, steroids and with antidepressant use. Food sources: berries, citrus fruits, green vegetables, asparagus, avocados, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cantaloupe, kale, mangos, onions, papayas, green peas, pineapple, radishes, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes and watercresss HARD PIMPLES AT THE TOP OF ARMS AND THIGHS Hard spots at the top of the thighs and arms reveal a vitamin E deficiency What’s causing it? Need for vitamin E Follicular keratosis is also associated with lowered vitamin A levels, as it is also a fat-soluble antioxidant and works with vitamin E. Another nutrient that can contribute to easy bruising, Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant that protects fatty body areas and is needed for fertility – the meaning of the Greek word tocopherol, its chemical name. Low levels of vitamin E and also omega oils can be seen as hardened, raised pimples at the tops of arms and legs that show abnormal skin growth called follicular keratosis, where too much of the skin protein keratin builds up. Vitamin E may also help with improved circulation, the promotion of normal blood clotting, scarring, blood pressure and enhanced sperm production. Food sources: cold-pressed vegetable oils, dark green leafy vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, brown rice, eggs, kelp, milk, oatmeal, organ meats, soybeans, sweet potatoes and watercress FREQUENT THROAT AND CHEST INFECTIONS What’s causing it? Need for vitamin A Vitamin A is essential for night vision (yes, carrots can help you see in the dark!) and the health and resiliency against infection of the outer skin and the mucous membranes that line the respiratory, gastrointestinal and urinary tracts. Stress can cause people have trouble shifting colds and they commonly move to the chest and throat. Increasing vitamin A - found in fish liver oils can help replenish the body When you have trouble shifting colds and they commonly move to the chest and throat, increasing levels through plenty of greens and (if you eat) high-quality organic meat can help, in a stew helps deliver the nutrients efficiently and hydrate tissues at the same time. Sufficient supply of zinc is needed to mobilise and release stores of vitamin A. Food sources: animal livers, fish liver oils and green, red, orange and yellow fruits and vegetables. Foods that contain significant amounts include apricots, asparagus, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, papayas, peaches, pumpkin, red peppers, spinach, watercress and yellow squash CHARLOTTE WATTS is a nutritionist, yoga teacher and author of new book The De-Stress Effect: Rebalance Your Body’s Systems for Vibrant Health and Happiness. Her work has focussed on how nutrition and yoga can meet to help people cope with the type of demands we face in the 21st century.When truth is passed, it becomes story. When story grows old, it becomes myth. When myth is forgotten, it becomes legend. The same fate was destined for the Sisters of the Veil; a sect whose motives, teachings and arts were regarded as legend. Instructed to remain mute instruments of the Phantom Veil, one stood out and secretly defied that law. She had given herself the name Mortred. There was no denying that Death itself appreciated her work. She climbed through the order to become a Phantom Sister, the most elite and deadly of the Sisterhood. Her rite of passage involved sacrificing her own mentor to take her place as a Phantom Sister. After a fierce battle between the two assassins, Mortred emerged from the ritual grounds, adorned in sacred armor with a blade in hand that was as old as the Sisterhood itself. Several Sisters question Mortred's devotion to the Phantom Veil. Many more her defiance of the code in speaking and keeping a name. While it may all be true, none challenge the deadliest Phantom Sister the Sisterhood has ever seen.Remember to follow me on twitter where I announce whenever I'm livestreaming the makings of another set!UPDATE (10:11 a.m.): Three men and two women have taken into custody in connection with the Fishers bank robbery. The bust follows several weeks of investigation conducted by the Safe Streets Task Force, who referred to the suspects as “dangerous”. UPDATE (9:44 a.m.): FBI agent Wendy Osbourne tells Fox 59 that agents, alongside local authorities, have been aggressively pursuing bank robbers in the area for some time. Authorities are not confirming how many individuals are in custody, but they said they believe they have everyone they were searching for. UPDATE (9:24 a.m.): Multiple people were apprehended at the Hilton Garden Inn in Fishers in connection with a bank robbery. Fishers police confirm the latest person taken into custody was located near Walmart. UPDATE (9:04 a.m.): The bank robbery occurred at Community Bank at 12514 Reynolds Dr. Police have possible suspects in custody. A perimeter has been set up near 96th Street in the area. ORIGINAL POST (8:36 a.m.): FISHERS, Ind.— Authorities have set up a perimeter around a Fishers, Ind. hotel Wednesday morning in order to apprehend bank robbers believed to be barricaded inside or near the area. The incident is taking place at the Baymont Inn at 96th Street and Hague Road. Police confirm they have at least one suspect in custody and said they are looking for a black male in a white t-shirt and jeans. Fox 59 is headed to the scene and will bring you more information as it becomes available.A member of the Greek neo-Nazi group Golden Dawn was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of involvement in the stabbing of anti-fascist hip-hop artist Pavlos Fyssas, BBC News reported. Clashes broke out near the scene of the crime as anti-fascist demonstrators sparred with the police later Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. Golden Dawn, a group frequently accused of violence, has denied any association with the Fyssas' death, according to Agence-France Press. The killing, which came hours before thousands were planning to rally against the government's austerity measures, has added to social instability as debt-strapped Greece adopts unpopular fiscal reforms. Amnesty International has issued an urgent statement calling on athorities to do everything in their power to "prevent further politically motivated violenc." The nation's Public Order Minister Nikos Dendias said the crime "shows in the clearest possible way the intentions of the neo-Nazi creation," adding, "I am shaken by the event," reported the International Business Times. The atmosphere in Athens is so tense that Dendias decided not to leave for a planned visit to Rome, said the BBC. Fyssas, a 34-year-old rapper alternately known as "Killah P," was stabbed to death just after midnight on Wednesday outside a cafe in Keratsini, a western part of Athens. The anti-fascist artist was assaulted by a group of 15 men, reportedly after an argument over football. Reporting from Athens, the BBC's Mark Lowen said a 45-year-old Golden Dawn supporter admitted to the killing. Police also raided the Golden Dawn headquarters in Athens. Fyssas' death has already sparked memorial videos from many of his fans, such as the following:The bizarre face shocked thousands (Picture: Central European News) Disturbing pictures of a baby goat born with a demon-like face have surfaced online. The kid had ‘protruding eyes’ and a flat, human-like face when it was born in San Luis province, central Argentina. Cleaners found house filled with 400 bags of human poo and 250 bottles of pee Owner Gladys Oveido says she was left ‘deeply surprised’ when she saw its bizarre face staring back at her. The baby goat, who was sadly stillborn, attracted international attention when Ms Oveido’s daughter-in-law shared a video of it on social media. The kid was born in Argentina (Picture: Central European News) To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video ‘The rest of the baby is normal, it only has deformations in the head. It is unusual what happened,’ said Ms Oveido. 'Healer' raids cemeteries and steals corpses' knee caps for'spiritual protection' Some were so appalled by the sight that they shared the images with local police who quickly dispatched an officer to the farm. Advertisement Advertisement It is not known why the animal was born with the bizarre looking face but it is believed it is being investigated. The kid was stillborn (Picture: Central European News) MORE: Skydiving dog is the level of chill we aspire to be MORE: Boots claim the morning after pill is so expensive to discourage ‘inappropriate’ useAndy Blatchford, The Canadian Press OTTAWA -- The country's labour market ran on fumes last month as gains in the services sector were offset by declines in factory and construction work, Statistics Canada said Friday. A closer look at the underlying numbers revealed some causes for deeper concern, with some experts saying the data supports expectations the Canadian economy is on track for a considerable second-quarter contraction of up to two per cent. Overall, the report indicated the labour force shed 700 net jobs last month -- a change so slight it is statistically insignificant. "Digging beneath that sort of benign headline number there were some generally troubling aspects to this report," BMO chief economist Doug Porter said Friday. "So, overall I would regard this report as being a bit of a disappointment." Porter pointed to several weak data points in the survey results: the decline in private-sector positions, a slide in manufacturing and construction jobs and an apparent weakness in full-time work. The jobs report also arrived a few days after Statistics Canada released revised figures showing the country had a record trade deficit in April. Those numbers were followed up by May results that were nearly as bad. Combined, they stirred worries that second quarter weakness will be worse than expected, even though that coincided with a period when still-low exchange rates were supposed to benefit exporters. "If I had one single concern about this report, and about a number of other reports we've seen recently, it is that lack of a pickup that we're seeing in manufacturing and non-resource exports in recent months," Porter said. Jimmy Jean, a senior economist with Desjardins, said until this week his organization had been forecasting a 1.4 per cent contraction in real gross domestic product for the second quarter. Desjardins' outlook, like BMO's, is now around two per cent. Jean said such a recoil would be "the most important contraction in GDP since the last recession." The jobs numbers add to that picture, he said. "I think it just confirms that Canada has been... in a bit of a lull," Jean said about the details of Friday's labour force survey. "The foundation seems a bit shaky.... It's so very fragile overall." Last month, the national unemployment rate fell to 6.8 per cent in June, down from 6.9 per cent the previous month. The drop was largely due to the fact that fewer people were looking for work as more and more baby boomers move into retirement. The participation rate slid last month to 65.5 per cent from 65.7 per cent. On a positive note, service sector jobs continued to rise in June. They rose by 45,500 net positions, with the biggest increases in accommodation and food services as well as information, culture and recreation. Compared to 12 months earlier, the survey found that Canada had added 170,600 services jobs, an increase of 1.2 per cent. In contrast, the country's goods-producing industries shed 46,200 jobs in June, as construction and manufacturing industries saw the largest declines. Over the previous year, 63,000 factory jobs were lost overall, a drop of 1.6 per cent. Employment in the less-desirable category of self-employed work grew by 37,700 last month, while the number of employee payroll positions dropped by 38,400 positions, the labour force survey found. The private sector lost 10,500 jobs in June and the public sector shed 27,900 positions. The data also showed that the labour market dropped 40,100 full-time jobs and gained 39,400 part-time positions. However, the agency considered both those numbers to be statistically inconsequential. British Columbia was the only province to add a significant number of jobs last month with 16,000 new positions, while the labour markets in other regions experienced decreases or remained largely unchanged. A consensus of economists had predicted the country to add 5,000 jobs and for the unemployment rate to move up to seven per cent, according to Thomson Reuters. Here is a quick look at June unemployment (previous month in brackets): Unemployment rate: 6.8 per cent (6.9) 6.8 per cent (6.9) Employment rate: 61.0 per cent (61.1) 61.0 per cent (61.1) Labour force participation rate: 65.5 per cent (65.7) 65.5 per cent (65.7) Number unemployed: 1,326,300 (1,346,500) 1,326,300 (1,346,500) Number working: 18,054,500 (18,055,200) 18,054,500 (18,055,200) Youth (15-24 years) unemployment rate: 13.0 per cent (13.3) 13.0 per cent (13.3) Men (25 plus) unemployment rate: 6.3 per cent (6.4) 6.3 per cent (6.4) Women (25 plus) unemployment rate: 5.3 per cent (5.4) Statistics Canada also released seasonally adjusted, three-month moving average unemployment rates for major cities but cautions the figures may fluctuate widely because they are based on small statistical samples. (Previous month in brackets.) St. John's, N.L. 6.8 per cent (6.8) Halifax 5.6 (6.4) Moncton, N.B. 7.4 (7.4) Saint John, N.B. 7.9 (8.3) Saguenay, Que. 8.7 (9.7) Quebec 4.1 (4.2) Sherbrooke, Que. 6.6 (6.9) Trois-Rivieres, Que. 7.1 (7.4) Montreal 7.8 (8.1) Gatineau, Que. 7.3 (7.1) Ottawa 6.7 (6.8) Kingston, Ont. 6.4 (6.7) Peterborough, Ont. 4.5 (2.8) Oshawa, Ont. 6.4 (5.6) Toronto 6.7 (7.3) Hamilton, Ont. 6.0 (5.8) St. Catharines-Niagara, Ont. 8.4 (8.0) Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, Ont. 5.7 (5.5) Brantford, Ont. 6.5 (7.5) Guelph, Ont. 5.5 (5.7) London, Ont. 7.3 (7.0) Windsor, Ont. 6.4 (6.4) Barrie, Ont. 7.5 (7.8) Sudbury, Ont. 8.4 (8.7) Thunder Bay, Ont. 7.3 (7.6) Winnipeg 6.3 (6.2) Regina 5.6 (5.4)08 Saskatoon 6.6 (6.9) Calgary 8.3 (8.1) Edmonton 7.0 (7.0) Kelowna, B.C. 7.5 (8.2) Abbotsford, B.C. 6.9 (7.2) Vancouver 5.4 (5.7) Victoria 5.3 (5.7) Here are the jobless rates last month by province (previous month in brackets): Newfoundland and Labrador 12.0 per cent (11.7) Prince Edward Island 11.0 (10.4) Nova Scotia 8.2 (8.3) New Brunswick 10.3 (9.9) Quebec 7.0 (7.1) Ontario 6.4 (6.6) Manitoba 6.1 (5.9) Saskatchewan 6.1 (6.0) Alberta 7.9 (7.8) British Columbia 5.9 (6.1) More to come...Image by: Andres Rueda Dice are awesome. Most gamers agree on this. We, as a group, tend to have far more dice than we need, and we use them for almost every game we play. From the venerable d20 to the poky, caltrop-like d4, we gamers love our dice. Well, most of us do. From time to time, I see article that deal with diceless systems for RPGs. Some of these systems substitute cards for the dice, some do away with any kind of randomness altogether. Even though polyhedral pieces of plastic hold a dear place in my heart, sometimes I think those people are on to something. We all play RPGs for a lot of different reasons. For most, myself included, RPGs give a chance to do things that we could not do in real life. We get to be awesome. We get to be the dashing hero, the vile villain, the seducer, the princess, the rascal, the power-broker. We get to step outside of reality for a little while and be something that we are usually not. But those damn dice can get in the way of that at the most inopportune times. This is an especially difficult problem for new players and GMs. If you’re new to the hobby, you are likely in the business of trying to have your character or NPCs be awesome. Everything about the game, everything you try to do is focused on that moment in the sun, on that little slice of time where you get to say to everyone around you “look at how great I am!” And the hardest thing, I think, for a new player to accept is when they have set things up perfectly for one of those moments, and upon the roll of the die, they end up staring failure in the face. So what do we do about that? Some systems, like Savage Worlds, have failsafes against things like this. Each player gets a number of tokens, called Bennies, at the start of the game that let them re-roll certain rolls. Systems like this know that players want to feel awesome. But a lot of systems do not offer a chance to grab success from the jaws of failure. What do we do then? As a GM, I have occasionally ignored the 20 I just rolled when it would mean the ignominious death of a character (shhh, don’t tell me players), and I have let enemies die a few HP before they otherwise would have if things have been going poorly for my players and I feel like they need a boost. Some GMs hate fudging of any kind, but I feel it’s a necessary evil, at times. But what about when you’re a player? By and large, your rolls are out in the open, and there’s no chance to recover from a critical failure. Some players never get beyond the point of proto-tantrums or out-and-out dice throwing when things don’t go their way. I have been disappointed more times than I care to count when I have seen the dice didn’t go my way. But, things change. As I have grown as a player, I’ve learned something really important: sometimes not being awesome is the best thing of all. Yes, I love the moments in the sun when my character gets to be The Man for a few seconds. But more and more, I have come to realize that the tapestry of successes and failures is what makes the game memorable. It’s kind of like the adage that shadows prove the sunshine. If we gamed in a perpetual God Mode where nothing ever went wrong for our characters or players, we would be bored of it very quickly. If nothing bad ever happens, then how in the world will we ever appreciate it when good or great things happen. So yeah, dice and randomness are not always our friends. Sometimes they jump in and ruin the best pre-planned moments of both players and GMs alike. However, if we step back and take a look at the big picture, I think we would see that the element of chaos, the possibilities of failure, and even failing, well, those are the things that make those critical successes so enjoyable. The things we initially call failures can often be the things that make the game awesome, because they make us think outside the box and come up with solutions that we had never thought of before. The next time your dice come up snakeyes, just smile and enjoy the pain to come; it won’t be long before your dice explode just when you need them to, and all will be right in the world. [tags]RPG, role playing games, GMing, tabletop, dice[/tags]This article is the result of some very interesting discussions below a recent TEC article on the potential of coal, nuclear and wind/solar to supply the rapidly growing energy needs of the developing world. In that article, I estimated that nuclear is roughly an order of magnitude less scalable than coal, but more than double as scalable as wind/solar. These estimations were challenged by both nuclear and wind advocates and, as such critical discussions often do, have prompted much closer investigations into this issue. In particular, data pertaining to the near-term prospects of nuclear energy in China, the nation accounting for fully 43% of nuclear plants currently under construction, has been analysed in more detail. The results of this analysis confirmed my estimations above fairly well, but only under two very important assumptions: 1) that all the nuclear plants currently under construction in China are successfully completed roughly 6 years after construction commenced and 2) that it will be a very long time before we experience another black swan event like Fukushima. Recent nuclear developments in China China has invested heavily in nuclear energy over the past few years, leading to a rapid increase in construction activities. Data from the World Nuclear Association has allowed for the creation of the following plot of started and completed nuclear reactor capacity in China. Note that the plot shows the cumulative started and completed nuclear capacity from the start of 2007. The graph shows a rapid increase in new nuclear construction projects from 2008 onwards when alternative energy investment really started to take off. In addition, a clear 18-month pause in new construction projects is visible starting from 2011, indicating the substantial impact of the Fukushima disaster on Chinese nuclear growth. However, the graph shows that new nuclear construction starts resumed an upwards trend from middle 2012, albeit significantly less aggressively than before Fukushima. As can be expected, nuclear plant completions show a long time-lag relative to nuclear plant starts. Nuclear plant construction generally takes 4-6 years in China, but the trends in the graph suggest that the reality might lie towards the upper end of this range. In the event that a 6 year construction time is generally representative, it would seem that we are currently on the cusp of a rapid nuclear growth phase in China. Thus, if the next 2-3 years reveal that the blue curve above is essentially a 6-year time-shift of the red curve, it will bode well for the future of nuclear energy. If not, however, nuclear prospects would appear substantially dimmer, at least in the medium term. It will therefore be very interesting to extend this graph with real-world data over the next couple of years. Nuclear vs. wind Wind power has also been growing rapidly in China since 2008. The relative simplicity and modular nature of wind causes much shorter construction times than nuclear, and has therefore led to a much more immediate impact. However, the true scalability of a technology must be tested over substantially longer time periods than the 6 year nuclear construction period, implying that this time-lag is not highly relevant when considering the longer-term energy future of China. Under the assumption that wind construction times are essentially negligible, we can therefore compare the rate at which new investments are committed to wind and nuclear energy. To make this comparison, one also has to take into account the difference in capacity factors between wind and nuclear energy. This is a rather sensitive area, but I will use data from the BP Statistical Review and the World Nuclear Association to make a reasonable estimate. At the end of 2013, China had 15 GW of operational nuclear and 91 GW of operational wind. In terms of generation, nuclear delivered 110.6 TWh and wind 131.9 TWh. This implies that one unit of nuclear capacity delivers about 5 times as much electricity as one unit of wind capacity. This might be an over-estimate, however, since China is working hard to solve significant wind curtailment problems at present. I will therefore use a ratio of 4 in this analysis. Using these assumptions, the Chinese wind capacity buildout is compared against the Chinese nuclear construction starts in the graph below (note that wind capacity is divided by 4 in order to reflect actual electricity generation relative to nuclear). Similar to the graph above, numbers are presented from a base of 0 at the start of 2007. It is shown that new nuclear projects were started at a tempo more than double the rate at which wind projects were competed before Fukushima and roughly at an equal rate when nuclear starts eventually recovered thereafter. This is a clear indication of the impact of a black swan event on the prospects of nuclear power, even in China. Thus, it can be theorized that nuclear scales roughly triple as fast as wind under normal circumstances, but at an equal rate when a recent black swan event burdens the industry with additional regulations. Hopefully, we will go some decades without another black swan event so that nuclear growth rates can return to pre-Fukushima levels and maintain (or even exceed) these rates for an extended period of time. It should also be mentioned that the Chinese tariff system favours wind over nuclear by paying a fixed feed-in tariff of $83-100/MWh to wind and $70/MWh to nuclear. Another important factor to consider is the reduced value of wind relative to nuclear due to the variability of wind power (see my previous articles on this subject here and here). Wind power also requires expensive high voltage transmission networks to transport power from good wind locations to population centres, something which is creating substantial challenges. Thus, if the playing field were to be leveled, the difference between nuclear and wind scaling rates should increase substantially. Another important factor to consider is the CO2 avoidance potential of nuclear vs. wind. Here, there are two important distinctions to be made. Firstly, nuclear plants have a very long lifetime relative to wind, implying that more CO2 will be avoided over the lifetime of the plant. Secondly, nuclear displaces baseload generation (essentially 100% coal) while wind displaces load-following generation (includes some gas). Even though I cannot find any good data, it should be safe to say that a large amount of load-following is still done with coal in China. However, natural gas consumption is rising rapidly and the gas share of load-following generation should increase substantially over the lifetime of current wind plants. When accounting for these two main factors, the CO2 avoidance potential over the lifetime of the nuclear and wind investments depicted in the figure above can be estimated. For the plant lifetime, 50 years is assumed for nuclear and 20 years for wind. In terms of CO2 intensity of displaced generation, nuclear is assumed to displace 0.9 tonCO2/MWh (coal) and wind 0.6 tonCO2/MWh (coal + gas). It is clear from the graph above that, under these assumptions, investments in new nuclear plants will translate into much greater CO2 abatement than investments in new wind farms. This is due to the long lifetimes and baseload coal displacement capability of nuclear. Nuclear vs. coal If all nuclear plants currently under construction are successfully completed, China may well lead a much-needed revival in nuclear energy. However, it is important to keep things in perspective by comparing to the rate at which fossil fuels like coal have scaled to fuel the economic miracle that took place in China over the past decade or two. In order to compare the scaling rates of nuclear and coal, projected nuclear power (under the assumption that all plants under construction are successfully completed) has been converted to primary energy using a capacity factor of 90% and a typical thermal plant efficiency of 40%. The graph below compares the potential scaling rates by comparing the projected increase in primary energy from nuclear over the next 6 years to the increase in primary energy from coal one decade ago (coal data from the BP Statistical Review). The graph is plotted from a base of 0 in 2013 for nuclear and 2003 for coal. The graph shows that nuclear is projected to scale a little over an order of magnitude slower than coal did one decade ago before the impact of Fukushima and still slower thereafter. This result is especially significant given the fact that the Chinese economy more than doubles in size every decade. This implies that the Chinese economy is about double as capable of adding energy capacity today as it was in 2003. Conclusion This analysis has shown that the scaling rate estimations provided in the previous article are fairly accurate under two important assumptions: 1) that all nuclear reactors currently under construction are completed 6 years after construction started and 2) that it will be a long time before we experience another nuclear black swan event like Fukushima. Only time will tell whether these assumptions are accurate though…The study of neural pre-stimulus or “anticipatory” activity opened a new window for understanding how the brain actively constructs the forthcoming reality. Usually, experimental paradigms designed to study anticipatory activity make use of stimuli. The purpose of the present study is to expand the study of neural anticipatory activity upon the temporal occurrence of dichotomic, statistically unpredictable (random) stimuli within an ecological experimental paradigm. To this purpose, we used a simplified driving simulation including two possible, randomly-presented trial types: a car crash end trial and a no car crash end trial. Event Related Potentials (ERP) were extracted -3,000 ms before stimulus onset. We identified a fronto-central negativity starting around 1,000 ms before car crash presentation. By contrast, a whole-scalp distributed positivity characterized the anticipatory activity observed before the end of the trial in the no car crash end condition. The present data are in line with the hypothesis that the brain may also anticipate dichotomic, statistically unpredictable stimuli, relaying onto different pre-stimulus ERP activity. Possible integration with car-smart-systems is also suggested. Some researchers have posed the question as to whether this anticipatory activity may still be observed in the context of statistically unpredictable (random) events. From an adaptive point of view, these situations are clearly more complicated and potentially threatening for life. Hence, the possibility for biological organisms to even approximately anticipate these events would represent a clear adaptive advantage. Usually, the experimental paradigms employed in these kinds of studies imply dichotomic stimuli, leading researchers to test the hypothesis that an anticipatory modulatory effect may discriminate between them. The first result was presented by Levin et al. [ 18 ], who observed a larger CNV before subject responses to target stimuli presented in a randomized sequence. More recently, research has provided further evidence of differential pre-stimulus cortical activity prior to unpredictable stimuli. Radin, Vieten, Michel, & Delorme [ 19 ], tested a group of meditators, showing significant differences in pre-stimulus cortical activity before a randomly presented light flash or tone, highlighting the similarities with Stimulus Preceding Negativity, and hypothesizing that “SPN may be a marker not only for conventional forms of anticipation, but potentially for retrocausal forms as well” (pag. 295). A noteworthy consideration is that anticipatory activity before unpredictable stimuli in randomized presentations showed similarities to the activity observed before predictable stimuli, suggesting that similar underlying neurocognitive mechanisms may subserve them both. Yet, it is still to be fully understood whether the capacity to anticipate unpredictable stimuli might be extended to an ecological context. To this purpose, we created a simplified driving simulation paradigm, which may include a car accident (i.e., ‘crash end’ condition) or not (i.e., ‘no crash end’ condition). The experimental design entailed a passive and an active task. In the passive task, participants had to simply and passively observe a car moving along the street and mentally anticipate the temporal occurrence of the car crash however, they were unable to explicitly act so as to avoid its occurrence. On the other hand, in the active task, they were asked to try to avoid the car accident by withdrawing the accelerator (spacebar) at the exact moment in which they felt that a car accident was occurring. This allowed us to examine the ERP activity arising before each of the two possible events (i.e., crash or no-crash end) in order to test the hypothesis that the brain activity might present “anticipatory” effects. The experimental paradigm was purposely designed with the future aim of integrating human-machine smart systems based on the possibility of using ERP anticipatory activity as a neural marker of upcoming, potentially threatening events. Before such high-tech approaches are reached, it is important to test for the presence of a reliable brain anticipatory activity preceding unpredictable stimuli. Here we borrow the definition of this pre-stimulus activity from Mossbridge et al. [ 20 ] who named it Predictive Psychophysiological Anticipatory Activity (PPAA). PPAA is a category including different type of signals, e.g. EEG, ECG, etc., which refers to pre-stimulus onset activity. We used this definition in order to place our study within this theoretical framework. Crucially, over the last decade, neuroimaging evidence has shown that the possibility of predicting ‘what’, ‘when’ and ‘where’ about forthcoming events, translates into anticipatory neural activity [ 3, 4, 7, 8 ]. As a consequence of this, in the last decade the focus of cognitive neuroscience research has been progressively shifting from the investigation of post-stimulus neural activity to the exploration of the neurocognitive mechanisms taking place before the actual occurrence of a stimulus. The experimental evidence accumulated so far has provided fundamental knowledge that brain functioning can be conceived as an active constructor of reality, rather than as a simple, passive processor of external stimuli. One of the most used experimental paradigms to investigate anticipatory activity involves the study of an Event Related Potential (ERP) known as Contingent Negative Variation (CNV). The CNV is a slow cortical response of negative polarity, reflecting both expectancy and motor preparatory processes, that precedes anticipated events [ 8, 9 ]. Remarkably, this ERP is considered as a reliable electrophysiological hallmark of timing, since its morphological features, including
hemisphere oceans since 1970 could be more than twice what has been inferred from the limited direct measurements we have for this region. This means that together, all the world’s oceans are absorbing between 24 and 58 per cent more energy than has previously been estimated by direct in-situ measurements. Advertisement Wenju Cai from the CSIRO in Melbourne, Australia says the results mean the world is warming faster than we thought. “The implication is that the energy imbalance – the net heating of the earth – would have to be bigger,” he says. “There has been a general acknowledgement in the literature, that southern-hemisphere estimates of ocean warming are likely biased low,” says Durack. “Our study is the first to attempt to quantify the magnitude of what this generally acknowledged underestimate is, using as much information as is available.” The study covers the period from 1970 to 2003. Cai says that, during that time, while the northern hemisphere has been well sampled by cargo ships and projects led by wealthy countries north of the equator, very few direct measurements have been taken in the south. So it’s not surprising that the in-situ measurements have been wrong. “But this is huge,” says Cai. “One could say that global warming is ocean warming,” Gregory Johnson and John Lyman at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration wrote in a commentary accompanying Durack’s paper. “Quantifying how fast, and where, the ocean is warming is vital to understanding how much and how fast the atmosphere will warm, and seas will rise.” Since around 2000, a network of buoys called the Argo floats have been collecting more accurate global ocean data, so more recent measurements of the southern hemisphere are more reliable. Journal reference: Nature Climate Change, DOI: 10.1038/NCLIMATE2389-ADVERTISEMENT- Do you know about the Piaggio APE 50? It’s the cutest little three wheeled vehicle you’l ever set your eyes on. Do you love camping? How about totally on your own? How about camping totally on your own inside an APE? The project you’re about to set your eyes on is called the ‘Bufalino’, and it’s a one-person camper using the APE 50 as its platform.Made for absolute flexibility, the Bufalino contains all the elements needed for living. Only the engine, frame, chasis, and parts of the cab were kept perfectly APE. The APE is a unique vehicle in that it is exempt from taxes in some countries because of its extremely economical working nature. It is also allowed in certain metropolitan areas that larger cars are not. It uses only a tiny amount of gas. It’s super cute. Inside the Bufalino you?ll find a bed, two seatings, a cooking zone, basin, relatively lots of storage, a refrigerator, and more.A product is expected to hit shelves this summer to turn water into wine -- well, into vodka, rum and a few cocktails -- but not everyone is happy about it. (ABC News) - Palcohol, or powdered alcohol, was approved this week by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, part of the U.S. Treasury Department. But the powder packets that can turn water into a mixed drink have already been banned by several states amid fears that Palcohol can be easily abused. "As a parent, it's one thing to patrol for cases of beer or bottles of booze," said ABC News chief health and medical editor Dr. Richard Besser, who is also a pediatrician. "But having to look for little packets, I worry that it could lead to more underage drinking, making it easier." He said he wasn't happy with the federal approval and explained there isn't much the U.S. Food and Drug Administration can do it about it right away. The FDA can only take products like this off shelves if they find a problem, he said, which is what happened with alcoholic energy drinks called Four Loko. Here are a few questions ABC News viewers asked Besser on Twitter: How do you use it? You stir a packet of Palcohol into six ounces of liquid, according to Lipsmark, the company that owns Palcohol. To dissolve, it takes a minute of constant stirring, so it wouldn't be easy to spike someone's drink without them knowing, according to the company. What's the point? Lipsmark says Palcohol was dreamed up for people who love the outdoors but don't want to travel with heavy alcohol containers -- such as people who are going camping. Does it come in flavors? Yes. It comes in vodka, rum, cosmopolitan, "Powderita" (a margarita flavor) and lemon drop. All but lemon drop were approved this week. How about the calorie content? It's 80 calories per bag, but some are sweetened, Lipsmark said. So a completed drink's calories depend on the mixers added to it. Is anyone against it? Yes. Several states, including Alaska, Louisiana, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia want to prohibit the sale of powdered alcohol. Can you sneak it into sports and concert venues? Critics fear that people will sneak the packets into sporting venues, concert halls and schools. But Lipsmark says the 4-by-6 inch packet would be larger than a small bottle of liquid and therefore harder to sneak in. But they acknowledge when there's a will, there's a way -- but that's the case with any alcohol, not just the powdered variety. Can you snort it? Lipsmark says the potential to snort Palcohol has been one of the complaints it's heard, but that Palcohol would be hard to snort. Not only does it have the burn of alcohol, but it would take an hour to snort a "shot" of vodka, according to the company's statement this week addressing concerns about the product.Syrian and Iranian opposition united against criminal dictators – George Sabra Written by Staff Writer on 07 May 2016. NCRI - A senior negotiator for Syria’s democratic opposition has spoken out against the crimes of the Syrian and Iranian regimes against the people of the besieged city of Aleppo in northern Syria. The Syrian revolution’s forces and the Iranian Resistance stand united in the face of the dictatorships in Damascus and Tehran, George Sabra of the opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) told the Iranian opposition satellite television channel Simaye Azadi (INTV) on Wednesday. Mr. Sabra expressed his appreciation to the Iranian Resistance’s President-elect Maryam Rajavi for her position on the crisis in Aleppo and for denouncing the criminal dictators Bashar al-Assad and Ali Khamenei. “We believe that the Iranian Resistance is on our side with all sincerity, and we honor our joint measures against dictators to help the people of Syria and to end the crisis that has been created by the mullahs’ regime. In fact, the Tehran regime supports Assad's dictatorship to pursue their goals. Therefore, our battle is a joint battle,” he said. "That which is going on in Aleppo is not actually a military confrontation or a war but a systematic and ongoing slaughter that is propelled by the Syrian regime and supported by the regimes of Iran and Russia. Unfortunately, the international community merely looks at these ongoing and bloody crimes as a bystander and does not take any action." "The ongoing slaughter, murder and destruction in Aleppo are against one of the historic and ancient cities of the world which has been established by early civilization. This city does not only belong to Syria; it belongs to all of human culture." "I can assure you that the people of Aleppo are resilient and they will not surrender. By God's will and help, the victory is near. Not only will this victory bring wellbeing and comfort to the people of Syria but it will also bring tranquility to the entire region. It will mean that the people will rule their countries based on their own interests and desires, and they will not be ruled by the mullahs in Tehran or the security forces of Assad in Syria or the sectarian militias in Lebanon or Yemen. Unfortunately, all of these criminals are feeding on the Iranian nation’s wealth to survive and to serve the regime ruling in Tehran," he added. Print EmailKAMPALA, Uganda — The fugitive leader of the Lord's Resistance Army is sickly and in retreat from an international manhunt that includes U.S. forces, a Ugandan military spokesman said Monday, citing the accounts of recent defectors who are backing up reports that the rebel group is in decline. Joseph Kony is possibly suffering from diabetes, according to defectors who surrendered to Ugandan troops last month in Central African Republic, said Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda. That account is probably true, he said, because Ugandan intelligence over the years "also indicates that Kony has diabetes." Kasper Agger, a researcher with the watchdog group Enough Project, said he receives many reports of Kony's failing health but it is impossible to independently verify them. The reports from defectors suggest that the apparently ill Kony "doesn't have the same willingness to fight," he said. Although many of the defectors said Kony is suffering from diabetes, some also suggested the elusive warlord has AIDS, he said. Kony is believed to be hiding in Kafia Kingi, a Sudanese-controlled enclave on the border of Central African Republic and South Sudan. Watchdog groups have described Kafia Kingi as a safe haven for Kony because African troops hunting for him do not have access to the territory. The Lord's Resistance Army, which originated in Uganda in the 1980s as a tribal uprising against the government, became notorious for kidnapping children as fighters and forcing girls to be sex slaves. Kony became infamous across the world in 2012 when the advocacy group Invisible Children released an online video that highlighted his alleged crimes. The group is reportedly in decline, with many of its fighters surrendering or dying in firefights with African troops across Central Africa. About 100 U.S. military advisers are helping Ugandan and Congolese troops to hunt down the rebels.caption U.S. President Trump pauses as he announces his decision to withdraw from Paris Climate Agreement at White House in Washington source Thomson Reuters August 7 marks the 200th day of President Donald Trump's tenure. In his first six and a half months in office, the President has promised economic prosperity and a revitalization of American industry. And he's boasted about his success - using the record-setting stock market, and an ongoing job-market recovery - to claim credit for energizing the U.S. economy. Trump is right that stocks are at a record, and job creation continues. What's wrong is the suggestion that this is reversing a decline that was in place before the new administration took office. Business Insider took a look at how some key markets and economic indicators have responded to the new president in the first 1/8 of his term. Stocks have risen steadily since Trump's inauguration, with the benchmark Dow Jones Industrial Average recently hitting the 22,000 mark for the first time. Stocks have been slowly ticking up and hitting new highs on a regular basis since Inauguration Day, although they've generally moved at a somewhat slower pace than in the days immediately after the election. Investors seem to be expecting a corporate-friendly agenda of tax cuts and deregulation, although ongoing troubles in the White House and the failure of the Republican-held Congress to pass a healthcare-reform law have taken some of the wind out of their sails. This year's rally in stocks is part of an 8-year long bull market. While the Dow saw a sharp upward spike in the wake of the election and healthy gains since Inauguration Day, the stock market has seen a mostly steady uptick since bottoming out in March 2009 in the wake of the financial crisis. The US dollar has been on a downward trajectory since Trump's inauguration. source Business Insider/Andy Kiersz, data from Bloomberg After rising quickly after the election, the dollar has seen several months of weakness and erased those gains as expectations for the US economy have faltered. The president himself has weighed in on the dollar, telling the Wall Street Journal in April, "I think our dollar is getting too strong, and partially that's my fault because people have confidence in me." That drop came after a big rise in the dollar starting in September of last year. source Business Insider/Andy Kiersz, data from Bloomberg The dollar saw a particularly sharp spike in the days after the election, as investors expected pro-business policies and looser fiscal policy from the newly-elected administration to boost growth and inflation. Consumer confidence spiked after the election, and in President Trump's first few months, but has stalled out recently. source Business Insider/Andy Kiersz, data from Bloomberg The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index, as well as other surveys of how US consumers were feeling, took off after the election, largely fueled by new Republican optimism about the economy. However, since March, those confidence measures have stalled out. The six monthly job reports released since Trump took office have shown steady improvement in the labor market. The unemployment rate has twice hit a post-recession low of 4.3% in May and July. That drop in unemployment is consistent with a longer-term trend of a jobs market slowly recovering from the Great Recession. After peaking at 10% in October 2009, the unemployment rate has steadily, if gradually, fallen to healthier levels. Job growth has also generally been robust in the months following Trump's inauguration. The US economy added a net 209,000 jobs in July. As with the unemployment rate, however, job creation has fallen in line with trends in recent years. source Andy Kiersz/Business Insider The average monthly job growth in the first seven months of 2017 has been quite similar to that in recent years, again suggesting a steady but slow recovery in the jobs market. That is, there's no evidence that there's been a significant "Trump bump" in job creation. One big sector Trump focused on in the campaign and his first months in office was manufacturing, which saw only modest job growth. The 70,000 net manufacturing jobs created since Trump took office are a small fraction of the total 1,074,000 jobs added to the overall economy. Another big theme in Trump's economic rhetoric is coal mining, which has seen virtually no job growth since he took office. Only a net 600 jobs have been added in the first six months of the president's term. Economic growth has also stayed in line with previous trends. The two quarters of Trump's presidency so far are marked in red. The president and his administration have promised to spur economic growth, with a target of 3% annual GDP growth. While that rate was common in the past, since the turn of the century, growth has been closer to 2%.Michael Sam, “the first openly gay player ever drafted by the NFL®,” is better at football than I am, he’s better at football than you are, but he’s not good enough to make the Rams. As if the city of St. Louis hasn’t gotten enough bad press lately for the events in Ferguson and simply being St. Louis, news that their professional football team cut Michael Sam. How many hate crimes can one city commit in a single month? Sam, the most celebrated 7th round draft pick in history, was cut Saturday not because he’s gay, but because he’s not (yet) good enough to play professional football. That he was treated just like everyone else should be cause of celebration. That is, after all, the point of the gay rights movement, right? Well… Time magazine writes, “The Rams’ decision to cut him is just another hurdle that will ultimately demonstrate the courage and fortitude of a great man.” But what makes Sam a “great man”? It’s that he’s gay. No one celebrates straight men as “great” simply because they’re straight, not even Hugh Hefner. But Sam, according to Time, “knows how to overcome set-backs and handle pressure. He was made for this trailblazing role. He was made for the NFL.” He’s just not in it right now. There’s no doubt Sam was a great college football player, but that $3.50 will get you a cup of coffee. Pro football is different from college football, and many great college players can’t make the transition. Maybe Sam will be picked up by another team, maybe he won’t. But whatever happens to him will have nothing to do with his sexuality. His endorsements will, but whether or not he plays anywhere won’t. Sports are the ultimate meritocracy – If you can play, you will play. If someone new plays better than a beloved veteran with overwhelming fan support, the new guy will play. What you do off the field, unless it involved domestic violence, drugs, murder, or other crimes, doesn’t matter. If you can help a team win, you will play. According to Time, “Many in the LGBT community are lashing out at the NFL today, claiming homophobia. It’s understandable. Gay men have been told for decades they’re not good enough to play football, they’re not welcome in the locker rooms. Some of those messages have even reverberated in 2014. While the Rams’ decision wasn’t based on homophobia, it’s hard not to afford gay men a little foot-stomping at this latest rejection.” No, it is. Sorry “gay men” and “the LGBT community,” but you don’t get special exemptions. People are people, and what you do with your genitals does not entitle a group whose bumper sticker slogan is “equality.” You don’t get to claim “homophobia” simply because Michael Sam wasn’t picked up by any NFL team. I subscribe to something I heard REM frontman Michael Stipe say once when asked in the 90s if he was gay. “It’s nobody’s business what I do with my dick, unless they’re sitting in my lap.” Unless you’re sitting in Michael Sam’s lap, get over yourself. Maybe, just maybe, part of the reason Sam didn’t make the Rams is because of all the pressure applied to him by these very same people now so upset by him not making the team? Many people are a fan of Sam because he’s a gay man who happens to play football, when the reality is he’s a football player who happens to be gay. But that reality doesn’t advance the agenda as much as flipping it.CLOSE The Cottonwood, Arizona police department released a video that appears to show an officer shooting a man. Police say a chaotic brawl broke out between police and members of the Gaver family that soon turned deadly. VPC Scene from the melee at a Cottonwood Walmart. (Photo11: 12 News) Police released video Friday that appears to show a chaotic brawl in an Arizona Walmart parking lot that left one suspect dead and two others shot, including an officer. The shooting occurred during a fight between up to eight members of the Gaver family and at least four police officers. The video was captured by a dashboard camera and indicated the fight lasted for about seven minutes. The fight happened after police were called to the Cottonwood, Ariz., Walmart on March 21 after a call reported that multiple suspects assaulted a female employee in the store. When officers arrived, the suspects were in the parking lot and attacked them, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Cottonwood Police Chief Jody Fanning said that during the brawl, Enoch Gaver, 21, disarmed Sgt. Jeremy Daniels and shot him in the leg. He said Gaver was still armed with Daniels' gun when officer Rick Hicks started hitting him with a baton. After Hicks determined the baton had no effect, he resorted to shooting Gaver to death, Fanning said. Hicks also shot and wounded David Gaver, who had been on top of Daniels and had charged toward Hicks, Fanning said. Hicks initially was placed on leave after the March 21 shooting, but he went back on patrol Friday night. "The preliminary investigation has given me enough evidence to place him back on duty,'' Fanning said, adding that he believes Hicks' actions were justified. "The officers did a very good job of restraining themselves,'' Fanning said. He said they resorted to deadly force only when the Gavers left them no other choice. The Gaver family is well-known in Boise, where at least three members played in a Christian band called Matthew 24 Now outside an Albertsons supermarket and posted signs with a biblical verse. The incident began when a female Walmart employee tried to use a women's restroom and was prevented from doing so, getting pushed out of the way. Nathan Gaver told police that his mother, Ruth, was using the restroom, and that he and his brother Jeremiah were guarding it. In another video clip, police arrive at the scene, where a large group of people are standing near a Chevrolet Suburban. The brawl ensues almost immediately after the third and fourth officers arrive. Fanning said he still does not understand why the Gavers chose to fight his officers, rather than simply speaking to them. He said the likely outcome of the call would have been a misdemeanor citation with no one going to jail if the Gavers had not escalated the incident. "I have no reason why they decided to fight us,'' Fanning said. The officers and the Gavers are seen punching each other on the video. At some point, an officer attempts to use a stun gun to bring the Gavers under control, but that appears to have little effect. After Daniels is seen on the ground, struggling with one of the Gavers, Hicks is seen using the baton to strike the man. Later, Hicks pulls out his gun. The video captures the flash from the gun's muzzle. But even the fatal shooting doesn't end the brawl. Additional officers arrive on the scene and fight with other members of the Gaver family to bring them under control. Five Gavers were arrested by police and booked into the Yavapai County Jail on a variety of charges, including aggravated assault on a police officer, hindering prosecution and resisting arrest. Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1FK5seICLOSE A company unveils the first ever age-verifying pot vending machine. The company hopes the vending machine will speed up the purchasing process. VPC AVON, Colo. — A company has unveiled a vending machine for marijuana snacks that would allow an all-tech checkout for pot purchases. But these machines won't debut on the street. They'll be inside licensed marijuana dispensaries in Colorado and other states that legalize weed for either medical or consumer use, the manufacturer said. "This takes a little pressure off of the people monitoring the medicine area so they don't have to look over shoulders," said Greg Honan, owner of Herbal Elements dispensary here. His pot shop will be the first to house the vending machine. "There's no theft issue, There's no product disappearing." Think of the ZaZZZ like an automated express checkout like at the grocery store, said Chief Operating Officer Stephen Shearin of Tranzbyte (OTC Pink: ERBB), the Tempe, Ariz.-based company that owns the vending machine manufacturer. They'll cut down the lines for people who already know what they want to buy. A customer swipes his driver's license. The machine's cameras match biometrics to make sure the person making the transaction and the owner of the driver's license are the same person. The customer pays by credit or debit card and walks out. 2008: Pot vending machines to offer quick fix in L.A. Products inside the machine — which could be edibles or marijuana — will be tracked with radio frequency identification chips. Since the machines will be inside dispensaries and require driver's license verification, people don't have to worry about marijuana getting into the wrong hands, Shearin said. "I'm a father of a 12-year-old daughter, and I wouldn't want her having access to it, so we paid close attention to that," he said. If laws change to allow use outside of a licensed store, security on the machines would evolve. The vending machine was unveiled here over the weekend to company investors who traveled from across the USA to see it and will be moved to Herbal Elements in a few weeks. "Almost like it's a part of history," said Jerry Skinner, an investor from Massachusetts. "If it works out, it could be a big thing." Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1kpCUNEKey West! That sunny southernmost part of the Continental United States. A freewheeling quirk-fest. Greenwich Village with palm trees. The town that snow has never seen. A mecca of cheesy T-shirt shops, classic kitsch, the frequent roar of motorcycles and fabulous key lime pies. However you choose to label it, Key West #&151; which has nothing to do with direction so much as a mispronunciation of the original name “Cayo Hueso” (Spanish for “low island or reef”) — is a crowd-pleaser. Located all the way down Route 1 and sunny darn near all the time, this Florida getaway has joys and surprises for most any tourist. Here are some of our favorites: Conch Tour Train Winding its way around the area since 1958, this energetic, quirky, historic 90-minute tour escorts people around in a funky style, giving great information and vibrant anecdotes about the area’s many highlights like the time-trippy Shipwreck Treasury Museum and the exotic Key West Aquarium, among others. At the halfway mark is an excellent gift shop and snack area. To add to the festivities, children are outfitted with cardboard conductor hats. The Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum The venerated author loved Key West and spent a decade living in a house so distinct that its airy madness, dark wood, ceiling fans, books and world-wide treasures have become an interior design category all its own. Hemingway’s essence lives on here, and the direct descendants of his beloved 6-toed cats continue to roam the property. It is open to the public and may inspire you to pick up a copy of A Moveable Feast, a good beach read. Harry S. Truman Little White House Initially built in 1890 as naval officer housing, this charming if sprawling abode seems a fitting getaway for our earthy 33rd President, who spent 175 days here during his term of office in both a vacationing and governing capacity. In fact, the Trumans — who were quite fond of this part of the world — are represented throughout Key West. There is a long-standing Margaret Truman Launderette, a seeming homage to his beloved daughter even if it IS on the literal corner of Margaret and Truman Streets, and a stylish Truman Hotel. The house is open daily for tours; an endearing slice of presidential history. Oldest House and Garden Museum Built in 1829 then transported to Duval Street in 1836, this historic home has been lovingly restored, and landmarked since 1974. Inhabited by the large extended family of Captain Francis Watlington for generations, the estate retains the glory of old Key West, with many nautical aspects and a colorful history. It has gotten through hurricanes, fires, massive reversals of fortune and was occupied by Union troops during the Civil War. This is a glorious preserved survivor and a compelling time capsule. Sloppy Joe’s Bar Though the area is long on saloons, no one represents the town better in pub form than Sloppy Joe’s. Originally a speakeasy, this bar remains mostly unchanged from its inception in 1937. Hemingway himself was unsurprisingly a frequent patron of this magical venue, and his debauched presence can still be felt today. There’s great live music and Ernest look-alike contests plus a “Conch Drop” every New Year’s Eve. Southernmost Point in the U.S. It’s not much on the face of it, just a large, colorfully painted buoy that proclaims “The Southernmost Point in the Continental U.S.” as it sits jauntily on land at the very bottom of the 48 states. Yet this signpost — a mere 90 miles from Cuba — remains a fun and obligatory place to take a photo, even if it predates selfies. (The marker has been here since 1983.) St. Paul’s Episcopal Church This beautiful, steadfast beacon of inclusive spirituality and stunning organ music may be incongruous with Duval Street, Key West’s crazy main drag, but it’s been there since 1832. Clearly, it’s got every right to be there: a gorgeous structure that’s survived at least two destructive hurricanes. Daily services are open to the public and the church also is known for its devotion to the arts and music. We can’t help but sing its praises. Wide-Angle Sunset at Mallory Square Public viewing of the multi-hued rich sunsets have been a nightly celebration for decades for tourists and locals alike. People gather at the Mallory Square dock along with the buskers, artists, and peddlers to enjoy a meal, a cocktail and a natural light show to rival the best in fireworks. Rowdy applause breaks out at the moment of sunset. Yes, it’s that good. And it’s free! – Ellen Fagan PS. You may also our post An Unheralded Great Place with tips for enjoying a visit to San Antonio, Texas. And if you’ve always wanted to head Down Under, now you can without leaving home. Read more in our post Australia’s Brilliance in 360 Degrees. Other Posts You Might Likec. 1600 English play attributed to William Shakespeare Love's Labour's Won in Palladis Tamia The only known published reference toin Love's Labour's Won is a lost play attributed by contemporaries to William Shakespeare, written before 1598 and published by 1603, though no copies are known to have survived. Scholars dispute whether it is a true lost work, possibly a sequel to Love's Labour's Lost, or an alternative title to a known Shakespeare play. Evidence [ edit ] The first mention of the play occurs in Francis Meres' Palladis Tamia, Wits Treasury (1598) in which he lists a dozen Shakespeare plays. His list of Shakespearean comedies reads: "for Comedy, witnes his Ge[n]tleme[n] of Verona, his [Comedy of] Errors, his Loue labors lost, his Loue labours wonne, his Midsummers night dreame, & his Merchant of Venice". The August 1603 book list of the stationer Christopher Hunt lists the play as printed in quarto among other works by Shakespeare: "marchant of vennis, taming of a shrew, …loves labor lost, loves labor won." Theories [ edit ] Shakespeare scholars have several theories about the play. Sequel to Love's Labour's Lost [ edit ] One theory is that Love's Labour's Won may be a lost sequel to Love's Labour's Lost, depicting the further adventures of the King of Navarre, Berowne, Longaville, and Dumain, whose marriages were delayed at the end of Love's Labour's Lost.[1] In the final moments of Love's Labour's Lost the weddings that customarily close Shakespeare's comedies are unexpectedly deferred for a year without any obvious plot purpose, which would allow for a sequel.[2][3] Critic Cedric Watts imagined what a sequel might look like: After the year of waiting, the King and lords would meet again and compare experiences; each would, in various ways, have failed to be as diligently faithful and austere as he had been enjoined by his lady to be.[2] Against this it must be observed that Elizabethan playwrights almost never wrote sequels to comedies. Sequels were written for historical plays or, less commonly, for tragedies.[4] Alternative name for existing play [ edit ] marchant of vennis, taming of a shrew, knak to know a knave, knak to know an honest man, loves labor lost, loves labor won. Partial list of plays from Christopher Hunt's inventory. From top: Another theory is that Love's Labour's Won was an alternative name for an existing play. This would explain why it was not printed under that name in the First Folio of Shakespeare's complete dramatic works in 1623, for which the sequel theory has no obvious explanation. A longtime theory held that Love's Labour's Won was an alternative name for The Taming of the Shrew, which had been written several years earlier and is noticeably missing from Meres' list. But in 1953, Solomon Pottesman, a London-based antiquarian book dealer and collector, discovered the August 1603 book list of the stationer Christopher Hunt, which lists as printed in quarto: "marchant of vennis, taming of a shrew, …loves labor lost, loves labor won." The find provided evidence that the play might be a distinct work that had been published but lost and not an early title of The Taming of the Shrew. However, this evidence is not decisive. Another playwright had written a play called The Taming of a Shrew which was published in quarto in 1594, whereas Shakespeare's Shrew play was not published until the 1623 Folio. Therefore, it is possible that Shakespeare originally titled his Shrew play Love's Labour's Won in order to distinguish it from the rival play.[4] Yet another possibility is that the name is an alternative title for another Shakespearean comedy not listed by Meres or Hunt.[5] Much Ado About Nothing, commonly believed to be written around 1598,[6] is often suggested. For example, Henry Woudhuysen's Arden edition (third series) of Love's Labour's Lost lists a number of striking similarities between the two plays. Much Ado about Nothing is also listed under another alternative title, Benedick and Beatrice, in several book sellers' catalogues. Leslie Hotson speculated that Love's Labour's Won was the former title of Troilus and Cressida, pointing out that Troilus and Cressida did not appear in Palladis Tamia, a view that has been criticised by Kenneth Palmer for requiring a "forced interpretation of the play". In addition, Troilus and Cressida is generally considered to have been written around 1602.[7] David Grote argues that it was another name for As You Like It. He suggests that titles for comedies were often generic – several plays could be called "As You Like It" or "All's Well that Ends Well", for example, and that names were not fixed until repeated publication. He suggests that As You Like It began as a sequel to Love's Labour's Lost, but was later revised when Robert Armin replaced William Kempe as the principal comic actor in Shakespeare's theatre company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men.[8] Use of title [ edit ] In their 2014 season commemorating the centenary of the commencement of World War I hostilities, the Royal Shakespeare Company co-opted the title in performing Much Ado about Nothing under the name Love's Labour's Won (also known as Much Ado about Nothing). It was staged as a companion piece to Love's Labour's Lost. The pair of plays bookended the period of the war. Love's Labour's Lost was set at the beginning of the war in 1914, with Love Labour's Won set at its end in 1918, with the male characters returning home after the final victory.[9] In other popular culture [ edit ] It was featured as a plot device in the 1948 novel Love Lies Bleeding by Edmund Crispin, in which the discovery of a copy of the play triggers a series of murders. The writing of the play is a major plot point in the 2007 Doctor Who episode "The Shakespeare Code", in which lines from the play, when spoken, will liberate a hostile alien species from confinement. In the end, all copies of the play are sucked into a vortex. It was also used in the book series The 39 Clues as a minor plot device in the final book of the first series. In Harry Turtledove's alternate history novel Ruled Britannia, depicting a Spanish-ruled England in which Shakespeare is involved in the clandestine resistance, mentions him writing a play called Love's Labour's Won. However, this play seems to be simply "our" Love's Labours Lost, as Shakespeare is shown making a last-minute change of Don Armado's nationality from Spanish to Italian, to avoid insulting the overlords. References [ edit ] Bibliography [ edit ]It isn’t just old-media companies that are struggling to turn a profit online. Being popular has never been Reddit’s problem. The hard part has been capitalizing on that popularity. This week, the social-news bulletin board tweaked its front page, demoting two controversial subreddits—/r/politics and /r/atheism—from the default category list and replacing them with several others, including /r/gifs and /r/explainlikeimfive. In a blog post, the site explained that the demoted subreddits “just weren’t up to snuff.” But some users—probably the same ones who have made /r/politics and /r/atheism so insufferable, come to think of it—didn’t buy it, and insisted there must be some conspiracy. So Reddit CEO Yishan Wong followed up with a post reiterating that the move had nothing to do with advertisers or money. In the process, Wong ended up providing one of the clearest updates in quite a while on the state of Reddit’s business model. For those who follow the site, the full post is worth reading, but here are the three main ways that Wong says it earns revenue: It runs ads, albeit not too many, and not in a flashy way. But because its users tend to organize themselves into topic-based subreddits, it can target these ads somewhat effectively without having to know anything about the individual users. It sells Reddit gold, a subscription-based membership program that offers users perks both on the site and off. It runs a gift marketplace. That’s it. Kind of refreshing in an era where the biggest Internet companies make their billions by doing God-knows-what with people’s personal information. But not, as it turns out, particularly lucrative. Asked by a user whether the site is still in the red—i.e., losing money—Wong gave a straightforward answer: Yep, the site is still in the red. We are trying to finish the year at break-even (or slightly above, to have a margin of error) though. […] There is a common misconception that we are “part of a billion-dollar conglomerate” and/or “already very profitable, so why keep giving them money” that is kind of frustrating for us: reddit was given its freedom when we were spun out, so the price of freedom is paying our own way and no one else is paying the bills. For a new-media darling (albeit one owned by Advance Publications), Reddit’s financial position sounds a lot like that of many older-media properties—which is a little dispiriting, when you consider that it has 70 million readers. A ZDNet blogger recently touted Reddit as a model for the future of the newspaper business. But a business that struggles to break even with
high-quality institutions, to meet the need. A decline in the value of the dollar has put an American education in reach of middle-class Chinese families—who probably had already been salting away much of their disposable income to pay for education. Advertisement "The day their child was born, these families were dreaming of studying in the United States," says Nithyanantha J. Sevanthinathan, director of international programs for the Lone Star College system. There also is growing interest in China in American-style liberal-arts education. Jialu Chen was so intent on studying at a liberal-arts college that she applied to 28 before eventually settling on Mount Holyoke College, in part because of a generous financial-aid package. "They really value education and develop you to be a full person," says Ms. Chen, a mathematics and international-relations major from Shanghai. "They give you a lot of attention." The dean of the college, Ms. Chen volunteers with some amazement, recently sent her an e-mail message checking to see how she was handling her heavy course load, of 28 credits. Ms. Chen, now a sophomore, is part of a wave of Chinese students at Mount Holyoke. In 2001 the women's college had just 10 Chinese students, says Jane B. Brown, vice president for enrollment and college relations; it now enrolls 116, the most from any foreign country. Having such a large group of students from a single foreign country has raised some concerns, says Donna Van Handle, the college's dean of international students. "It's easier to default to talking in their native language," she says. "We have to think of ways to get them out of their little groups." Chinese recruiters also attribute the increase to a move by some American colleges to offer conditional admission to students whose English-language skills might not otherwise meet entrance standards. With a provisional offer in hand, students can polish their English at the college or at an approved language school before taking an English-proficiency exam. Conditional admissions may appeal to students who don't have time to sit for both the English test and China's rigorous national entrance exam, says Percy Ho, vice president for overseas development at AOJI Enrolment Centre. Economic Effects In addition, American colleges are simply becoming more active recruiters in China. The University of Southern California, for example, opened an office in Shanghai this spring, which will aid with recruitment as well as with the university's other international activities. "It's a critical area for us," Jerome A. Lucido, the university's vice provost for enrollment policy and management, said by phone from Hong Kong, where five staff members were about to leave for mainland China on a recruiting tour. Other colleges are also trying to step up their overseas recruiting, in China and elsewhere. Mr. Sevanthinathan, of Lone Star, traveled to India this fall and hopes to visit China next year. The five-campus community-college system, outside Houston, has drawn foreign students in the past through personal or family connections, but Mr. Sevanthinathan argues that two-year colleges could appeal to even more students as an affordable path to college. (Foreign-student enrollments at community colleges increased 10.5 percent in 2008-9.) "You can't just sit on the sidelines and rely on word of mouth," says Mr. Sevanthinathan, who came to the United States from Indonesia as a student. In fact, many of the institutions that reported international enrollment increases this fall credit active recruitment efforts. But fiscal belt-tightening has squeezed international-recruitment budgets at many colleges, leaving them to rely on more novel and cost-effective ways to attract top students. Mount Holyoke, for example, has improved its international-admissions Web site and appointed student volunteers to deal specifically with international applicants. The Rochester Institute of Technology is cultivating relationships with universities and governments to draw larger numbers of qualified students. The university has 61 students from Kazakhstan through a government scholarship program, says James G. Miller, senior vice president for enrollment management and career services. At Cal State-Long Beach, where travel restrictions have nixed biannual overseas recruitment trips, Mr. Curtis, the assistant vice president for international education, hopes to draw students from closer to home, at nearby community colleges. About 70 percent of the university's incoming international undergraduates are usually transfers from two-year institutions. But admissions freezes and limits on the number of students the university can accept from outside its local area have shut out many of those students, too, he says. "They're ready to transfer, and we're putting up a stop sign," Mr. Curtis says. "The policy isn't directed at international students, but it's affecting them."Donna Brazile, a CNN contributor and a Democratic strategist, is vice chairwoman for civic engagement and voter participation at the Democratic National Committee. A nationally syndicated columnist, she is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and author of "Cooking with Grease: Stirring the Pots in America." The opinions expressed in this commentary are hers. (CNN) "No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise," said Winston Churchill. "Indeed," he continued, "it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time...." Talking about the flaws in democracy is nothing new, as Churchill's 1947 quote demonstrates. So maybe it's no surprise to hear all the campaign talk right now about the nominating process for the two major parties. And what's being said isn't good. Donald Trump, in particular, has made headlines for claiming that the Republican nomination process is "a rigged system, it's a crooked system, it's 100% crooked." Setting aside the usual Trump hyperbole, is the Republican nominating system "rigged?" In fact, is the Democrats' system "rigged?" I have a plain answer: "No." Our nominating process does not use loaded dice. In fact, it is about the most honest and open system for selecting a nation's top leader you could find. That doesn't mean it isn't also flawed. It is. While our two major parties have evolved from smoke-filled rooms to transparency and voter participation in the nominating process, they are not democratic organizations -- the courts have ruled that political parties are free "associations" of individuals and they are loathe to interfere in the rules they form, or how they select their leaders. In other words, a party's nominating methods are its own business. But the real weakness of the democracy we practice -- including in the primaries -- is that we do not compel citizens to vote. As a result, our nominees for president are chosen by a minority of a minority. The most recent study by Pew Research, for example, found " 39% [of Americans] call themselves independents, 32% identify as Democrats and 23% as Republicans." In other words, both the Democrats and Republican Parties are minority parties. There is no specific party for the largest group, namely Independents. So the parties are a minority, and so are the number of voters in the population who actually vote in primaries. Fivethirtyeight, the site created by Nate Silver, the election-data whiz who nailed the 2012 vote, noted that since 2008 in Democratic primaries, "the average turnout in primary states as a share of the Voting Eligible Population has fallen from 20 percent to 14 percent. In caucus states, it's fallen more modestly, from 4.4 percent to 3.7 percent." That means that for all the talk of the people's voice being heard, even under an ideal system of allocating delegates, the reality is our next president might be picked by only a fraction of the voting population in any given state. Why? Because the system -- especially in caucus states -- tends to reflect the will of the more involved, activist voters. Whether that is a good or a bad thing is a matter of debate, and usually depends upon how much your particular candidate benefits or is hurt by the present system. On top of this, many contests are closed, meaning many independents don't get a chance to vote unless they register with one of the two main parties. Clearly, if we're going to talk about the majority democratic will, we need to address this fundamental issue next cycle. That might not be as straightforward as it seems, because while some will call for independents to be allowed to vote in the primaries so they can have their voice heard, there is also a strong argument that party members should choose their own party's nominee. So, if an independent wants to be part of the party's voting, they could at least join the party. But while there is little doubt that we need to include more Americans in our nominating system, recent criticism of current selection methods misses the mark. The difficulties and confusion being encountered are the result of the candidates' inability to understand and comprehend the rules as they are developed by state parties, often following state laws. So, accepting that the primary system falls short in getting a large proportion of voters involved, let's look at the Republican system specifically. Are the Republican rules rigged? You decide. With one exception, the Republican rules for both their primaries and caucuses have been in place for a year, as Chairman Reince Priebus said. It is also the responsibility of each candidate to familiarize themselves and their staffs and organization with the rules from the Republican National Committee and the various states. After all, if you want to be leader of the free world, this won't be the last time you're going to encounter something complicated. Colorado, which Trump is complaining most loudly about, did change from a primary to a caucus eight months ago. Now, state governments run primaries, while caucuses are run by the party. Voters can participate in both systems. Yet while this certainly does affect how a candidate organizes and campaigns, the rules are the same for all the candidates -- all of them had equal knowledge of the change and eight months to prepare and contest Even if we look at the big picture, though, Trump seems to be a beneficiary of the system, not a victim. Fivethirtyeight notes that Trump has won only about 37 percent of the total vote, averaged, in all his primaries. Yet, he has 45 percent of all the delegates awarded to date. As a result, Trump has 22 percent more delegates than his share of the popular vote suggests he should have. So, if Trump becomes the nominee, he will have won only about a third of the votes of his party's voters. And up until New York, which might change things, he has yet to win a majority of the votes in any contest. How is that "rigged" or even unfair, at least to Trump? There is reason enough for Americans to lose some faith in what has been a dysfunctional Congress. But while the primary system has its own kind of dysfunction, it is not of the nature that Donald Trump claims. The last thing we need is for him to exploit voter distrust by making allegations of a rigged convention as a cover for his campaign's poor management in contesting for delegates. That is certainly not how to make America greater.Barack Obama used to talk about the audacity of hope. Mervyn King was Governor of the Bank of England during ‘the biggest financial crisis this country has faced since 1914’. Its lesson, he says, is that we now need ‘the audacity of pessimism’. Only when we fully understand how badly things went wrong – and why they are still wrong today – can we start to put them right. His new book * suggests how. I meet Lord King in his modest office at the London School of Economics. Typically, he is just off to the West Midlands for a dinner for famous sons of Wolverhampton. He is a proud provincial boy, not a City slicker. I ask him to recall the moment he first understood the depth of the problem facing the world. Back in September 2007, when he ‘it was already clear that Northern Rock would need support’, King recalls, he was in Basel for a conference. There was alarm in the United States because ‘sub-prime’ mortgages were collapsing. The central bank supervisors at the conference insisted that sub-prime failure could not bring down the system. But King talked to his friend Stan Fischer, then Governor of the Bank of Israel. They shared their fears: ‘If the only thing that goes wrong is sub-prime, ok. But what else could go wrong? What if the unimaginable happens?’ Over the next two months, says King, he became obsessed with the need for more equity capital in the banking system. The banks resisted at first and ‘The politicians [Gordon Brown’s government] were susceptible to pressure from the banks’. But ‘we limped along till the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers’ in September 2008. Then ‘the banking of the entire industrial world was at risk of collapse’. Britain - without a proper ‘bank resolution regime’ which, says King, ‘could have solved the problem of Northern Rock in a weekend, without fuss’ - was enormously vulnerable. Whereas US banking sector assets were worth only 80 per cent of its GDP, Britain’s were worth 500 per cent, a terrifying ratio. New Labour, having turned its back on nationalisation, had to revert to it: ‘It must have been galling for them.’ "Car drivers have to take out third-party insurance before they can drive. Banks should do the same. They should have to take enough of their assets to the Bank of England that if things went wrong depositors could be paid off overnight. Then no bank run could ever develop." Mervyn King In Mervyn King’s mind, the credit crunch was brought about by something profoundly wrong. Bankers had been encouraged to take enormous risks with the customers’ money, enrich themselves and then dump the losses on the taxpayer. Huge pay increases for senior executives had produced a ‘very unattractive culture when clever people started to say to themselves: “I’m smart, I can make money out of people who don’t understand this”.’ More than 30 years ago, the young Professor King bought two shares in Berkshire Hathaway, the investment vehicle of Warren Buffett. They have increased by 161 times in that period, because Buffett ‘doesn’t take your money. He lets you invest alongside him’. ‘Extreme hedge funds’, on the other hand, run a system by which ‘the customer pays eventually amounts over 50 per cent of his total investment to them as fees. This just doesn’t make any sense.’ But financiers’ greed alone didn’t cause all this. Economists had not allowed for people’s ‘honest misjudgments’; central bankers had failed to spot the symptoms of trouble in the years of prosperity and kept interest rates so low that people lost their understanding of risk; politicians had mistaken steady growth for permanent stability, boasting about an end to boom and bust. (That is a phrase which I, not King, drop into the conversation. ‘I can imagine who you’ve got in mind’, he grins.) The fundamental problem, he thinks, is that money and banking are the faultiest bits of the capitalist system, failing to allow for ‘radical uncertainty’ about what could happen: ‘As Governor, I never allowed my people to say things like “ Our forecast is that inflation is likely to be three per cent next year”.’ To deal with uncertainty, people need not the economists’ model of ‘optimising behaviour’, but ‘coping strategies’ to handle the fact that ‘stuff happens’. There should be ‘a convincing narrative about the economy, rather than a crystal ball’. Citizens have to be protected from the risks that banks always want to take with their money. ‘This form of alchemy,’ says King, ‘should not be outlawed, but it should be priced.’ When the Bank of England was lender of last resort in the 19th century, it worked quite well because 30 per cent of the banks’ assets were short-term government securities which the Bank could access as collateral. 'In 2006, before the crash began, that figure had fallen to less than one per cent. So when a bank went wrong, it was utterly bust and the burden fell upon everyone. That problem still hasn’t been solved, King thinks. But he has a suggestion. Instead of lender, the Bank should be what he calls ‘pawnbroker’ of last resort. Banks’ risk-taking is objectionable only when they can evade the consequences. So the King plan says: ‘Car drivers have to take out third-party insurance before they can drive. Banks should do the same. They should have to take enough of their assets to the Bank of England that if things went wrong depositors could be paid off overnight. Then no bank run could ever develop.’ In speaking about all this, Mervyn King is careful not to place individual blame (or praise), including to himself. Historians, he says, will work out who got what wrong. His argument is about the whole system. He wants to find a way out of the ‘prisoner’s dilemma’ by which good behaviour is rewarded only if everyone is bound by it. So anyone searching his book for accounts of the late-night tantrums of Gordon Brown or the arrogance of Sir Fred Goodwin will be disappointed (although he does permit himself the aside that some of the great bankers in the crisis were ‘easier to name than to shame’). He is kindly Professor King, giving wise advice, not Governor King, titan of the financial establishment, settling old scores. His courtesy and his mild appearance, which reminds one of the nicest rural rodents, can make one overlook his passion. He really [ital]hates[itals] the fact that the entire British population suffered at the hands of a system, and he fears that nothing since 2008 has corrected the ‘serious disequilibrium in the world economy’. Real growth comes from innovation, whereas ‘getting finance cheaply can be a distortion of the system.’ ‘I’m fighting against that the idea, which politicians like, that “headwinds” [George Osborne loves that word] are the only problem: it’s much deeper than that.’ It is on the euro where Mervyn King’s indignation is most unguarded. Trust in money can work only if it goes with sovereignty: ‘People have to feel they’ve agreed who can exercise authority: “These are the people we’ve elected”.’ In the eurozone, they can’t. A fortnight ago, the governors of the French and German central banks wrote a joint article calling for either political union or a system in which each member state has debt responsibility and cannot be bailed out. Yet the first has no political support - ‘No one wants to be ruled by a single finance minister in Brussels’ - and the second had been ‘tried, and failed’. The eurozone, King believes, faces ‘a struggle between political will and economic arithmetic’. The decision to go ahead with monetary union was ‘reckless’ and made ‘by bureaucratic means not by democracy. That is a very dangerous development’. In Britain, our leaders tell the eurozone to get on with it, but ‘We shouldn’t encourage people to embark on a project for which there is no support in their own populations. It’s not in our interest. It might explode later on.’ When he was Governor, King said all this privately to his fellow central bankers, but the European elites have ‘invested their careers’ in the euro and will ‘plough on’. They even thought that a euro crisis would be a good thing because ‘it would force political integration. It didn’t work: look at Germany and Greece.’ The creation of the euro was ‘technically brilliant’ but politically disastrous, and the single interest rate in the zone means ‘the inevitable loss of competitiveness’. Unlike the United States, with its Supreme Court, the EU does not have a proper constitution: ‘in the context of monetary union, the decisions of the European Court of Justice have often been political’. ‘To make money work, you do need a sense of a nation. You shouldn’t have government by a central bank,’ says the retired central banker. Naturally, I try to draw him out on the coming referendum. He is cautious: voters need to listen to the arguments and make up their own minds. But then Mervyn King flashes his stiletto: ‘I saw that letter from business leaders this week saying we should stay in. Some of them are the same people who said Britain should adopt the euro. Why on earth should we listen to them?’ * The End of Alchemy by Mervyn King (Little, Brown)Lost with the Rams move to LA, and the Raiders potential move to Vegas is that the Chargers are still in franchise limbo, trying to figure out where their football future will be. The team will play in San Diego this year, but if a new stadium isn’t approved, they could move to LA as well starting in the fall of 2017. Well the NFL apparently wants the team to stay in San Diego, to the point that they’ll even throw the city itself a little treat to make it happen: They may guarantee San Diego a Super Bowl if they get the stadium built. With the NFL owners hosting their quarterly meetings in Charlotte Tuesday, the LA Times’ gave some details this weekend: Article continues below... That last part seems to be the most intriguing: While the Super Bowl would be guaranteed, no one is exactly sure when it would be. The 2017 and 2018 dates are set (Houston and Minneapolis respectively) with the 2019, 2020 and 2021 sites set to be voted on in the one-day meeting Tuesday. Atlanta, South Florida (Miami) and Los Angeles are the leaders in the clubhouse to grab those bids. Still it’s an enticing idea for the NFL, and hopefully would be enough to convince the folks in San Diego to get the Chargers to build their team a new stadium. After seeing the Rams bolt St. Louis this winter, it would be a shame if another team skipped town for LA.The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) went too far with its finding that hydraulic fracturing is safe, the agency’s science advisers say. The 31-member Science Advisory Board is taking issue with the EPA’s conclusion in a landmark report from June that there is no evidence that fracking has “led to widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water resources in the United States.” ADVERTISEMENT The panel came out with an initial 133-page draft of its report on the study Thursday, saying that the main conclusion of the EPA’s findings does not follow the actual data that it precedes. “The SAB finds that this statement does not clearly describe the system(s) of interest (e.g., groundwater, surface water) nor the definitions of ‘systemic,’ ‘widespread,’ or ‘impacts,’ ” the advisory panel said. “The statement is ambiguous and requires clarification and additional explanation,” the scientists wrote, adding that the main conclusions “are inconsistent with the observations, data, and levels of uncertainty presented and discussed in the body of the draft assessment report.” The panel’s members have been vocal about criticizing report in recent months. They plan to finalize their findings Feb. 1 and forward them to EPA leaders for their consideration. EPA spokeswoman Melissa Harrison said the agency looks forward to receiving their contributions. “The agency uses robust peer review to ensure the integrity of our scientific products,” she said. “We will use the comments from the SAB, along with the comments from members of the public, to evaluate how to augment and revise the draft assessment.” The Thursday report was a victory for environmentalists who have said the EPA’s June analysis looked far too favorable to the oil and natural gas industry. The substance of the analysis documented a number of cases in which fracking and its related processes affected water supplies, but those were overshadowed. “There was a clear disconnect between the EPA’s top-line spin — that there was no evidence of ‘widespread, systemic’ impacts on drinking water from fracking — and the content of the actual study, which highlights data limitations, open questions and clear evidence of local and severe impacts,” Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food and Water Watch, said in a statement, adding that she is glad that the science advisers wanted to highlight fracking’s problems. The oil and gas industry trumpeted the EPA report as a major endorsement of fracking, and industry officials want to make sure it doesn’t take a negative turn. Jack Gerard, head of the American Petroleum Institute, accused fossil fuel opponents of trying to inject their ideology into the EPA’s science. “The science should be settled,” Gerard said of the science board’s actions. “There are a handful of people who are not happy with the outcome, and they continue to drive their agenda based on ideology, not based on the science.” Fracking injects water, sand and chemicals into the ground high pressures to free oil and gas that is trapped in rock formations.The Chairman of the US Senate Intelligence Committee stated that the $40 million cost of the CIA's detention and interrogation program study was covered by the CIA. © AP Photo / Susan Walsh CIA Interrogation Techniques Undermine US Moral Authority: White House WASHINGTON, December 11 (Sputnik) — US Senate Intelligence Committee is not involved into $40 million spending to complete the study into CIA's detention and interrogation program, the Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein said in a press release. "The Senate Intelligence Committee study of the CIA's detention and interrogation program was completed entirely with existing committee resources," the press release issued Wednesday reads. "The overwhelming majority of the $40 million cost was incurred by the CIA and was caused by the CIA's own unprecedented demands to keep documents away from the committee." Feinstein stressed that "the CIA insisted on establishing a separate leased facility and a "stand-alone" computer network for committee use" instead of using the secure Senate office. © REUTERS / Larry Downing CIA Torture Report Sparks Global Reaction Feinstein also added that she repeatedly objected to this "unprecedented" practice that caused unnecessary delays and incurred major costs. Moreover, the CIA arrangement at the off-site CIA facility "allowed CIA personnel to remove documents it had provided for the committee's use and to inappropriately gain access to the committee staff's computer network and email," Feinstein added. On Tuesday, the US Senate Intelligence Committee released the so-called CIA "torture report," a summary of the detailed investigation into the CIA Detention and Interrogation program that in some cases included torture practices. After the report's release, Vice-Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Saxby Chambliss took the floor and criticized the release of classified information on torture accusing Feinstein of spending $40 million to investigate into the CIA program.Prostatitis Synonyms Prostatosis Micrograph showing an inflamed prostate gland, the histologic correlate of prostatitis. A normal non-inflamed prostatic gland is seen on the left of the image. H&E stain. Specialty Urology Prostatitis is inflammation of the prostate gland. Prostatitis is classified into acute, chronic, asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis, and chronic pelvic pain syndrome. In the United States, prostatitis is diagnosed in 8 percent of all urologist visits and 1 percent of all primary care physician visits.[1] Classification [ edit ] The term prostatitis refers to inflammation of the tissue of the prostate gland. It may occur as an appropriate physiological response to an infection, or it may occur in the absence of infection.[2] In 1999, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) devised a new classification system.[3][4] For more specifics about each type of prostatitis, including information on symptoms, treatment, and prognosis, follow the links to the relevant full articles. In 1968, Meares and Stamey determined a classification technique based upon the culturing of bacteria.[7] This classification is no longer used. The conditions are distinguished by the different presentation of pain, white blood cells (WBCs) in the urine, duration of symptoms and bacteria cultured from the urine. To help express prostatic secretions that may contain WBCs and bacteria, prostate massage is sometimes used.[8] See also [ edit ]Play Facebook Twitter Embed Road test: Self-driving car heads into city autoplay autoplay Copy this code to your website or blog How do you reduce the number of highway accidents? Just tell all the cars to look out for each other. As far out as that may sound, that's exactly what the National Transportation Safety Board recommended this week, following a fatal bus crash, and it's part of a fundamental shift in the automotive world. Cars are already equipped with cutting-edge innovations such as accident-avoidance lasers and smart parking. Soon, they'll get wireless car-to-car communications, and even city-wide traffic control. And while most of these innovations will steer us to safer roads, they also raise some concerns over privacy and security the likes of which the century-old auto industry has never seen. "It's clear the next few years will see greater expansion of in-car infotainment and navigation offerings, and technologies requiring communication between cars," Ray Wert, former editor-in-chief of the Jalopnik car blog, told NBC News. "Some of that push will come from governmental regulation, while some will come from consumer demand. Either way, it's coming. And fast." Built-in high-tech tools are nothing new, of course. Cruise control in some vehicles has for years been able to track other cars on the road — using radar, lasers or something more exotic — and adjust their speed or stop entirely if a collision is likely. Similar tech is sometimes used to warn drivers when they're drifting out of their lanes, perhaps when nodding off or trying to mop up spilled coffee. More impressive are the automated parking systems already available from cars made by Ford, Toyota and others. Using a button or smartphone app to tell your car to park itself sounds very sci-fi — but for those with a fundamental inability to parallel park (you know who you are), it's a welcome reality. The real next step in this surge of semi-automated, semi-aware cars is vehicle-to-vehicle communication. "Effective countermeasures are needed to assist in preventing intersection crashes," notes the NTSB's official report on the crash. "For example, systems such as connected vehicle technology could have provided an active warning to the school bus driver of the approaching truck as he began to cross the intersection." But how would such a system work? A group of connected cars navigates an intersection without stopping for one another. The picture above (from the EO connected car project, covered in the video at top), illustrates how wirelessly connected vehicles can share the same space. They wouldn't just be beaming their plans directly to oncoming cars as they approach an intersection. Instead, they could also connect to a larger network that plans the cars' paths like an air traffic control system. Bad visibility, blind spots, fatigue — these could be compensated for with a system that can tell you exactly how far away the next car is, and whether it's safe to go. The benefits of such a system, with every car aware of and communicating with every other car, are difficult to overstate. Any number of things might have prevented the crash in New Jersey, but such an inter-vehicle connection, preventing collisions in low-visibility areas, might have been a lifesaver. And industry observers say this kind of technology is almost here. "We're in the final stages of testing, and it's up to us to say 'Yes, we are going to do this,'" said Egil Juliussen, IHS automotive technology analyst, in an interview with NBC News. Juliussen cautions that automakers have to be willing — or required — to take on such a system en masse. "I think the decision should be that it is mandatory on all cars," he said. "If it's on just one car, it's useless." The benefits are easy to imagine. A 2012 study found that cars working together on the road could increase efficiency by as much as 273 percent. This could be done both by careful routing at the city or even state level, but also by "platooning" vehicles closely together if they're headed to the same destination, increasing fuel efficiency. But it's not just about getting to the game on time or shaving 10 minutes off your commute. Beyond preventing collisions while narrowing gaps between cars, this level of organization could route drivers around points of congestion, notify them of hazardous road conditions, and in case of accidents or car trouble, alert AAA or emergency responders instantly. One of Google's self-driving cars receives the first autonomous vehicle license plates in Nevada. As this sort of system ramps up, accompanied by creature comfort features such as car-to-car messaging, performance-tweaking apps, and free parking space notifications, we will edge closer to the holy grail of intelligent vehicles: the totally autonomous car. Though the real thing is still a bit far off, it's not for lack of investment. Google is likely the farthest along: Its self-driving cars have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles on their own through country and city with nary an accident. The complex array of cameras and sensors on board may be too big and expensive to include on an entry-level Honda today — but you could have said the same thing about touchscreens and keyless entry a few years ago as well, and now these once-futuristic options are standard on budget cars. As for upsells, it only costs $395 to equip a Ford Focus Titanium with automatic parking, and a $1,750 technology package on a new Toyota Avalon will get you radar-assisted cruise control and smart "pre-collision" braking. It's only a matter of time before wireless car-to-car options become as prevalent — and affordable. With all this increased connectivity, however, comes new risks. Stories of high-end cars being stolen with nothing more than a tweaked wireless key fob are common enough. And if your car is connected to the Internet (which many already are), the data is vulnerable to hacking. An upcoming presentation at this year's Defcon hacking conference is widely expected to lay bare many automotive vulnerabilities. Yet even if you manage to secure the vehicle against hackers, who's to say your data is safe from, say, the NSA? Juliussen thinks we're not quite prepared for this. "I really think that the U.S. needs to have much better privacy laws. The black box [which records crash data in newer cars] is bringing that up in a major way," he said. "It's up to Congress to do that... you can't do it without." Luckily, there's time. As Juliussen notes, even if wireless car-to-car networking were mandated on all new vehicles, it would take 10 years or more before it would really work well. Hopefully a decade is enough time to work out all of the kinks. Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. His personal website is coldewey.cc.Hosting fees for libretro buildbot Domain names Hosting fees for Lakka buildbot Hosting fees for the game thumbnails server Acquiring hardware required for improving the project Bounties We are the developers behind Libretro RetroArch and Lakka. We also maintain the libretro cores and other smaller projects like a game thumbnails repository.All this costs money, especially the servers used for the libretro buildbot and the one used to build Lakka. This is why we need your help.If you are using RetroArch or Lakka and love it, you can support us by giving a small amount on a monthly basis. This will help our project to stay strong and independent, so we can focus on improving Lakka and RetroArch.With your support, we will be able to fund things like:DISCLAIMER: We are more transparent than most as to how the money will be allocated that we receive. And as the money increases, so will our ability to do more. That being considered, how the money is spent is left at our own discretion, and there is no reasonable expectation beyond that. Commitments that are outlined in the goals will be pursued, but delays are possible depending on time circumstances. We ask for your patience and understanding there in case these issues crop up.IMPORTANT: Libretro as an entity and project does not promote or endorse willful copyright infringement. We do not accept any money from organizations and/or companies known to be engaged in and profiting from copyright infringement, and/or the facilitation thereof. Pledgers who are guilty of engaging in this will see their pledges removed, as Libretro cannot be seen to be associated to anything illegitimate.Story highlights Brooks Wheelan announced on Twitter he was let go by "SNL" Brooks was part of the sketch comedy show for one season 'SNL' would not comment on Wheelan's departure After just one season as a cast member on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," Brooks Wheelan took to Twitter on Monday to announce his firing from the hit comedy show. "Had a blast and loved every second of it," Wheelan tweeted. "I'm totally honored to be able to make this next joke... FIRED FROM NEW YORK IT'S SATURDAY NIGHT!" Though Wheelan's time on the show ended quickly after he was placed in the controversial new talent lineup that was introduced last year, the 27-year-old, who made several appearances on "Weekend Update," is not the first cast member to have their time cut short. Former "SNL" cast members provide hope for future opportunity in his television career. In 2009, Michaela Watkins and Casey Wilson were dropped from the show, but both can still be seen all over pop culture. Watkins now stars on ABC's "Trophy Wife" while Wilson went on to star as a lead actress in "Happy Endings" for over 50 episodes. JUST WATCHED SNL cast members who didn't make the cut Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH SNL cast members who didn't make the cut 01:59 JUST WATCHED Lorne Michaels, the king of late night Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Lorne Michaels, the king of late night 03:08 JUST WATCHED Seth Meyers signs off on 'SNL' Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Seth Meyers signs off on 'SNL' 01:04 Fired twice during his time at "SNL," Chris Parnell now stars in "Suburgatory" and "Glee." In 2010, "SNL" cast member Jenny Slate was let go after cursing on the show. Her stint lasted only one season as well. She now stars in the critically-acclaimed movie "Obvious Child." Launched back in 1975, "SNL" has been home to some of the most famous and beloved comic talent, including Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Chris Rock and Jimmy Fallon, to name a few. SNL would not comment on Wheelan's departure, with a representative explaining that the show does not discuss casting changes.Musings from UM's first pre-bowl practice, held Saturday afternoon in front of an estimated 200 spectators at Cobb Stadium on campus: ### With seniors (including Stephen Morris) given the practice off, Ryan Williams and Kevin Olsen took all the quarterback snaps, and both threw interceptions returned for touchdowns: Olsen by cornerback Ladarius Gunter (Olsen looked confused; no receiver was particularly close) and Williams by linebacker Jermaine Grace. Otherwise, Williams --– who took the majority of snaps --– was the more
of Sunday's referendum on constitutional reforms, and called on his rivals to provide clear proposals for ending the continuous cycle of political deadlock in Rome. He offered his condolences to those in his "Yes" camp, congratulating them on a hard-fought campaign. "Good luck to us all," said the prime minister of two-and-a-half years, saying he would give his letter of resignation to President Sergio Mattarella later on Monday. Europe calls for fast solution German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was saddened by Premier Matteo Renzi's defeat in the Italian constitutional referendum. Advertisement "I am sad that the referendum in Italy didn't turn out the way the premier wanted, because I have always supported his course of reform." However, she said she believed that Europe as a whole was on the right track. "From my point of view, we will continue our work in Europe and we have set the right priorities." Following Renzi's referendum defeat, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he hoped the government crisis in Italy would resolve quickly. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, meanwhile, urged Italy to continue with Renzi's economic reforms during a call with his Italian counterpart on Monday. France and Luxembourg, on the other hand, viewed the result as a domestic issue that did not signify a defeat for Europe. French Finance Minister Michel Sapin said the result poses no systemic risk to the euro zone. Related Subjects Italy Likewise, Luxembourg's foreign minister, Jean Asselborn, called the referendum a "domestic political argument," in comments to news agency DPA. He said the issue should not be extended to the European level, but added that a drawn-out government crisis would be bad for the euro. 'No' constitutional change in Rome With all votes counted, results showed 59 percent of Italians voting against Renzi's proposed reforms, with just under 41 percent in favor, the Interior Ministry said on Monday. Turnout for the election was high, with 65 percent of the 47 million registered voters in Italy casting ballots. At stake were a number of governmental changes pushed by Renzi and his center-left Democratic Party (PD), which was hoping to rein in an unwieldy parliament by cutting the number of representatives in the upper-house Senate, getting rid of unproductive constitutional bodies and centralizing more power with the executive. Renzi beset on all sides Renzi had faced an uphill battle from the start. By vowing to step down in the case of a "No" victory, he conflated constitutional change with support for himself and his party. In addition, his opposition came from all sides: Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's right-leaning Forza Italia Party, populists Lega Nord and the 5-Star Movement (M5S), and even some members of his own PD were against the move. Ahead of the polls, many analysts voiced their concern over the possible instability a "No" vote could usher in, and what effect that might have on global markets. A further concern among those familiar with Italian domestic politics was the possible rise of M5S, a nebulous left-leaning anti-establishment party that has little governing experience and no clear political agenda. Despite ostensibly being leftist, M5S spokesman Beppe Grillo welcomed last month's election of Donald Trump, saying that the people were beginning to show their discontent with the status quo. 'Our revolution will not stop' M5S was quick to hail the referendum results, with Grillo writing on his popular blog: "This vote has two significant consequences. First: Farewell Renzi. Second: Italians must be called to vote in a general election as soon as possible." Virginia Raggi, the mayor of Rome and Italy's most visible M5S politician, wrote on Twitter that "the Italians have won. Now we rebuild our country. Our revolution will not stop, in Rome and Italy." France's far-right National Front leader, Marine Le Pen, also welcomed the news as part of her euroskeptic agenda, saying: "The Italians have rejected the EU and Renzi. This thirst for the liberty of nations and protection must be listened to!" Le Pen has her eye on the French presidency as general elections approach in 2017, hoping to capitalize on the wave of populist and anti-establishment upsets that began with Brexit and Trump. rs, es/kms (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)Thank you for supporting the journalism that our community needs! For unlimited access to the best local, national, and international news and much more, try an All Access Digital subscription: We hope you have enjoyed your trial! To continue reading, we recommend our Read Now Pay Later membership. Simply add a form of payment and pay only 27¢ per article. Introductory pricing schedule for 12 month: $0.99/month plus tax for first 3 months, $5.99/month for months 4 - 6, $10.99/month for months 7 - 9, $13.99/month for months 10 - 12. Standard All Access Digital rate of $16.99/month begins after first year. Introductory pricing schedule for 12 month: $0.99/month plus tax for first 3 months, $5.99/month for months 4 - 6, $10.99/month for months 7 - 9, $13.99/month for months 10 - 12. Standard All Access Digital rate of $16.99/month begins after first year. Introductory pricing schedule for 12 month: $0.99/month plus tax for first 3 months, $5.99/month for months 4 - 6, $10.99/month for months 7 - 9, $13.99/month for months 10 - 12. Standard All Access Digital rate of $16.99/month begins after first year. Introductory pricing schedule for 12 month: $0.99/month plus tax for first 3 months, $5.99/month for months 4 - 6, $10.99/month for months 7 - 9, $13.99/month for months 10 - 12. Standard All Access Digital rate of $16.99/month begins after first year. Thank you for supporting the journalism that our community needs! For unlimited access to the best local, national, and international news and much more, try an All Access Digital subscription: We hope you have enjoyed your trial! To continue reading, we recommend our Read Now Pay Later membership. Simply add a form of payment and pay only 27¢ per article. Thank you for supporting the journalism that our community needs! For unlimited access to the best local, national, and international news and much more, try an All Access Digital subscription: We hope you have enjoyed your trial! To continue reading, we recommend our Read Now Pay Later membership. Simply add a form of payment and pay only 27¢ per article. During a brief press conference held just down the road from the scene of the collision, RCMP spokeswoman Tara Seel would not confirm whether Milan intentionally turned his pickup into the path of the gravel truck. The gravel truck driver suffered minor injuries in the collision. Milan’s death occurred before he made his first court appearance on the charges. He wasn’t set to appear in court until Nov. 1 on the weapons-related charges and Nov. 10 on the drug charges. He had been released on a promise to appear in court. Little more than two weeks after Const. Trent Milan, 42, an 18-year veteran of the force, was charged with 34 offences, including breach of trust, attempting to obstruct justice, possession of prohibited weapons and possession of various drugs for the purpose of trafficking, he was pronounced dead inside his heavily damaged pickup truck after it came to a rest on its side in a ditch on Garven Road at about 11:30 a.m. Monday. What was described as a dark chapter in the history of the Winnipeg Police Service came to an abrupt end Monday morning when the officer charged with dozens of criminal offences last month died after his pickup truck slammed head on into the front of a gravel truck. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/10/2016 (876 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/10/2016 (876 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. What was described as a dark chapter in the history of the Winnipeg Police Service came to an abrupt end Monday morning when the officer charged with dozens of criminal offences last month died after his pickup truck slammed head on into the front of a gravel truck. Little more than two weeks after Const. Trent Milan, 42, an 18-year veteran of the force, was charged with 34 offences, including breach of trust, attempting to obstruct justice, possession of prohibited weapons and possession of various drugs for the purpose of trafficking, he was pronounced dead inside his heavily damaged pickup truck after it came to a rest on its side in a ditch on Garven Road at about 11:30 a.m. Monday. Milan’s death occurred before he made his first court appearance on the charges. He wasn’t set to appear in court until Nov. 1 on the weapons-related charges and Nov. 10 on the drug charges. He had been released on a promise to appear in court. During a brief press conference held just down the road from the scene of the collision, RCMP spokeswoman Tara Seel would not confirm whether Milan intentionally turned his pickup into the path of the gravel truck. The gravel truck driver suffered minor injuries in the collision. "It appears the eastbound pickup truck collided with the westbound gravel truck," she said. "The driver of the pickup truck was not ejected... He was pronounced dead at the scene." Seel said collision investigators were expected to be at the scene for several hours, but by mid-afternoon, they still could not say what caused the crash. Seel would only say the deceased is a 42-year-old man from Oakbank, adding next of kin have been notified. She said road conditions were good at the time of the crash. Just more than two weeks ago, on Sept. 16, a grim-faced deputy police Chief Danny Smyth revealed the shocking allegations one of their own was being accused of stealing seized evidence and sending it back onto the streets. "This is a dark chapter for the Winnipeg Police Service," Smyth said at the time. "I can tell you, during the course of this investigation, my emotions have run from disbelief to anger to disappointment to resolve and now, here today, to actually some relief that we have brought this member essentially to justice now." On Monday, a police spokesman said "the service is not providing comments at this time." Even the Winnipeg Police Association, whose president, Maurice Sabourin, said last month his members were "shocked" when they learned of the allegations against Milan, refused to comment. On Monday, nobody answered the door at Milan’s house in a subdivision in Oakbank. Most of the drapes on the house were drawn, but there were two vehicles in the driveway. MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Const. Trent Milan, who, according to a Manitoba Justice source, had recently been told he would face six years in jail if he accepted a plea bargain, was killed Monday morning in a crash on Garven Road. Neighbours admitted they were shocked at Milan’s death, but would say nothing more, pointing back to what they said about him at the time the charges were laid: he was a good neighbour, very friendly and always willing to lend a hand. "It’s very sad," one neighbour said. The collision took place on Garven between Pine Ridge Road and Highway 207, just a short distance from the southwest corner of the Elmhurst Golf and Country Club. A golfer, who asked not to be named, said he had just taken a shot when he heard "a loud crash. "Then we saw smoke coming up. We knew then it would be terrible." At the scene, a black pickup truck with the front end smashed in was on its side in the southern ditch. Debris and a large blackened area could be seen on the road. Several RCMP officers and vehicles and a fire truck were at the scene near the country club. By mid-afternoon, the pickup was taken away on a flat-bed tow truck. Last month, after police executed search warrants on Milan’s Oakbank home, officers found cocaine, methamphetamine, Oxycodone, ecstasy, Percocet and marijuana, police said. They also reported finding illegal weapons familiar to police because they had already taken them off the streets once. It’s believed the officer had been helping himself to police evidence for a half-dozen years. Police noticed the discrepancies and began investigating a year before the arrest was made in September. Milan had been on administrative leave since the charges were laid. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the day’s breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. The allegations first came to light about a year ago but the offences date back to 2010, when Milan was part of the department’s street crime unit. According to court documents, the weapons found inside Milan’s home included several brass knuckles, centrifugal force knives and butterfly knives. Milan was also charged with two counts of stealing jewelry worth more than $5,000. A breach-of-trust charge alleged he was "benefiting personally by his police-related duties," while another charge alleged he gave confidential police information to somebody outside the service to "attempt to obstruct, pervert or defeat the course of justice." [email protected]. WASHINGTON—The Justice Department is scooping up data from thousands of cellphones through fake communications towers deployed on airplanes, a high-tech hunt for criminal suspects that is snagging a large number of innocent Americans, according to people familiar with the operations. The U.S. Marshals Service program, which became fully functional around 2007, operates Cessna aircraft from at least five metropolitan-area airports, with a flying range covering most of the U.S. population, according to people familiar with the program. Planes are equipped with devices—some known as “dirtboxes” to law-enforcement officials because of the initials of the Boeing Co. unit that produces them—which mimic cell towers of large telecommunications firms and trick cellphones into reporting their unique registration information. The technology in the two-foot-square device enables investigators to scoop data from tens of thousands of cellphones in a single flight, collecting their identifying information and general location, these people said. People with knowledge of the program wouldn’t discuss the frequency or duration of such flights, but said they take place on a regular basis. A Justice Department official would neither confirm nor deny the existence of such a program. The official said discussion of such matters would allow criminal suspects or foreign powers to determine U.S. surveillance capabilities. Justice Department agencies comply with federal law, including by seeking court approval, the official said. The program is the latest example of the extent to which the U.S. is training its surveillance lens inside the U.S. It is similar in approach to the National Security Agency’s program to collect millions of Americans phone records, in that it scoops up large volumes of data in order to find a single person or a handful of people. The U.S. government justified the phone-records collection by arguing it is a minimally invasive way of searching for terrorists. Christopher Soghoian, chief technologist at the American Civil Liberties Union, called it “a dragnet surveillance program. It’s inexcusable and it’s likely—to the extent judges are authorizing it—[that] they have no idea of the scale of it.” Cellphones are programmed to connect automatically to the strongest cell tower signal. The device being used by the U.S. Marshals Service identifies itself as having the closest, strongest signal, even though it doesn’t, and forces all the phones that can detect its signal to send in their unique registration information. Even having encryption on one’s phone, such as Apple Co. ’s iPhone 6 now includes, doesn’t prevent this process. The technology is aimed at locating cellphones linked to individuals under investigation by the government, including fugitives and drug dealers, but it collects information on cellphones belonging to people who aren’t criminal suspects, these people said. They said the device determines which phones belong to suspects and “lets go” of the non-suspect phones. The device can briefly interrupt calls on certain phones. Authorities have tried to minimize the potential for harm, including modifying the software to ensure the fake tower doesn’t interrupt anyone calling 911 for emergency help, one person familiar with the matter said. The program cuts out phone companies as an intermediary in searching for suspects. Rather than asking a company for cell-tower information to help locate a suspect, which law enforcement has criticized as slow and inaccurate, the government can now get that information itself. People familiar with the program say they do get court orders to search for phones, but it isn’t clear if those orders describe the methods used because the orders are sealed. Also unknown are the steps taken to ensure data collected on innocent people isn’t kept for future examination by investigators. A federal appeals court ruled earlier this year that over-collection of data by investigators, and stockpiling of such data, was a violation of the Constitution. The program is more sophisticated than anything previously understood about government use of such technology. Until now, the hunting of digital trails created by cellphones had been thought limited to devices carried in cars that scan the immediate area for signals. Civil-liberties groups are suing for information about use of such lower-grade devices, some of them called Stingrays, by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. By taking the program airborne, the government can sift through a greater volume of information and with greater precision, these people said. If a suspect’s cellphone is identified, the technology can pinpoint its location within about three meters, down to a specific room in a building. Newer versions of the technology can be programmed to do more than suck in data: They can also jam signals and retrieve data from a target phone such as texts or photos. It isn’t clear if this domestic program has ever used those features. Similar devices are used by U.S. military and intelligence officials operating in other countries, including in war zones, where they are sometimes used to locate terrorist suspects, according to people familiar with the work. In the U.S., these people said, the technology has been effective in catching suspected drug dealers and killers. They wouldn’t say which suspects were caught through this method. The scanning is done by the Technical Operations Group of the U.S. Marshals Service, which tracks fugitives, among other things. Sometimes it deploys the technology on targets requested by other parts of the Justice Department. Within the Marshals Service, some have questioned the legality of such operations and the internal safeguards, these people said. They say scooping up of large volumes of information, even for a short period, may not be properly understood by judges who approve requests for the government to locate a suspect’s phone. Some within the agency also question whether people scanning cellphone signals are doing enough to minimize intrusions into the phone system of other citizens, and if there are effective procedures in place to safeguard the handling of that data. It is unclear how closely the Justice Department oversees the program. “What is done on U.S. soil is completely legal,” said one person familiar with the program. “Whether it should be done is a separate question.” Referring to the more limited range of Stingray devices, Mr. Soghoian of the ACLU said: “Maybe it’s worth violating privacy of hundreds of people to catch a suspect, but is it worth thousands or tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of peoples’ privacy?” The existence of the cellphone program could escalate tensions between Washington and technology companies, including the telecom firms whose devices are being redirected by the program. If a suspect is believed to have a cellphone from Verizon Inc., for example, the device would emit a signal fooling Verizon phones and those roaming on Verizon’s network into thinking the plane is the nearest available Verizon cell tower. Phones that are turned on, even if not in use, would “ping’’ the flying device and send their registration information. In a densely populated area, the dirtbox could pick up data of tens of thousands of cellphones. The approach is similar to what computer hackers refer to as a “man in the middle’’ attack, in which a person’s electronic device is tricked into thinking it is relaying data to a legitimate or intended part of the communications system. A Verizon spokesman said the company was unaware of the program. “The security of Verizon’s network and our customers’ privacy are top priorities,’’ the spokesman said. “However, to be clear, the equipment referenced in the article is not Verizon’s and is not part of our network.” An AT&T Inc. spokeswoman declined to comment, as did a spokeswoman for Sprint Corp. For cost reasons, the flights usually target a number of suspects at a time, rather than just a single fugitive. But they can be used for a single suspect if the need is great enough to merit the resources, these people said. The dirtbox and Stingray are both types of what tech experts call “ISMI catchers,’’ named for the identification system used by networks to identify individual cellphones. The name “dirtbox’’ came from the acronym of the company making the device, DRT, for Digital Recovery Technology Inc., people said. DRT is now a subsidiary of Boeing. A Boeing spokeswoman declined to comment. “DRT has developed a device that emulates a cellular base station to attract cellphones for a registration process even when they are not in use,’’ according to a 2010 regulatory filing Boeing made with the U.S. Commerce Department, which touted the device’s success in finding contraband cellphones smuggled in to prison inmates.So what do you do on a Saturday morning? Me, I benchmark ARM development boards using Clojure. Following up on Wednesday’s quick test, I decided to even out the scores a bit and include the original Raspberry Pi Model B. To begin with, I overclocked the Pi 2 to 1GHz, connected everything via Ethernet and re-ran the benchmark for 15m to minimize any effects from other processes. All machines were running the exact same code like so (again, I’m using JDK 1.8): $ java -cp standalone.jar clojure.main -m ink-clj.main > /dev/null What that does is serve a plain HTML template that does a little markup processing. You can see what that looks like here, where I keep a running instance (obviously, the benchmark doesn’t load the CSS – that’s just a template of mine for new projects). Pi 2 I used wrk again, and this is what the results looked like: # Pi 2 $ wrk -c 100 -d 15m --latency -t 50 http://quad-damage.lan:8080 Running 15m test @ http://quad-damage.lan:8080 50 threads and 100 connections load: 1.84 cmd: wrk 1215 waiting 13.44u 61.92s Thread Stats Avg Stdev Max +/- Stdev Latency 105.17ms 9.27ms 321.76ms 86.72% Req/Sec 18.60 1.28 24.00 59.90% Latency Distribution 50 % 103.64ms 75 % 108.50ms 90 % 114.13ms 99 % 128.28ms 857155 requests in 15.00m, 3.38GB read Requests/sec: 952.31 Transfer/sec: 3.84MB This time around (via Ethernet but with 1GHz overclocking), the test took the Pi‘s four cores up to 80% sustained CPU load. The ODROID, on the other hand, went a little higher than last time (at around 55-60%), with these results: # ODROID-U2 $ wrk -c 100 -d 15m --latency -t 50 http://odroid-server.lan:8080 Running 15m test @ http://odroid-server.lan:8080 50 threads and 100 connections Thread Stats Avg Stdev Max +/- Stdev Latency 71.08ms 11.23ms 229.91ms 73.13% Req/Sec 28.12 3.66 38.00 67.24% Latency Distribution 50 % 66.97ms 75 % 77.10ms 90 % 88.04ms 99 % 94.99ms 1284929 requests in 15.00m, 5.06GB read Requests/sec: 1427.64 Transfer/sec: 5.76MB Model B For good measure, I flashed a brand new Class 10 SD Card with the exact same Raspbian image as the Pi 2 and overclocked an original Model B to 1GHz as well (as well as setting its GPU split to 16MB). When I ran the benchmark against it, the thing died. It threw up a kernel panic, corrupted the SD card and that was that. So I re-flashed and tried overclocking it to 900MHz instead, yielding the following results: # Model B $ wrk -c 100 -d 15m --latency -t 50 http://model-b.lan:8080 Running 15m test @ http://model-b.lan:8080 50 threads and 100 connections Thread Stats Avg Stdev Max +/- Stdev Latency 1.06s 195.15ms 3.53s 95.26% Req/Sec 1.47 0.53 2.00 50.26% Latency Distribution 50 % 1.03s 75 % 1.06s 90 % 1.08s 99 % 2.13s 86382 requests in 15.01m, 348.55MB read Socket errors: connect 0, read 0, write 0, timeout 70 Requests/sec: 95.90 Transfer/sec: 396.23KB Whereas the Pi 2 put up a decent fight, the Model B can hardly keep up. Summary Here are all the results in a nice little table: Metric Model B (900MHz) Pi 2 (1GHz) ODROID-U2 (1.7GHz) Requests served in 15m 86382 857155 1284929 Avg. Request latency (per client thread) 1.06s 105.17ms 71.08ms Avg. Requests/s (per client thread) 1.47 18.60 28.12 Requests/s 95.90 952.31 1427.64 Transfer/s 396.23KB 3.84MB 5.76MB The good news here is that the Pi 2 is almost ten times faster than the original board, with the ODROID-U2 being one and a half times faster still (which is no big surprise, given that it’s clocked at 1.7GHz). I have to wonder about the Pi 2‘s CPU load (I have a nagging feeling at least part of it is likely to be due to it still having Ethernet hang off the USB bus), but I don’t have any meaningful computing benchmarks handy, and the differences between a (still not ARMv7 optimized) Raspbian and Ubuntu mean that we’ll only be able to get proper comparisons when things progress a bit further on the software front. In the meantime, I’ve also taken the time to set up NetBeans on the Pi 2, and found it almost as speedy as on the U2 – perfectly usable for small Java projects, including debugging and profiling. I haven’t tried any normal desktop applications (other than Chromium), but I’d say the Pi 2 is finally worth considering as an full-fledged educational computer (i.e., beyond the introductory toy stage). All things considered (and I don’t go in much for popularity), it’s now the best bang for the buck out there, and judging from my brief experiments with arcade emulation (I’m currently having another go at my Christmas experiment), there’s going to be a lot of (literally) entertaining things to do with the Pi 2. Now all I need is Ubuntu for it. Why? Because the packages on it are way better than Raspbian’s, and they’ve been doing ARMv7 for a good while. Here’s an example of what we’re missing out on: Pro Tip: Install a Decent VNC Server For some reason (I suppose licensing or other Debianisms), Raspbian ships with tigthvncserver, which is markedly inferior to the “real” VNC server. Even on the Pi 2, the thing has a lot of lag, and I found it extremely annoying to use when compared to the smooth experience I’ve had on my ODROID for a couple of years. So I decided to rebuild the vnc4server package from Ubuntu (instructions are on my Raspberry Pi page), and mostly as I expected the result was a staggering improvement in terms of responsiveness. I am also able to do something that never seemed to work properly in tightvncserver : switch the desktop size on the fly. To do so, just start vncserver with a set of geometry settings, like so: vncserver -depth 16 -geometry 1024x768 -geometry 1280x800 -geometry 1366x768 -geometry 1600x1200 -geometry 1280x720 -geometry 1920x1080 -geometry 2048x1536 …and you can then use xrandr -r <number> to switch between them on the fly, which significantly improves things when you access the same machine from multiple devices. And yes, I had tried using the exact same settings with tightvncserver, from bit depth to encoding. I don’t think the marked increase in performance came from it being a new, optimized binary (although that may have contributed to it), but rather because it’s a better package for the task at hand. Either way, both are more than enough justification for me to keep looking for a “regular” Ubuntu build for this board – I’ve half a mind to try building a network install rootfs for it, but I need to get up to speed on other stuff…When it was unveiled in MWC 2011, there was a lot of speculation whether Samsung Galaxy S2 will be able to take forward the legacy that Galaxy S started, to a new level. With this curiosity, I had set my eyes on this phone, I wanted this phone. After 4 months of, when an official launch date of S2 was announced in India, several store owners still struggled to mention an exact date of availability. So I ended up in buying it from eBay (also available on Amazon as well). After 3 days, it finally arrived on my doorstep and the box was enough to make me feel like, Wow! So, after playing with it for a week, here’s my Samsung Galaxy S2 Review in Bullet Style™: The Good The Bad Gorgeous SAMOLED+ Display Beastly Hardware Specs: 1.2Ghz Dual core processor and 1GB RAM. Super Snappy performance. Great Battery Life. Not powerful enough speaker. No dedicated camera button. First Impressions The screen is simply Gorgeous and it’s the best I’ve ever seen. Moreover, the phone is equally beautiful, I often keep staring it and admiring it. At a first glance, it looks like the body is inspired by iPhone. The home button in bottom middle this resemblance stronger. Thinnest smartphone ever, so thin that it won’t even fill up your pocket properly. Moreover, it is very light. Even the battery weighs more than the phone! The phone boots up in 6 seconds. That’s very fast! Although having a massive 4.3 inch screen, it fits perfectly in hand (and pocket too, if you’re still wondering.) Some people complain about Samsung’s cheap build quality, but things are different with S2. Although it’s made of plastic, the phone quality feels solid in hands. Its mesh texture on the back makes it feel even better to hold. The battery cover is very thin. While opening it for the first time I feared I might broke it but it’s very flexible and strong. vs HTC phones’ built? Sorry it’s not as tough as you’ll be looking for. But its feather like weight makes up for it. Display The Super AMOLED Plus screen is incredible. Green, red, blue, yellow colors pop out and are thrown everywhere. The TouchWiz interface really makes the interface bright. Its SAMOLED Plus screen, packed with a resolution of 800×480 pixels, produces a far better display than other screens do such as LG Optimus’s NOVA display or HTC Sensation which has a little greater resolution. Since it only has a 800×480 resolution, the pixel count is relatively lower than the iPhone, Motorola Atrix or HTC Sensation and text may not be crisp in a zoomed out page but it’ll still be sharp enough for easy reading. The screen is clearly visible under sunlight. See the 4th photo below, screen’s brightness is to 10% and is still clearly visible. photo below, screen’s brightness is to 10% and is still clearly visible. UnSynchronized Lighting of Buttons below the screen is a pain. That was very stupid of me that I never noticed the setting to turn it on permanently. That was very stupid of me that I never noticed the setting to turn it on permanently. No LED notification is a drawback. How do I know if there’s a missed call or an unread SMS without unlocking the phone? Hardware With 1.2Ghz dual core processor screaming inside the shell, it literally blows out every single competitor with its specifications which make it as the world’s current most powerful smartphone. Here’s a quick look at its specs: Display SAMOLED+, 480 x 800 pixels CPU Dual-core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 Processor and Mali-400MP GPU Storage 16GB/32GB (extendable), 1GB Ram Connectivity GPRS, EDGE, 3G, WiFi, USB 2.0 and Bluetooth 3.0 Camera 8 MP rear and 2MP front. Video Recording: [email protected] Battery 1650mAH, Standby: 710 h (2G) & upto 610 h (3G) Talktime: Up to 18 h 20 min (2G) & upto 8 h 40 min (3G) Storage 16GB/32GB Internal, 32GB extendable. Miscellaneous NFC, SNS integration, HDTV output, Flash, DLNA etc. The phone has a 3.5mm audio jack, volume control buttons, a power button and a USB output for three purposes: Charging the phone, Connecting to a PC/Mac and HDTV Output. It has WiFi Direct, using which you can wirelessly connect PCs and Printers (for printing over the air). It has WiFi Direct, using which you can wirelessly connect PCs and Printers (for printing over the air). It also comes with “AllShare” that lets you to link wirelessly with a TV, laptop or even audio system to play multimedia files directly from the phone. Further, it’s also capable of incorporating NFC technology which, I think, might be the future of shopping. (Only available in Korea though, but rumors say it’ll be available in UK, US versions. Do Read my Views on NFC and Google Wallet: Could it be the Next Big Thing in Shopping? Performance With world’s best specifications, I’ll say it again, S II literally blows out every single competitor with its specifications. A quadrant test gave a score of 3687 which is huge. (Wondering what’ll happen if it’s overclocked? See it here yourself)In context to this score, even the its nearest competitor, Optimus 2X is nowhere to be seen in the horizon, lagging behind with a whopping 1200 points! However, HTC Sensation’s low quadrant score could be blamed on its high resolution. Though, it’s still very low. (Wondering what’ll happen if it’s overclocked? See it here yourself)In context to this score, even the its nearest competitor, Optimus 2X is nowhere to be seen in the horizon, lagging behind with a whopping 1200 points! However, HTC Sensation’s low quadrant score could be blamed on its high resolution. Though, it’s still very low. Applications load super quick and I haven’t experienced any lag while switching between windows. Gaming is a wonderful experience. Thanks to its GPU chip, it easily runs NVidia NVidia Tegra 2 optimized games. I played some games like Guerilla Bob THD and the graphics was great. vs iPhone 4? I’m not going to do this or this will become a yet-another-android-vs-iOS post. Ofcourse, S2’s specifications wipes out that of iPhone’s but it won’t be fair to compare S2 with a 1-year old phone. Let’s wait for iPhone 5 and see if it changes everything (Again! :P) More Benchmarks The Phone scored approximately 60fps in both Neocore and NenaMark1 test. Some of you maybe thinking, “Hey this is way less than Optimus 2x’s 90fps+ score!” right? Wrong. No screen right now can display more than 60fps, except 120Hz 3D LCDs. Anything higher than the screen refresh rate will ultimately lead to wastage of battery used to calculate non-displayed images. So this way, Optimus 2x is probably cheating to win benchmarks? (Described by supercurio.) Lags Although every app, every thing flies like a rocket in S II, I noticed some lags during a of my week of S II experience: Rotation of screen while using the camera once froze my phone for few seconds. Though, this never happened again. It takes a second for the phone to be unlocked after the power/lock-button is pressed. Update: It has been almost fixed in a leaked firmware update. It has been almost fixed in a leaked firmware update. The display takes some time to appear after a voicecall is over. Samsung says a software configuration issue is the culprit for this. Experience lags when you press the home button? It is because it waits to confirm whether the user has double pressed it to launch Voice or not, and not actually a flaw. Camera, GPS and Multimedia Camera Samsung Galaxy S2 has a 8.0 megapixel camera, capable of shooting at full 1080p HD resolution. The picture and video quality is excellent. The colors are bright and photos taken in dark are equally good with Flash. The camera interface is also simple. Though, Samsung missed a dedicated camera button in the phone which I’m used to. Secondary camera The S2 is also equipped with a 2.0 megapixel front camera and is the only phone to sport this right now. The S2 is also equipped
's track record indicates he wouldn't help much with the interception problem. Starter Andrew Luck hasn't practiced with his team since December, is coming off offseason shoulder surgery and could miss the first couple of games of the season. The good news is that the team expects a full recovery and a return to full strength for Luck at some point. The bad news is that the Colts haven't been able to protect him and that the backups are Scott Tolzien -- the Week 1 starter -- and just-acquired Jacoby Brissett. Even if Luck is back in Week 3, another injury would spell doom for the Colts. And they can't be sure that's avoidable. Everything good I wrote about Winston can apply to Marcus Mariota. He comes with a flaw as well, and in his case, it's that he hasn't been able to stay healthy for a full 16 games in either of his NFL seasons. That's a small sample size, and we might someday look back on it as a blip on the road to a brilliant, durable career. But until Mariota proves able to hold up physically for a whole season, it chips away at the confidence you can have in his ability to do so. Matt Cassel fits the mold of a veteran backup who can probably keep from steering the whole thing into a ditch, but the Titans don't necessarily want to find out. Leaning on the group around them Sam Bradford was just what the Vikings hoped he would be last season and maybe even more. He set an NFL single-season record for completion percentage while managing to stay healthy enough to play 15 games (all but the first, for which he was the backup because he had just gotten there) behind one of the worst pass-protecting offensive lines in recent memory. Bradford averaged only 7.02 yards per attempt, which helps explain that 71.6 completion percentage, but that 7.02 was also a career high for Bradford. They know what he is. They know they have to protect him better or they can't win. They have no idea how healthy Teddy Bridgewater will be by the end of the season or whether they'll keep one, both or neither of them in 2018 and beyond. Lot of question marks here, and that's not even mentioning Case Keenum, who joined the team on a one-year deal in March. Carson Wentz has a chance to pull this ranking up as the season goes along, especially if the early reports of his more efficient throwing motion turn out to be legit. If Alshon Jeffery can stay on the field, Wentz has a No. 1 wide receiver, and the Eagles like their offensive line a lot. However, Wentz has to look more like he did the first three games of 2016 than he did in the last 13 in order to justify the optimism Eagles coaches, players and fans have about him. If he does, this ranking moves up quickly. Nick Foles is the backup, and he has experience and knows the offense. It appears Joe Flacco is healed from his back issue in time to start Week 1, which is great, because Ryan Mallett is not an acceptable fallback, and we've heard plenty about where the Ravens stand on signing Colin Kaepernick. Flacco is what he is at this point in his career, and that incredible Super Bowl run that made him so very rich is now five seasons ago. The Ravens are a team that has to win in spite of its offense. Former fourth-round pick Tom Savage (3) beat out rookie first-rounder Deshaun Watson in camp. Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire Tom Savage has the confidence of the coaching staff and of top wideout DeAndre Hopkins. Savage has had some issues staying healthy, though, and with first-round pick and national college champion Deshaun Watson waiting in the wings, this situation is going to be tricky for Houston to navigate. Add in coach Bill O'Brien's propensity to switch quarterbacks on a hair-trigger whim and you have a situation that could have fallen into the "volatile" category if the players involved ranked with those in that tier in terms of ability. How long can the defense carry this team? We may be about to find out. Trevor Siemian won the job this summer after 2016 first-round pick Paxton Lynch failed to take it from him. Lynch is now hurt, and Brock Osweiler is back to try to rebuild his career while backing up Siemian. The Broncos like Siemian (and Osweiler) more than many on the outside do, but there's a worthwhile question to be asked about how much confidence they should have in this arrangement for the long term. For the short term, Siemian will be asked to keep things under control and not turn the ball over while they run it and keep the other team from scoring. He handled that assignment just fine last season. Ryan Tannehill blew out his knee and Jay Cutler came out of retirement to run Adam Gase's offense. Can the duo recapture the magic of the 2015 Bears' offense? Was it really all that magical? Cutler's surprise unretirement could be one of the blindside stories of the season if he and Gase can put points on the board. More likely, the Dolphins will try to do what they can to minimize turnovers with a quarterback who has always seemed prone to them, while running the ball with Jay Ajayi and hoping the defense holds up on the back end. Maybe more confidence than you think? Offensive coaches don't come a lot more confident than Kyle Shanahan. He built the Falcons' offense into a historic scoring machine and helped get it to the brink of a Super Bowl title. If he says Brian Hoyer can run his offense, then you have to believe Brian Hoyer can run his offense. The problems are that Hoyer has a history of getting hurt and that the Niners are personnel-deficient in too many other areas of their team to expect much in the terms of first-year magic from Shanahan. Rookie C.J. Beathard is an unknown, and many people think this is the team waiting out the free agency of Kirk Cousins, whose first NFL coordinator was Shanahan. Should they be confident in Mike Glennon as the starter? Maybe not, but they liked him enough to sign him to an eight-figure salary. Can they know yet about No. 2 overall pick Mitchell Trubisky? Of course not. It's too soon. But Trubisky showed enough this summer to offer hope, and while the 2017 Bears aren't expected to do much, they have earned the right to feel more confident about their quarterback situation than they did six months ago. Tyrod Taylor is, I continue to insist, better than you think he is. But he needs a good group around him in order to succeed, and the Bills have spent the offseason losing good players from their offense. No more Sammy Watkins and no Anquan Boldin (we hardly knew ye!) means rookie Zay Jones has to carry a lot of the load for Taylor, and that checkdowns to LeSean McCoy become a huge part of the offensive game plan. Taylor's revised contract, which allows Buffalo to get out of it after this year, doesn't scream confidence. Rookie Nathan Peterman is unproven, and Joe Webb was just brought in to be the No. 3. Not a great situation here. Jared Goff started seven games last season, completing only 54.6 percent of his passes. Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports Jared Goff was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft. It's just that the current Rams coaching staff wasn't there when the team drafted him, so there's no way to know yet how they'll all click. Rams coaches seem more impressed with Goff than maybe they expected to be, and they have reason to believe they've constructed a decent group around him, trading for Sammy Watkins and signing a couple of veteran offensive linemen. Goff's development under new coach Sean McVay and his staff is a story to watch, especially since McVay and Kirk Cousins had a good thing together in Washington too. Former third-round pick Sean Mannion is the backup. In early May, how many of you had second-round pick DeShone Kizer starting the Browns' opener? Liars. Put your hands down. A couple of talent evaluators told me this summer that Kizer was the young QB to watch, since he played in a pro-style offense at Notre Dame and was making NFL throws the others weren't being asked to make in college. We'll see. The Browns like their offensive line and their run game and will give Kizer a long leash. It's worth wondering who he's going to throw it to, but the coaching staff believes in him. Cody Kessler is the backup, and they used him a few times last season without it being a complete disaster. No earthly idea Blake Bortles just about lost his job to Chad Henne a couple of weeks ago, then miraculously got it back before the fourth preseason game. But, come on. It's clear this new regime in Jacksonville has no confidence in Bortles and that he'll have to play better than he ever has in order to stay around in 2018. He also carries a $19 million option for 2018 that's guaranteed only against injury, so if they decide once and for all he's not their guy for the long haul, they have to make sure he doesn't get hurt, or they're on the hook for that money. Expect the Jags to be in the QB market next year. A team that absolutely needs to get a look at 2016 second-rounder Christian Hackenberg to see what it has in him is instead starting veteran Josh McCown in Week 1. Bryce Petty doesn't seem to be a part of the picture in the short term or long. We'll see Hackenberg at some point, surely, but the fact that he couldn't beat out McCown's lackluster summer says a lot about where this team is at quarterback right now. Which is basically nowhere.Not to be confused with New Cult Awareness Network The Cult Awareness Network (CAN) was an organization created by deprogrammer Ted Patrick[1] that provided information on groups that it considered to be cults, as well as support and referrals to deprogrammers.[2][3][4] It was founded in the wake of the November 18, 1978 deaths of members of the group Peoples Temple and assassination of Congressman Leo J. Ryan in Jonestown, Guyana, and was shut down in 1996. Its name and assets were later bought by a group of private donors (some of whom were Scientologists) in bankruptcy proceedings;[5][6] with the transfer of ownership, the organization was renamed the New Cult Awareness Network. CAN and its representatives were known for being highly critical of Scientology, Landmark Education, and some other groups and new religious movements, referring to some of these groups as "destructive cults".[citation needed] History Ted Patrick founded the FREECOG organization, later known as the Citizen's Freedom Foundation, in 1971[7] before becoming successively the Citizen's Freedom Foundation ("CFF"), the "Cult Awareness Network of the Citizen's Freedom", and finally the Cult Awareness Network,[8][9] renamed in the wake of the 1978 Jonestown mass murder-suicide. CAN was initially directed by Patricia Ryan, the daughter of US Congressman Leo J. Ryan (D-Millbrae, California), who died from gunfire while investigating conditions at the Jonestown compound. The Citizen's Freedom Foundation was originally headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, and collected information on New Religious Movements. By 1991, the Cult Awareness Network had twenty-three chapters dedicated to monitoring two hundred groups that it referred to as: "mind control cults."[10] Actor Mike Farrell was one of the members of the board of advisors of CAN.[11][12] In 1990, the Cult Awareness Network established the "John Gordon Clark Fund", in honor of psychiatrist John G. Clark, who had given testimony about Scientology and other groups.[13][14] The fund was established to assist former members of destructive cults.[14] The CFF was originally in favour of deprogramming, but distanced itself from the practice in the late 1970s, when it changed its name to the Cult Awareness Network.[15] Despite this, The Cult Awareness Network also became the subject of controversy, when CAN-associated Galen Kelly and Donald Moore, were convicted in the course of carrying out deprogrammings. Detractors Susan E. Darnell Anson D. Shupe, Darnell, and Church of Scientology attorney Kendrick Moxon charged that CAN deliberately provided a distorted picture of the groups it tracked. They claimed it was "a Chicago-based national anticult organization claiming to be purely a tax-exempt informational clearinghouse on new religions".[16] In 1991, Time magazine quoted then CAN director Cynthia Kisser in its article "The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power". Kisser stated: "Scientology is quite likely the most ruthless, the most classically terroristic, the most litigious and the most lucrative cult the country has ever seen. No cult extracts more money from its members".[10] This quote has since been referenced verbatim in other secondary sources discussing Scientology.[17][18] These comments and other forms of criticism from CAN garnered the attention of the Church of Scientology and Landmark Education, and both separately began litigation proceedings against the organization. CAN declared bankruptcy after a jury found that CAN conspired to violate the civil rights and religious liberties of Jason Scott, a Pentecostalist, who had been forcibly kidnapped and subjected to a failed deprogramming by Rick Ross, a CAN-referred deprogrammer and others.[19]:97–98 The court ordered CAN to pay a judgment of US$1 million. The large award was intended to deter similar conduct in the future; the court noted that the defendants were unable to appreciate the maliciousness of their conduct towards the deprogrammee, and portrayed themselves, throughout the entire process of litigation, as victims of the alleged agenda of the plaintiff's attorney, Church of Scientology attorney Kendrick Moxon.[20] In 1996, CAN went bankrupt and its assets were bought by a coalition of organizations and individuals, including Scientologists.[6][21] The Bankruptcy Trustee told The Washington Post that he put CAN's name-brand assets on the auction block only because Kisser herself asked to buy them.[22] As a result of a legal settlement with Landmark Education, CAN agreed not to sell copies of Outrageous Betrayal, a book critical of Werner Erhard, for five years after it emerged from bankruptcy proceedings. Following its bankruptcy, the files of the "Old CAN" were made available to scholars for study and transferred to a university library.[23] Since then, academics who published a joint paper with Kendrick Moxon and later others referencing their work have stated that the "Old CAN" covertly continued to make and derive income from referrals to coercive deprogrammers and to activist members for distribution, while publicly distancing itself from the practice.[23][24] Some deprogrammers relied upon CAN to provide a steady supply of paying customers.[25][26] Deprogramming referral kickback scheme – NARDEC The National Resource Development and Economic Council was formed in the mid 1980s and had become institutionalized as a special unit within CAN by 1987.[26] The unit's role was to provide referrals to deprogrammers in exchange for a 'kickback' – either in cash or in the form of a tax deductible "donation" or "commissions" which were then funneled back to national CAN headquarters.[26][27] Journalist Nora Hamerman, in writing about the Dobkowski deprogramming, referred to CAN as "a clearinghouse for kidnap-for-hire rings",[28] referring to the "financial symbiosis between CAN and coercive deprogrammers".[26] CAN-associated deprogrammers include Steven Hassan, Carol Giambalvo, Rick Ross,[29] Ted Patrick, Galen Kelly,[16][30][31] David Clark,[32] Donald Moore,[16] and Robert Point.[33] Reception The Jason Scott case in 1995 demonstrated the ongoing involvement of the "Old CAN" in deprogramming referrals.[30] Also, in 1993, deprogrammer Galen Kelly's trial following another botched deprogramming attempt had revealed that the "Old CAN" had, contrary to its stated policy, paid Kelly a monthly stipend during the 1990s.[30] At the 2000 meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, sociologist Anson Shupe and Susan E. Darnell presented a paper co-authored with Church of Scientology attorney Kendrick Moxon, based on their analysis of the files of the "Old CAN", and raising various allegations against the way the "Old CAN" was operated.[16] Shupe, Moxon and Darnell repeated these allegations in a 2004 Baylor University Press publication entitled New Religious Movements and Religious Liberty in America, edited by Derek Davis and Barry Hankins.[23] They expressed the view that the "Old CAN" could reasonably be described as a criminal organization operating in large part for the profit to certain actors, and that it cultivated a hypocritical and deceptive public persona.[23] They alleged that despite public denials, the "Old CAN" operating policy included routine referrals to coercive deprogrammers, citing, among others, FBI wiretap evidence documenting frequent, casual contact between coercive deprogrammers and Cynthia Kisser, the executive director of the "Old CAN".[23] They further alleged that the "Old CAN" operated as a money laundering scheme, with coercive deprogrammers expected to "kick back" to the "Old CAN" part of the fees they charged families, in the form of direct or indirect donations.[23] Other allegations made by Shupe, Darnell and Moxon included irregularities in finances suggestive of personal enrichment by some "Old CAN" officials,[23] as well as the use of legal and illegal drugs by deprogrammers during deprogrammings, and occurrences of sexual intercourse between deprogrammers and deprogrammees.[23] Shupe and Darnell expanded on these topics in their 2006 book Agents of Discord, referencing their prior work with Kendrick Moxon.[34] The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements (Oxford University Press, 2004, edited by James R. Lewis) states that the "Old CAN" countered fiscal challenges by soliciting donations for referrals.[24] In a chapter co-authored by David G. Bromley, Anson Shupe, and Susan E. Darnell, the Handbook states that exit counsellors or deprogrammers either made donations themselves, or had client families make donations to the "Old CAN", and that these donations made up as much as one-third of "Old CAN" revenues.[24] While the "Old CAN" was set up as a tax-exempt organization serving educational purposes, coercive depogramming referrals remained an integral part of its economy and response pattern, a contradiction that was concealed, but not resolved by the "Old CAN" publicly renouncing deprogramming while covertly engaging in referrals.[24] Ironically, the authors state, the "Old CAN" was finally "undone by the same kind of civil suit strategy it had employed against NRMs [new religious movements], in a case involving the same type of coercive practices it accused cults of employing".[24] Landmark Education According to the (Old) Cult Awareness Network's executive director, Landmark Education and the Church of Scientology were the two groups for which CAN received the highest number of inquiries from concerned relatives – twenty-five per month per group.[35] In an interview, CAN's executive director emphasized that the label "cult" with regard to Landmark Education was not important; but rather greater scrutiny of its practices was needed.[35] Specifically, CAN stressed concerning characteristics, such as "the long hours during which the participant is in the organization's total control, receiving input from only one source, removed from any support system except for the seminar group itself".[35] In 1994, Landmark Education Corporation sued the Cult Awareness Network for US$40 million, claiming that CAN had labeled Landmark Education as a cult.[36] The case itself involved a dispute over the legality and applicable usage of what Matthews termed "cult indoctrination procedures".[36] CAN later settled and made a statement that it did not consider Landmark Education a cult, as part of the settlement agreement.[37] During the litigation proceedings between Landmark Education and the Cult Awareness Network, Landmark Education spent months attempting to compel legal journalist Steven Pressman to respond to deposition questions aimed at obtaining the confidential sources he used for research on his book about Werner Erhard, Outrageous Betrayal.[38] Though the deposition questions were brought under the pretext of compelling discovery for use in Landmark Education's lawsuit against CAN, Pressman concluded that the deposition questioning was mainly a form of harassment.[38] The discovery commissioner who entered an interim order in the matter, commented that "it does not appear that the information sought [from Mr. Pressman] is directly relevant or goes to the heart of the [CAN] action, or that alternative sources have been exhausted or are inadequate". The action against Pressman was dropped after the Cult Awareness Network litigation was settled.[38][39] As a result of the Cult Awareness Network settlement with Landmark Education, CAN agreed to cease selling copies of Outrageous Betrayal for at least five years. From the resolution of the CAN board of directors: "In the interests of settling a dispute and in deference to Landmark's preference, however, CAN now agrees not to sell the Pressman Book for at least five years after CAN emerges from bankruptcy".[40] CAN's executive director maintained that the purpose of Landmark Education's lawsuits was not to recover lost funds, but to "gag critics".[35] Along with Scientology, Landmark Education was granted access to Cult Awareness Network's files, which contained phone records and data on individuals who had previously sought information on these groups.[41][42] Church of Scientology's response The Church of Scientology had long characterized the Cult Awareness Network as both an opponent of religious freedom and a "hate group".[43] In 1990, a woman named Jolie Steckart, posing as Laura Terepin, applied to volunteer for the (original) Cult Awareness Network.[44] Bob Minton later hired a private investigator to look into this, and in 1998 discovered that she was actually a "deep undercover agent", who was managed by David Lee, a private investigator hired by the Church of Scientology.[44] Steckart had also attempted to infiltrate the Scientology-critical organization Fight Against Coercive Tactics Network or "FACTnet".[44] In 1991, over fifty Scientologists from across the United States filed civil suits against the Cult Awareness Network, many of whom used the same carbon copy claims through influence from the Los Angeles, California law firm Bowles & Moxon. In addition, Scientologists filed dozens of discrimination complaints against CAN, with state human rights commissions in the United States. The Cult Awareness Network, which ran on a budget of US$300,000 per year, was unable to cope with this amount of litigation. By 1994, it had been dropped by all of its insurance companies, and still owed tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees.[43][45] Kendrick Moxon, chief attorney for the Church of Scientology, had stated that the lawsuits were brought to address discrimination against individuals who wanted to reform the Cult Awareness Network.[43] These fifty individuals had all simultaneously tried to join the organization.[46] When the Cult Awareness Network's executive director turned down the applications for fear that the new Scientologist applicants would overtake control of CAN, they sued in separate lawsuits claiming religious discrimination.[46] Though Moxon handled the litigation for all of the lawsuits, the Church of Scientology maintained that it did not provide the financial backing for the suits.[47] Moxon did acknowledge that his firm Moxon & Bowles had represented the plaintiffs in the case at virtually no charge, and that Scientology churches "helped a little bit, but very little", with the litigation costs.[48] Daniel Leipold, the attorney who represented CAN in the suits, believed that the Church of Scientology did indeed have a role in the financial backing of the suits, stating, "for every nickel we spent, they spent at least a dollar".[48] Leipold also stated that when he began to take statements from some of the Scientologist plaintiffs in the process of his defense of CAN, "Several of the plaintiffs said they had not seen or signed the lawsuits, even though the court papers bore their signatures".[48] One Scientologist plaintiff told CAN attorneys that he could not recall how he initially got the contact information of CAN officials, or who had asked him to write to the organization.[48] Another Scientologist later fired his lawyer and asked a judge to dismiss his own case against CAN, saying that Eugene Ingram, a private investigator for the Church of Scientology, had paid him three hundred dollars to have lunch where he agreed to be a plaintiff and signed a blank page for Church of Scientology attorneys.[48] CAN attorney Leipold stated, "Scientology planned, instigated, coordinated and sponsored a plan to subject CAN to multiple lawsuits in multiple jurisdictions in order to overwhelm and eliminate it or take it over and control it".[48] Frank Oliver, who was until 1993 an operative in the Church of Scientology's Office of Special Affairs division (OSA), asserted that his last assignment with the OSA branch was to assist Kendrick Moxon in developing a special unit to target the Cult Awareness Network.[49] Oliver stated that this unit was tasked with recruiting plaintiffs to sue the Cult Awareness Network, with the intention that these lawsuits would put CAN out of business.[49] In 1995, members of the Church of Scientology picketed the home of ex-Scientology staff members Robert Vaughn Young and Stacy Young. A Scientology spokeswoman called it "a peaceful First Amendment demonstration to protest the Youngs' involvement with the Cult Awareness Network".[50] In a 2005 interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, a Church of Scientology spokesperson stated that the Church was not responsible for the litigation leading to CAN's bankruptcy.[46] Church of Scientology leader David Miscavige appeared in his first ever interview with the media on the program Nightline on February 14, 1992, and was interviewed by Ted Koppel.[51] Miscavige stated that he believed Scientology did not "lend itself well to the press", and he criticized a piece on Scientology that aired on Nightline shortly before his interview.[51] In his criticism of the piece, Miscavige asserted that Nightline correspondents had only interviewed members of CAN, stating, "For instance, something that isn't mentioned in there is that every single detractor on there is part of a religious hate group called Cult Awareness Network and their sister group called American Family Foundation. Now, I don't know if you've heard of these people, but it's the same as the KKK would be with the blacks. I think if you interviewed a neo-Nazi and asked them to talk about the Jews, you would get a similar result to what you have here."[51] Koppel then posited the notion that others critical of Scientology were less apt to come forward and speak publicly due to fears of potential recrimination from the Church.[51] In 1994, the Cult Awareness Network opened a counter-suit against the Church of Scientology, eleven individual Scientologists and the Los Angeles law firm of Bowles and Moxon.[52] Jason Scott case In 1995, CAN, and two co-defendants were found guilty of negligence and conspiracy to violate the civil rights and religious liberties of Jason Scott, then a member of the Life Tabernacle Church, a small United Pentecostalist congregation in Bellevue, Washington. Rick Alan Ross was acquitted in the criminal trial.[20][53][54][55] A CAN volunteer had referred Ross to Scott's mother, endorsing his ability as a deprogrammer.[20][56] The mother thereupon retained Ross's services.[20][56] In a civil trial, Ross was ordered to pay more than US$3 million in damages; CAN, having referred Ross to Scott's mother, was ordered to pay a judgement of US$1 million.[43][57][58] The court found that CAN volunteers had routinely referred callers to deprogrammers.[59] CAN appealed the decision but a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the award, two of the three judges finding against CAN, with the third judge dissenting.[56][59] The full 9th Circuit court then voted against reconsidering the case.[59][60] The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a final appeal by CAN in March 1999.[59] Ross went into bankruptcy, but emerged in December 1996 when Scott reconciled with his mother and settled with Ross for five-thousand dollars and 200 hours of Ross's services "as an expert consultant and intervention specialist".[5] Scott fired his attorney Kendrick Moxon the next day and retained long-time Church of Scientology opponent Graham Berry as his lawyer instead.[5] After Scott fired Moxon, Moxon filed emergency motions in two states and alleged Scott had been influenced by supporters of CAN to hire Berry as his lawyer.[61] "He's really been abused by CAN and disgustingly abused by this guy Berry", said Moxon in a statement in The Washington Post.[61] Moxon, who had argued in the case that Ross and associates had hindered a competent adult's freedom to make his own religious decisions, immediately filed court papers seeking to rescind the settlement and appoint a guardian for Scott, whom he called "incapacitated". That effort failed.[62][63] Scott stated that he felt he had been manipulated as part of the Church of Scientology's plan to destroy CAN. According to the Chicago Tribune, Scott and his relatives felt Moxon was not paying enough attention to Scott's financial judgment, and was instead focused on a "personal vendetta" against CAN.[65] "Basically, Jason said he was tired of being the poster boy for the Scientologists. My son has never been a member of the Church of Scientology. When he was approached by Moxon, he was lured by his promises of a $1 million settlement, so he went for it", said Scott's mother Katherine Tonkin in a statement to the Chicago Tribune.[65] Demise of the "Old CAN" Scott sold his $1,875,000 judgment against CAN for $25,000 to Gerry Beany, a Scientologist represented by Moxon, whereby Beany had the largest claim against CAN in the bankruptcy proceeding. In satisfaction of that debt, CAN agreed to give Beany all of CAN's files and records. Beany, in turn, donated the records to the Foundation for Religious Freedom.[66] That bankruptcy was the demise of the "Old CAN", marking the end of the cult wars—at least in North America.[67] Controversies surrounding new religious movements continued, but the debate thereafter largely moved to other arenas than the courts.[67] Waco siege According to Alexander Cockburn, the role of the Cult Awareness Network and its representatives "may well have been crucial" in the law enforcement actions during the 1993 Waco siege.[68] A series of newspaper articles in the Waco Tribune-Herald and allegations of child abuse by CAN Executive Director Priscilla Coates were followed by increasing interest and investigation by law enforcement.[69] On the 8th of April 1993, during the siege of the Branch Davidians compound, CAN president Patricia Ryan (daughter of slain U.S. Representative Leo Ryan) stated that the FBI should use any means necessary to arrest David Koresh, including lethal force.[70] Throughout the siege, representatives from CAN offered unsolicited assistance to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and FBI. Representatives also made numerous media appearances, including making statements that the FBI commander felt "could set back negotiations substantially".[71] The siege ultimately ended on April 19 with the death of 76 people, including Koresh. In a 1996 joint hearing before the United States Congress on the Waco Siege entitled: Activities of Federal Law Enforcement Agencies Toward the Branch Davidians, it was stated[who?] into the record that publicists for the New Alliance Party had circulated a report to Congress and the media called "What is the Cult Awareness Network and What Role Did it Play in Waco?"[1] Testimony was also entered into the record stating, "Their report relied on [conspiracy theorist] Linda Thompson, organizations created or funded by the Church of Scientology and the Unification Church" and a "long-time cult apologist".[1] 60 Minutes special report In 1997, two years after the Scott case, CBS News aired a 60 Minutes special on the case.[72] Amongst other things, it discovered that a signatory who had responsible for one of the most damaging affidavits against CAN had renounced his testimony. 60 Minutes also reported that a private investigator could find no evidence regarding CAN's alleged use of deprogrammers. Given this evidence sociologist Stephen Kent concludes that the case against CAN was "weak".[73] See alsoImage copyright CPS/North Wales Police Image caption An axe and items associated with white supremacy and Nazism were found at Davies's home A neo-Nazi has been jailed for life for attempting to behead a Tesco shopper in a racially-motivated revenge attack for the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby. Dr Sarandev Bhambra was singled out by Zack Davies who was heard saying "white power" during the machete attack at the store in Mold, Flintshire, in January. An ex-soldier rescued the victim. Davies, 26, of Mold, was convicted of attempted murder at the town's crown court in June and on Friday was told he must serve at least 14 years in prison. Judge Rhys Rowlands said Davies had developed "extreme racist views" and had been plotting to carry out a "murderous attack" in order to draw attention to himself. He said it was a "planned and racially motivated attack", as Dr Bhambra, a dentist, watched proceedings during his first appearance at the court in Mold. Speaking outside court, the victim said Davies was a "coward". Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Dr Bhambra said the 'barbaric incident' had been 'traumatic and stressful' "He attacked me from behind and tried to behead me," Dr Bhambra said. "By the grace of God I remained conscious and was able to defend myself. "It is abhorrent that he has claimed that he tried to kill me in Lee Rigby's honour." During the trial, the court heard Dr Bhambra had been walking down an aisle in the store on 14 January when he felt a "huge blow" to the back of his head from the 30cm (12in) machete. 'Like a lunatic' Shopper Leanne Jones said she heard the words "white power" and that Davies was acting "like a lunatic" as he hacked Dr Bhambra with the machete. Another witness heard Davies say: "Come here, this is for Lee Rigby". The attack left Dr Bhambra, a 25-year-old dentist from Leeds, with two deep cuts to his scalp and another to his back, which went down to the muscle. An injury to his left hand caused major nerve, artery and tendon damage, leaving him in need of surgery for five hours. Image copyright YouTube Image caption Davies told police he was a member of a far-right organisation, but had acted alone at the supermarket If it was not for the "remarkably brave actions" of soldier Peter Fuller, who came to his defence, Dr Bhambra would have been "killed in front of many shoppers", Judge Rowlands said. The trial heard items associated with white supremacy and Nazism were found at Davies's home, including banners, swastika badges and Combat 18 stickers. He also said he was "absolutely fascinated" with Islamic State and described the British man known as Jihadi John as his inspiration. Image copyright CPS Image caption Davies attacked Dr Bhambra's hand Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale were jailed for life in February 2014 for hacking Fusilier Rigby to death. After the trial concluded, Dr Bhambra's brother, Dr Tarlochan Singh Bhambra, said his family had "no doubt" that, had the "racial disposition" of the case been reversed, it would have been reported as an "act of terror". Det Ch Insp Alun Oldfield from North Wales Police said: "This was a horrific attack and we are pleased with the sentence given to Davies. "North Wales Police would like to commend the character and determination of Dr Bhambra and we are delighted that he is making such a good recovery. "We also applaud the actions of Mr Peter Fuller, who has since been nominated for a national bravery award."“The league has been on hiatus,” he said. “Celtic has won the title virtually unchallenged. There has not been the normal stuff to get into around games, because they have not played each other, so the debate around what the club is has superseded everything else. For some, it is now the driver of the rivalry. If the idea of most arguments is to change someone’s mind, then this is a dialogue of the deaf. It’s sustained the rivalry, at the very least, if not made it worse.” The Old Firm rivalry has always been a mixture of the poisonous and the petty, the menacing and the melodramatic. The rivalry’s new, updated version is no different. If anything, because it is largely cast through social media, it has developed a particularly vindictive edge. Seventy-eight people, for example, complained to the Advertising Standards Authority last year about an advertisement for Rangers season tickets that described Ibrox Stadium as home to “Scotland’s most successful club.” Websites staffed by lawyers and accountants have pored over the various historic financial accusations against Rangers in minute, obsessive detail. “Celtic supporters have had a lot of spare energy in the last four years,” said Chris Graham, a veteran of several Rangers fan groups. “The more active among them have directed that into things that are not really anything to do with Celtic, but are about hurting Rangers. That has become the outlet for the rivalry.” If that sense of seeking what they perceive to be justice for Rangers’ offenses has provided a focus for Celtic supporters, Boyle suggested that their rivals had been “sustained” by the “deeply ironic” belief in their own victimhood. “In a football sense, they had as big a punishment as they could have had,” he said. “But this idea they were wrongly or harshly punished, I do not see as being the case. That has become the narrative, though, a way of identifying themselves
estic Falcon Award for Quality & Excellence selection’s committee.” There’s more: “The Majestic Falcon Award for Quality & Excellence is presented to each Company as entity, for corporate achievement, to recognize prestige, Innovation, Quality & Technology. For this purpose, a voting process is carried out by mail, Internet or within awarded companies, based on one several of the following concepts: Customer Satisfaction, Leadership, Continuing Education and Trading, Business Results, ISO 9001- 14001-22000, TQM and TQCS (Top Quality Customer Satisfaction Standards.)” So that’s how they chose me. They evaluated the satisfaction of my customers, my leadership skills, my continuing education and trading as well as my business results. At this point I would like to remind the reader of the fact that I am a journalist who helped expose bogus awards, including the one Otherwise was proposing to give me. So after telling me about all the details about me that they carefully reviewed, the next phase would be for me to fill out the registration form, which requires basic information about the awardee and 300 words on my “Organization’s activities, background history and achievements.” Many decide to accept the honor, including public institutions -- which mean that some pay the fees with taxpayers’ money. Three years ago, OCCRP/CINS identified 15 entities from Bosnia and Serbia so honored by Otherways, including state-run Belgrade Pharmacy, Belgrade Power Plants, BH Telecom and Sarajevo Center Municipality -- which got four Otherways awards. “Otherways has experience and respect doing selections and promotion of successful company all around the world,” read a comment on the Otherwise website on behalf of state-owned Sarajevo-based BH Telecom. “We are witness for inauguration of our company [at the] Geneva “night” where we had feel grateful for all this effort. We wish to you and Otherways all the best in the future,” the note added.The Rumpus Interview with Edwidge Danticat Edwidge Danticat returned to fiction this year with her novel, Claire of the Sea Light. Set in the fictional town of Ville de Rose, Danticat expertly takes us back through time on the rich story legs of this community. On our journey we meet a mute woman who has just lost her husband, a circle of girls playing ring games, a father desperately trying to make sense of his economic situation and his daughter’s life. Claire disappears for most of the novel, and her tragic story is actually the bookend of so many other heartbreaking tales. As always, Danticat mixes fable and lore, myth and virtue to tell a book deeply shaped by communal suffering and love and want. Edwidge and I discussed resistance. We talked about the little voice inside of us that puts fires out. We talked about the kind of resistance needed to learn to read and write in the face of execution. We talked about resisting the noise of the crowd long enough to tell a story that is uniquely your own. We talked about what resistance means for hundreds of thousands of displaced Haitian people in the Dominican Republic. We talked about resisting the urge to write the truth down and then finally giving into it as if our lives depend on it. As if resistance is the only thing that makes life worth the telling. * The Rumpus: I first want to talk a little bit about the formatting of Claire of the Sea Light because you are known for your short stories. I’ve seen this book referred to as a short story collection, novel-in-story, vignettes, a novel—what is the distinction for you? Edwidge Danticat: I’m not sure what the distinction is, but I’ll tell you what my intention was. I’m a huge fan of Jean Toomer’s Cane. I love it because it’s such a free, unruly book. It takes genre and form and bends it and forces it into the narrative he wants it to be. I love how that kind of freedom in narration echoes back to the old traditions of storytelling, through songs, to poetry, to shooting the dozens. In Kreyol we have odyans, which is storytelling but about real people. I love that mixture of things. I was thinking about writing a book like a radio show and each chapter would be like an episode, so, to me, they were always stories. That hybrid between the short story and the novel, that thing in between that some people call the story circle or the novel-in-story, is a form of its own that’s been done before, from Toomer’s Cane, to Olive Kitteridge, to The Dubliners. Rumpus: Alice Munro won the Nobel Prize this year for short stories. Some called it a resurgence of the form, a resuscitation of a fairly unpopular genre. Can you talk about the magic of the short story and why it’s your first form? Danticat: The short story is like an exquisite painting and you might, when looking at this painting, be wondering what came before or after, but you are fully absorbed in what you’re seeing. Your gaze is fixed, and you are fully engaged. That’s the beauty of the short story. Some stories are really, really short, like Lydia Davis’s brilliant prose. You capture the world in this really economical way. I was very happy to see Alice win because I think it does validate the form, but I don’t know that it was ever unpopular. George Saunders, Junot Díaz, Jhumpha Lahiri are all examples of an interest in the short story. Alice Munro’s career has proven that yes, one can make a career writing short stories. I don’t know if one can make a living, though. Rumpus: Claire of the Sea Light is set in the fictional seaside town of Ville de Rose, a town shaped by its beauty—hence its namesake—but also the mountains above it, the sea at its border, the buzz of its single radio program, and the corruption of its civil servants. Talk to me about building this world. Specifically, I’m interested in how you break up and bring together social classes using topography. Danticat: When my first book, Breath, Eyes Memory, came out, I wrote about many real Haitian towns and a lot of people who were from those towns would say “you got this wrong” and “got that wrong,” so I decided to write about my own town by borrowing elements of different places. If you are inventing a town, you have all freedom. I added the lighthouse. Langston Hughes has a children’s book called Popo and Fafina, set in Haiti during the U.S. occupation because he used to travel to Haiti quite a bit. And I remembered that the story has a lighthouse in it, so I reread it and thought, I want a lighthouse, and the lighthouse went in. I could visually see the town and see myself walking around in it, but that takes many, many layers of writing. Sometimes in writing you have to live with things before you inhabit them, and that takes a very long time for it to stop feeling constructed and to start feeling like something real. Rumpus: Communal belief suggests that Claire is a revenan, a spirit echo, because of the way she was born. How do you decide on the mythology of the people you’re writing about? Danticat: Well, a lot of the mythology I create on my own. I’m really into folklore, and that’s one of the many reasons why I love Zora Neale Hurston: because she made such great use of mythology and folklore in her anthropological work and fiction. What people were calling magical realism was so much incorporated into people’s daily lives. People create their own mythologies for their lives. A revenan is also a resting place, a vessel, one who returns. I wanted this to be the “fakelore” in this family—that people believed this girl was somehow mystical. For example, in our own folklore, we have so many stories about missing mothers and stepmothers, and I think a lot of that has to do with maternal mortality. There are a lot of stories about children who grow up with mothers and often that’s a child who suffers. I think the community often creates stories to protect our psyche, to comfort us, to give us some control back. Rumpus: I’m absolutely a huge fan of Zora Neale Hurston and she has informed my work in so many ways. What do you think of her work around zombies in Haiti? Danticat: Many Haitians have trouble with that… There was a Haitian president whose goat died, and he had a full Catholic mass for the goat—very similar to the scene in Their Eyes Watching Were God, with the horse. Her other observations, her travels to the countryside, are so important, because had she not been around and gone there, some details would not have been recorded because society was changing so much both in Haiti and Jamaica. So much would have been lost. The outside eye can also be a sympathetic eye and that’s powerful. Rumpus: I’m really intrigued by the notions of “twinning” and “resurrection” in this book. For example, a pregnant Gaelle swallows a dead frog for life. Louise believes Claire may carry her otherwordly birthmarks. The rain births and kills frogs. Lasiren protects and swallows fishermen. Can you discuss these mirror reflections in terms of Claire’s twinning—when we see her at the beginning and end of the novel? Danticat: It is tied to the notion of the revenan and the dual notion of coming and going. For me, the closest my life came to a big theme in literature was when I was pregnant with my first daughter and my father was dying. I was in the middle of the cycle of life. If I were a poet, I think I would have written a grand poem about it, to capture what felt to me like a slip into the cycle of universal truth: a life was coming and my father was going. I felt like I was living a story that was beyond me. My father kept saying, “I want to meet the first child of my first child.” And sure enough my daughter was born and we spent a month with him and then he died. Everyone said he held on to meet her. We call her Mira, and his name was Maracin. Maybe the book reflects this a bit too much, but I’ve been sort of looking into these notions of twinning. This sort of idea of looking for the other half, and looking for your place in the world. Because Claire was born out of this tragedy, she is looking for that. Many of the characters in the book are looking for their place in the world. Rumpus: The radio is its own character in this novel—almost that of the Greek Chorus. Its listeners are speakers and jury and judge. Why did you make the radio such a major part of this book? Danticat: I grew up listening to the radio, and it’s a very powerful medium in Haiti. It’s a medium of justice, of entertainment, but also it’s where things are aired and talked about where they wouldn’t be otherwise. I imagined the entire book would be like the radio. In a way, the book is the book Louise is writing. The radio is probably the most democratic form of justice where people can be heard. I think of the book as part of Louise’s show and her narration of the town. Rumpus: I want to talk about the heart of this book without giving away its secrets. I was dispirited by the narrative around same-gender-loving people. There are already so many tragically gay characters in literature; what was new for you in the story between these two men? Danticat: If you are writing about same-gender-loving people in an environment that is hostile to their relationship, I think the dilemma is, do you reflect that reality? For those two characters, their class issue would actually trump their homosexuality within their community. Class is the first strike and the issue of their love is second. To portray their situation honestly, the overwhelming odds against them has to be written in. I tried very hard to validate them, and I imagined them as everyday love relationships. In reality, they would be Romeo and Juliet times two. Everyone in the book suffers for their love, but I agree with you about tragic portrayals. I agree with you, and I’ll try to do better. Rumpus: Maxim’s decisions work for the plot but not toward self-actualization. Why don’t we ever see the lovers together in the way that we see their straight counterparts? I want to juxtapose this question in relation to a quote from your novel, The Dew Breaker: “Life was neither something you defended by hiding nor surrendered calmly on other people’s terms, but something you lived bravely, out in the open, and that if you had to lose it, you should lose it on your own terms.” Danticat: Really, they were hiding. They don’t live in a place where either one of them feels like they can be fully who they are. Their entire struggle was to try to be together, but in this town, based on where my mother grew up, the only type of homosexuality that people would be willing to see unhidden is a caricature: a cross-dresser at Carnivale that everyone can laugh at. But the more honest, loving, everyday homosexual love, they would have to hide much more. Rumpus: I want to switch gears and discuss the Dominican Republic’s decision to revoke the citizenship of Dominicans of Haitian ancestry. You’ve written extensively on Dominican-Haitian relations on your own accord, but also with Junot Díaz. Can you talk about the social justice work that needs to be done, the work ahead, future collaborations between you and Junot? Danticat: This has been an ongoing concern for a very long time, because Haitian cane workers and other workers have been going to the Dominican Republic for a long time. Also, little is known that there is a reverse migration for Dominican workers who come to Haiti with contracts to build roads and et cetera. Haiti is the number two, if not the number one trading partner of the Dominican Republic. It’s one of the few places in the world where you have one island that occupies two very, very different countries. Haiti has become a kind of scapegoat for Dominican problems, but there have been moments of unity. For example, after the earthquake, the Dominican Republic was one of the first places to respond. There are extraordinary human rights groups in the Dominican Republic that disagree with and are protesting the decision. On September 23rd, when the decision came down, Julia Alvarez and Junot Díaz immediately wrote me to ask, What do we do? What can we do? I thought it was brave and courageous to recognize a wrong just because it is a wrong. People have called Julia and Junot traitors. Ultimately we share this island and we share humanity. This is wrong, and it is unprecedented. It’s not even creating an underclass or second citizenship—it is saying that you are stateless and you have no place to go. I remember reading something by Toni Cade Bambara where she says that writing is the way she participates in the struggle. And it’s not the only way, you need boots on the ground, but writing is most at our disposal. Junot and I first wrote about this fourteen years ago, when we wrote the op-ed for The New York Times, and now it has gotten worse. I want to encourage people to vote with their economic choices and actions. Do you want to go on a vacation to a place like this? To a place that treats people like this? Jacques Roumain, one of Haiti’s great novelists, has a book called Masters of the Dew. In it, he says, “Cooperation is the friendship of the poor.” It’s been wonderful to not have to respond on my own, to have Julia and Junot’s voice. Rumpus: In the novel, Gaelle observes the struggles of documented and undocumented countrymen abroad. She fears that if she leaves Ville de Rose, she will be buried with strangers rather than her ancestors. There is the fear of not being able to return but also the fear of being forced to return. Can you elaborate? Danticat: Recently we’ve had an increase in the number of boats that we’ve seen coming from Haiti. Just a few weeks ago, four people died in a boat that was capsized right off the shore. I went to the funeral of a young woman, twenty-four, who had gotten on a boat and died getting here. People die and others are returned. My own uncle died in immigration custody. He came on a plane with a valid visa—he had been coming for thirty years—but he came at a time when the UN was shooting in his town and he requested asylum. At eighty-one years old, he was arrested, put in jail, his medication was taken away and he died five days later. From the people who are coming across the border in containers in trucks, to the people who die at sea, it is a very complex matter of life and death. When people get here, certainly in terms of Haitian migration, there is unequal treatment in part to do with race and in part that we come from a poor country. You can talk about it ideologically, but when you are looking down at a young girl in a coffin who made that journey and realize that had she lived, she would have been turned back anyway, it becomes a very urgent problem. Rumpus: Create Dangerously: The Immigrant Artist At Work is the most important book for me in terms of understanding the artist’s life and the trials in truth-telling. The idea of being haunted by personal creation myths—those stories that have shaped and informed us and haunt our work—completely changed my understanding of my work and how I approach my writing. This framework of accepting the haunting and inviting the spirits in: when and how did you discover it? Danticat: It comes slowly. I read Toni Morrison’s Sula a lot. I read it for time. I read it for setting. I read it for every book I write. I read it for language and I read it for how much she squeezes in that little book without leaving anything out. It is the godmother of every one of my books. When I was writing Create Dangerously, I had so much resistance, from myself and my family. What are you going to do with your life? When are you going to get married? I used to feel like if I had enough for groceries and a roof over my head and I could write my stories, I would be happy. Then I started looking into the lives of people who had it worse, who had greater struggles but still came into their art. A guiding essay for me is Alice Walker’s “In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens.” I read it a lot. Create Dangerously was about giving myself permission. There are people who come into writing emboldened and formed. I wasn’t like that. I had to give myself permission. People asked me, “Well, what do you know of Haiti? What do you know of America?” I learned to give myself permission, that this is a worthwhile endeavor, that I would fail sometimes, it would work sometimes, but like Maya Angelou says, that place had been earned for me. All I had to do was claim it. Rumpus: Create dangerously, for people who read dangerously. This is what I’ve always thought it meant to be a writer. Writing, knowing in part that no matter how trivial your words may seem, someday, somewhere, someone may risk his or her life to read them. Do you still stand by these words? Danticat: I do. I know families who had to bury their libraries in their backyard. I know people who have gotten through impossible moments because of a book. I know the power of words. I am an accident of literacy, and in a way, we all are. When Nikky Finney accepted the National Book Award, she immediately cited that. For a lot of us, it goes back generations. If you come from a place where literacy is a luxury and not everyone gets to go to school, and not everyone gets to read, it makes it an even more powerful notion. I’ve seen the power of words in action. I saw Nikky Finney’s ancestors in that glorious moment delivering that speech. I saw them smuggling words against death and censorship. For aspiring writers, seek your truth and tell it. We live in a moment where it’s so easy to see what everyone else is doing and to compare yourself to that. Seek your truth and tell it. Just seek your truth. It is a harder thing to sit in the stillness. You’re the best person to tell your own story. Trust that. * Featured image of Edwidge Danticat © by Ernesto Ruscio.Please enable Javascript to watch this video The Pentagon took a major step toward upgrading its aging bomber fleet Tuesday, awarding the long-awaited contract to build the new Long Range Strike Bomber to Northrop Grumman. Calling the Long Range Strike Bomber the "back bone" of the Air Force's future strike and deterrence capabilities, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said the new aircraft allows the U.S. to "project power across the globe now and into the future." "The age of our bomber fleet requires new thinking and new capabilities," Carter said. "Building this bomber is a strategic investment for the next 50 years." Officials have been tight-lipped as to the specific capability expectations for the LRS-B, but indications are that it will be stealth, able to carry conventional and nuclear weapons and could possibly operate both with and without a pilot. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said the new long-range bomber will have the ability to launch from the U.S. and strike any target around the globe to counter advancements in air defense systems by rival nations and emerging threats posed by potential adversaries. Northrop Grumman, the developer of the Air Force's current bomber, the B-2, beat out a partnership between aeronautic juggernauts Boeing and Lockheed Martin for the right to build the next generation of long-range aircraft. The plane will likely be assembled at Plant 42 in Palmdale, the Los Angeles Times reported. "The Air Force has made the right decision for our nation's security," said Wes Bush, chairman, CEO and president of Northrop Grumman, in a statement. "As the company that developed and delivered the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, we look forward to providing the Air Force with a highly-capable and affordable next-generation Long-Range Strike Bomber." Along with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the KC-46 tanker, the LRS-B is one of the Air Force's top modernization priorities. "We face a complex security environment," Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said during the Pentagon briefing announcing the contract Tuesday. "It's imperative our Air Force invests in the right people, technology, capability and training to defend the nation and its interests -- at an affordable cost." The Pentagon says the LRS-B contract is divided into two parts in an effort to ensure contractors stay on schedule and within the boundaries of designated cost estimates. The first part of the contract covers the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the aircraft and includes incentives to minimize the contractor's profit if it does not control costs and stay on schedule. Engineering and development costs are estimated at $21.4 billion (in 2010 dollars) over the entire life of the program. The second part of the contract covers the costs that go into building each of 100 aircraft projected as part of the program. According to the estimates outlined in the contract, each long-range bomber will cost $511 million (in 2010 dollars), meeting the $550 million threshold set by the Pentagon. Based on current independent estimates, the Air Force projects the cost of the program to be approximately a third of the previous B-2 stealth aircraft. More recent programs to upgrade stealth air capabilities, including the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, have been plagued by schedule delays, technology glitches and cost overruns. "We have committed to the American people to provide security in the skies, balanced by our responsibility to affordably use taxpayer dollars in doing so," said Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, Air Force chief of staff. "This program delivers both while ensuring we are poised to face emerging threats in an uncertain future," he said.Share. Meme becomes movie star. Internet melts. Meme becomes movie star. Internet melts. Grumpy Cat – voted Meme of the Year at the 2013 Webby Awards – has landed a movie deal. According to Deadline, the permanently moody feline will star in a 'Garfield-like' feature. This continues the success of 2012 for Grumpy Cat, a year in which she was named the year's most influential cat by MSNBC and the year's most important Meme by Mashable. She's certainly capitalising on her public profile, having already appeared on Today, Good Morning America, CBS Evening News, and The Soup. Exit Theatre Mode And fame is unlikely to faze Grumpy Cat, who recently attracted huge crowds at SXSWi. Her YouTube channel already has over 20 million views and merchandise adorned with her image can be bought at Walmart and Thinkgeek. It's unconfirmed whether Grumpy Cat will play herself in the movie. Daniel is IGN's UK Staff Writer. You can be part of the world's most embarrassing cult by following him on IGN and Twitter.Atom bomb pony Little atom bomb I want her in my wigwam She's just the way I want her to be She used to be a party pony named Pinky Man, it took a while to build this one. Not only because of the complexity, this being the first sculpture of mine to have a diorama, but also because the head clay keeps cracking on me. (ARGH) This is a mash-up between Pinkie Pie and Codsworth, a robot companion character from the video game Fallout 4. My head canon for her (which I'm trying to make into a story) is that a massive cataclysm slammed Equestria. When that happened, a building fell on Pinkie and she had to be plugged into a robot body to survive. She insisted on keeping her party cannon, naturally. (It fires not only confetti, but also razor wire.) The boxing glove can send any foe into the air. The cupcake claw is for friendly ponies she finds in her travels in the wasteland. The center of her head is a wooden ball, which is glued onto a thick wooden stick hidden in her jet flames. The cannon confetti is thin strips of aluminum foil painted with acrylic paint. The fence is popcicle sticks paints with paint washed and tied together with thin wire, which was painted brown for the rust effect. The weeds are broom bristles. The tire is a wooden wheel. I used my usual 50/50 mix of firm and original sculpy clay and acrylic paints.IoT security experts from Pen Test Partners have confirmed the presence of a backdoor in the firmware used by some DVR devices commonly deployed with CCTV surveillance systems. Security researchers from Pen Test Partners have a regular habit of picking up random IoT equipment and testing it for security vulnerabilities. In their most recent round of tests, the team decided to expand the scope of their research into CCTV systems. Since they've spent quite some time breaking down IP cameras, the researchers decided that this time around they would test DVRs (Digital Video Recorders), which are also part of standard CCTV setups. MVPower DVR laced with security issues For their experiment, the team picked up a random, cheap device off Amazon, choosing a DVR manufactured by MVPower. The team immediately went to work on the device and only after a quick battery of tests discovered a large number of security and privacy issues. The researchers managed to bypass the device's Web-based login system by manually setting a random username and password in their browser's cookie, were able to force the device to start as root, and eventually opened a Web shell that allowed them to run commands on the DVR. They've also managed to install a reverse shell for easier access to the device's terminal, discovered that the device had no CSRF protection, no brute-force attack protection, and found out that the lack of HTTPS communications for the Web admin panel exposed its users to MitM attacks. MVPower DVRs are sending CCTV feed snapshots to a hard-coded email address But that was only the beginning. Buried deep in the firmware's code, the team discovered a backdoor functionality that was taking snapshots of the first camera and sending it to an email address hosted on a Chinese email provider. The email address is "[email protected]," the email's subject was "Who are you?" and the email's body contained a 320x180px snapshot of the CCTV feed. After digging around for more clues, Pen Test Partners discovered that the firmware was taken from the JUAN-Device GitHub repo, managed by someone named Frank Law. The GitHub repo was taken offline last August after British developer Gregory Fenton confronted Mr. Law about this issue. Let the conspiracy theory begin Pen Test Partners says that the email address is still active. A quick Shodan search shows that there are currently around 44,000 devices available online that have the same server header like the one broadcasted by the MVPower DVR. Besides their Amazon store, neither Pen Test Partners nor Softpedia has managed to find any online presence for MVPower. "We can’t find any detail on the name MVPower," Andrew Tierney of Pen Test Partners noted. "The firmware suggests commonality with Juantech, but none of their firmwares [sic] are compatible." Since the company is so hard to get hold of, you can forget about receiving any firmware updates for any of the above-listed security issues. As a coincidence, we've noticed that both Juantech and the Yeah.net email provider are registered in China's Guangdong province (near Hong Kong). UPDATE: Someone under the name Frank Law is also the author of two CCTV apps on the iTunes App Store and the Google Play store, which lead back to the dvr163.com website. Additionally, some of the debug code found in the DVR's firmware (which prints a cow's shape in ASCII characters and asked users if they mooed today) seems to have been taken from here (this link was also taken down, archived here). Some users suggested to us that this might have been an accidental oversight on the part of the developers, and that the emailing function was actually a debug feature which the developers forgot to remove. It is strange that GitHub repositories keep getting taken down whenever the community points out that the emailing functionality still exists in the firmware's code. Instead of fixing the firmware, the developers behind this repos prefer to take them down, and restart anew. Here's another repo where the emailing functionality is also included. Emails are still sent to the same address. We have reached out to the developer via email for his take on the whole story. UPDATE 2: Pen Test Partners have continued their attempts at contacting Juantech, and after the Chinese manufacturer answer, have recently announced that the company, maker of the MVPower brand, will be issuing new firmware that removes the shell functionality entirely, the hidden emailing feature, and has also changed the root password.There's a reasonable amount of conjecture in the markets right now about whether things are getting a bit overheated. Wiser minds than us have been vexed by the topic of asset price bubbles, so we'll leave that to one aside. But the current discussion about market conditions still led us to stumble upon what is surely one of the most interesting periods of market euphoria in America’s history: the 1961 boom (and subsequent bust) in ten-pin bowling stocks. (Hat-tip to Reuters, which highlighted the bowling bubble in its analysis this week). And, this bubble doesn't just tell us about market behavior, it also casts light on important changes in American society since then. Bowling has been around in America since before the revolution: Versions of the pastime were brought across by Dutch settlers in the seventeenth century. But bowling really blossomed, particularly among blue-collar types, in the 1950s and 1960s after the introduction of the automatic pin setter. According to HighBeam Business research, the number of bowling alleys in America nearly doubled from 6,600 in 1955 to 11,000 by 1963. Over the same period, the number of people bowling in leagues increased from less than three million to seven million.Anonymity Is this really anonymous? YES! We guarantee it! Whether you pay with a credit card or pay pal. Still not sure? Use our new CASH option. We DON'T NEED your name, credit card number, e-mail address, NOTHING! Absolutely no trail back to you! Just fill out the order form click the green PAY WITH CASH button and follow the instructions. Shipping Information When will my package be delivered? Your package will leave our facility within 5 - 7 business days of being ordered. Most delivery times are 3 - 4 days. We only ship to the Continental United States. Bulk Orders Can I send more than one at a time? Sure, we do bulk and custom orders. Please use the contact form for such requests. Terms of Service By ordering one of our products, you agree to the following: You may NOT use our service to threaten, constitute harassment, violate a legal restraint, or any other unlawful purpose. The customer agrees this is a gag gift, novelty service for entertainment ONLY and that is their only intention. PoopSenders.com liability to the customer is limited to the price of the product. Customers ordering any items from this web site agree to release PoopSenders.com its agents, officers, and employees of any and all liability associated with the use of our services.Wargaming decided to share a little more detail about a new mini French heavy branch that could be coming soon. While we could see the tanks in HD and what it looks like their final stage, there weren’t any details to what vehicles they are. Thanks to Volcanares and Dreamer, two longtime readers for sharing all this information about which possible tanks we could be seeing in the game. Tier VIII – AMX 65t The AMX 65t was the easiest one, Wargaming announced this tank on Supertest back in 2016 and most probably is just reusing it to fill up the branch. I applaud them for this, as it’s better to have more regular tanks than just another Premium. No, it’s not another fantasy tank, and there are detailed documents about it. The AMX 65t will fit Tier VIII position without any difficulties, while a pike-nose can make it a little bit different from its predecessor, it will still feel like a natural successor. The AMX 65t will have a strong turret, good frontal armour, but less mobility than the AMX 50-100. Still, it will be a great first tank to the alternative branch. Tier IX & X: What are they? Tiers IX and X is where me, Volcanares and Dreamer started to go a little bit mental about what they could be. The following image could very much describe us while talking about the subject. How we looked like while looking for which tank is what. Both Tier IX and X have what is called the T.C.B. turret on them, and both will be armed with a 120mm gun, most probably the 120 mm SA46, or something very similar. But, what will make these tanks different is the hull, and on Wargaming video, we can see the AMX M4 49 hull is being used. Now the main question is: which one? In my opinion, we will see the Tier IX with a similar hull to the Tier VIII AMX M4 mle. 49, with armour values in between 190 to 220mm. The tank would use the AMX 65t turret as the stock turret, while equipped with the same 100mm gun and use the T.C.B. turret fitted with a 120mm gun as the top configuration. At Tier X we might see one of these two hulls: Char M4 ESSAIS or Char M4 ETUDES, with the T.C.B. turret fitted with a 120mm gun. The first has one of them has an extra layer of armour attached to the upper and lower frontal hull, while the second the frontal hull was made thicker. The armour value on these hulls could go up between 220 to 280mm mm thick, making the tank a slower but heavily armoured alternative to AMX 50 B. If you look closely at the Tier X picture, you can see the same hull shape used on these two proposals. Other alternatives? Other tanks were suggested while we were talking about these tanks, AMX 70t, AMX 50 TCB or AMX 50 Surblindé, but we all came to the conclusion these aren’t any of these vehicles. Why? Mainly because of the hull shape, just have a look at some examples. I’ve reached Wargaming in regards of these tanks, trying to get more details and even their official names, but I got told they would share more about them closer to release. I guess we will have to wait for a while more, who knows, maybe they will come before the end of 2017?Confronted With Congestion Pricing, People Clamor for Transit, Gas Tax Could a congestion pricing program work in the DC region? Maybe. But first, officials would need to get the public on board — no easy task. A report on the conclusions from five public forums, held in the region between October 2011 and January 2012, suggest that more and better transportation options need to be in place before a congestion charge is levied, so that commuters feel they have options. The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board, together with the Brookings Institution, found that the 300 people they talked to are skeptical of any government plan to get more money, and are sorely undereducated about how transportation funding works. The study was funded by FHWA as a followup to a 2003 study to determine the technical viability and potential benefits of congestion pricing. Now they want to know the political viability of such an idea. The biggest barrier to acceptance is the simple fact that people don’t understand transportation. The participants in the study didn’t know that funding was a problem or a cause of many of the inadequacies of the system. They didn’t know how much the gas tax is, that it doesn’t rise with inflation, or that it hasn’t changed in 20 years. They don’t see themselves and their own driving as contributors to the problem of congestion. They blame construction and other drivers (especially those from “other jurisdictions” — DC and Virginia residents love to beat up on “Maryland drivers”) — anything but their own driving. They assume that congestion pricing can’t work because everyone on the road is there because they have to be. They don’t think they, or their fellow drivers, have choices in travel behavior. The Washington region is relatively well-served by transit and ride-sharing, so many of them
Thompson breaking the trust afforded to him by the community, but he was also undermining the Murphy family, who were in the process of launching the Esalen Institute. The image created by Thompson was precisely that which they had sought to leave behind: This place is a real menagerie…There are only two legitimate wives on the property; the other females are either mistresses, “companions,” or hopeless losers…the late Dr. Murphy, conceived this place as a great health spa, a virtual bastion of decency and clean living. But something went wrong. During World War Two it became a haven for draft dodgers, and over the years it has evolved into a lonely campground for the morally deformed, a pandora’s box of human oddities, and a popular sinkhole of idle decadence. The succinct but damning description firmly put Thompson on a collision course with his landlord, Vinnie Murphy, the matriarch of the Murphy family, which once more carried with it the inescapable sense that he was unable to exist harmoniously with any figure of authority. He did have a certain amount of breathing space before publication of the article, but his increasingly unpredictable and erratic behaviour in the intervening period ensured the prospect of a confrontation to be inevitable. The Outlaw of Big Sur The Big Sur article was a watershed moment for Thompson, revealing the changes developing within his writing, in conjunction with affording an insight into his ever-growing identification with individualist anarchism and the cult of personality. However, there is one particular statement from the article that is definitive in terms of illustrating the underlying reasoning behind the radical change in Thompson’s outward persona: “This place is a mythmaker’s paradise, so vast and so varied that the imagination is tempted to run wild at the sight of it.” Witnessing firsthand the fervour surrounding Henry Miller’s association with Big Sur was proof enough for Thompson that his statement was no simple theory. In writing of this phenomenon for Rogue magazine, Thompson creates a detailed portrait that illustrates the extent to which he understood the various factors that had elevated Miller from writer to icon. He had also witnessed the insatiable public appetite for more, with Big Sur constantly inundated by those who sought out the notorious writer, only to be met with something entirely unexpected: They weren’t interested in literature, they wanted orgies. And they were shocked to find him a quiet, fastidious and very moral man – instead of the raving sexual beast they’d heard stories about. None of this was lost on Thompson. Combined with the money and the confidence from successfully selling his article, he quickly embarked on his own relentless mythmaking strategy. To that end, the Big Sur wilderness proved to be the perfect setting for invoking the larger-than-life outlaw persona that would define his life and work. The first to bear witness to this transformation in Thompson was the immediate community surrounding Murphy’s Hot Springs, where Thompson had embraced his role as caretaker with relish. Carrying a bullwhip and a truncheon as he patrolled the property, the darker confrontational aspect of his personality radiated an overt threat of violence that did not sit well with the more sedate, pacifist spirit of the larger community. One of the most notable figures that frowned upon his behaviour was Joan Baez, who had just released her self-titled debut album. In a way, the two figures represented the different sides to the Big Surenvironment, with Baez evoking the daytime tranquillity and peace amongst the towering Sequoia forest and Thompson representing the untamed violent underside of the night that ultimately governed survival in the wilderness. It was an opposition which ultimately proved to be the barrier that ensured that Thompson and Baez remained somewhat distant in their neighbourly relationship; the divide was far too ingrained for either of them to be able to bridge the gap. As Peter Whitmer noted in When the Going Gets Weird, Baez was “born into a legacy of pacifism in the same degree that Thompson was born into a legacy of Kentucky feudal violence.” It was also a division that would come to define the years ahead for both Thompson and his neighbour. Baez and many of the Big Sur community embraced that which would come to define the hippie generation – a peculiar smorgasbord of folk music, Eastern religion, psychedelic drugs, and non-violent protest. For Hunter S. Thompson it was a different path, one that would lead to riding with the Hell’s Angels and a trip to the very edge where the American Dream turned into the American Nightmare by way of the bomb and the bullet. That being the case, it was all too fitting that it was in Big Sur where he first seriously embraced what would become a lifelong obsession – guns. Thompson liked nothing better than to punctuate the Big Sur serenity with drunken outbursts during the day and bouts of gunfire in the middle of the night, targeting raccoons with blasts from a twelve-gauge shotgun and simultaneously shattering his neighbours’ nerves in the process. The drunken antics were considered tolerable. The gunfire became a near constant in what was once a serene forest thanks to Thompson’s newest pastime, one that once more stemmed from his Hemingway fantasy – blood sport. Thompson’s accomplice, when it came to hunting down the game that inhabited the Big Sur wilderness, was a sculptor named Jo Hudson. Together, they soon acquired a less than flattering reputation. Whitmer explains, The two men would pile into Jo’s car at night, stick a couple of beers between their legs, and load up the back with their dogs and go deer hunting. “The Senseless Killers Club” was what some called it – running down deer blinded by Hudson’s headlights on Route 1, or shooting wild boar that roamed the Santa Lucia Mountains. Of course, making an impact, negative or otherwise, was what mattered, as was the feeling of not only matching his literary idols, but going one step further. Douglas Brinkley described Thompson’s tendency towards “sardonic one-upmanship,” and went on to add that “if Hemingway, rifle in hand, had hunted big game around Mt. Kilimanjaro, then Thompson would stalk wild boar with a Bowie knife in Big Sur.” To compound the distasteful manner in which their hunting sorties were viewed by the rest of the community, Thompson delighted in utilising various remnants from a wild boar kill for his own brand of practical joke. The severed heads of the animals turned up in a variety of locations, including the hot springs, much to the distress of the unfortunate victims of the act. Thompson never let an opportunity for street theatre to go to waste. This impulse towards the theatrical is further evident in the manner in which Thompson began to mould his outlaw persona with a level of dedication befitting that of a method actor. With the money he received from Rogue magazine he immediately set about boosting his armoury, first by purchasing a.22 calibre pistol, followed swiftly by a.44 Magnum and a rifle. He said, With the Rogue money I bought a pistol and a Doberman and a lot of whiskey, and now a man up the road has put the sheriff on me for shooting while drunk and keeping a vicious dog. The.44 Magnum in particular would become an essential association for Thompson, remaining a constant part of the Hunterfigure image as renegade outlaw. Re-inforced through numerous references to it throughout his writing, it became a favoured prop when he was photographed. These new additions to his collection were not just for show. Thompson furthered his alienation from the community by first shooting out the windows of his own cabin and then using his neighbours’ windows as target practice. Twice he was spoken to by the sheriff about his violent behaviour, but it did little to alter his ways. The most notable event during Thompson’s Big Sur tenure was undoubtedly his confrontation with a group of gay men who had made a habit of visiting Murphy’s Hot Springs on weekends. Soon their presence became a problem, with Michael Murphy and Dick Price wanting to put an end to the activity that was taking place there. They sought to establish the Esalen Institute, whose operating ethos did not include the use of the hot springs as an all-night party venue. As caretaker, it was Thompson’s duty to enforce the new rules and, in typical fashion, he set about doing so in a particularly over-the-top and menacingly theatrical manner. Whitmer explains, “The Night of the Dobermans” is how locals recall it: a mad romp around the baths, maybe thirty or forty naked men doing whatever naked men who are willing to drive pink Cadillac’s all the way from L.A. or San Francisco to Big Sur are prone to do. Suddenly, above the boom of the surf, above the riot of their own partying, came the sound of pistol shots, the voice of Hunter Thompson, and enough canine snarling to ice their blood. The following night, the group of men returned the favour. Thompson suffered a severe beating and only managed to escape being thrown off a cliff due to the intervention of his friend, Maxine Ambus. When Thompson retreated to the sanctuary of his cabin for the rest of the night, he made sure to voice his displeasure at the incident in his own particular manner of expression. Again, from Whitmer, For the rest of the night he punctuated the silence of Big Sur with rifle shot fired through his unopened window. In the morning, Murphy looked out to find a horizontal line of bullet holes, and Thompson’s clothes hung on the line. “They were stiff as a board with blood,” Murphy said. Thompson was quick to capitalise on the balance of terror that he maintained with the local community in Big Sur, regaling his friends with letters concerning his daily strife in a manner that not only bears many of the hallmarks of Gonzo Journalism, but also illustrates an effort to stage-manage his life in order to project the requisite image. Brinkley said, It is clear from the letters that Thompson deliberately cultivated himself as the American Adam, a figure defined by critic R.W.B Lewis as “an individual standing alone, self-reliant and self-propelling, ready to confront whatever awaited him with the aid of his own unique and inherent resources.” This marriage between the image that he was fostering in his writing, one that both reflected and simultaneously informed his way of life, is also evident in his photography from this period. The central emphasis is, of course, that which was also conveyed throughout his writing, that of the Hunterfigure as an outlaw, the rugged individualist and writer juxtaposed with the frontier-like vast wilderness of Big Sur. The most powerful of these images captures Thompson, pipe in mouth, typing at a small table overlooking the plunging cliffs of the Big Sur coastline. Another shows him surveying the view with a telescope, with a rifle by his side, accompanied by Agar, his Doberman. Hunting is a prominent theme, with many photographs capturing his boar-hunting exploits. One particular photo of the hanging carcass of a boar features Thompson’s handwriting on the reverse. It simply states – “Joan Baez butchering hogs – Big Sur 1961.” When he submitted various photographs in conjunction with an article, Thompson provided various explanations for each image. For a group shot Thompson identifies Jo Hudson as “yachtsman and big-game hunter,” John Clancy, “now a SF lawyer,” with Sandy described as “then private secretary and constant companion to Big Sur’s most prominent thug.” Another similar image, this one actually including Thompson himself, is captioned – “More of same. Foreground is the thug – in this case, the author.” In retrospect, these are the first photographs of Thompson in the guise of his literary alter ego. Though clearly happy to promote this image and, indeed, live up to the name, Thompson knew that he was making life difficult for himself in the community. It was a pattern that dominated his life ever since his youth in Louisville. A copy of Rogue magazine containing Thompson’s article on Big Sur had made its way to Vinnie Murphy, the eighty-nine year old matriarch of the family and owner of the hot springs. She did not appreciate Thompson’s description of the antics at the baths, particularly his disclosure of its popularity as a homosexual rendezvous point. Thompson was given one month to leave the property. Though hardly a stranger to receiving an eviction notice, in Big Sur it proved to be a particularly difficult problem for Thompson to resolve. The Rogue article mentioned a number of other members of the community, who were similarly none too pleased by the article’s content. Finding a new property to rent proved to be impossible. It was clear that Thompson’s time in Big Sur had come to an end in a manner that could only serve to highlight the extent of his outsider status. Whitmer explained, In his expulsion from Big Sur, Thompson was cast out of a community of castaways; even with an international reputation as a pornographer, Henry Miller had been welcomed here with open arms. Thompson seemed to be taking iconoclasm to new heights. Big Sur had more than lived up to its reputation as a place of personal growth and transformation. For Hunter S. Thompson the untamed wilderness and the inherent freedom that it afforded represented an America that was increasingly under threat. Though he left Big Sur for pastures new, it is no coincidence that Thompson eventually settled in Woody Creek, Colorado. His “fortified compound” in the Rocky Mountains spoke to his romantic sensibilities, fitting perfectly with his image of the outlaw individualist. Free from the constraints of city life, it was a place where he could be the master of his own domain. It was this same wild nature and inclination to challenge the dominant and established power structures that also enabled Thompson to break free from the existing literary rules and establish his own unique genre of Gonzo Journalism. Beyond this, it often boiled down to appreciating the simple things in life – like being able to walk outside, stark naked, to fire your.44 Magnum at targets on the hillside before loading up on mescaline and blasting “White Rabbit” at 110 decibels while the sun comes up on the snow-peaks along the Continental Divide – and not get arrested. Bibliography Perry, Paul (1992) Fear and Loathing: The Strange and Terrible Saga of Hunter S. Thompson. New York: Avalon. Thompson, Hunter S. (2001). Fear and Loathing in America: The Brutal Odyssey of an Outlaw Journalist, 1968-1976 [Fear and Loathing Letters, vol. 2]. London: Bloomsbury. Thompson, Hunter S. (2006). Gonzo. Los Angeles: AMMO Thompson, Hunter S. (1992). Songs of the Doomed: More Notes on the Death of the American Dream [Gonzo Papers, vol. 3]. London: Picador. Thompson, Hunter S. (1997). The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, 1955-1967 [Fear and Loathing Letters, vol. 1]. New York: Villard. Whitmer, Peter O. (2000) When The Going Gets Weird. Princeton: POW.A suspected car thief led police on a chase across Los Angeles before he ditched the vehicle and climbed to the top of a loading crane at the city's port, dangling over edges and stripping naked before falling to his death. The man fell about 160 feet to the ground and died about three hours after he first scaled the crane Wednesday night. It's not clear whether he slipped or jumped deliberately, Los Angeles fire officials said. Police in Los Angeles spotted the car reported stolen from a dealership in San Bernardino, and an hours-long chase ensued, the LAPD said. Several television stations broadcast the chase live, showing the SUV swerving at high speed through freeway traffic in L.A. and Long Beach, sometimes crossing into oncoming lanes. He drove into the vast complex of the Port of Los Angeles and drove into a terminal, circling back and forth under giant loading cranes and next to a docked ship before jumping out of the still-moving SUV and racing up the stairs of the crane. He broke a window and climbed into the crane cab, then climbed out, walked to the end of the crane over water as darkness fell. Port workers stopped their labor and watched the scene, some with binoculars. Police waited below for him for hours, worried that if they approached he might slip or jump. As news helicopters hovered above, he shed his Lakers jersey and shoes, then later took off the rest of his clothes. He dangled and nearly fell several times before eventually plunging to the ground. "Our officers were nowhere near to close proximity of the suspect at the time that he fell," Detective Meghan Aguilar said. The man's name has not been released. Eric Nosser, a salesman at the Subaru dealership the SUV was stolen from, says he steered clear of the man. "I let him be, because he seemed on edge," Nosser told KNBC-TV. "I figured he'd just kind of walk off and go about his business." Instead the man found an SUV with the keys in it, got inside and took off.(rock music) - Man, that song was new when that came out. (laughter) - So that was a really cool blast from the past. Tell me a little bit about how you got started. Everyone knows you as the gorilla, but obviously you were something before that. - Yeah, I was Creamy Orange before that, right? So that was my After Effects as you could see a lot of After Effects stuff in there a lot of 2D kind of fake 3D stuff but I got started in somewhere around 2001, 2002 I saw some MK12 stuff and that was when it, that's when my mind was like, I wanna do that. And I looked and at the end of their video they had what they made it with, it was like After Effects and Maya and Final Cut and I'm like I know Final Cut, Final Cut 1 I was using, I'm like what's this After Effects thing so I start playing with it and I realize it incorporated a little bit of everything as far as my personality. I was already doing Pro Tools and audio stuff so I was familiar with timelines, I was familiar with key framing and volume adjustment, stuff like that. - Wait, so were you a musician before this or? - Yeah, I grew up a musician and always interested in four tracks, I was always recording my own stuff so when a Mac could finally, when I could finally get an eight track Pro Tools rig where I could record eight at a time and play back 16, my mind was like, wow, it was crazy it was like 2000, 2001, had the Mac there, it was my first Mac, had Final Cut, learned how to key frame and move video around. I had a high eight digital camera. And, you know, the technology was so nothing back then but it was enough for me to go, this is really cool. - It was revolutionary, though. - Yeah, for me to be able to do it in an apartment was a big deal, right? And I always grew up around computers, always grew up around music and so when I saw what After Effects could do it was right when they had the 3D After Effects so it was right between 5 and 5.5, which will date me, but once I saw that you could not just take stuff and move it in and out, scale it, which you could do in Final Cut, but also with the new After Effects you could take a camera and do the post cards in space they call it, right? You remember that. You could fly a camera around it and what that meant to me was I could bring a photo in, I could bring a piece of video in, I learned how to roto things out and fly through, I started buying books, Angie Taylor and Kristen Trish. - Kristen Trish, right. - Right? And my favorite, Brian Maffitt. - Yeah (laughs). - And total of training. So I've been a fan of video training forever, right? It was me and Brian Maffitt on VHS tapes. (laughter) Back in the day and I didn't even have a DVD player, you know, I'm watching these VHSs on like After Effects 4.1 or something like that I'm like well if I get through these and I'm still into it maybe I'll buy the total training 5.5 disks, you know, and that was like years later I could finally figure all the stuff out. So kind of grew up on Brian Maffitt teaching me all these things and some books and made the most complicated technical ugly stuff in After Effects for years. Learned every button, learned how to make roller coasters in After Effects, learned how to put layers together really to make 3D objects and all my friends just kept saying, learn a 3D program, cause they kept making real all these, I was basically building things polygon by polygon. (laughter) But layer by layer. - Out of images? - Yeah. Yeah, and I would take a photo of a friend and then cut them out, put them as like a little layer in there and take a photo of a texture and cut that out, make that, and was basically building my own models in After Effects and you know, tried a whole bunch of different software and ended up, this is maybe later, but ended up in Cinema 4D somehow. - So how did that happen, though? What was the moment where it entered your life? Cause for a lot of people there is a big conceptual leap between even 2 1/2 D and actual 3D so like how were you, how did that happen for you? - I've always been good about the 3D stuff, right, the After Effects 3D stuff made so much sense to me and I instantly was like, got it, cameras, lights, layers and I was building walls and all this stuff and so the 3D land always made sense. There was XYZ, you can move cameras around, you just gotta make sure you don't go to the side of your layers cause they're just flat, right? So I was pretty good with manipulating cameras and that's really what drawn me to MK12 cause they were so good at that like 3D land built a little bit of 3D but mostly 2D poster stuff and it just made sense to me. And the interface for After Effects made a lot of sense to me. In fact, I got to Photoshop class in school and they started teaching me Photoshop, I knew every button in After Effects, couldn't care a bit about Photoshop and they started teaching me Photoshop and I go wait, you mean I have to like, if I wanna blur things I have to bake a blur into a layer? Like there's no slider for a blur? Like, screw this, this software sucks. I'm gonna use After Effects, and I ended up using After Effects for all my Photoshop projects because you can tweak things. - Non-destructively. - Forever, non-destructively. Exactly, so I'm like, this program, I don't know what you're doing, this thing's dying. (laughter) So I was playing with After Effects and for me it was cinema because I tried other 3D programs. My school, where I went to school, they taught Maya. - Where was that? - It was one of the AI schools in Chicago and they had a 3D pipeline thing where it was character animation and making space ships, the normal 3D whatever stuff And that also didn't interest me. The whole 3D thing was like, they're building aliens and spaceships and they make movie special effects, all this crap I don't care about. I wanna make TV commercials. I wanna make logos fly around. That's what After Effects does. I wanna stay in this world, cause I don't wanna be in alien lizard world. (laughter) That's not my personality. But then when I saw some of 4D I really tried hard, because I can't remember where I got introduced to it first but it might have been a book, it might have been Angie Taylor's website cause she had a really nice tutorial. - Yep. - On how to integrate the two. And I was like, it's integrated into After Effects? Perfect, this is what I wanted all along. I wanted to make a simple 3D shape and bring it into the tool that I knew how to use. - Right, right. - You know, I wanted to get out of 3D, I'm like this is too complicated. I don't, this is not what I need, I want my my baby, I want my After Effects so Youtube did not exist, video on the internet was this big, nobody was up there doing videos on how all this stuff works, so for me it was either DVDs or if I bought the student version from cinema, I got this packet of DVDs, just like 20 DVDs in this cool case and I could insert it, watch these videos, learn from the people that knew what they heck they were doing. So I got that, started learning, started integrating stuff but where I worked, I was at a post house for a long time doing work and then I started working at Digital Kitchen. I was really the After Effects person, you know? I wasn't really counted on for 3D stuff. - Did they have 3D in house? - They did. They had, it was a Maya pipeline, and really great Maya artists but there was more and more of this kinda motion graphics 3D that was popping up and I just continued to play with it and learn it. But it was one of the projects that we pitched, Target Health I think they called it, and it was all in-store stuff and what they wanted was these really simple 3D things moving around so like a little pill bottle kinda spinning or literally pills, you saw it in that reel we just watched, those little pills hitting the ground spilling a Target logo. So, I think they won the job but then the 3D people or the 3D team was like we're too busy, like we can't take this, we can't take this they want pills falling to the ground? Like, whatever, we're too busy making robots and lions and real 3D stuff and I kinda raised my hand and I'm like hey, I've been playing around with some cinema. I'll take a stab at it and if they like it then we'll take the job. So I made that piece and made the pills hit the floor and I made the little pill bottle, I figured to how to model, model it's like a cylinder with a cylinder on top of it, you know, a little pill bottle with some textures on it and moved around and ended up working on that spot, so for a good year there, I was doing kinda the, I was the cheap 3D guy, let's face it. If you want the real stuff, you go to the other guys. I was like, you want your logo spinning around, you know, come to me. There was also a caterpillar spot in that reel that was a globe. It's like a yellow and black globe with arrows flying around. And so, same thing, real simple stuff, mow grass stuff but they were too busy doing really crazy complicated stuff to worry about that. So I got that job and that's where I really started learning cinema cause it was not just playing anymore. - You had to make actual shapes and. - I had to figure it out. Cause when you play, you get to a hard part in the software and you're like mm, I'm not gonna open that, I'm just gonna, I'm having fun. But when a client's over there they're like yeah we want flying arrows, I'm like uh, I don't have no clue how do I make a flying, well let's figure it out. - Right, right. - So that was a big turning point. - A lot of folks come to 3D sort of accidentally would be the wrong way to say it, but almost improvisationally I guess would be a better way to say it. Is that like, you mentioned that you happened to be at sort of the right place the right time and no one else could do it so I'll so it and now you're faced with these big challenges. Did you ever crash and burn? - Um, yeah, I made ugly stuff forever. My crash and burn was design stuff. That was really my, I tend to pick technical stuff up pretty okay, not heavy technical, but I can learn quickly enough to make it work. So my big crash and burn was always design because I was so, I was so interested in making things fly around and having shapes and patterns and clones and all these things were so fun to me that I never realized when I hit render why my stuff was so ugly, cause I'm like, I know all these buttons, I read the manual, I read all these books and I know what they did, they made a book I read it, I'm practically as good as they are. - But everybody thinks of you as a designer, I mean, that's Nick Campbell designer, Grayscalegorilla, the designer. - Oh, God. It's all, it's all a sham. (laughter) It's all a sham. Here's what I know about design. Don't use a lot of typefaces, use two colors at most. If it's black or white and a color, even better, so there's like one color really. Try to either center it, alright like symmetrical composition or rule of thirds, like, draw a tic tac toe board and put your main objects on one of those corners, and then just look at a ton of books and compare their final piece to your final piece and go, why does theirs looks so much better. Design was never an interest to me, it's still, the whole design culture is kind of weird to me and it's never been a big part of my personality. I had to learn design because I was tired of my stuff looking so ugly and in my, coworkers were tired of my stuff looking so ugly, right? So I learned design luckily by some of the best designers in the world frankly, like these people I worked with at Digital Kitchen were nice enough to come up to me and go, yeah mean, we gotta talk. - They had an intervention? - Yeah. Your camera move? Pretty cool, I like the way you did that thing and the way you have like 100 layers all falling down at once and kinda making this, I was good at smooth key frames and (explosion) and I was good at that, but then when it came to the colors I chose and the typefaces I picked, I'm like well there's gotta be a reason there's 100 typefaces included. Let's use all of them. (laughter) They were like, let's talk about this, and so I started learning a little bit more, some classes I took, some from them, just basic design stuff literally just so, just so my stuff looked more like MK12 really and once that check box went off in my head I'm like wait, it doesn't matter actually how many buttons I know if I don't know the design principles that go behind this it'll never look even close to that, so that was a big turning point for me just to continue to ask all my friends, I'm like if you walk past my desk and it's ugly can you just please, first of all tell me it's ugly, if you have a minute tell me why it's ugly and if you have another minute, describe the principle behind that and why I could choose the correct typeface the next time. So I got interested in it purely on a, I wasn't interested in, like I didn't read books on designers and poster designers and documentaries about designers, I just purely was like, I know I need to learn this because I'm so awful at it. - So your self-deprecating on purpose here, but I mean, the thing that illustrates is sort of a need to get better which is inherent in all artists. - Yes. - So was there ever a point where you didn't feel like you were an artist yet, so, I guess that kind of begs the question, when you were in school what were you studying? - So the first part is, the more I talked to actual designers, I don't think designers ever feel like they're a designer, I think a lot of designers feel like they're a fraud anyway. So there's something inherent in that, maybe I'm displaying those personality traits. I don't consider myself a designer but you talk to em and everyone's still like, I'm getting better but this person, they're looking at their next person so there's that. Maybe that's my thing, I don't know, but the other one was what the heck was I doing in school? I was doing in school what I'm afraid a lot of people are doing in school right now which is learning software and I didn't need to learn software in school and I wish I knew that, you know, and now when I talk to students I'm like don't please don't learn software in school, if nothing else we got Lynda, we got my site, we got Youtube alone. Just go start learning, you do not need to go to school to learn software. What I should have been doing was taking more design classes and luckily I learned that somewhat early, kinda tested out of some After Effects classes, tested out of some Photoshop classes and got into actual design classes. - Saved some time. - Saved some time, so what I was doing was there was also a little bit of film making kind of in my degree, so I was in one of those weird degrees that don't mean anything, like digital media production. (laughter) And they taught literally, again, before Youtube, they taught web compression, that was one of my classes, really used that knowledge. But you know, they were teaching how to edit. We were using Final Cut, we were learning how to make a short film, we were learning how to light, so I did learn a lot about lighting and I point at your pretty lights you guys got, but I learned a lot about lighting and filmmaking and exposure and those kind of things, and those things did help me out later on. For now, now that we do tutorials and I'm kinda focused on lighting, a lot of that stuff kind of translated into 3D so those classes ended up really good helping me a lot. And that editing teacher that I had, too, was like one of the, I think everybody kinda hates their school but there were like two good teachers and luckily my editing and lighting teacher was really great and I had a good After Effects teacher too that was in the industry and was able to kind of show how clients do stuff so, lucked out there. But yeah, you know what I was doing in school? I was learning how to drink and not be a jerk, right? Like, that's frankly I think that's what school is mostly for these days. - It's a valuable skill, though. - It's a good skill. - It's a social, it really is, it really is about learning how to develop relationship and how to talk coherently and. - Yeah, there's something too, I'm glad I went to school for a lot of those reasons, met a lot of people, it kept me in the culture of it, but the classes themselves, if the school was just a bunch of hallways and rooms we hung out in, maybe that would have been better. (laughter) You know? So, we'll figure out the school on how it's gonna go. - So, how did you make the transition then from from motion graphics artist, you call it aspiring motion graphics artist to motion graphics artist but then suddenly along comes Grayscalegorilla, like where was that, where did that switch happen? - Um, Grayscalegorilla, so we'll start with Creamy Orange, Creamy Orange was my first website I ever purchased. Everyone else had a site where they showed their best work, I'm like that's my site so I bought my first domain, made a site, figured out html stuff and learned how to code and do like a basic website, started putting some work up there and that was my motion stuff, that was After Effects, that was Cinema 4D stuff and I also at the same time got into digital photography, and it was right when digital photography was picking up 2003, four, affordable digital cameras were coming out and I bought a D70 Nikon and a kit lens for 1200 bucks, four megapixels. (laughter) - State of the art. - It was, it really was and that was expensive and so I started shooting photos mostly because I was really into, I knew something in the back of my head knew that I needed to learn some more visual language stuff. At the time I didn't know that it was typefaces and logos, but in my head I'm like I gotta get better at this composition stuff. I see these really beautiful photos from other people. I wanna try that and I started posting a photo a day, and I ended up doing that for three years on a website called Grayscale gorilla so I bought the domain, set up a little template and it just allowed me to post a photo a day, there was no social media nothing, it just somehow the word got out and we had like 30,000 people looking at this site every day of my photography and it wasn't great photography, there was some good stuff, there was some bad stuff, but the key to it was was that it was every day. And I learned a lot. I learned a lot from other photographers that chimed in and talked about technique and I just kinda loved that so much so that when I wanted to share some of my thoughts about, what, people ask me all the time what camera do you buy or all these things, I didn't really have a place to put that, right? Again, before social media there wasn't anything there so if you wanted to say anything online you needed to build your own space so I built Grayscalegorilla.com/blog and started on there saying alright here's my camera gear and here's the lenses I picked and here's why and here's how I learned how to shoot photography and linking to other things and silly stuff, too. - Mm hmm. - But then I started doing After Effects tutorials. - Mm. Okay so what year was this? - This would have been 06 07 was kind of blog era, um, 06 07 08 was kinda this part so the blog started, a couple of After Effects tutorials, people were I love this app, people were more like eh I get this photography stuff but Nick you actually get paid to be an After Effects artist, I was working at Digital Kitchen at the time, they're like can you show us After Effects stuff the same way that you show us photography stuff, I'm like well I don't, you guys know there's other people like better people than me doing this stuff and
its third year, has already claimed over 70,000 lives and displaced more than three million people since the uprising against President al-Assad began in March 2011. Some 1.1 million people have also been forced to flee Syria and take refuge in neighbouring countries. In a message sent to the League of Arab States summit in Doha, Qatar, Mr. Ban stressed the need to inject urgency towards reaching a political solution “while there is still time to prevent Syria’s destruction.” “The goal is difficult, but clear: an end to violence, a clean break with the past, and a transition to a new Syria in which the rights of all communities are protected and the legitimate aspirations of all Syrians for freedom, dignity and justice are met,” he stated.Just how does one describe Ambassador-at-Large Bilahari Kausikan? Well, it depends on who you ask. Some laud him as one of the finest minds in Singapore's public service. Others label him the "undiplomatic diplomat" who says what he thinks and means what he says. He's also known as the "prolific public intellectual" who has an expansive vocabulary with which to take down those whose arguments fall short of his exacting standards. Just last week, he took issue with Professor Kishore Mahbubani, the dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, who wrote a piece in The Straits Times suggesting that small states should not behave like big ones. In a Facebook post, he described Prof Mahbubani's reasoning as "muddled, mendacious and indeed dangerous". "I am profoundly disappointed that Kishore should advocate subordination as a norm of Singapore foreign policy. It made me ashamed," he wrote of his former colleague at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Singapore Is Not An Island: Views On Singapore Foreign Policy, published by Straits Times Press, is a collection of Mr Bilahari Kausikan's essays and speeches over the years. STANDING UP FOR OURSELVES A small country like ours will always be subject to multiple influences of various kinds: political, cultural, religious, linguistic, you name it. But we have to have the gumption and the courage to be ourselves. MR BILAHARI KAUSIKAN, on Singapore having a system and framework that is unique and needs to be vigorously defended. Meeting The Sunday Times early on a Wednesday morning, the veteran diplomat laughs when told that he has a reputation for chewing people up and spitting them out. "Only on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday I merely suck their blood," quips the former permanent secretary of foreign affairs who recently released the book, Singapore Is Not An Island: Views On Singapore Foreign Policy. Published by Straits Times Press, it is a collection of Mr Bilahari's essays and speeches over the years. The 61-year-old, who became Ambassador-at-Large after retiring from the Administrative Service in 2013, is in a good mood, and in good form as he talks about the book and gives his take on foreign policy and geopolitical and social issues ranging from Trump and China to North Korea and Pink Dot. He whips out a volume, not his own, when asked about the state of Singapore-China ties. Is Singapore's policy of not choosing sides in the face of US-China rivalry, and its position on the South China Sea earning the ire of the Middle Kingdom? "I knew you were going to ask this question and I want to show you this book," he says, brandishing a copy of Qiaowu: Extra Territorial Policies For The Overseas Chinese by New Zealand political scientist James Jiann Hua To. Qiaowu refers to China's interactions with its diaspora. Chinese foreign policy, opines Mr Bilahari, is conducted along three tracks. "One is the official track. There will always be ups and downs... but by and large, it's quite good," he says, referring to recent headlines saying that Singapore and China have agreed to deepen cooperation on the Belt and Road initiative and speed up the conclusion of free trade agreements between them. The second track, he continues, is about unofficial influence. He cites several examples, including recent reports in which Australia's intelligence agencies expressed concerns that China was interfering in the country's institutions and using political donations to gain access. The "highly developed" third track is qiaowu, used for dealing with overseas Chinese. "There are many overseas Chinese communities around the world but Singapore is the only independent country which has a majority ethnic Chinese-origin population and, in our case, the second and third tracks merge," he says. "If you read the book, there is an assumption that the overseas Chinese will define their interest in terms of China's interest and that is a norm we cannot accept. Yes, 75 per cent or more of our population is ethnic Chinese but Singaporeans have become very different from PRC (People's Republic of China) Chinese in many ways," he says. "When the Chinese try to force this appellation on you in ways subtle and not so subtle, you must resist because it is existential, it's a matter of survival." Why? "A quarter of our population is not of ethnic Chinese origin. Supposing we are ever foolish enough or we are forced to accept the characterisation of Singapore as a Chinese country, and the norms that are assumed to follow from that... the multiracial social compact on which Singapore is based will be broken. Once broken, can you put it together again? I don't think so. They (the Chinese) don't understand. And that, Singaporeans must understand." He says Singapore, although a young country, has "a system and framework where people can be themselves and yet be together" which is unique and needs to be vigorously defended. "A small country like ours will always be subject to multiple influences of various kinds: political, cultural, religious, linguistic, you name it. But we have to have the gumption and the courage to be ourselves." How about the statecraft practised by China's main rival, the United States, especially since Mr Donald Trump became President earlier this year? "There are things to worry about him on the trade front," he says, referring to Mr Trump's abandonment of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and his brand of protectionist trade policies which is generating a lot of global pushback. "Then there is this question of Islamophobia. If the administration is perceived as Islamophobic, it will certainly become more difficult for governments in countries which have majority Muslim (communities) in our region to maintain, over time, a friendly attitude towards the US. And that will have geopolitical consequences," he warns. But he says that not all that the Trump administration has done is dire. He points to the reaffirmation of alliances with the likes of Japan, South Korea and Australia as positive, as well as Mr Trump's plans to attend the Asean-US, East Asia and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summits. "The 7th Fleet has never left," he says, referring to the US military formation headquartered in Japan and tasked with, among other things, the defence of the Korean Peninsula. In fact, he reckons there are things the Trump administration has done better than the previous one under Mr Barack Obama. "I think it was a fundamental mistake for Mr Obama to have drawn a red line over the use of chemical weapons in Syria and then do nothing. It just eroded the credibility of American commitments. And so, Mr Trump has done something to correct it by bombing Syria and doing it while having dinner with Mr Xi Jinping to boot," he says. In April this year, the US President informed the Chinese leader of his country's missile strikes against Syria's military over dinner at his private Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. He also says the Obama administration's policy of "strategic patience" was a big mistake which allowed North Korea eight years to develop its missile and nuclear weapon programmes. The Trump administration's decision to deploy two carrier strike groups near Korean waters in response to recent North Korean missile tests was, hence, a good move. "Sooner or later, North Korea will have a nuclear-capable ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) that can reach the US and it will be the right thing for Trump to maintain deterrence by showing resolve through a show of overwhelming force now," says Mr Bilahari, who is well-known internationally for his strategic analyses. It won't change North Korean behaviour, but it will be a deterrent. "And that's how nuclear powers have always dealt with each other ever since there were nuclear powers: by deterrence." Contrary to what many people think, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, he says, is not a "nutjob". "He's a very clever guy and coldly rational. I think the North Koreans are bad but they've never been mad. How can you call him mad when he's got what he wants and nobody has been able to stop him? He is setting the pace, not others," says Mr Bilahari, who was once Singapore's permanent representative to the United Nations and ambassador to Russia. The conversation shifts closer to home when asked for his take on Malaysia's coming elections and the return of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed - who now heads opposition party Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia - to politics. The former premier has been lobbying for the ouster of Prime Minister Najib Razak over allegations involving state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad. "Well, I should certainly hope Barisan Nasional and Prime Minister Najib are returned but it is not my business. Whoever is in charge in Malaysia, we will have to deal with just as we deal with whoever is in charge in Botswana... or Britain, the US, Japan or any country... It'll be easier to deal with some kinds of government but you still have to deal with them," he says. In Singapore Is Not An Island, he emphasises more than once the need to adapt in the face of a changing world and a changing Singapore. "We can only improvise wisely if we accept the world as it is and not as we hope or fear it to be," he writes in one essay. In Singapore, for instance, he believes the rise of civil society and advocacy groups will make policy crafting trickier. When asked about Pink Dot, the annual lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rally which attracted nearly 20,000 people last weekend, he says the use of cultural issues such as LGBT rights as a means of influence is fairly new in Singapore. "I think, in this instance, the objective for some is really political influence. If you ask me, people should live the life they want to live but that's only me. I'm sure there are a number of Singaporeans who agree with me. In fact, I would say the majority of Singaporeans would say: Live and let live. Now that does not mean that they would go as far as to say you should have same-sex marriage and things like that. That, for many people, is a step too far. Personally, I'm not opposed to same- sex marriage but others care vehemently," he says. The result, he says, is a compromise. "You have certain elements from your criminal law on the books but the Government has announced they will not enforce it," he says, referring to 377A of the Penal Code which criminalises sex between men. "At this stage of our society, that's the best you can do. It's not perfect but this is not heaven, you know." Mr Bilahari, whose father P.S. Raman was one of Singapore's pioneer diplomats and the country's first ambassador to the then Soviet Union, does not think he is fearless about speaking up on issues. "All I try to do is write and speak clearly without hedging. That was what I did while a civil servant and what I do now. Before I retired, there was a phenomenon that I noticed creeping into the civil service and which concerned me. Sometimes opinions were so hedged and qualified it was hard to understand what was being suggested." He adds: "At a time when Singapore is being more insistently subjected to a variety of insidious external forces, this can be dangerous. Writing and speaking clearly does not mean you are always going to be right - nobody is right all the time, particularly when dealing with international affairs where there are many unknowns and human agency is always a factor: Stating an opinion can change the behaviour that was the subject of the opinion. But a clear, unfudged opinion allows error to be recognised early and corrections made early, whereas a fudged opinion conceals error." He makes no bones about the fact that his rebuttals to other people's opinions could be brutal, leading to charges that he is incapable of "civil" discourse. "Sometimes issues are too important to let civility get in the way of clarity. Dangerous ideas must be demolished. "Anyway, when people say someone is uncivil, sometimes it means no more than that they don't agree with an opinion but have no effective substantive rebuttal. Besides, if you state an opinion in public, you must be prepared for it to be attacked robustly; I don't take offence if someone attacks me robustly."HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong’s next leader, Carrie Lam, vowed on Thursday to heal political and social divides, pledging to return the global financial hub to its “normal course of development”. Hong Kong leader-elect Carrie Lam attends a news conference in Beijing, China April 11, 2017. REUTERS/Jason Lee Lam takes office on July 1 after being selected in March amid widespread concern that Beijing’s meddling had sealed her victory and denied the freewheeling former British colony a more popular leader. The former civil service chief replaces her former boss, incumbent Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, a deeply unpopular leader widely viewed in the city as being too eager to please Beijing’s Communist Party leadership. Those leaders are increasingly fearful that a fledgling independence or secessionist movement in Hong Kong could spread, and a Beijing official based in the city warned at the weekend that further trouble could threaten its vaunted autonomy. The city was promised widespread freedoms and legal protections under a “one country, two systems” formula agreed when Britain handed it back to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. Acknowledging tension and the city’s restive youth, Lam said she was aware of the city’s problems and deeply polarized views. “I will do my utmost to unify society and to bring Hong Kong back to its normal course of development, because I think that is the aspiration of the great majority of Hong Kong people,” said Lam, who will become Hong Kong’s first female leader. She said her election manifesto had emphasized the need to address the aspirations and “unhappiness” of young people with greater opportunities and upward mobility. “So together with my team from July 1, that is going to be one of our policy priorities.” Lam offered no fresh specifics on any new policies or views on political reform but she has previously said that unifying society was a key goal, besides improving livelihoods and the city’s troubled governance. Many of the city’s pro-democracy opposition and activists were opposed to Lam’s selection by a 1,200-person election panel stacked with pro-Beijing and pro-establishment loyalists, who spurned the more popular candidate, former government financial chief John Tsang. She faces widespread fears that Hong Kong’s freedoms are under threat and must tackle soaring property prices that are, in part, driving divisions and widening an extreme wealth gap. Part of the public mistrust of Lam stems from her previously close working ties with Leung, who ordered tear gas to be fired at pro-democracy protesters in late 2014, during the long-running ‘Occupy’ civil disobedience movement.Photo: Open Ephys Graduate students Josh Siegle and Jakob Voigts were planning an ambitious series of experiments at their MIT neuroscience labs in 2011 when they ran into a problem. They needed to record complex brain signals from mice, but they couldn’t afford the right equipment: The recording systems cost upward of US $60,000 each, and they wanted at least four. So they decided to solve their dilemma by building their own gear on the cheap. And knowing that they wouldn’t be the last neuroscientists to encounter such a problem, they decided to give away their designs. Now their project, Open Ephys, is the hub of a nascent open-source hardware community for neural technology. Siegle and Voigts weren’t knowledgeable about either circuit design or coding, but they learned as they went along. By July 2013, they were ready to manufacture 50 of their recording systems, which they gave to collaborators for beta testing. This spring they manufactured 100 improved units, which are now arriving in neuroscience labs around the world. They estimate that each system costs about $3,000 to produce. Neuroscience has a history of hackers, Siegle says, with researchers cobbling together their own gear or customizing commercial systems to meet their particular needs. But those new tools rarely leave the labs they are built in. So scientists spend a lot of time reinventing the wheel. The goal of Open Ephys (which is short for open-source electrophysiology) is not just to distribute the tools that Siegle and Voigts have come up with so far but to encourage researchers to put resources into developing open-source tools for the benefit of the whole community. “In addition to changing the tools, we also want to change the culture,” Siegle says. Photo: Open Ephys Open Ephys just distributed 100 of its acquisition boards to neuroscience labs around the world. The flagship tool that Siegle and Voigts developed is an acquisition board, which makes sense of the electric signals from electrodes implanted in an animal’s brain. The board interfaces with up to eight headstages that amplify, filter, multiplex, and digitize signals from the brain, and then sends those signals to a computer for further processing. Commercial systems typically have individual ICs perform each of those four functions, but Siegle and Voigts’s system uses a single microchip for the four steps. The chip was recently developed by Intan Technologies, based in Los Angeles. “Once we realized these chips were available, it seemed kind of silly to keep buying the big systems,” Siegle says. The president and cofounder of Intan, Reid Harrison, says that shrinking and consolidating the gear wasn’t that complicated—it mostly required initiative. “It’s such a niche market that no one else had tried to miniaturize the technology,” he says. “It’s not exactly on the scale of CPUs and cellphones, which drive most IC technology.” However, Harrison says he recognized a need for his small, multipurpose chips. Neuroscientists are always trying to fit more electrodes into an animal’s brain to record more neural activity, he says, which requires ever tinier devices with the electronics close to the electrodes. “You could put 1,000 electrodes in the brain, but you don’t want 1,000 wires on an animal that’s supposed to be mobile,” he says. The Intan chips take information from up to 64 electrodes and turn it into one digital signal, eliminating the confusion of wiring. The major neural technology companies have designed products that incorporate Intan’s chips, but they also swear by their larger, multichip systems. Keith Stengel, the founder of Neuralynx, in Bozeman, Mont., says that in his big systems, each component is optimized for peak performance. “A lot of our customers have said that you buy a Neuralynx system for the serious work that you’re going to publish, and then you get an Open Ephys system as a second system, for grad students to start their research on,” he says. Illustration: Open Ephys Open Ephys offers building instructions for this head-mounted neural implant system for mice. Andy Gotshalk, CEO of Blackrock Microsystems, in Salt Lake City, also argues that the commercial products will continue to be the gold standard. “You’re not going to be moving into FDA clinical trials using an Open Ephys system,” he says. The commercial products come with guarantees of quality and reliability, he says, as well as intensive customer support. Gotshalk says his customers are willing to pay a premium for that backing. Both Stengel and Gotshalk say they welcome Open Ephys to the market and think that its systems can fill a niche. They’re also willing to work with the upstart to make sure their commercial software works with the Open Ephys hardware. Harrison agrees that the community is happy to have another option to work with, and he draws a parallel to the computing industry. “The existing tools are like the PCs and the Macs of the neuroscience world, but now we also have this Linux,” Harrison says. “It’s a lot less expensive, and you can hack it yourself, but it’s not for everyone.”This section of the book is from "Fasting, Hydropathy and Exercise", by Bernarr MacFadden. The description of my fast of seven days, which appeared in "PHYSICAL CULTURE" some time ago, will probably be of interest to my readers. During the last fifteen years I have frequently fasted as a cure for threatened illnesses that attack even the most careful in this age of civilized or rather uncivilized dietary. I have been seriously threatened with pneumonia and numerous other ills of less importance which have quickly succumbed to this effective means of ridding the system of impurities. Though there are now some valuable works on this subject, when I first adopted these theories, they were based entirely on my own conclusion and instinct and the well-known fact that all animals fasted when ill. Until this last experiment I never fasted over four days, and even then I usually ate an apple or a bite or two or something light each day, thus at no time previous to this last experiment did I fast absolutely. I have frequently made comments on the value of fasting in "PHYSICAL CULTURE." and determined to test the effects of an absolute fast of one week on strength and weight. I did not take a particle of nourishment in any form, though drank freely of pure water. Normal Condition. After Seven-day Fast. Showing How The Face Wastes During A Fast. The first day of the fast, I lost five pounds and the next day two pounds and the loss gradually decreased each day, and on the seventh day was but little over one pound. Altogether in the seven days, my total loss of weight was fifteen pounds. My loss of weight was far greater than is usual when one is fasting. This was caused by the great amount of exercise that I took daily. In fact I lost about as much weight in this one week as one would ordinarily lose in two weeks if no exercise was taken. Each day I walked about ten miles, and surprising as it may seem, I felt weaker the second day of the fast than at any time thereafter. Before and After Seven Days Fast. I always took my walk in the morning immediately on rising and usually felt weak at the start This was however entirely morbid, for after traveling one or two miles, it would entirely disappear and I could walk with a strong steady tread, and at the conclusion always felt equal to ten or twenty miles more. Frequently when rising from a seat after a short rest 1 would feel quite dizzy for a few moments, but this would quickly pass away. The first four days were the most uncomfortable. I did not seem especially hungry, but I was languid, except for a while after exercise at which times I always felt strong and energetic. I attended to my daily duties during the entire fast with the same regularity as usual. My brain seemed especially clear, and mental work actually required less effort than when eating regularly. At times difficulty was experienced in inducing sleep. The gnawing sensation in my stomach would not cease, though a plentiful supply of cool pure water seemed of great advantage, and was of valuable assistance in wooing slumber. The sixth and seventh days of the fast were really by far the most comfortable. I felt that it would require but little effort to continue on for three or four weeks, but the object of the fast was accomplished and I was not at all anxious to continue it further. Putting up 100-lb. dumb-bell high over head with one arm after seven-day fast. The most important feature in lessening the effects of fasting is to keep the mind employed so one will not be continually referring to the desire for food. The only time there was the slightest danger of my giving way to my appetite was on the fourth day. At this particular time I mention, there was nothing of importance for me to do and after conversing a short time with some friends, I went out with the distinct intention of patronizing the nearest restaurant. After walking a short distance and giving the matter serious consideration, I determined not to break the fast and instead of the restaurant, I visited a gymnasium and spent thirty minutes in vigorous exercise, and in consequence felt much better, and all thoughts of giving up the fast were abandoned. The comparison photographs show how the body wasted away during the fast. The face thinned especially and the eyes sunk considerably. Raising 200-lb. man with strength of arms only, after seven-day fast. But the astounding fact in connection with the fast was the strength possessed on the seventh day. The average person imagines that he becomes weak even after missing a meal, and a fast of one day, is supposed to take away all strength. There was never greater error. On the fourth day of the fast after testing my strength, I concluded to use a fifty pound dumb bell in illustrating my strength on the seventh day of the fast. Well, the seventh day came at last, though I must confess the week seemed rather long. I visited the gymnasium after my walk with the intention of leaving instructions that the fifty-pound dumb bell be sent to the photographer's gallery. On arriving there, I felt so strong that I concluded to test my strength. I thought that may be I might be able to raise without difficulty a heavier bell than fifty pounds. I raised the fifty-pound bell over my head a number of times without the slightest difficulty. It did not seem heavier than when at my usual weight. I tried the sixty-pound bell, then the seventy and eighty-five with similar results, and immediately left instructions to send the one-hundred-pound bell over to the gallery as I felt that my strength was equal to raising it. Muscles: Normal Condition. and After Seven-day fast. I know full well that my readers will beamazed at these feats of strength performed after this long fast, and no one could be more amazed than I, for as stated before I was under the impression that to raise a fifty-pound bell over head with one hand after a fast of this character, would really be something worth boasting about, and I was astounded at my strength under the circumstances. The hundred-pound dumb bell was sent to the gallery, and Sarony's employees who saw and photographed the feats will vouch for the statements made and the illustrations shown. I had to raise the hundred-pound dumb bell twice before a proper negative could be made of the feat. The second feat of raising this 200-lb. man as shown in the photographs was not easy, as any one will discover on trial, and it would be well to remember that I never at any time in my athletic career believed in using heavy weights, and had not attempted to raise a hundred-pound dumb bell off the floor for at least two years previous to the performance of these feats. While in active practice in general athletic work a number of years ago, I could raise a hundred-pound bell eleven times at arms length over head with one arm, but at this time I occasionally handled these heavy weights. As I have taken no heavy exercise for a number of years, more than a slight effort would be required to raise this heavy dumb bell, even when my weight was at its usual standard. A lesson is taught with unquestionable clearness by this experiment. The American people are actually eating themselves into their graves. Ninety-nine out of every hundred take from five to fifty years from the length of their lives by stuffing their stomachs. They eat, not to nourish the body, but merely for the pleasure of gourmandizing. The result is that from two to five times as much food passes through the alimentary canal than is necessary to maintain weight and strength, and mind and body are actually weakened by the strenuous efforts made by the system in endeavoring to rid itself of this excessive amount of food. Any one can be benefited by a fast such as I describe here. Of course I would not advise one who has been eating three meals each day all during life to immediately attempt total abstinence from food for seven days, though such a fast under such conditions would be productive only of benefit provided it could be borne without too much of a mental strain and provided great care is used not to over-eat when normal dietary habits are resumed. In fact the greatest difficulty in connection with a fast of any duration is the tendency to over-eat after the fast. This error will often be productive of so much injury that all the beneficial results of a fast are practically nil. After the fast I have described here I made the mistake myself of eating too heartily on two or three occasions and I am satisfied that much harm resulted thereby. On the second day after the fast I ate three hearty meals, when one hearty meal would have been sufficient. This was, as before mentioned, the first fast of this duration that I had ever gone through, and I was not prepared to meet conditions with which I was not familiar. Unquestionably it would be better in experimenting with fasting to start by fasting one meal or say one day at a time. The result of this will give you confidence in its benefits, then you can gradually advance into a full-fledged convert. The principal result of value in such a conversion will be from that day forward absolute independence of all advisers, medical or otherwise, upon an ailment of any kind that attacks you. Fasting will be at once the principal part of your self-treatment, and forever thereafter your stomach will be free from the drug habit, and if you expect to retain the slightest respect for yourself you must first learn to respect your stomach.The Moto G5 Plus is already a good budget phone - so good, in fact, that we declared it "the king of budget phones" in our review. However, Lenovorola isn't stopping there; famed leaker Evan Blass of VentureBeat has looked at marketing materials for the G5S Plus, which state that the upcoming smartphone will be larger, better-built, and have superior cameras when compared to the current G5 Plus. The G5 Plus already made strides over the G4 Plus's all-plastic build by including a metal back, even though the edges were still plastic. However, the G5S Plus will feature a design composed fully of anodized aluminum, which will definitely help make the phone feel more premium. It's actually pretty incredible when you think about it; just three years ago, flagships still had all-plastic builds, and now, even sub-$300 phones are all-aluminum. Although the G5S Plus's screen will stay at its current 1080p resolution, it'll increase in size from the G5 Plus's 5.2" to a more phablet-like 5.5". Other unchanged specs include the 2.0GHz octa-core Snapdragon 625, maximum of 4GB RAM, and max of 64GB of internal storage. The G5 Plus's single 12MP sensor. Cameras on both the front and back will be getting big bumps up from the G5 Plus's 12MP rear / 5MP front setup. The G5S Plus will sport dual 13MP sensors on the back, with one being black-and-white. This will allow for features such as bokeh, background replacement, and the ability to make certain elements of pictures black-and-white. The front-facing shooter will get a boost to 8MP. Other upcoming Moto phones with dual cameras include the Z2 Force and X4, the former of which may be announced alongside the G5S and G5S Plus at an event on July 25th. We'll likely get more information as that date approaches.Canadian Brewing Awards announces 2016 category and style guidelines Gravenhurst – The Canadian Brewing Awards today released updated style guidelines for beer and cider including numerous changes and additions. Entry opens March 1, 2016. Beer Styles Originating from Europe 1. European Style Lager (Pilsner) 2. European Style Amber to Dark Lager 3. Bock – Traditional German Style 4. Kellerbier/Zwickelbier 5. German Style Kölsch 6. Wheat Beer – Belgian Style (Wit) 7. Wheat Beer – German Style (Weiss) 8. Baltic Porter 9. Belgian-Style Dubbel or Quadrupel 10. Belgian-Style Tripel 11. Belgian Style Abbey Ale/Pale Ale 12. Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale 12A. Subcategory: Belgian–Style Pale Strong Ale 12B. Subcategory: Belgian-Style Dark Strong Ale 12C. Subcategory: Other Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale 13. French and Belgian Style Saison 14. Belgian-Style Brett Beer 15. German-Style Sour Ale 15A. Subcategory: Berliner-Style Weisse 15B. Subcategory: Gose 16. Belgian-Style Sour Ale 16. Flanders Red Ale 16B. Oud Bruin 16C. Lambic / Gueuze 16D. Fruit Lambic Styles Originating from UK 17. Porter 18. Brown Ale 19. Scotch Ale 20. English Style Pale Ale 21. English Bitters 21A. Subcategory: Ordinary or Special Bitter 21B. Subcategory: Best Bitter or ESB 22. Sweet Stout or Cream Stout 23. Oatmeal Stout 24. Dry Stout 25. Imperial Stout 26. English Style India Pale Ale Styles Originating from North America 27. North American Style Lager 28. North American Style Premium Lager 29. North American Style Amber Lager 30. North American Style Dark Lager 31. Light (Calorie-Reduced) Lager 32. Cream Ale 33. North American Style Amber/Red Ale 34. North American Style Blonde or Golden Ale 35. American–Style Black Ale 36. North American Style Pale Ale 37. Wheat Beer – North American Style 38. American Style India Pale Ale 39. Session India Pale Ale 40. American Style Imperial India Pale Ale 41. American Belgo-Style Ale 42. American-style Brett Beer 43. American-style Sour Ale Mixed Style Beer 44. Special Honey/Maple Lager or Ale 45. Fruit Beer or Field Beer 45A. Subcategory: Fruit Beer 45B. Subcategory: Fruit Wheat Beer 45C. Subcategory: Field Beer 45D. Subcategory: Pumpkin Beer 46. Gluten Free Beer 47. Session Ale 48. Experimental Beer 49. Herb and Spice Beer 50. Smoked Beer 51. Barley Wine-Style Ale 51A. Subcategory: English-Style Barley Wine Ale 51B. Subcategory: American-Style Barley Wine Ale 52. Wood and Barrel-Aged Beer 52A. Subcategory: Wood and Barrel-Aged Pale to Amber Beer 52B. Subcategory: Wood and Barrel-Aged Dark Beer 53. Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer 54. Wood and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer 55. Flavoured Stout/Porter Cider C1. New World Cider C2. Cider with Other Fruit C3. Cider with Herbs/Spices C4. Specialty CiderGraphics specialist NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) has been on a tear when it comes to rolling out new graphics cards. Since May, the company has released a flurry of new graphics cards based on its new Pascal architecture, from the obscenely fast $1,200 NVIDIA Titan X to the value-oriented GeForce GTX 1060 with 3 GB of RAM for $199. However, NVIDIA has typically offered value-oriented gaming graphics cards for lower than $199 and it was always expected that the company would roll out Pascal architecture-based products to address the sub-$199 price point in due time. According to Swedish website Sweclockers.com, the graphics specialist is planning to ship these parts in late September with the formal launch happening in mid-October. GTX 1050 on the way, comes in two flavors Per the site, NVIDIA plans to release two variants of the GeForce GTX 1050 -- one with 2 GB of memory and one with 4 GB of memory. Additionally, the report claims that the 1050 will serve as the successor of the current GeForce GTX 950 and that the company intends to price these parts "aggressively." If this report is accurate, I could see the graphics specialist setting the suggested retail price for the 4 GB model at around $159 (pricing of the GTX 950 at launch) and the 2 GB model (potentially with disabled graphics processors, as in the 3 GB variant of the GTX 1060 relative to the 6 GB version) somewhere between $119 and $139. This market segment is an important one for NVIDIA because a significant portion of the desktop gaming personal computer installed base currently has GeForce GTX 750 Ti and GeForce GTX 950 cards. According to the July 2016 Steam Hardware & Software Survey (Steam is the most popular PC game distribution platform), 3.13% of the installed base is using a GeForce GTX 750 Ti, 1.32% is using a GeForce GTX 750, and 0.84% is using a GeForce GTX 950. The upcoming GTX 1050 cards should serve as compelling upgrades for those users, particularly the 750/750 Ti owners. Once the GTX 1050 parts arrive, NVIDIA will have completed the rollout of its Pascal-based desktop graphics cards, at least for gamers. Assuming the launch of GTX 1050 is in mid-October, this will mean that the company was able to get its entire Pascal stack out to customers in about five months, an impressive execution. What's next for NVIDIA? Right now, NVIDIA is in a very good position: It has competitive products in the mid-range and could very well have clear product leadership at the very low end of the market. At the high end of the market, the graphics specialist's products are currently unopposed. NVIDIA's task now will be to build on this leadership position by being fairly aggressive in moving to its next-generation graphics processor architecture known as Volta. Volta is expected to be manufactured in the same 16-nanometer manufacturing technology that Pascal currently is, so the transition to that product line could be easier than the transition from Maxwell (built on 28-nanometer) to Pascal was. That said, moving to Volta as quickly as possible is more of an imperative for the company's higher-end offerings (i.e., GTX 1060 successor and above) than it is for the lower end of the market (GTX 1050 class) as it would seem gamers are increasingly moving toward higher-performance (and thus higher-priced) graphics processors.Exclusive to STR
often have deals with utilities in exchange for reduced power billing rates. If the grid frequency drops below a certain level, the plant will shut off its own power as a way to compensate for the supply shortfall. No signaling from the utility to the end-user is required -- the grid frequency itself acts as the data channel to initiate load-shedding. The opposite problem -- oversupply -- is usually less of a problem because power plants can be throttled back. Failing that, they can be severed from the grid and the coils shorted directly to ground. Between the two main effects -- frequency response reserve and load-shedding -- utilities have enough automatic buffering mechanisms to correct for short-term power imbalances. This is enough to cover about 10 minutes of generation shortfall, at which point fast-response turbines can be spun up and connected to the grid to correct the imbalance. This reserve is usually expensive to operate, so over longer timeframes (30-60 minutes), the "replacement reserve" of slow-acting power plants is put online, and the spinning reserve can be taken offline. Operating reserve So, the amount of reserve capacity in the system to respond to generation/consumption imbalances very much depends on the type of upset. Small upsets are completely covered by frequency-response reserve -- all that's needed is to increase fuel flows to turbines a little bit to get the grid frequency back to a nominal value. Larger upsets cause larger responses. At minimum, the grid is supposed to be able to handle 1 large power plant going offline without any service interruptions. But cascading failures can occasionally occur. It gets a lot more complicated when you get into AC-DC-AC converters that can have arbitrary frequency, distributed renewables generation, and all that stuff. But this is the basic mechanism of grid regulation. This question originally appeared on Quora. More questions on Energy:Edits to the Wikipedia pages of police brutality victims, including Eric Garner and Sean Bell, were traced to computers operating on the New York Police Department’s network at their 1 Police Plaza headquarters, according to a Capital New York review. The changes, many of which were edits that supported police narrative, were made by anonymous Wikipedia users with NYPD-based IP addresses, Capital reports. Using a computer program written to search for edits made on IP addresses registered to the police headquarters, Capital succeeded in rounding up at least a dozen NYPD addresses that made “notable” Wikipedia activity over the past 10 years. In one case, the word “chokehold” was replaced by “respiratory distress” in the “Death of Eric Garner” Wikipedia page. If you recall, Garner, a father of six, died during an exchange with an officer who placed him in a prohibited chokehold in July 2014. The Capital review also revealed changes regarding the use of chokeholds by police officers that were traced to NYPD computers. “Use of the chokehold has been prohibited” was changed to “Use of the chokehold is legal, but has been prohibited.” Other entry changes seem to paint a menacing or threatening picture of Garner, who was apprehended on suspicion of selling loose cigarettes. During the arrest, Garner told officers multiple times that he could not breathe. Edits, however, suggest Garner’s mere size prompted the officers’ use of excessive force. ● “Garner raised both his arms in the air” was changed to “Garner flailed his arms about as he spoke.” ● “[P]ush Garner’s face into the sidewalk” was changed to “push Garner’s head down into the sidewalk.” ● The sentence, “Garner, who was considerably larger than any of the officers, continued to struggle with them,” was added to the description of the incident. According to the review, the changes were made after a Staten Island jury elected not to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo in Garner’s death. Edits absolving officers of questionable conduct or supporting narratives can be found throughout Capital’s extensive review. In another instance detailed by Capital, an anonymous user attempted to delete the Wikipedia entry for Bell, the young black male who was shot at 50 times in November 2006. “He [Bell] was in the news for about two months, and now no one except Al Sharpton cares anymore. The police shoot people every day, and times with a lot more than 50 bullets. This incident is more news than notable,” the user wrote on Wikipedia’s internal “Articles for deletion” page. In another entry dedicated to police brutality victim Amadou Diallo, a user on the 1 Police Plaza network changed a sentence about NYPD Officer Kenneth Boss to reflect that his involvement in an incident where an unarmed man was shot was justified because the man was “armed.” And in yet another edit (made in 2008), a user deleted the entire “Allegations of police misconduct and the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB)” and “Other incidents” sections from the NYPD entry page. The NYPD is reportedly looking into the incidents, Mediate reports. To read the entire list of edits made by users on the NYPD network, click here. SOURCE: Capital \| PHOTO CREDIT: Getty SEE ALSO: Grand Jury Indicts Man Who Filmed Eric Garner, Not Chokehold Cop Off-Duty Black NYPD Officers Say They Are Also Harassed By White CopsNow, for the first time ever, a parrot has successfully trained a human to design and build robots specifically for the parrot's use and entertainment Proving that robots aren't just for people any longer, African grey parrot, Pepper, has learned to drive a robot that was specially designed for him. Pepper, whose wing feathers are clipped to preventing him from flying around his humans' house and destroying their things, now manipulates the joystick on his riding robot to guide it to where ever he wishes to go. This robotic "bird buggy" was the brainchild of his human companion, Andrew Gray, a 29-year-old electrical and computer engineering graduate student at the University of Florida. It was inspired by Pepper's growing frustration with his human family's rude behaviours. The behaviour that most annoyed Pepper was when his human family left him alone in a room -- how dare they ignore him? After living with these humans for more than ten years, was he not a member of the family too? Pepper decided to pursue a bold course of action to remedy this situation: he would attempt to train his humans to never abandon him. A simple goal, but addressing it was a daunting task -- so challenging that he would often scream in sheer frustration. Eventually, Pepper's screams of loneliness and frustration had the desired effect: Mr Gray began designing a variety of objects to occupy the parrot's time and energies whilst his humans roamed through the house, out of his sight. The first toy was a sound-activated squirt gun. This toy sprayed water on Pepper whenever he screamed. After an initial period of silent astonishment at his human companion's sheer ingenuity, Pepper tested the toy thoroughly and grew to love it. Of course, Pepper's shrieks were rewarded so he screamed more than ever, although now, his frustration was tempered with long moments of soggy, shrieking delight. "He started using it as a bird bath", admits Mr Gray, who originally designed this particular toy to quiet Pepper. He added: but "then he'd scream just to be squirted." Inspired, Pepper wanted to know what sort of parrot toy his human companion might design next, so he began screaming even more frequently. Mr Gray, who isn't deaf yet and who claims to value his hearing, then designed a noise-making device to amuse Pepper. "The next thing I tried was a rattler. It's a drum on a stick and it has two little beads on string", Mr Gray continued. "I attached that to a [remote-controlled] motor and I would push a button and [the motor] spins that around." At first, Pepper didn't find this toy amusing, oh no, not in the least. "It really scared him the first couple times but then he got used to it because he'd just keep screaming", sighed Mr Gray, oblivious to the irony of this situation. Finally, Pepper's human companion experienced a flash of insight. A true Eureka moment -- well, for a human. "What's the underlying issue here? What's the problem?" Mr Gray asked himself since Pepper was, by this time, non-communicative and sulking in utter frustration. "The problem is he's not in the room with us. When he's in the room with us, he's fine." Like, duh, Pepper responded later in an interview. What I have I been telling you for the past ten years? This time, Mr Gray knew what he had to do. He designed a toy that would relieve Pepper's loneliness -- a stylish toy that would make any parrot proud. His very own robot! Basically, this toy is a parrot perch on wheels, equipped with a joystick that allows its parrot driver to commandeer the contraption around the house and with a newspaper-sized deck to catch Pepper's occasional tokens of appreciation. Dubbed the "bird buggy" by Mr Gray, this robot is the most sophisticated toy that Pepper has received so far. It meets his goal by allowing him to follow his much larger and clumsier human family members around the house without fear of being trampled underfoot. When later asked about this invention, Pepper said he was pleased to see that his extensive efforts to train his human companion had finally paid off, and so handsomely, too. Pepper the grey parrot then added (with what appeared to be familial pride) that he and this particular human were "like siblings": since he had first joined his human family when Mr Gray was a teenaged boy, they had "practically grown up together". This video captures Pepper demonstrating what his parrot buggy can do: [video link] Pepper the grey parrot concluded this interview by providing some advice to other similarly-frustrated companion parrots: "Never give up! If you are persistent and determined, your human family may eventually understand what you must have to be truly happy. Further, if we properly motivate our human care-givers, who knows what intellectual and technological heights they may attain in their quest to meet our needs." Sources: The Independent Florida Alligator The Bird Buggy Pepper: interview via Skwawk, the online parrotphone; 7 December 2012. ...................... Follow Grrlscientist's work on facebook, Google +, LinkedIn, Pinterest and of course, on twitter: @GrrlScientist email: [email protected] when 38-year-old Shen Jianzhong was faced with a mob of thugs trying to evict him, he asked himself what his hero, Bruce Lee, would do. The answer, according to a video that has attracted more than two million hits on the Chinese internet, is turn to kung fu. For 20 years, Mr Shen had been practising kung fu, teaching himself Bruce Lee's system in his courtyard home in Bazhou, Hebei province. Working in a local gym as a fitness coach, he is also the holder of a world record, at least according to an association in Hong Kong, for the most press-ups in a minute using a roller. "I am now training to break the record for most press-ups on a balance beam," he said. At the end of October, Mr Shen was able to put his kung fu into action. For six months, a property developer had been trying to get his hands on Mr Shen's house. "They called it a remodelling project, to turn our village into a town," he said. "They wanted to tear down the whole street, and promised we would get a new house of the same size in two years, as well as rent to cover the interim. But I heard of people in a neighbouring village getting a much better deal, so we refused to sign." At first, the property company stuck up posters warning of dire consequences for any families who held out. Then, Mr Shen said, when 70 of the 100 households had left, the threats escalated. "This mob of thugs would block the street most days. They would pick on the women, threatening to kill their kids. Then people started tossing bricks through windows and letting off fireworks at night. Some people got beaten on the street." On October 29, as Mr Shen went to work and his wife popped out for a packet of instant noodles, a mob of "30 to 50 men" materialised at their front door. "My wife tried to close the door, but they pushed it back and she tripped over. That is how the fight started," said Mr Shen. With a flurry of kicks and punches, he and his 18-year-old son, a fellow kung fu devotee, set about the attackers, rendering seven of them near unconscious in the hallway. "It was self defence. I really cannot remember what kung fu skills I used. It was quite messy. Only seven people were injured because the rest were scared and stayed outside. Some of them ran away," he said. When the police arrived, however, they were little help, insisting that since the thugs were unarmed, it was Mr Shen and his family who were in the wrong. They urged the family to sign the contract. Instead, the Shens posted their homemade video online, where it has gone viral as a rare David versus Goliath moment in the bleak fight against China's avaricious property barons. They then fled, on the evening of November 21, to Beijing. Upon arriving in the capital, however, Mr Shen's son was arrested by the police, who said they would charge him with assault. "I do not regret the fight, but I am worried about my son," said Mr Shen. "I think they are trying to fit up him up with some crime. I am concerned that my actions will end up hurting him," he said, acknowledging that officials may try to emotionally blackmail him into signing over his lease. As the Telegraph interviewed Mr Shen, however, his phone rang. It was, he said, a man named Zhou Jin, who claimed to be a member of the Central Military Commission, which oversees the People's Liberation Army. "He said he had seen my plight and was outraged. He said I should not give any interviews to the media and he would come and collect me in his car this afternoon," said Mr Shen. An attempt to contact Mr Zhou on the number he provided failed, but perhaps Mr Shen's bravura has won him a powerful ally. Additional reporting by Valentina LuoWe watch a lot of television. Most of the time, our job descriptions are a dream come true. Sometimes, though, television is very bad — and as the people responsible for covering it, we can’t look away. We’ve seen all the rebooted franchises and rehashed talk-show formats; the streaming bloat and the prestige fatigue. We watch the football games and the 24-hour news, the awards shows and the special reports. Peak TV means there’s more television to watch than ever — but along with great programming comes predictable duds, riding the wave of buzz and media to stink, with passive-aggressive insistence, on our always-on screens. The Variety TV staff went through this year’s programming to come up with the frustrations, disappointments, and atrocities that dotted the television landscape. Some are grand ideas that flopped in execution; others are moments of failure within larger shows. There are many different ways to make terrible television, as it turns out, but what all of these things have in common is a kind of bad faith with the audience — lazy storytelling, self-indulgent production, exploitative foundations, or shameless pandering. Television reflects our collective unconsciousness, and lately, it’s been widespread and splintered — niches upon niches, creating bubbles of conversation that never intersect. But perhaps, if we can’t agree on what’s good — or even what’s tolerable — we can agree on what sucked. Here’s the worst TV of 2016, ranked. 12. “The X-Files” (Fox) Yes, of course, there was one pretty good dish set out with this batch of moldy, overheated leftovers. Darin Morgan’s silly but sweet werewolf episode approached the quality levels of early-era “X-Files,” but the rest of this six-episode outing was, not to put too fine a point on it, a mess. And not even a hot mess: The storytelling was simply bewildering when it wasn’t padded or meandering. None of the conspiracy stuff made any sense, and it was hard not to wonder if most episodes had been put together with the help of an “X-Files” Scene Randomizer. No matter what you thought of the rest of the mini-season, the truth is out there: “Babylon,” the fifth episode, is one of the worst and most incomprehensible episodes of television to air this year or any other. Let’s hope Fox doesn’t revive this artifact again until it has a better set of scripts to give the stars, who are still great at being Mulder and Scully. (But for the love of Scully, get Gillian Anderson a better wig.) 11. “Notorious” / “Conviction” (ABC) Both shows are already heading off the air, and we still can’t differentiate which is which. The interchangeable dramas are both soapy female-led legal procedurals with a media twist — and they’re also both pretty much canceled. While ABC won’t go on record to confirm that the series have been axed, “Notorious” and “Conviction” were the first-and-only broadcast shows to have their episode orders trimmed. But there’s still hope for more mediocre TV: the net kept options open on the cast members. 10. “Roadies” (Showtime) Showtime’s stab at capturing the highs and lows of a touring rock band lacked just about everything that made “Almost Famous” such a terrific film, despite their common parentage in Cameron Crowe. The focus on the grunt workers of rock ’n’ roll should have been fertile ground for interesting characters and situations. Instead, “Roadies” usually felt too sitcom-y to take root as a character dramedy. It didn’t help that Luke Wilson and Carla Gugino had zero chemistry in what was supposed to be the show’s core relationship. 9. “Chelsea” (Netflix) Talk shows are hard. Late-night talk-show hosts, in particular, have to balance being topical, likable, and just different enough from the other schmucks on the guide to give people a reason to tune in — but not so different that you induce further wakefulness in your audience. Which is why Chelsea Handler’s ostensible late-night show on Netflix feels so inessential. She still doesn’t seem completely at ease in front of the camera, and the show’s aimlessness even manifests, synecdoche-esque, in the form of Handler’s dog Chunk wandering the set and poking into interviews that are inconsequential at best, and enervating at worst. Not every nontraditional talker has to have the crazed deconstructionist bend of an anti-talk show like Adult Swim’s “The Eric Andre Show,” but “Chelsea” also lacks all of the hallmarks that make a late-night show worth watching: There are no bits to go viral, no especially sharp points of view. “Chelsea” is, at its core, a soulless viewing exercise. 8. “Top Gear” (BBC) The BBC was put in something of an impossible spot when a host of one of its most popular shows worldwide hauled off and hit a producer during a location shoot. It had little choice but to discipline Jeremy Clarkson, but in pushing him out the door along with his co-hosts James May and Richard Hammond, the Beeb poured sand into the engine of the global “Top Gear” phenomenon. Successor host Chris Evans had no shot at re-creating the fun that the show delivered with the bro-mantic adventures of Clarkson, Hammond and May. And tapping “Friends” star Matt LeBlanc as Harris’ sidekick was a nonsensical choice that was awkward on-air from the first minute. 7. “Vinyl” (HBO) HBO’s 1970s rock ’n’ roll fever-dream drama was a disappointment in large part because its auspices were so impressive: The “Boardwalk Empire” duo of Terence Winter and Martin Scorsese, the electric Bobby Cannavale and Mick Jagger thrown in to boot. You couldn’t take your eyes off Cannavale’s Richie Finestra, and his backing band was full of great players (Ray Romano, Olivia Wilde, Juno Temple, Paul Ben-Victor). But the show overall never gelled, and the story took off on too many self-indulgent flights of fancy to make sense of what should have been an intriguing look at a dynamic time in the cultural life of this country. Plus, for a show that claimed so much intimacy with the music industry, its depiction of cocaine use was… imaginative?… at best. 6. “The 100” (The CW) It all started out so promisingly. The third-season premiere of “The 100” was rousing and fun, but it wasn’t long before the CW show, which had made its name with a combination of moral ambiguity and well-earned twists, forgot or abandoned much of what made it popular in the first place. As season three unrolled, concerned fans thought a bombastic tone, overwrought melodrama and undercooked characters arcs were the worst they’d have to deal with, but far worse was to come. In the middle of the season, the drama, which had won over LGBTQ viewers with a complex relationship between two queer women and had ridden a big wave of support from gay fans, killed one of those women off in a clichéd and extraordinarily unfortunate way. The outrage was understandable, given that the death of Lexa reinforced the unfortunate but frequent message that gay women (and LGBTQ fans) are expendable. This watershed moment ultimately led to great deal of soul searching in the industry about why gay women are so infrequently leads but die so often. In this important work, Lexa lives on. Reshop, Heda. 5. “Crisis in Six Scenes” (Amazon) This should never have been made. A six-episode vanity project from a beloved independent filmmaker would have been more understandable if that filmmaker had not been subject of some very public and uncomfortable allegations about his relationship with his adopted daughter — allegations that were re-aired in the New York Times just months before the project was greenlit. But even if there hadn’t been charges of molestation in the mix, the project turned out to be an embarrassingly bad piece of filmmaking. Miley Cyrus, cast as the firebrand hippie that turns the leads’ lives upside down, is absolutely awful. It’s bad enough that Woody Allen put himself in front of the camera again; it’s worse that “Crisis in Six Scenes” has him on the receiving end of a platitude about adopted daughters. It’s mind-boggling that anyone thought this was a good idea. 4. Billy Bush’s interview of Ryan Lochte on “The Today Show” (NBC) Though it’s impossible for anything to overshadow Billy Bush’s moment with President-elect Donald Trump, we can’t let the ex-“Today” show host off the hook for his big oops with Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte. Shortly after leaving “Access Hollywood” for NBC’s morning show, Bush made quite the first impression by landing an interview with Lochte about being robbed at gunpoint in Rio — which, of course, turned out to be completely false. It was a low point in sports journalism; Bush bought the story hook, line, and sinker. Even Bush’s “Today” co-worker Al Roker later told him it was a lie, live on the air. Lochte somehow spun this ignominy into a gig on “Dancing With the Stars,” while Bush eked out a few more months at “Today” before the hot-mic “Access Hollywood” video torpedoed his run. It’s safe to assume Bush is hoping 2017 is a better year. 3. Everything JonBenet (CBS, A&E, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime) 2016 was the year of O.J. Simpson, but it was also the year of JonBenet Ramsey. Coinciding with the 20-year anniversary of the pint-sized beauty queen’s notorious death, a slew of networks jumped at the chance to make a buck off of the murder of a 6-year-old. CBS put out a four-hour true crime docuseries “The Case Of: JonBenet Ramsey,” A&E aired a documentary, Investigation Discovery had a three-part special and Lifetime offered up a soapy TV movie. The programming reveled in the titillating details of the girl’s murder — exploiting her death by having her little-girl voice narrate a film, and acting out the blow that shattered her skull with a human skull, a pigskin, and a blonde wig. The aftermath of the television barrage is still lingering: Burke Ramsey filed a $150 million defamation lawsuit against CBS for portraying him as his sister’s killer. This was a trend we wish we could have skipped. 2. “The Walking Dead” (AMC) To be fair, life in a post-apocalyptic zombie world should indeed have stakes, and blood will get spilled. But chopping off heads just for sport is a lazy substitute for true narrative or character development. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Our merry band of survivors happens on a new community, which is run by a cruel leader with a vicious streak, who picks them off one by one. Pick a season, any season. We’re stuck in a narrative loop straight out of “Westworld.” And after a sixth season cliffhanger that left viewers grumbling about which fan favorite character faced the wrong end of Negan’s barbed-wire wrapped bat, the seventh season opened with an episode that was so gory it was clear that standards-and- practices had fallen asleep at the switch. If the sight of blood spattered on the ground didn’t shock you, the squishing sound certainly did. As the cartoonish Negan continues to toy ever more cruelly with his victims, the show toys with its viewers — who deserve better. 1. Donald Trump (everywhere) Donald Trump is the television show we wished we could have stopped watching. With his easy confabulation and commercial-length attention span — his carefully maintained pompadour and fake tan — he is the embodiment of television’s most pandering, superficial, and morally bankrupt tendencies. Perhaps it sounds reductive to refer to our president-elect as a work of television. But Trump is television — the worst kind of television, which is commercial, nonsensical, and image-obsessed. Every flaw and hypocrisy that television has, Trump discovered and then exploited. This golden age of television has been about raising the bar for what television can be — and raising the estimation that the industry has for the audience at home, who have become voracious for excellent, high-quality programming. Trump, meanwhile, built an entire political platform on the dehumanizing logic of ratings —that playing to our basest fears with bullying, racism, and untruth is guaranteed to be a hit. It may be successful, but it is the opposite of quality. Indeed: Without fail, everything that Trump has touched over the last year has turned to crap. Television news fell apart in trying to cover him — caught between playing every minute of his rallies with dropped jaws and fighting ineffectively with his surrogates who claimed how white supremacy wasn’t really white supremacy. His appearance on “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” demonstrated just how spineless its host really is. His game-show entrance at the Republican National Convention reduced a major political party’s rallying point of unity into a smoke-machine fueled runway show. Trump made a cheap-looking reality competition show out of the highest office in the land. Unfortunately for Trump, it is not just that he is bad TV; it’s also that what is best about television completely escapes him. A man who bandies about with stereotypes and victimization on a casual Twitter spree cannot really feel empathetic catharsis for flawed, suffering, human characters on a screen. A person who thinks the only principle of human existence is “winning” cannot appreciate the shades of loss and grief that color most people’s stories. Television has proven time and again that it can be democratic, inclusive, engaging, intelligent, investigative, truthful, and challenging. Donald Trump cannot be — is not much interested in being — any of those things. But television does want to be — as is evidenced by the wonderful productions in the industry this year and spanning the last several decades. The industry’s weaknesses are being played by Trump with terrifying virtuosity. But it has strengths, too. In what feels like another era entirely, television had a bad enough reputation that we called it “the idiot box.” Sometimes it seems as if Trump believes we are idiots for watching him — no better than mindless drones plugged into the screen. But we are not idiots. Donald Trump was the worst television of the year — partly because he showed us how television’s worst impulses were getting the better of us. Now it just remains to be seen if he is — already — the worst TV of 2017, too.Why Some Touchpoints Matter More and What To Do About It Customer Success is a rapidly changing discipline, yet at its core it remains one of the best ways to help existing customers achieve their business goals. For us to help our customers within the context of our product, we need to be specific about the value our product delivers, and how we can help them derive even more value from our relationship for years to come. It is helpful to envision the complete Customer Lifecycle for each of our products and identify key events and milestones at different points on our Customer’s Journey. In this article, I will discuss how Customer Success professionals can address these seven categories of Customer Lifecycle events to maximize the value of their solution: Onboarding Product Usage Milestones Expansion Milestones Advocacy Events Quarterly Business Reviews Renewals Ongoing Research and Collaboration Onboarding Our Customer’s Lifecycle begins before they even become a Customer. Both Marketing and Sales can have a huge impact on Customer Success, and I highly recommend articles here and here to gain a better understanding of these relationships. Onboarding begins long before the deal is closed. Savvy Customer Success Professionals understand this, and do all they can to collaborate with Marketing and Sales. Up until the moment that formal Onboarding begins, our Customer-to-be has only ever spoken with one member of our team: the Sales Representative. As the Customer moves closer to an agreement, we introduce many additional team members, not only a Customer Success Manager but also Implementation Specialists, Support Representatives and perhaps even members of our Professional Services Team. And at the very same time, our Sales Representative, the individual responsible for initiating a legacy of trust with our new Client, gets ready to leave the picture. Onboarding begins long before the deal is closed. Savvy Customer Success Professionals understand this, and do all they can to collaborate with Marketing and Sales. We cannot simply assume that trust is automatically transferred from Sales to Customer Success during Onboarding. While all seven categories of Customer Lifecycle Events are important, if you don’t get Onboarding right it’s incredibly hard to regain that lost momentum. If you falter in Onboarding, you falter in delivering your value proposition right from the very beginning. The entire reason why your customer reached an agreement with you is shown to be false. Faulty Onboarding is one of the main sources of churn, whereas effective Onboarding can set the stage for retention, renewal, and upsell. The great irony is that even though Onboarding is perhaps the most important event in the Customer Lifecycle, the better we do it, the less often we need to do it. On the other hand, if you mess up this step you’ll have plenty of opportunities to practice getting it right! Product Usage Milestones Congratulations! We’ve successfully onboarded our Customer and implemented our product within their existing system. Now we turn our attention to the next major set of events in our Customer’s Lifecycle: how they use our product. When our Customer first signed an agreement with our Sales Representative, it encompassed one or several of our products. Let’s address the former case first, since the latter is merely an extension of the former where the Customer attaches a different priority to each product. Acknowledge and celebrate every product usage milestone, since these are close proxies for trust. Every time one of our users engages with a new feature in our solution, that’s a lifecycle event. Every time one of our users employs the solution to address a business need within our original value proposition, that’s also a lifecycle event. They key here is that we are trying to encourage our Customers to use all the product features that will fulfill our original value proposition, especially advanced features. At the same time, we want to acknowledge and celebrate every product usage milestone, since these are close proxies for trust: the more our Customer trusts the product, the more they will use it. Why is this important for Customer Success? Suppose your company has developed advanced software for Collaboration and Project Management, and one of your Sales Representatives closes a six-figure deal with a Customer interested in using it for detailed financial analysis. If that Customer only ever uses the product in ways that could be done less expensively with Excel, it’s unlikely that Customer will realize the full value of the product, and even more unlikely that they will renew. Let’s take it a step further. Every time one of our users stretches the solution to address a business need outside of our original value proposition, that is not only a lifecycle event but also a bridge to expansion, which is part of the next category of Lifecycle Events. Expansion Milestones From our example with Excel above, we can see why Customer Success Managers need to focus on helping Customers use as much of the product as possible, as often as possible. But this is only part of the story. Let’s assume our Sales Representative reaches an agreement with our Customer for 100 of their team members to begin using our product. Looks great on paper, but progressing from 100 users to 100 product champions doesn’t happen automatically. Enter Customer Success. Every new individual who uses the product is further proof that the product is helping our Customer achieve their business goals. Every training session led by Customer Success that leads to an uptick in usage across more members of their team is an even stronger signal that our product is delivering on our initial value proposition. These are significant Customer Lifecycle Events. Complex products that can be deployed to multiple departments provide rich terrain for Customer Success Managers to thrive. Remember in the last section on Product Usage Milestones, when we talked about users stretching the solution to address a novel business need? Let’s examine this in the context of our hypothetical Collaboration and Project Management solution. Perhaps the solution was originally sold to our Customer’s Finance team, yet over time their Sales team recognizes how helpful it could be for CRM. This is a major expansion milestone since now we can add an additional 100 users. Looking beyond the number of users, this expansion represents a dramatic improvement in the value we can deliver, since now we are impacting two departments instead of just one. Even from this simple example, you can see the benefit of complex solutions that can be deployed to multiple departments within a single organization. These types of products provide rich terrain for both increased product usage and expansion, and these types of environments are particularly suited for Customer Success Managers to thrive. This Expansion example points to another reason why effective Onboarding is so important. Not only is it critical that our Customer realizes the full value of all product features, but also that every member of our Customer’s organization understands how their use of the product fits into their Company’s larger goals. What happens when your Customer tells other Companies about our product? We now examine the fourth category of Customer Lifecycle Events. Advocacy Milestones Let’s pause for a moment to celebrate what we’ve accomplished: Onboarding was a success, and now we’ve reached a point where multiple departments within our Customer’s organization are using the full spectrum of features within our product. While there will always be opportunities to improve product usage and train new team members, it’s time to set our sights even higher. It’s time to leverage our Customer’s Success and channel it back into Marketing and Sales with appropriate advocacy. There are so many ways to demonstrate the value of your product to your customer, whether it’s smooth onboarding, matching their needs with a broad range of product features, or applying the product to a wide variety of business use cases. When is the best time to ask for a testimonial or referral? Perhaps the best answer is, “not right away.” This point will vary with each Customer relationship, yet once you demonstrate value, move forward quickly. Testimonials and Product Reviews Fuel Your Marketing Your customer may tell you every day how great you are as a Customer Success Manager, and how well the product fits with their goals... but are they willing to go on record and share it with the world? Video and written testimonials can be some of the most powerful marketing tools for a SaaS company, yet these can only come from existing customers who are employing the product at its greatest potential. This is a major Customer Lifecycle Event, yet it’s just laying the groundwork for what’s next... Referrals Reinvigorate Your Sales Referrals are one of the most tangible ways to recognize the trust we have developed within a relationship. They believe our product is so valuable that they want their friends at other companies to start using it too. Compared to the broad stroke of testimonials, which assert “This worked for me,” referrals represent a much bolder stance: “I think this will work for you.” Huge difference. And referrals don’t just represent a source of potential new customers, but qualified potential new customers. Who wouldn’t want to duplicate a scenario in which our best customers basically clone themselves? That’s why referrals, as part of our broader Advocacy Milestones, are such an important Customer Lifecycle Event. Compared to testimonials, which assert “This worked for me,” referrals represent a much bolder stance: “I think this will work for you.” Huge difference. The point at which Customer Success Managers first begin requesting testimonials and referrals may vary for every Customer, yet as an Executive, what incentives have you given your CSMs to reach this point more quickly? Consider this a jumping-off point for further exploration into Customer Lifecycle Management: it’s not merely about how we can help one specific Customer achieve their goals, but how we refine the process to help all our Customers achieve their goals more efficiently. Quarterly Business Reviews Throughout every stage of our Customer’s Lifecycle, we’ve seen indications that they are deriving value from our product. They saw value when they reached an agreement with our Sales team and advanced through Onboarding. They realized value through their use of the product, and they recognized even greater value as more of their team members logged in for the first time. Finally, they told us how valuable it was by sharing testimonials and telling their friends at other companies. The Quarterly Business Review (QBR) is our next major Customer Lifecycle Event, since it is here that we align all the other events with our Customer’s business goals. Monitoring usage alone will not tell us whether our customers are closer to achieving their goals, nor will adding new users. We need to access data from across their business to see how our solution is helping. We need to point out where we’re coming up short and deliver strategies for how we can get back on track
(). to ( System. getProperty ( "MY_NUMBER" )). body ( Body ( "Message from: $from $body" )). build () return MessagingResponse. Builder (). message ( message ). build (). toXml () } } This new mapping will tell Twilio to forward any inbound SMS to our own number. It will forward the message so we still know whose number originally sent it. It is useful to know who sent the message so you can respond if you need or just as easily add a condition to the top of the mapping to block any messages from that specific sender. Restart the application and test it out by sending a POST request to it with cURL for example: curl - X POST http : //localhost:8080/sms/forwardSMS - F From =+ 1234567890 - F 'Body=Checking my TwiML works' And the result should be the TwiML that will tell Twilio to forward the message. Before we configure our Twilio numbers let’s add call forwarding to our application. Forwarding Calls To forward calls we will use the same principle as above but will have it in a different controller to keep things neat. If you cloned the starter application you should already have that controller. Create a new Kotlin controler called CallController.kt alongside SMSController.kt if you don’t already have one. In that controller add the highlighted code or just copy everything if you still have an empty controller. import com. twilio. twiml. * import com. twilio. twiml. Number import org. springframework. web. bind. annotation. RequestMapping import org. springframework. web. bind. annotation. RequestParam import org. springframework. web. bind. annotation. RestController @ RequestMapping ( "/call" ) @ RestController class CallController { @ RequestMapping ( value = "/" ) fun helloSpringBoot () = "A nice looking call controller" @ RequestMapping ( value = "/forwardCall", produces = arrayOf ( "text/xml" )) fun forwardCall ( @ RequestParam ( value = "From" ) from : String ) : String { val call = Dial. Builder (). number ( Number. Builder ( System. getProperty ( "MY_NUMBER" )). build ()). build () return VoiceResponse. Builder (). dial ( call ). say ( Say. Builder ( "You have a call from $from" ). voice ( Say. Voice. ALICE ). build ()). build (). toXml () } } Just like before, we are adding information about the caller for when the call is forwarded. So when you get a call to this Twilio number you hear a message that tells you the number that is calling. You can also test that this is working correctly by making a POST request to it and checking that the TwiML returned looks right. Before we configure our Twilio numbers to use the application we need to deploy it somewhere. Let’s look at how to do this with Before we configure our Twilio numbers to use the application we need to deploy it somewhere. Let’s look at how to do this with Heroku Deploying your Kotlin application to Heroku If you haven’t yet create an account on Heroku. Once you have an account and installed the heroku toolbelt, go to your terminal and login from there. heroku login Enter your Heroku credentials. Email : me @ example. com Password : Still in terminal create a new Heroku application. heroku create If you haven’t created this application from scratch but cloned the starter-application repository, you will now need to merge it into master as follows: git commit - am "complete tutorial" git checkout master git merge starter - application You can skip the step above if you created the project from scratch, just make sure you in master and we’re ready to push this to Heroku. git push heroku master This will take a few seconds and when it’s complete you should see a message that looks like this on your terminal. Copy this URL as we will use it later on to configure our Twilio numbers. Copy this URL as we will use it later on to configure our Twilio numbers. Just like in our local environment we need to set a phone number as an environment variable for this deployment. You can do this by running the following on your terminal: heroku config : set MY_NUMBER =+ 441234567890 Make sure you use your own telephone number as the value for MY_NUMBER. Now we’re ready to configure our burner numbers. Creating burner numbers The beauty of this application is that because we’re not hard-coding anything in the application itself, it can be used for as many Twilio numbers as we want. In our case we could have one number for loyalty cards, one for prize draws and one for selling things on the internet. Head to the Twilio console and get as many numbers as you like, then configure and save them all as follows: Make sure you change the application URL to match what you copied earlier when you deployed your application to Heroku. Make sure you change the application URL to match what you copied earlier when you deployed your application to Heroku. Give those numbers away instead of your own number now and just wait for all the messages and calls to start coming in. Burn it! Having burner phones that can just be created and disposed of when they’re no longer needed has never been so easy. Having burner phones that can just be created and disposed of when they’re no longer needed has never been so easy. I personally have each one of my burner numbers added to my contacts so they display nicely when I get a call or text message and I know roughly what to expect. A nice addition to this application would be to add a way of blocking senders before messages or calls are forwarded to us, or adding a voicemail system for certain numbers to make sure we never miss any calls. I would love to see what new features you add to it. Hit me up on twitter @marcos_placona or send me an email on [email protected] to tell me more about it. Authors Marcos Placona Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.CLOSE An anonymous person leaked 11 million documents describing how the world's rich and powerful hide money in offshore tax havens.Video provided by Newsy Newslook Screenshot of CIA leaker Edward Snowden's tweet on the "Panama Papers" leak, Sunday, April 3, 2016. (Photo11: Twitter) Sunday’s jaw-dropping “Panama Papers” leak, which shows a global network of offshore companies helping the wealthy hide their assets, is already being called “the Wikileaks of the mega-rich." The hashtag #panamapapers topped Twitter on Sunday afternoon. Among those reacting through tweets: Edward Snowden, the 2013 CIA leaker, who said the “Biggest leak in the history of data journalism just went live, and it's about corruption.” In Russia, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters that the Kremlin had already received “a series of questions in a rude manner” from an organization that he said was trying to smear Putin. “Journalists and members of other organizations have been actively trying to discredit Putin and this country’s leadership,” Peskov said. The Washington, D.C.-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalism (ICIJ) said the trove of 11.5 million records details the offshore holdings of a dozen current and former world leaders, as well as businessmen, criminals, celebrities and sports stars. The data span nearly 40 years, from 1977 through the end of 2015, ICIJ said, allowing “a never-before-seen view inside the offshore world — providing a day-to-day, decade-by-decade look at how dark money flows through the global financial system, breeding crime and stripping national treasuries of tax revenues.” Jim Clarken, the CEO of Oxfam Ireland, tweeted: "As long as tax dodging continues to drain government coffers, there is a human cost." In Australia, the country's tax office said it was investigating more than 800 wealthy clients of the Panama law firm Mossack Fonseca for possible tax evasion, Reuters reported. The Australian Tax Office (ATO) said it had linked more than 120 of the clients "to an associate offshore service provider located in Hong Kong." ATO Deputy Commissioner Michael Cranston said his office was working with the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Crime Commission and anti-money laundering regulator AUSTRAC. Iceland’s prime minister, one of several major politicians with alleged links to secret “shell” companies, was expected to face calls for a snap election, Britain’s Guardian reported. "As long as tax dodging continues to drain government coffers, there is a human cost" - @JimClarken on #PanamaPapershttps://t.co/bmC7qxMG9E — Oxfam Ireland (@OxfamIreland) April 3, 2016 For a few moments, it actually looked as if Prime Minister Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson had resigned outright. The confusion happened when Gunnlaugsson’s predecessor called on him to step down — Google translated the Icelandic “must resign” as "will immediately resign." Syrian refugees are welcomed by Iceland's Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson. (Photo11: Haraldur Gudjonsson, AFP/Getty Images) The leaked records show that Gunnlaugsson co-owned a company set up in 2007 on the Caribbean island of Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands, to hold investments with his wealthy partner, Anna Pálsdóttir, whom he later married. Gunnlaugsson on Sunday walked out of an interview with Swedish TV broadcaster SVT, saying, “What are you trying to make up here? This is totally inappropriate,” The Guardian reported. Follow Greg Toppo on Twitter: @gtoppo Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1RThGrOD-Link has today announced the launch of its Wireless N PowerLine Gigabit Router (DHP-1565) designed to offer consumers enhanced coverage, high-speed connectivity and protection against Internet dead spots..By combining the functions of a high-speed Wireless N Router and PowerLine technology within a single, versatile device, the Wireless N PowerLine Gigabit Router enables consumers to enjoy networking speeds of up to 300 Mbps wirelessly and up to 500 Mbps through their existing electrical wiring. No longer is there the need to buy multiple separate network devices or to trail wires throughout the house to resolve coverage dead spots or areas of poor wireless connectivity. This router, with both wireless and PowerLine built-in, allows consumers to easily expand their network to every corner of their home.Reinforcing D-Link's "green" credentials, the Gigabit Router also supports various features to ensure that it is both energy-efficient and cost-effective. A built-in WLAN Scheduler allows users to configure specific time periods when the wireless network can be turned off to save energy and enhance security. PowerLine stand-by shuts down the PowerLine connection when activity is not detected. Green Ethernet provides additional savings by putting the Ethernet ports in sleep mode and by automatically detecting the length of the Ethernet cables connected to its ports, to supply only the right amount of power.Adrian Edwards, Consumer Solutions Manager at D-Link UK & Ireland, said: "As consumer electronics get smarter and the Digital Home develops, consumers' home networks are also evolving. Increases in online gaming and HD streaming in particular require a more robust, far-reaching and interference free home network. This router is the perfect solution, combining two complementary technologies to provide connectivity wherever you are, whatever you are doing, throughout the house. With consumers downloading more, demanding better coverage and faster speed, the Wireless N PowerLine Gigabit Router is a great addition to our PowerLine range".The D-Link DHP-1565 is available through the company's broad network of reseller partners, priced from the suggested retail price (SRP) of £129.99 including VAT.- Wireless N Gigabit Router and PowerLine AV 500 Adapter built-in- Up to 300 Mbps wireless speeds- Gigabit ports for the fastest wired speeds- 500 Mbps data transfer rates over existing electrical wiring- D-Link Green: energy-saving designThe Red Wings are saddled with so many pricey veteran contracts that it will be hard to wriggle out from under them and start building a long-term contender. Welcome to 2020 Vision, our new feature taking a look at how the roster of each NHL team may look three seasons from now when the 2019-2020 season begins. Over the next month we’ll profile one team, in alphabetical order, each day and project what their roster (12 forwards, six defensemen, two goalies) will look like. There were some ground rules for this exercise. We didn’t allow any blockbuster trades or free agent signings, but we did make assumptions about teams re-signing their own UFAs and RFAs. Therefore, this isn’t intended to be a fantasy-like look at the league in 2019-20. Instead, since this is part of the THN Future Watch family, it’s meant to be a realistic, best-case-scenario projection for each team based on players already under contract, and prospects in their system. THN’s trio of prospects-related issues, Future Watch, Prospect Unlimited, and Draft Preview, can all be purchased here. All contract information via CapFriendly.com. Denial is a powerful thing. It kept the Detroit Red Wings in the playoff picture for an astonishing 25 consecutive seasons. Now it threatens to bind their feet in cement for years to come. The Wings’ post-season streak finally ended in 2016-17, but GM Ken Holland remains committed to keeping his team competitive in the present. One reason why: he signed so many mid-tier players to expensive long-term deals in recent seasons that he has no choice but to soldier on with the group he has. That could keep Detroit hanging on the playoff periphery without truly bottoming out, which they need to do if they want to secure some high-end draft choices. In nabbing Michael Rasmussen ninth overall this past spring, the Wings enjoyed their first top-10 draft pick since Martin Lapointe in 1991. Because they’ve consistently picked in the lower half of the first round, if at all, the Wings lack true blue-chip young guns or prospects. There’s nothing wrong with speedy Dylan Larkin and budding sniper Anthony Mantha to build around up front, for instance, but those two will never be confused with Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel or Patrik Laine. As a result, the Wings have a fairly low-ceiling forward group, and it doesn’t look like that will change for the foreseeable future. Remember, even if you believe in Rasmussen’s potential, which not every scout does, it’s unlikely we see him in Detroit’s lineup by 2019-20. The Wings baby their prospects as much as any team in the sport. Only one player from their past three drafts has played a second of NHL hockey thus far: Evgeny Svechnikov, with two games. He showed a lot of offensive potential in his first pro season with AHL champion Grand Rapids and represents Detroit’s best chance at developing a high-end scorer in the years to come. If the Wings continue to struggle, they may contend for Evgeny’s brother, Andrei, who has an excellent chance to be 2018’s No. 1 overall draft pick. The existing Detroit forward group consists of good-but-not-elite youngsters like Larkin, Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou, mixed with stalwarts like Henrik Zetterberg, who is under contract through 2020-21, and overpriced, immovable contracts like those of Frans Nielsen and Justin Abdelkader. In the heydays of scout Hakan Andersson, the Wings regularly unearthed star-level talents in the late rounds of drafts, and it once appeared Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist would succeed Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg in that regard, but Tatar and Nyquist haven’t progressed like it seemed they would a few years ago. Tatar just signed a four-year extension and remains part of the team’s long-term plans, but Nyquist, who carries a $4.75-million price tag, should be a goner by summer 2019 when his contract expires. After breaking out for 28 goals in 57 games in 2013-14, he’s scored 27, 17 and 12 goals, trending in the wrong direction. Detroit’s blueline is weighed down by pricey veterans. Mike Green should walk as an unrestricted free agent by 2018-19 if he’s not traded this year, and Niklas Kronwall may retire by then. If Jonathan Ericsson is still around, he’ll be passed on the depth chart by mobile, youngish options Xavier Ouellet and Ryan Sproul. The Wings have a decent stable of defensemen on the way, most notably Dennis Cholowski, who turned pro after one year at St. Cloud State and doesn’t face stiff competition to make the team in a couple years. Vili Saarijarvi, Filip Hronek and Joe Hicketts are names to watch, too. Detroit’s net isn’t something to get excited about. Aging Jimmy Howard doesn’t seem likely to return when his contract expires in 2019. Not when he’ll be 35. The name to remember is Jared Coreau, who backstopped Grand Rapids to the 2017 Calder Cup and could usurp Petr Mrazek as early as this season. GOT IT: While Detroit’s offense doesn’t leave teams trembling in their boots nowadays, this team is deep at wing and should get decent scoring from there in years to come. Mantha is just getting started, and Larkin is just 21, so he has time to recover from a down sophomore year. Maybe he gets a shot at center again, but Detroit has more lineup balance when he’s on the wing. I foresee the Wings buying out Darren Helm, who carries a $3.85-million AAV through 2020-21, to make room on the depth chart for youth. Detroit has no shortage of responsible two-way pivots, either. As long as Zetterberg stays healthy enough to play a couple more years, he’ll make a great mentor for the heady Holmstrom. The Wings also have reasonable skating ability coming down the pipeline from their defense corps, especially from the fleet-footed Cholowski. NEED IT: Detroit will never be confused with a big, physically imposing team. It lacks a mean shutdown blueliner and needs some bangers up front. Givani Smith and Tyler Bertuzzi should help with the latter but are not slam-dunk NHLers yet. Rasmussen could of course be the towering presence Detroit desperately lacks at center, but he was a fairly divisive pick in Round 1, projected as a first-liner by some and a third-liner by others. Coreau is the only goalie ranked among Detroit’s top 10 prospects in THN Future Watch, and he’s not even all that young anymore at 25. The Wings have selected a goalie in four straight drafts, but none is near NHL ready. CAP WATCH: The Wings are loaded with albatross deals and squeezed up against the cap. They pay Nielsen, Abdelkader, Helm, Kronwall and Ericsson alone more than $20 million. Mantha and Larkin become restricted free agents and thus will command major raises over their entry-level deals in 2018, and Green’s contract is the only significant one expiring before then. Because Holland has signed so many of his vets to long-term deals as well, it’s not like the contracts will be easily movable should Detroit fall out of contention at the deadline. That means buyouts might be the team’s only escape hatch. BOTTOM LINE: The Wings are years away from Stanley Cup contention. They have some decent prospects who could contribute soon – but Holland has to clear space on the depth chart for them by finding a way to trim some expensive dead weight. At the very least, he has to stop adding new veterans at exorbitant prices. Previously: Anaheim Ducks \| Arizona Coyotes \| Boston Bruins \| Buffalo Sabres \| Calgary Flames \| Carolina Hurricanes \| Chicago Blackhawks \| Colorado Avalanche \| Columbus Blue Jackets \| Dallas Stars Up next: Edmonton OilersSiemens AG and Bombardier Inc. are in talks to combine their train operations, people familiar with the matter said, potentially creating a business that could better compete with rising competition from China. The proposed joint venture, which could be worth at least 10 billion euros (US$10.6 billion), would merge the firms’ train-making and signaling activities, said the people, asking not to be identified because the discussions are private. A deal could come by the middle of the year, one of the people said. No final decisions have been made and any combination would require clearance from antitrust authorities and face potential opposition from unions, they said. Representatives for Siemens and Bombardier declined to comment. Analysts from Societe Generale SA have valued Siemens’s mobility unit at about 7.2 billion euros, while Veritas Investment Research Corp. has said Bombardier’s 70 per cent stake in its transportation business is worth at least US$5 billion. Talks between Bombardier and Siemens started earlier this year, the people said. A combination would help the companies stave off pressure from Chinese competitors, which are expanding internationally and threatening market share. Antitrust Concerns Bombardier sold a 30 per cent stake in its train business to fund manager Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec last year, valuing the unit at $5 billion and helping the Montreal-based firm raise capital as it faced a cash drain from delays for its new jets. Still, antitrust concerns facing the two Europe-centered companies could be an obstacle to the deal. Siemens and Bombardier would also likely have to win over support from labor representatives, who would object to job cuts. Siemens shares rose 1 per cent to 128.95 euros at 3:53 p.m. in Frankfurt trading. Bombardier rose 5 per cent to $2.33 in Toronto. Alstom SA, which had been speculated as a potential partner for Siemens, fell 3 per cent. A representative for Alstom declined to comment. Slimming Siemens Moving its mobility division into joint venture would further pare back the sprawling Siemens conglomerate, which until a decade ago consisted of more than dozen units making everything from mobile networks to light bulbs to heavy-duty industrial equipment. Chief Executive Officer Joe Kaeser has spent recent years narrowing Siemens’s focus on energy, factory automation and industrial software. He has sold most of the light-bulb division and announced plans to list the health-care subsidiary, which makes medial scanners and other imaging equipment. Siemens makes the ICE high-speed train which connects German cities such as Cologne, Berlin and Munich. The division also makes city trams and signaling equipment. Siemens’s mobility unit has been dogged for years by charges and severance payments as it cut employees, prompting recurring speculation that the company may seek a partner such as Bombardier or Alstom, the French maker of the TGV trains. Siemens’s bid in 2014 to buy Alstom failed amid a competing offer from General Electric Co., which ended up buying Alstom’s energy-generation assets. Bloomberg.comNBC has been having a hard time finding new hit comedies for their Thursday night schedule. Last season’s were all cancelled. Will A to Z be a success and be renewed for a second season or will be canned as well? Is it worth watching? A to Z follows the story of Andrew (Ben Feldman) and Zelda (Cristin Milioti) — two young people who are very different. Their relationship shouldn’t work and yet it does. Is it true love forever or just a detour in destiny? The rest of the cast includes Christina Kirk, Henry Zebrowski, Hong Chau, Lenora Crichlow, with Katey Sagal as narrator. The sitcom premiered on October 2nd to an underwhelming 1.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 4.79 million total viewers. In week two, the ratings fell to a 1.0 in the demo and 3.63 million, a decline of 24% in viewership. Unless the numbers start going up, it seems very likely that A to Z will end up being cancelled after one season. NBC is struggling on Thursdays but this doesn’t seem to be an answer to their problems. But, what do you think? Do you like the A to Z sitcom? Cancel or keep it?Most people know that we’ve been lied to about the attacks in Benghazi, but few realize the extent of those lies or the hidden secrets they cover. After all, the lie is different at every level. Thanks to a well placed source with extensive knowledge about the attack, the disturbing truth is slowly beginning to emerge and is lining up with information contained in my previous articles published here weeks ago ( Here, Here and Here ). The truth reveals the most serious situation in the world today as it involves the interests and destinies of us all. Based on information provided by my source and corroborated elsewhere, the official account by administration officials is a mosaic of lies that were necessary to cover the unpalatable truth of covert actions taking place in Libya, Syria, Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon. The primary objective of our covert actions was to secretly arm anti-Assad “rebels” in Syria by funneling arms from Libya to Syria via Turkey, with other destinations that included Jordan and Lebanon. Regarding the threat to Stevens and the other murdered Americans, the truth will reformat the persistent question posed to government officials, from UN Ambassador Susan Rice to White House Spokesman Jay Carney and others from “how could you not have known” to “how could you have done these things?” According to the U.S. government, Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed during a spontaneous protest at the consulate office in Benghazi by a frenzied crowd of Muslims outraged over an obscure internet video. Recently released “sensitive but not classified e-mails” from Stevens to the U.S. Department of State painted a picture of poor security for U.S. personnel and the embassy, which was obviously true but had little to do with the events of September 11, 2012. The failure to dispatch an extraction team or otherwise rescue the men during a firefight that lasted upwards of nine grueling and tortuous hours was not the result of any intelligence failure, but caused by our unwillingness to widen the conflict and expose the nature and scale of our true mission in Benghazi. First, it is important to understand that Ambassador Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen Dougherty and Tyrone Woods were not killed at a consulate office in Benghazi—as there is not such office there. They died at one of the largest CIA operations centers in the Middle East, which was located in Benghazi and served as the logistics headquarters for arms and weapons being shipped out of the post-Qaddafi Libya. Although the U.S. government insisted that Stevens was involved in securing and destroying the numerous caches of arms and weapons once under the control of Qaddafi, the operation was more complex than that. The visual accounts of weapons being destroyed were indeed real, but those weapons were not operational. The working weapons were actually separated and transported to holding facilities for their eventual use in Syria. Russia was fully aware of this operation and warned the U.S. not to engage in the destabilization of Syria, as doing so would endanger their national security interests. Deposing Assad, as despotic as he might be, and replacing him with a Muslim Brotherhood-led regime would likely lead to unrestrained Islamic chaos across the region. The Turkish warning According to my source, Ambassador Stevens was in Benghazi on September 11, 2012 to meet with his Turkish counterpart, who reportedly warned Stevens that the operation was compromised. They met in person so that Stevens could be shown overhead satellite images, taken by the Russians, of nefarious activities taking place in Turkey. But just what were these nefarious activities? It is reasonable to suspect that these activities were more dire than just your average “gun running” operation. Since the overthrow of Qaddafi, it is estimated that upwards of 40 million tons of weapons and arms were shipped out of Libya to Syria. But it was also known inside intelligence circles that Qaddafi possessed chemical weapons in addition to numerous surface-to-air missiles. Could it be that Russia obtained unmistakable surveillance footage of the anti-Assad “rebels” being shown how to load chemical payloads onto missiles inside Turkey near the border of Syria? Weapons, of course, that were shipped from Libya by the CIA in conjunction with various Muslim Brotherhood rebel groups. If so, such weapons could be used as a “false flag” type of operation—one that would be implemented to “set-up” Assad by making it appear that he was using these weapons on forces dedicated to his overthrow. The blowback by the international community would be swift and punishing, and the entirety of the civilized world would be demanding his overthrow. NATO would then be used to expedite his ouster, and Russia’s moral position within the international community would be weakened. Was the meeting held to show Stevens that the operation was compromised and that they had to stop? A Nation/State sponsored attack? While the administration asserts that the attack in Benghazi was conducted by a group of rebels acting alone, the facts seem to indicate otherwise. The level of coordination was such that we did not deploy military assets, located just an hour or two away by air, to rescue Stevens and the others at the CIA operations center in their time of need. If, as the administration contends, that the attack was perpetuated by a group of frenzied rebels, our military could have easily handled them in short order. So why was there no rescue operation? Perhaps the statements made yesterday by Leon Panetta, U.S. Secretary of Defense provides some insight if one analyzes the essence of those statements. Among other things, Panetta said that “...the basic principle is that you don’t deploy forces into harm’s way without knowing what’s going on…” Well, it has been confirmed we did know what was taking place on the ground in Benghazi, so exactly what did Panetta mean by this statement? Against the backdrop of the official story, it makes little sense. If, however, one considers the alternative, that the attack was coordinated and was a nation/state sponsored attack, then it becomes clearer. Panetta and the highest levels of this administration likely knew exactly what we were doing, and knew that the operation was compromised. They knew, or had reason to believe, that the attack was being conducted at a nation/state level in response to our covert operation in Libya and arming the anti-Assad Syrian opposition. Although Russia figures prominently here, Iran now comes into focus as Russia is not likely to directly engage U.S. forces. They must, however, protect their interests. Much like we were using anti-Assad forces to advance our objectives in Syria, Russia was using Iranian-backed forces to protect theirs. It appears that the attacks were conducted or facilitated by Iranian assets—perhaps as many as three teams of assets in Benghazi. As the White House and other agencies monitored intelligence in real-time, they faced a dilemma. They knew that the nation/state sponsored attack teams were lying in wait for U.S. rescue forces to arrive, which is the reason the fight did not conclusively end sooner. They did not know exactly where all of the attack teams were, but knew they were present based on signal communication intercepts. Could they risk such exposure by deploying a rescue team to Benghazi, only to end up with another Black Hawk down type scenario? In addition to that scenario, the entire operation now becomes exposed for what it is. Take another look at Panetta’s statement in that context. Does it now make more sense? Bad PR in an election year, no? As daylight approached with no response from the U.S. and no aid to the Americans under fire, the attack teams had to disperse into the cover of the remaining darkness, but not before their mission was accomplished. And sadly, it was. Fallout From the day of attack in Benghazi, Iran has been engaged in a full spectrum attack on the U.S. and NATO across the board involving embassies, bombing and even cyber attacks. All of this is the fallout from the arms and weapons smuggling operation, which was far greater than understood by the Western media. Russia has now moved their contingent of S-400 missiles into much of Syria in anticipation of NATO establishing an “air cap” over Syria. A ten-mile “buffer zone” along Syria’s border has been created for Syrian refugees, but it also acts as a catalyst for the encroachment into Syrian territory. It sets the stage for further advancement and erosion of Syrian land, incrementally, of course. It is also of critical importance to note that last weekend, Russia completed large-scale exercises of their Strategic Nuclear Forces under the watchful command of President Vladimir Putin. These were the first such nuclear exercises conducted since the fall of the Soviet Union. To those with discernment, it is obvious that we are at the precipice of World War III. Putin himself stated as much, noting that WW III will not start in Iran but Syria, his own “red line in the sand.”There are coaches today across all major professional sports who are legends in their own right. But to be considered the greatest coach in all of professional sports is a tremendous honor. New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick happens to be in that conversation, especially after clinching his record-breaking sixth consecutive trip to the conference championship game over the Houston Texans. The four-time Super Bowl winner as the Pats commander-in-chief has broken countless records over his seventeen years with the team. Having a superstar quarterback like Tom Brady also helped boost the resume he’s accumulated. But is he truly the greatest head coach in all of sports? In a feature titled “Belichick the Great”, a number of Hall-of-Fame head coaches across the major sporting world. Guys like Tony La Russa of the St. Louis Cardinals and Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball team spoke on the matter of who they thought was the top coach in sports. Even Doc Rivers, head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers and former San Antonio Spurs player, listed Belichick as the greatest coach of all-time. Just by the way he, and the others who were interviewed, answered the question it seemed like there wasn’t a doubt. Rivers and the other coaches may have overlooked some other historic coaches. There’s the legendary Green Bay Packer head coach Vince Lombardi, Chuck Noll of the Pittsburgh Steelers, so many coaches who have had a larger impact on the sport itself than simply by their wins and losses. Given that is the gold standard of how we debate who the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time) is, shouldn't San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich be among the best of all-time as well? In this modern era of sports, Pop has won five NBA championships with his chameleon-like coaching style that adapts to the trend the league takes to win titles. At first, it was a league predicated on defense and feeding the low post. Popovich struck gold in both areas when drafting Tim Duncan to pair with David Robinson. Also, selecting Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili late in the draft and trading for Kawhi Leonard helps too. As the years went on, the league started to speed up and focused more on shooting and spacing. Popovich adapted once again by shifting from having the most daunting defense in the league, to having one of the greatest well-oiled offense in the league. If that doesn’t speak volumes, then I’m not sure what will change debaters’ minds. I know, how about Popovich being the longest tenured coach in all four major sports boasting a win percentage of all-time currently at 69 percent. Coach Pop has done all of that and more. Plus, he has one more championship than the Pats' coach. Let’s not be so quick to pull the trigger on Belichick as the greatest coach ever, he still has two more games to win. Twitter:$\begingroup$ This answer aims to do four things: Review Ross's mathematical formulation of the problem, showing how it follows directly and unambiguously from the problem description. Defend the position that Ross's paradoxical solution is both mathematically sound and relevant to our understanding of the physical world, whether or not it is 100% physically realizable. Discuss certain fallacious arguments rooted in physical intuition, and show that the oft-stated "physical" solution of infinite balls at noon is not only in contradiction to mathematics, but to physics as well. Describe a physical implementation of the problem which may make Ross's solution more intuitive. Start here for the answer to Carlos's original question. 1. How to Describe the Problem Mathematically We will unpack the initial "infinite process modeling" step of Ross's argument (p. 46). Here is the statement we will focus on justifying: Define $E_n$ to be the event that ball number 1 is still in the urn after the first n withdrawals have been made... The event that ball number 1 is in the urn at 12 P.M. is just the event $\bigcap_{n=1}^\infty E_n$. Before we unpack Ross's statement, let's consider how it is even possible to understand the urn's contents at noon, after an infinite sequence of operations. How could we possibly know what is in the urn? Well, let's think about a specific ball $b$; you can imagine $b=1$ or $1000$ or whatever you want. If ball $b$ was taken out at some stage of the process before noon, certainly it won't be in the urn at noon. And conversely, if a given ball was in the urn at every single stage of the process up until noon (after it was added), then it was in the urn at noon. Let's write these statements out formally: A ball $b$ is in the urn at noon if and only if it was in the urn at every stage $n \in \{n_b, n_b + 1, n_b + 2,...\}$ before noon, where $n_b$ is the stage the ball was added to the urn. Now let's unpack Ross's statement - what does $\bigcap_{n=1}^\infty E_n$ mean in plain English? Let's take a single realization $x$ of the urn process and talk it out: $x \in E_1$ means that ball 1 is in the urn after stage 1 of the process. $x \in E_1 \bigcap E_2$ means that ball 1 is in the urn after stages 1 and 2 of the process. $x \in E_1 \bigcap E_2 \bigcap E_3$ means that ball 1 is in the urn after stages 1, 2, and 3 of the process. For any $k \in \{1, 2, 3,...\}$, $x \in \bigcap_{k=1}^n E_k$ means that the ball is in the urn after stages $1$ thru $n$. Clearly, then, $x \in \bigcap_{k \in \{1, 2
to the stable economic order. He touted support for the manufacturing sector. But the platform plank he seems to think is most likely to reassure anyone anxious about his party’s economic bent is a small-business tax break: “To compete and win, Canada needs a strong and thriving middle class. A stronger middle class means a stronger Canada... We have to provide immediate and permanent help to some of the hardest-working job creators in our economy, Canada’s small-business owners, the backbone of local communities and the creators of 80 per cent of all new jobs in this great country of ours. That’s why my plan starts by cutting the small-business tax rate from 11 per cent to nine per cent, a near 20 per cent reduction.” The personal narrative There can be no doubt that early enthusiasm for Trudeau’s leadership of the Liberal Party was jump-started by nostalgia in some quarters for his father’s long tenure as prime minister. Justin Trudeau hasn’t shied from invoking Pierre Trudeau’s name. Today, he did it for a precise tactical reason, asserting that Harper’s politics is less civil, perhaps even less civilized, than the style of his father’s time: “It wasn’t like that before. I know that from experience. All I have to do is think back to my own father. As prime minister, he could be tough, even hard-nosed. I’ll tell you a secret: He didn’t actually just say ‘fuddle duddle.’ But to use an example from my father’s day, ministers didn’t attack Supreme Court justices, just to raise money and whip up support. That would have been unthinkable. Under Stephen Harper, it’s just another day at the office.” Unlike Trudeau, Mulcair arrived as leader of a federal party with no famous personal story to fix his persona in the Canadian public’s imagination. Starting early this year, his strategists urged him to make it a habit to tell a bit of his family story every time he speaks. Today was no exception. And it’s no coincidence that the capsule version Mulcair offers contrasts sharply with Trudeau’s story, both in terms of Mulcair’s unglamorous upbringing and his resumé of Quebec experience. “My beliefs and values stem from my upbringing. My family story is that of millions of Canadian families. Growing up the second-oldest of 10 kids, we had to work for everything we had. It wasn’t easy. We worked hard, played by the rules and lived within our means. We learned the importance of looking out for one another, sticking together during good times and bad. These are the values that guided me throughout my 35 years of public life, and my time as a cabinet minister in the government of Quebec.” So there is the contrast: Trudeau emphasizing big change in how Canadians elect governments, Mulcair calmly stressing support for the private sector; Trudeau tactically playing off his storied political name, Mulcair mythologizing his big-family, middle-class background. Both took aim at Harper today, too. But, as a tight three-way race to the Oct. 19 election picks up steam, jostling between the opposition parties is growing at least as interesting as their assaults on the party in power.The Surface Pro has been available for quite a while now and the device has seen its fair share of issues along the way. One new issue that is making its rounds on the official Microsoft support forum is the issue of overheating. Microsoft appears to be limiting the heat threshold to 80C, which brings the system to a crawl. “The issue isn’t every tablet overheating and needing replaced. Microsoft has thermally limited the CPU/GPU to 80C based on all my testing,” one user argues on Microsoft’s official Answers website. “When the CPU/GPU hit 80C it’s a hard wall that causes voltage to drop to 7W on the CPU and 2.4W on the GPU resulting in less than 10W!!! This Ivy Bridge is rated at 17W! Microsoft we have a little more thermal headroom to be had (105C is the threshold). Acer did the same thing on the W700 and is getting some pretty heavy backlash, Samsung on the ATIV 700T has not (can sustain 17W minimal rating),” the user adds. Apparently, once the Surface Pro hits 80C, the voltage drops and the system comes to a crawl. While it is understandable that the device may have a limit of 80C to prevent the device from damaging or even prevent the consumer from burning their hands, consumers seem to want the ability (flexibility?) to choose what the heat threshold should be. The other issue that comes up is how quickly the device heats up. After only a few minutes of playing certain recently released game titles, the Surface Pro appears to heat up within minutes, resulting in the device reaching the heat threshold of 80C. “At 80 degrees, CPU downclocks and makes games unplayable. I am okay with my surface pro getting a little bit hot during gaming. What I am not okay with is being unable to play due to FPS issues,” another Surface Pro owner states. “I am running Tomb Raider at 1280×720 at Normal settings and it starts to chug everytime temp hits around 80. Dota 2 also has FPS issues but not as bad as Tomb Raider,” yet another Surface Pro owner states. Microsoft has yet to offer its official statement on this issue. So before you head back to replace your Surface Pro, perhaps a future update may let you adjust the heat threshold. Or perhaps the Surface Pro was never meant to play power-intensive games? Share This Further reading: SurfaceIt’s almost dawn. I am rudely awoken when something slobbery and Frisbee-shaped is dropped on my head. I open one eye to find Merlin’s face inches from mine, his adorable fuzzy features set in a stern expression. “Hey jerkwad,” he says, “wake up. It’s an emergency!” “What kind of emergency?” “I’m bored.” “That’s not an emergency. And you’re not allowed to be bored at 4:30 in the morning. We’ve talked about this.” Dramatic sigh. “But I will surely DIE if you don’t come play with me RIGHT THIS INSTANT.” “Tough.” “Fine. Then I will lie here and gnaw on this beef bone really loudly for the next two hours.” This exchange is a helpful reminder that I’ve been working too hard and neglecting the dogs too much. Most days, Merlin is content to sleep in til noon. But he is a member of one of the most energetic and intelligent breeds in the world. And when I don’t keep up with his burning need for something cool to do, he won’t hesitate to let me know. Why Sparky is Bouncing off the Walls: a Brief History of the Working Dog* Way back in the day when Canis lupus were domesticating themselves, they made their living hanging around human settlements, scavenging local dumps. Slowly, they became part of village life, woven into the landscape like pigeons in Central Park. To reflect this new coziness, they changed their name to Canis lupus familiaris: the Dog. Once in a while, a villager took a liking to a particular dog. Maybe because it performed some accidentally useful task like keeping varmints out of the cabbage patch or barking at wolves. These favored dogs were afforded the best scraps and human protection, so they were more likely to survive to pass on their accidentally useful genes. Eventually people realized they had a good thing going. “Let’s make this official,” said Homo sapiens to Canis lupus familaris. “If you come work for me full time, I’ll supply you with plenty of food and breeding opportunities. What do ya think?” The Dog shrugged. “Sure. Why not?” Dogs became specialists: some were hunters, some were guardians of home and property, some were taught to herd flocks. Others were taken north to haul supplies over snow and ice. They began to change. They gained bodies built for their jobs and minds fine-tuned to work with their human partners. They were so well-designed for their work that the work was its own reward. They were in it not for the paycheck, but for love of the game. These specialists became the herding, working, hound, terrier, and sporting groups. Their lives were filled with work that tired their bodies and brains. So their insane energy level and drive were hardly considered a problem. That is, until humanity outgrew the need for canine assistance with daily survival. Today, your little pet specialist is snoozing at home in her crate. She has been there for the past five hours while you’re at work and the kids are at school. She’s staring at the front door hoping someone, anyone, for the love of God, will please come home and throw a tennis ball for her. The Dog Has Lost Her Job – And It’s Driving Everybody Crazy The above tale explains a problem that anyone who visits an animal shelter will notice: what’s up with all these beautiful young, outgoing dogs abandoned by their owners? It boils down to a misunderstanding; the owner wanted a pet, but the dog wanted to work. When a highly driven dog gets bored, they go “looking for work,” and they usually pick something people don’t approve of: barking incessantly at passersby, herding the kids, digging up the garden, or turning the sofa into a piece of modern art. A high energy dog can be a ton of fun. There’s a reason that dogs like border collies, Labradors, pit bulls and Jack Russells are so popular: they love to play and learn and accompany you on all your adventures. But to get to the fun parts, you have to accept the challenges that are part of the deal. So what do you do if you’ve ended up with one of these crazy hyper psycho dogs? How to Get Your High-Drive Dog to Calm the $^%@ Down Step one: Acceptance Your dog requires a higher-than-average level of exercise and mental stimulation. The sooner you accept, nay, EMBRACE this cold hard fact, the better off you’ll be. If your dog is driving you crazy, look on the bright side: you have a very smart and motivated critter who is just begging to do something awesome with you. Isn’t that why you adopted her in the first place? As I’ve recently explained, it helps to look at your dogs “problems” not as problems, but as opportunities in disguise. Step two: Trade in Sparky’s food bowl for some food puzzle toys This little red beehive is one of the best things that has ever happened to the Dog. (No, I’m not being paid to say that. You know how some people are like, Apple fanboys? I’m the same way with Kong) One of the easiest ways to give Sparky a job is to have her work for her dinner. It tires her out mentally and gives her something to do when you aren’t around to provide entertainment. Pour some kibble and treats into Kongs, Buster Cubes, Squirrel Dudes, Tug-a-Jugs or other “smart” toys and watch her go to town. Not every dog will get it right away. That doesn’t mean Sparky is stupid, it just means she doesn’t understand the rules yet. A dog who has spent her entire life “scavenging” from a food bowl will be skeptical at first. Start with something real easy: some loose hot dog bits in a Kong. Increase the difficulty as Sparky gets more proficient. As always, set your dog up for success. Step three: WALKIES! (and then settle down) You already know that high energy dogs need a lot of exercise. Being set loose in the backyard does not count – walks or runs at least a few days a week are a must. You can also play tug-of-war, fetch, or dog-toy-on-a-string. When you’re done exercising your dog, it’s very important that she gets a cooling off period. After a workout, high drive dogs are often jazzed up and ready for more. They need a calm, focused task to settle down, or else they can get destructive. This is a good time for obedience training, grooming, or puzzle toys. A good morning routine goes like this: brisk thirty minute walk, five minute trick training session, pets and praise, and finally, when you leave for work, breakfast served in smart toys. With the right morning routine, most dogs will be happy to snooze the afternoon away. Step four: Bust out the clicker and liver treats What’s the only thing more exhausting than physical exercise? Mental exercise. A fun way to exercise Sparky’s brain is to teach her basic obedience commands or tricks. You don’t HAVE to use a clicker, but high drive dogs tend to catch on pretty quick and they love the extra challenge. Enroll in a training class or teach your dog some tricks at home. Step five: Give that dog a job Don’t be intimidated by the idea of putting your dog to work. It’s not nearly as hard as it sounds. You don’t have to ship your Siberian husky off to a racing kennel in the Yukon or buy a fishing boat for your Portuguese water dog. Any time you teach your dog something new, and work with her on a regular basis, you are fulfilling her need to work. Merlin’s job is playing frisbee and learning new freestyle tricks. Jonas’s job used to be agility, now it’s bikejoring. Friday’s job was hiking. How do you know what job is best? Breed plays a part -a husky or pointer will probably like bikejoring, and a border collie will probably like agility or herding- but it’s not everything. You can also find hints in Sparky’s bad behavior: The dog who terrorizes your cats can be put to work with something predatory, like lure coursing or Frisbee. A “stubborn” dog who can’t be trained because he’s always sniffing can be taught nose work games. The dog who drives you crazy because she always wants to play when you’re working (or sleeping) might like agility, treiball or freestyle. The world of dog sports and hobbies is always expanding. You’re bound to find something that you and Sparky will love. Challenge Accepted? There are certainly some specific training exercises you can use to calm a hyper crazy psycho dog, but the most important part of the process is always to provide the right employment. Yeah, it definitely takes a committed owner to do this stuff. There is no “set it and forget it” with dogs, especially those born to work. By bringing a dog into your life, you are agreeing to provide everything they need to be happy and healthy. Not just food and water and walks and vet visits, but something to DO. Your dog will return the favor by being a great friend and lifelong companion. If you don’t fully live up to your end of the bargain, your dog won’t live up to hers. Make an effort to teach your dog something cool. Not only will she be better behaved, she’ll gain some mad skillz to show off to friends and family and strangers on Youtube. Isn’t that the whole point of dog ownership? This history lesson adapted (and grossly oversimplified) from Dogs: a New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior, and Evolution, an excellent book by Raymond and Lorna CoppingerIt’s amazing how incompetent the cops are! A woman arrested for DUI was sadistically assaulted by cops when she appeared not to look directly at the camera during her mug shot photo. Cassandra Feuerstein was arrested on March 10, 2013 after she was found sleeping in her vehicle. A surveillance video taken from a jail cell shows her complying with every single order of a police officer Michael Hartt. However, the entire processing stopped being legal after Feuerstein was brutally slammed into a cement bench across the cell. The confrontation resulted in victim’s injuries such as a facial bone fracture, cracked teeth and cuts. The cop later accused her of resisting arrest. However, the charge was dropped. Several months after the incident, Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez charged Hart with felony aggravated battery and official misconduct. We understand that police deal with people who are not the best examples of morality. Still, they remain humans. They have their right to be treated well, especially those who didn’t commit any serious crimes.“The attack happened just hours before Eid prayers were held…” A Taliban spokesmen recently said: “Our fight is Jihad and an obligatory worship. And every obligatory act of worship has 70 times more reward in Ramadan.” So these jihad murderers just got in under the wire. “Alleged IS militants kill police officer in Indonesia,” AFP, June 25, 2017 (thanks to Lookmann): Jakarta (AFP) – Two alleged Islamic State group militants stabbed a police officer to death in western Indonesia, authorities said Sunday, in the latest assault targeting officials in the world’s most populous Muslim country. The two attackers shouted “Allahu Akbar”, or God is great, as they entered a security post in North Sumatra’s police headquarters in Medan city where they stabbed a police officer, officials said. Several police officers fought back against the militants, killing one and critically injuring another. “We suspect the attackers have links with IS and Bahrun Naim, because we found a IS flag, books and CDs linked to IS in the house of one attacker,” national police spokesman Setyo Wasisto told AFP. Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian who is fighting with IS in Syria, has been accused of directing a series of mostly botched terror plots in his homeland in recent years. Hundreds of radicals from Indonesia have flocked abroad to fight with IS, and the country has seen a surge in plots and attacks linked to the jihadists over the past year. The attack happened just hours before Eid prayers were held, including at the North Sumatra police headquarters, as part of the Eid al-Fitr celebrations that mark the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan….This week’s Battleborn Battleplan sees the addition of a long-requested feature, a couple hot fixes as well as a peek at what’s to come, and some amazing cosplays!This week, we’re happy to announce that we’re implementing another feature that has been a direct request from the community – rematching. Rematching will fundamentally change how Battleborn’s matchmaking works in the sense that you will no longer need to manually re-queue after each multiplayer match. Instead, you’ll be kept in queue with your current teammates and the next match will automatically begin – no more having to re-select your preferred game mode and re-queue! The hope here is to get players back into the game as quickly as possible and hopefully smooth out the matchmaking process as well. What to Expect: •Rematch will be available in all PVP modes with a 20 second timer being added to the top-right of the screen. •If you do not want to play another match, make sure to back out before the enemy team has been found. This will allow the game to find another player for your team so they’re not down a player next round! •If you are a party lead and do decide to exit out of the matchmaking queue, your party will all be removed from matchmaking as they did before this feature was enabled. We know this has been a very hot topic among the community since launch, so we’re glad that we’re able to bring you all this new and exciting feature. This is among the improvements and tweaks to matchmaking that we will continue to make in order to optimize the experience for everyone! Let us know what you think of rematching on our forums! This week’s list of hot fixes is quite small, but contains fixes for a couple things that have continued to pop up on our radar. As a reminder, hot fixes are things that can be easily and quickly implemented. While these lists can tend to be short, we want to include these small fixes as a part of our effort to be as transparent as possible when it comes to changes that could affect the gameplay experience. Larger changes and community requests such as in-game reporting features, lore challenge adjustments, and performance improvements take a bit more time and must be included in a full update. Having said that, these issues are among many that will be coming to you all in the near future. Hot fixes begin rolling out at 12pm PT (3pm ET) on Thursdays. This week’s fixes are: • Increased the Max Health of S1.Chronicle in The Archive by 50%. • Fixed a visual issue with Thorn’s level 10 Left Helix Augment, Wild Judgment. Additionally, our team has made a discovery that we think will answer why some players have not received their lore challenge rewards. In some cases, this issue could be caused by dropping out of a mission and entering a different mission before the original activity has ended. Since this action takes place across multiple servers, this may cause the game to not recognize when the threshold for completing a challenge has been met and thus, the challenge or character will not unlock. When this happens, characters can still be unlocked through Command Rank leveling, but lore challenges may remain broken. Our team is working on a fix that that would retroactively award lore challenges that were affected by this issue, and we’ll be implementing that fix as soon as possible. To avoid this issue, we encourage everyone to stick with missions and matches to completion, as leaving them early appears to be directly related to this issue. The Gearbox Community is legendary for its amazing cosplays. It started with Borderlands, continued with Tales from the Borderlands, and is being taken to the next level with Battleborn. We love to recognize our cosplayers every chance we get and thought this week would be a great chance to take stock of a few of the awesome cosplays that we’ve seen so far. Check out the Battleborn cosplay thread on the Gearbox Forums to see more!The weeks are getting busier and busier and soon we will have lots more to share with you all. For next week and among other things, we have another character Deep Dive on the way – this time for Kelvin! Battleborn Lead Programmer Scott Velasquez is known around the studio as the foremost expert on Kelvin and how to build him into an icy, chomping, death machine! Next week, we’ll be sharing a piece written by Scott with some Kelvin tips and tricks, and maybe even some cool ancillary info on everybody’s favorite Eldrid Ice Golem. All that, plus more hot fixes and more in next week’s Battleplan. Until then, we’ll see you all in the Solus system!The Campaign to Boycott Supporters of Israel in Lebanon (CBSI) is continuing to work toward a boycott of the Hollywood film Wonder Woman, starring Israeli actress Gal Gadot. But at least for the time being, these attempts have been unsuccessful, and the film is due to be screened in theaters across Lebanon. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter As Wonder Woman trailers reach critical mass and Gadot makes the rounds on daytime and late-night talk shows, ahead of the film's release in June, the Lebanese campaign published a second post on Sunday. In it, the campaign warned that since the film stars an Israeli actress, its screening is against Lebanese law. Lebanese movie theaters that had screened trailers for the movie were tagged in the post. Gadot on Kelly and Ryan X The campaign against Wonder Woman began in April, when the movement sent a letter to the Bureau for the Boycott of Israel within Lebanon's Ministry of Economy and Trade. The letter noted that Gadot is the former beauty queen of Israel, who served in the IDF and publicly supported Operation Protective Edge in 2014. Since then, however, Lebanese filmmakers have promoted the film and called on the public to buy tickets in advance. The post warning Lebanese theaters not to screen Gadot's Wonder Woman Gadot at the Mexico premiere (Photo: AP) The Lebanese news network Al-Mayadeen, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, issued an article was published on the subject titled "An Israeli Assaults the Cinema in Beirut." Photo: AP The Lebanese BDS movement opposes any expression of normalization with Israel. In April, it strongly came out against Belgian electronic music festival "Tommorowland", which this year is scheduled to be broadcast in eight countries simultaneously—including in Israel, Lebanon and Dubai—under the slogan "Creating bridges between the peoples of tomorrow." Gadot and the original Wonder Woman, Lynda Carter, at the film's Los Angeles premiere (Photo: AP) Gadot playing Box of Lies with Jimmy Fallon, as part of the film's promotional tour In the meantime, Gadot continues to promote the film—both at press conferences and on television appearances. After the premiere in Los Angeles, she went to Mexico. A day before, she was interviewed for "Live With Kelly & Ryan" and told them that she threw out her back "at the worst time," just before the film was released.The Braves won’t have a new spring-training home as soon as they had hoped. After aiming for two years to have a new facility built and open in Florida by spring 2018, the Braves have conceded that won’t happen and have pushed back their timetable, team executives told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We’re now focusing on 2019,” Braves vice chairman John Schuerholz said. “It’s moving slowly enough that we have to adjust, and our target for a new facility is 2019.” The Braves’ lease at Disney’s Wide World of Sports near Orlando, where the team has trained since 1998, expires after next spring. But recent talks with officials in Palm Beach County and Sarasota County haven’t progressed fast enough to keep the timetable on track for a 2018 move. So the Braves have had a “substantive conversation” with Disney officials, Schuerholz said, about the possibility of a one-year extension that would keep the team training there in 2018. “We feel like there’s a real reasonable chance — we’re hopeful — we can do something with Disney to extend for another spring,” Schuerholz said. Click here to read the full story on MyAJC.com.The Taliban militants have reportedly seized control of Wardoj district in the restive northeastern Badakhshan province of Afghanistan. The district administrative chief Dawlat Mohammad Khawar confirmed that the Afghan security forces have retreated from Wardoj following hours of gun battle with the Taliban militants. He did not confirm if the control of the district was fully seized by the militants and did not comment regarding the casualties as a result of the clash. The security officials confirmed Wednesday that clashes were underway between the Afghan security forces and the Taliban militants in Wardoj district. Badakhshan is among the relatively volatile provinces in northeastern Afghanistan where the anti-government armed militants are actively operating in its various districts with Wardoj being one of the most restive districts. The Taliban militants have carried out numerous attacks in Wardoj district during the recent months. One of the deadliest attacks on Afghan security forces check posts was carried out earlier in April this year where at least 23 Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were martyred.Happy Meal toys could be banned in Santa Clara County A county supervisor has created a stir with his proposal to bar the inclusion of toys in restaurant meals that contain high amounts of sugar, salt or certain fats. Believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, the proposal would forbid the inclusion of a toy in any restaurant meal that has more than 485 calories, more than 600 mg of salt or high amounts of sugar or fat. In the case of McDonald's, the limits would include all of the chain's Happy Meals — even those that include apple sticks instead of French fries. The proposed ban is the latest in a growing string of efforts to change the types of foods aimed at youngsters and the way they are cooked and sold. Across the nation, cities, states and school boards have taken aim at excessive sugar, salt and certain types of fats. Convinced that Happy Meals and other food promotions aimed at children could make kids fat as well as happy, county officials in Silicon Valley are poised to outlaw the little toys that often come with high-calorie offerings. The latest target in the battle over fast food is something you shouldn't even put in your mouth. Supporters say the ban would encourage restaurants to offer more-nutritious foods to kids and would make unhealthful items less appealing. But opponents believe it amounts to government meddling in parental decisions. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors will consider the proposal Tuesday. Even though it's largely symbolic — the proposed ban would apply only to the dozen fast-food restaurants within the jurisdiction of the board — the proposal has caused a bit of an uproar on the Internet, where comments on YouTube and other sites say it is another example of the "nanny state" gone wild. The California Restaurant Assn. has taken out full-page newspaper advertisements against the proposed ordinance in local newspapers. One shows a little girl with her hands cuffed behind her back as she holds a stuffed animal. Another opponent wrote in a YouTube posting, "I want to know when the pitchforks and torches and rope is going to come out.... We need to run these Frankenstein politician monsters the hell out of town!" Ken Yeager, the Santa Clara County supervisor who is behind the effort, says the toys in kids' meals are contributing to America's obesity epidemic by encouraging children to eat unhealthful, fattening foods. "People ask why I want to take toys out of the hands of children," said Yeager, who is president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. "But we now know that 70% of the kids that are overweight or obese will be overweight or obese as adults. Why would we want to burden anybody with a lifetime of chronic illness?" According to a recent congressional report, food companies spent about $1.6 billion in 2006 marketing their wares to children. About $360 million was spent on the toys included with kids' meals, incentives that restaurant marketers have long viewed as key to bringing in families with children. "We went through a phase when my daughter wanted the Happy Meal just to get the toy," said Kristen Dimont, 37. The Sunnyvale blogger said that once her child tasted fast food, it took years to coax her back to the healthful variety. Dimont likes the idea of the ban — and thinks the supervisors should consider extending it to the play yards that also attract children to fast-food restaurants. Rebecca Wolpinsky, 32, a mother of two, says she can't stand the toys that are included with fast-food meals for children. "The toys are crap, honestly," she said. "We end up recycling them or they end up getting left in the car." But Wolpinsky opposes banning the toys — or blaming them for childhood obesity. "To say that Burger King or McDonald's is the root cause or that giving toys with children's meals is a root cause is not right," she said.GameFest 2012- Symposium and Exhibition Rensselaer's School of Humanities and Social Sciences celebrated the addition of the Game Studies Minor by hosting a GameFest Symposium and Exhibition in 2004. Now an annual event, the symposium showcases computer games designed by dozens of student teams, 20 of whom have been selected to compete for this years awards. The event introduces students to philosophers, computer scientists, artists and cognitive scientists who are conducting research in game design, development and production, providing the potential for interdisciplinary junctures and co-operation between the arts and cultural studies, social sciences, computer sciences, engineering and emerging technical research in information technology. 2012 Game Festival Student games will be exhibited and prizes will be awarded by a panel of judges from Vicarious Visions. We encourage students from Rensselaer and beyond to participate in this student competition. Games & Simulation faculty will select the games for exhibition from among those submitted and cash prizes will be awarded to the top five teams.Well, I’m all registered for my first VMUG in aaaaaages. It will be good opportunity to network and catch-up with all my fellow vMUGGERS as I like to call them! Its literally being a “yonks” since I was active in the community. A yonk being measure of time that starts with a career break, and ends when you return. Of particular note – Frank Dennenman will be presenting on the subject of VMware on Amazon. A topic that intrigues me greatly since I’ve been dabbling with Amazon recently as away of getting the little grey IT braincells working again. Also worthy of note, my pal Julian Wood will presenting on the subject of “Can I order some servers for my serverless, please”. You can relie on Julian for good dosh of “wake up and smell the vBacon”. So I will relish that session. There’s vBeers, and without sponsors we all know they’d be no vBeers. Just kiddin’ ya 🙂 It’s the usual suspect, but two new vendors who have never previous crossed by radar before…. So Alain Geenrits, Solutions Architect, EMEA for Bluemedora will be there, as will SIOS… Now all I have to do is sort my training ticket out to get there… Book early to avoid disappointment! Register here!How much data does gaming use? A handful of popular examples Online data usage can vary quite a bit depending on what you’re playing. Every year more people are jumping online to play games on a variety of platforms: from computers to consoles and even mobile devices. While web browsing, sending basic emails, or instant-message chatting uses very little data, streaming high-definition (HD) video or even high-fidelity audio can chew into a monthly data allowance. So where exactly does online gaming fall in terms of data usage? Online gaming data usage Believe it or not, some of the biggest online games use very little data while you’re playing compared to streaming HD video or even high-fidelity audio. Where streaming 4K video can use as much as 7 gigabytes (GB) per hour and high-quality audio streaming gets up to around 125 megabytes (MB) per hour, (but usually sits at around half that) certain online games use as little as 10MB per hour. There is, of course, a range when it comes to how much data online games use, and it’s based on several variables. Surprisingly, that 10 megabytes-per-hour (MB/h) game is the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft, but even that comes with a disclaimer. That data is reflective of playing alone in the online world. When playing with or against other players, the number can jump to around 40MB/h or higher.* Comparatively, that’s still not a lot of data usage next to streaming video, but it’s just one example. According to this official help page for online shooter Destiny, developer Bungie claims “the average data usage for Destiny us up to 1 gigabyte per hour for live gameplay”. This Destiny example is considerably higher than some other popular online games. Another big-hitting example is Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which can use up closer to 250MB under certain conditions.* Even if you discount Destiny’s high data usage as an outlier, a middle-ground between Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and World of Warcraft (solo) would be Battlefield 1 or The Division, both of which can be closer to around 100MB per hour.* The real data usage for online games The real data hog when it comes to online games are the updates (also called patches), downloadable content (DLC) or even the games themselves. Take, for instance, Star Wars Battlefront. This game requires 27GB on PC just for the core game. If you bought Battlefront digitally, you’ll need to actually download that full 27GB, just to get started. This is before patches, and any DLC that has been released since it came out. Nowadays, after four rounds of DLC plus multiple updates, the Star Wars Battlefront installation directory (on PC) now weighs in at closer to 54GB, all of which has to be downloaded if you bought a digital copy. If you bought it on disc, you still need to download all of those patches and DLC. Because players need to be on the same version of the game to play together online, digital platforms such as Steam, Xbox Live, and the PlayStation Network favour automatic updates over manual patches. Game updates can range in size from a handful of megabytes to multiple gigabytes, all of which can add up over time. Single-player data usage Single-player games also fall under the banner of receiving both updates and DLC. Just because a game doesn’t have an online component, doesn’t mean it’s not using data when patches are downloaded. There are certain games that can be played alone that still use data because of their connected nature. Diablo III, for instance, can be played alone, but it can still use around 16MB/h when playing. That number shifts to around 26MB/h if you’re playing cooperatively in a group.* Voice chatting One common variable is voice over internet protocol (VOIP) chat. This may be included as part of an online game, and will use data whenever a player is transmitting their voice (you or other players that can be heard by you). There are also external VOIP considerations such as party chat on Xbox Live or the PlayStation Network, and programs such as TeamSpeak, Skype or Discord on PC. Skype, for instance, can use between 13MB and 45MB per hour for VOIP calls, according to a Skype support page. This figure is just for a call to a single recipient. Once you start adding more people, the numbers go up. Data variables within online games There are internal considerations that crop up on a per-game basis, too. Battlefield 1, for instance, allows for 64-player servers, but you can also play on smaller 24-player modes, too. The smaller modes use less data because there are fewer players and, therefore, less information to be transmitted to and from individual players and the dedicated server. Generally speaking, games that utilise dedicated servers chew up fewer megabytes per hour. For games that use peer-to-peer hosting, the player who is designated as the host uses up considerably more data compared to the other connecting players because their connection is responsible for sending and receiving all of the necessary updates. While generally playing games online often doesn’t require a lot of data, downloading digital games, content and DLC can make that data requirement stack up. Really, how much data your time spent gaming will use up changes from game to game. If you’re concerned about a specific title, try searching for data usage surrounding that game in particular, paying special attention to any official information given out by the game developers themselves. Ever get tired of cable clutter? Here are some quick tips to help you organise those wires.Edit – the grouping issue has been officially explained as a bug rather than design. One thing: my three days (and counting) in Guild Wars 2 were comfortably the most gripped I’ve been by a new MMO since those heady, early days in World Warcraft. Another thing: it’s got the most serious design flaw I believe I
votes, which means they didn't even vote for themselves. The closest a write-in has come in the past 20 years was a Daytona Beach lawyer who got 6.4 percent of the vote in 2004. Her opponent got 93.6 percent. And this doesn't even count the voters shut out of countless local elections, such as the upcoming property appraiser's race in Pinellas County. If you think this sounds bad from a voter suppression standpoint, consider it from an ideological point of view. This practice tends to favor the more extreme candidates in both parties. You see, if your primary opponent is more moderate, then you recruit a write-in to make sure no one from the opposite party has any say in the election. Delightful, huh? How the Supreme Court did not recognize this as a cynical circumvention of a constitutional amendment is completely baffling. And infuriating. And heartbreaking. And, oh so Florida.A compound found in olive oil may help to prevent cancer developing in the brain, a study shows. Research into oleic acid – the primary ingredient in olive oil – has shown how it can help prevent cancer-causing genes from functioning in cells. The oily substance – one of a group of nutrients known as fatty acids – stimulates the production of a cell molecule whose function is to prevent cancer-causing proteins from forming. The study team says it is too soon to say whether dietary consumption of olive oil may help prevent brain cancer. Their findings, however, point towards possible therapies based on the oil to prevent brain cancer from occurring. Tumour prevention Scientists from the University analysed the effect of oleic acid on a cell molecule, known as miR-7, which is active in the brain and is known to suppress the formation of tumours. They found that oleic acid prevents a cell protein, known as MSI2, from stopping production of miR-7. In this way, the olive oil component supports the production of miR-7, which helps prevent tumours from forming. Researchers made their discoveries in tests on human cell extracts and in living cells in the lab. The study, published in the Journal of Molecular Biology, was funded by the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust. While we cannot yet say that olive oil in the diet helps prevent brain cancer, our findings do suggest that oleic acid can support the production of tumour-suppressing molecules in cells grown in the lab. Further studies could help determine the role that olive oil might have in brain health.” Dr Gracjan Michlewski School of Biological SciencesGoogle has recently presented a new project it has been working on at the Google I/O developers’ conference. The project carries the name Project Vault and is aimed at increasing the security through a rather unconventional approach. To achieve that, Google took an unusual approach – instead of securing the host devices directly, Google decided to create a new device altogether. A tiny super-secure computer that fits into a MicroSD card and can be inserted into a smartphone or any other device for increased security. Project Vault is a full computer packed into a MicroSD card and in addition to the high-capacity storage of a regular MicroSD card, it features: An ARM-based processor An antenna A near-field communication (NFC) for communicating with nearby devices 4 gigabytes of “isolated, sealed” internal storage Its ultra-secure operating system focused on privacy and data security A suite of cryptographic services The main function of the device is to encrypt communications and provide an additional authentication method, making your password a secondary authentication step, thus making your device much more secure –in fact, once set up, you will no longer need to use passwords, claims Google. Project Vault will also allow users to encrypt videos. To take advantage of the encryption functionality, both devices involved in the encrypted communication will need to be equipped with Vault. The benefit of Vault is that the device it’s inserted in, will not actually do any of the encrypting/decrypting – rather, it is done by Vault. Additionally, the host device will not have access to the encryption keys or algorithms – making it much more secure. Vault runs a Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) that was custom-designed for the device. It contains a number of cryptographic features, including hashing, batch encryption, signing, and a hardware random number generator. Vault is compatible with all major operating systems, including Android, Windows, Linux, and Apple’s OS X. Although Project Vault is not yet ready to be released to the consumers, Google has already published the source-code for the system on GitHub, allowing developers to take a crack at it under the open-source license. While Project Vault might be of interest to consumers at some point, it is currently mainly aimed at business users – since many industries, from healthcare, to finance and legal, require an encryption to secure communications.With the new contract, New York City schools will invest in electronic formats (and save precious locker space) by accessing materials through a private marketplace similar to what Amazon has rolled out to colleges and universities in the past. While this deal only covers the content, and not the hardware to read it on, the texts will be available on a range of devices from laptops and tablets to e-readers and smartphones. In the 2016-2017 school year alone, New York has committed to spend about $4.3 million on Amazon materials. That number will double every year throughout the contract, with the option to extend for another two years and $34.5 million. Amazon will reportedly receive a healthy 10 to 15 percent cut of sales. Stepping into the classrooms of the country's largest school district is a big win for Amazon, which has been making strides to keep up with competition from Apple and Google in the education space. Last month, the online retail giant also quietly announced a "revolutionary" platform that promised "free and unlimited access to first-class course materials."Published: Wednesday, April 26, 2017 @ 10:04 PM Updated: Wednesday, April 26, 2017 @ 10:39 PM DAYTON — UPDATE @ 3:40 p.m. (April 27): Ashli Johnson, who lives in the same complex as Laith Waleed Alebbini, said she had seen him around but never thought something like an ISIS connection would crop up. “Nothing triggered me to think something negative was going on,” Johnson said. “It’s scary, very.” Wednesday night Johnson said she saw the evidence truck at Alebbini’s apartment. Candace Richberg of Vandalia was in the neighborhood visiting a friend Thursday. She said, “It makes me nervous for the safety of the area I live in; I cannot even fathom that going on here.” UPDATE @ 12:05 p.m. (April 27): The FBI has confirmed a search warrant executed at an apartment at the Northlake Hills Co-Op apartment complex on Lakebend Drive was so authorities could search the home of a man accused of attempting to provide material support or resources to ISIS. Laith Waleed Alebbini, 26, was arrested at the Cincinnati/Kentucky International Airport on Wednesday. MORE: Dayton man accused of trying to join ISIS in Syria UPDATE @ 10:30 p.m. (April 26): The FBI conducted an investigation at an apartment in the 3800 block of Lakebend Drive. A man who identified himself as a security guard for the Northlake Hills Co-Op apartment complex said he was told not to allow our news crew near the address where the investigation is occurring. Todd Lindgren, spokesman with the Cincinnati FBI office, confirms only that the FBI has been at the address since late this afternoon. “The FBI is conducting law enforcement activity in that area,” Lindgren said. He noted that he could not say anything about the focus of the investigation. We’re told the Dayton police has had a one-unit detail at the address since just before 3 p.m. A check of the Montgomery County auditor's online records indicates the address is part of the Northlake Hills complex. >>RELATED: ‘Substantial’ fentanyl operation busted by sheriff’s task force The man and others working with him are turning traffic around on Lakebend Drive. There are people standing along Lakebend Drive, watching. WHIO.com received a phone call just after 9 p.m. about the FBI being on the property. At 10:30 p.m., an FBI agent asked our whio.com/News Center 7 first responder to leave the area. We'll keep working to find out what's happening at the complex. Click here to download our free mobile apps for breaking news, news updates and weather. >>GOT A TIP? Call our 24-hour line, 937-259-2237 or send it to [email protected] in a series profiling some of the top players in the 2012 NBA Draft. NBA teams in need of a shooting guard could do worse than Jeremy Lamb of Connecticut when it comes to this year's draft. A lot worse. When judging Lamb's potential, NBAdraft.net compares him to Reggie Miller. And we all know how dangerous the former Indiana Pacers' star was at the offensive end of the floor. There are plenty of similarities between Miller and Lamb. Both are tall and thin – the Hall of Fame-bound Miller was 6-foot-7, 195 pounds and Lamb is 6-5, 185 – both are outstanding shooters from the perimeter and neither has ever been considered a great defensive player. But they both know how to score. Florida's Bradley Beal is generally considered the top shooting guard in the draft but at least one observer likes Lamb even better. "Personally, I'm leaning toward Lamb because of his size, length and effectiveness in an NBA offense's'sweet spot,' the 15- to 18-foot range," wrote Fran Fraschilla of ESPN.com. "And I'm willing to overlook the Huskies' dysfunctional season with Lamb as their centerpiece because I can't ignore the poise he played with as a freshman. "And he did go for 23 or more points eight times this past season despite the team's poor chemistry." In 75 career games during two seasons at Connecticut, Lamb averaged 14.1 points and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from behind the 3-point stripe. As a freshman, he started 40 of 41 games and averaged 11.1 points and 4.5 points in helping the Huskies win the NCAA title. As a sophomore, he started 34 games and averaged 17.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals while shooting almost 49 percent from the field and almost 37 from 3-point range. He made the All-Big East Rookie team and All-Big East Tournament team as a freshman and was an honorable mention All-American and first-team All-Big East pick as a sophomore. ESPN Insider Chad Ford predicts Lamb will be the ninth selection in next month's draft. That's where the Detroit Pistons will most likely pick unless something unusual happens in Wednesday's lottery. "The Good: Lamb is a super lanky wing player who can score from just about anywhere on the floor," Ford wrote on his pay site. "He's mastered the art of the midrange game and is equally adept at putting the ball on the floor and getting to the basket. "The Bad: He's struggled with the role of alpha dog in the absence of Kemba Walker. Occasionally, he shows the ability to take over games but he can also just disappear. He too could use a few more pounds on his frame." Lamb's weight and strength are one of the question marks some draft prognosticators have. The other is a bit more unsettling and could be a true cause for concern. "Some question whether Lamb is too laid back," wrote NBA.com's David Aldridge, who rates Lamb as the No. 3 shooting guard behind Beal and Duke's Austin Rivers. "He has been painted with the 'S' word by many evaluators: soft. 'I think that's his deal,' said a Central Division executive. 'It gives you a little bit (of concern) but the program's turned out a lot of good players. "'I think you have to give him the benefit of the doubt. If you can play for (coach Jim) Calhoun you can play for a lot of coaches. He's got some tools. He's really athletic. And people seem the like the kid, too. He's just pretty passive.'" Sports Illustrated's Sam Amick calls Lamb a gamble, putting him in the category of "high risk, high reward" players. "Lamb's skill set, shot, athleticism and smooth scoring are still enough to ensure that he doesn't slide too far in the first round, but he didn't progress the way that many expected after Walker's departure," Amick wrote. "Four of his 10 games with at least 20 points last season came in the first five contests." SwishScout.com, which says Lamb could be a Rip Hamilton-type player, projects him as the eighth pick in the draft, DraftExpress.com has him going 10th and Yahoo! Sports thinks he'll go 11th. "In addition to his talents off the dribble, Lamb is also an outstanding jump shooter," DraftExpress.com said in its evaluation. "He has range well past the NBA 3-point line and can shoot the ball with his feet set, off the dribble or running off screens. He's shown nice foot work coming off curls and does an excellent job creating space, squaring himself and elevating to get off his jumper. "Defensively, Lamb has the physical tools to excel as he has good lateral quickness and instincts and is able to utilize his tremendous wingspan to cause havoc on the ball and in the passing lanes. His energy on this end (was) looking very inconsistent this season, however, not displaying the competitiveness, fundamentals and attention to detail that will likely be demanded from at the NBA level, particularly off the ball." Email Brendan Savage at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/BrendanSavageIt can be difficult to design costumes for a science fiction series. Your characters must be wearing something believable, but the outfit also must convey how very alien this new world is. Some shows get it right, but for others, like the Star Trek franchise, there’s a long-standing tradition of questionable fashion choices. Whether it’s the Barbarella-esque Sexy Alien Girl of the WeekTMon the Original Series, or the Klingon’s cabaret biker look in the later shows, fans have come to expect the ridiculous. Star Trek: The Next Generation in particular managed to sneak in some of the best (worst) fashions of them all. 1. Solving daddy issues gladiator-style When first officer William Riker is offered a promotion on another vessel, his father is sent to brief him on the new position. The only problem is the two left on bad terms fifteen years ago, and haven’t spoken since. How do they resolve their differences? By organizing a duel with giant Q-tips in the holodeck, of course. Because nothing says “working through your emotional baggage” like wearing two-tone plastic laser tag armour. (Fun fact: those visors come down and they fight blind.) This fight is serious business. You can tell by the kicky little Spartan skirt. Eventually, they each learn something about the other and hug it out, but not before teaching us all an important lesson on sportswear. 2. Gossip Girls Spaceship sports clothing strikes again! The entire plot of the season three episode “The Price” revolves around Counsellor Deanna Troi’s budding relationship with Devinoni Ral, a negotiator who has come aboard the Enterprise to settle a dispute about wormhole rights. Things heat up quickly, and the audience then gets this delightful scene between Deanna and Doctor Beverly Crusher, as the two stretch and giggle about the recent fling. It’s clothes like these that betray the show’s late 80s origins. Neither crewmember would look out of place jogging on the spot behind Jane Fonda. They both get bonus points for the sparkly fabric – extra “future-ness!” – and the outfits are made even better by their banter, which features excellent bits of advice like “who needs rational when your toes curl up?” 3. Little Purple Men First season episode “11001001” features a species of alien called the Bynars who are very technologically advanced, and always work in pairs. (Dual processors, anyone? Okay, that’s my only computer joke, don’t ask for more.) Star Fleet requests they revamp the Enterprise, and at first everything seems to be on the up and up. In the end, though, the Bynars are actually aboard to highjack the ship, drive it to their home world and download all their computer data – essential to their survival – for safekeeping during a radiation surge. But what really matters in this episode is how wonderfully twinned these aliens are. Also, the outfits are tight and sparkly and wonderful, as are these team uniforms we get treated to earlier in the episode: I am becoming increasingly worried about the state of 24th century workout clothing. 4. When Irish Eyes are Smiling (you don’t notice the hideous outfit) Raising barns and eyebrows “Up the Long Ladder” is the story of two human colonies that desperately need Star Fleet’s help. The Bringloidi are followers of the 22nd century philosophy of Neo-Transcendentalism and are willingly pre-industrial, but must now leave their home due to solar flare activity. The Mariposans on the other hand are technologically advanced, but suffered severe casualties while colonizing and are now all genetic copies of the five survivors. Because of the long-term cloning, they are suffering from “replicative fading” and will require new DNA to mix up their gene pool. The two groups predictably help each other out, but not before the audience is treated to a delightfully terrible series of Irish stereotypes. The Bringloidi are folksy, fiery, always drinking, and refuse to leave without their livestock (and the copious amount of hay that is quickly spread out everywhere on the ship). But all this serves only as a backdrop for the most glorious shirt to ever grace the Enterprise. Feast your eyes, this is a cable-knit crop top. Because there’s nothing quite like it when you still want to look good on those cold nights on the farm. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when the show’s wardrobe team was trying to reconcile “Riker’s sexy object of interest” and “farmstead matriarch.” 5. Wesley Crusher: Awkward Teen Everyone’s least favorite wunderkind Wesley Crusher (played by the wonderful and not at all like his character Wil Wheaton) was introduced as the highly intelligent, highly eager teenage son of Doctor Crusher. He was consistently more resourceful than his Star Fleet-trained elders and was often given precedence over actual officers, taking the helm and going on away missions while he was still pre-pubescent. He was insufferable, and one of his greatest sins was his terrible taste in sweaters.His wardrobe definitely more than contributed to making him the intolerable, know-it-all, little tagalong that he was. “I have twice as many sleeves because I’m twice as smart as you.” 6. Naked Innocent as the Day They Were Born Though sexy utopias were more of an Original Series staple, TNG episode “Justice” was a strong showing in the “innocent, free-love Eden” category of planets. The crew of the Enterprise, looking for some shore leave, meet the Edo, a people whose childish ebullience translates into a lot of hugging, running, grinning, and rather… public displays of affection. Believe it or not, this is one of the least NSFW screenshots out there. The episode’s plot barely matters, really, because the most important lesson is that in the Star Trek universe being friendly and carefree apparently translates into not wearing a whole lot of clothing. This entire planet is like a sexy cult, and I’m totally okay with it. Not even the “mediators,” the Edo’s equivalent of law enforcement, are exempt. Which doesn’t exactly lend them an air of authority. “Are your nipples cold? My nipples are cold.” 7. Riker and the 40-minute Nip Slip Troi is a little overwhelmed. An investigation into a crashed freighter sends the Enterprise to Angel I, a matriarchal planet that hasn’t had contact with Star Fleet in over sixty years. On this world, the women hold all social and political power, and the men are smaller in stature and submissive in nature. As a show of good faith, Riker dons a traditional male outfit for his meeting with Beata, one of the six elected “mistresses” (I’m not joking, that’s her actual title). There’s a lot to love here. The Bluetooth-style earring, the asymmetrical deep v-neck, the shiny shiny fabric, the lace-up pants (not pictured: the matching shiny codpiece). It’s all marvelous, and the ladies of Angel I go bananas over him, despite the fact that it makes little biological sense for a tall, muscular man to be considered so attractive when their own men have evolved to be short and slight. (Riker, ever the space bro, even refers to finding taller, stronger men attractive as evolutionary progress. Yikes.) “Let me at that hairy chest.” 8. Won’t Someone Think of the Children? One of the major departures for TNG as a series was that this time around the Enterprise had families aboard. With the adults at least, uniforms provided a decent go-to outfit, but apparently every child in the 24th century is forced to wear some sort of variation on a jumpsuit. Aside from the fact that these outfits look ridiculous (is that a crop top overtop of a jumpsuit? Are those spandex overalls!?) these clothes make the list because they are so ludicrously impractical. Do children 300 years from now have iron-clad bladders? It’s a good thing the crew’s clothes come from a replicator, because washing dozens of soiled onesies would get old. Oh Wesley, looks like you can’t exercise in normal looking clothing either. 9. A Guinan for All Seasons There’s a really lovely anecdote that tells of baby Whoopi Goldberg who, by watching Nichelle Nichols in the Original Series, was inspired to become an actor herself. Years later, she asked to be on TNG and was given a role as Guinan, ship’s bartender/superbeing-in-hiding. Guinan is wonderful. She gives the best advice, makes the best drinks, and wears the best outfits that are, without fail, all variations on the “embellished muumuu and stiff, oversized beret” theme. The colours, fabrics, and accessories could change, but it was always the same Guinan we knew and loved. We think not having her carry drinks on her hat was a major missed opportunity. 10. Saving the best for last Where would the show have been if not for Lwaxana Troi? Infinitely less stylish, for starters. As Councilor Troi’s mother, Lwaxana would occasionally flit in and out of TNG (and later Deep Space Nine), cause a ruckus, say the best lines, and flirt shamelessly with Captain Picard (don’t pretend you wouldn’t). Her dresses were always flouncy, sexy, and shiny, and she made every episode she was in brighter. It would be impossible to wrap up this list with anything else but a few more pictures of the lady who stole every scene. “Is that really what you’re wearing?” Ready for her close up. “Can I help it that I’m so fabulous?” *Screenshots courtesy of Trek Core.On Thursday’s Breitbart News Daily, former U.N. Ambassador and AEI senior fellow John Bolton, who is also the head of a political action committee, told SiriusXM host Alex Marlow that “the opportunities are enormous going forward” from Donald Trump’s presidential victory. “Just to start with, the Senate and the House,” he continued. “We apparently are going to lose two seats, in Illinois and New Hampshire. Kelly Ayotte conceded yesterday. We will win the Louisiana seat in December, I’m almost certain of that. So to emerge in what could have been a terrible year with only two losses is incredible.” “Where we did have losses – Joe Heck in Nevada and Kelly Ayotte, as I mentioned in New Hampshire – they were two candidates who backed away from Trump,” he continued. “I supported both of them, there’s no doubt about it, because they were strong on national security, but they made a political error. It hasn’t been true for every candidate. Some in the House who distanced themselves from Trump, like Barbara Comstock, went on to win.” “The state where we did worst was Nevada, where we lost two Republican seats – I think because of the Heck loss, and the loss of the race at the presidential level to Harry Reid’s machine,” Bolton mused. “Think about that. Nevada is a Republican state. You’ve got great young Republican prospects there, like Attorney General Adam Laxalt, Paul Laxalt’s grandson. So even in a state where we did poorly this year, the prospects for Republicans are great.” “So you’ve got a Republican president, Republican Senate, Republican House. There is no excuse, no excuse now, to not make the changes in Washington we want. And, by the way, because of the aforementioned, we will now have every prospect of a conservative Supreme Court and a conservative judiciary for the next generation. If we blow this opportunity, we don’t deserve to win,” he warned. Bolton agreed with Marlow that Trump voters were far more educated and diverse than media caricatures portrayed them, and the Left’s attempt to marginalize those voters would “come back to haunt them.” “Let’s face it: the conventional wisdom going into Tuesday, compared to the results we see now, shows a massive failure by the political class. Massive. Unprecedented, really,” Bolton argued. “And, as you point out, underestimating the American people. This is, to me, perhaps the most important parallel to Brexit, because in Britain, everybody who was anybody – anybody who knew anything – knew that Britain had to remain in the European Union, just as in this country, anybody with a brain knew that Hillary was destined to be the first female president. And they were all flatly wrong.” “I’ve got to say, the disdain some of the NeverTrump people demonstrated not simply for Trump, but for Trump supporters, sent me over the overhead,” Bolton added. “You know, I’m a very lucky guy. I’m the first person in my family to go to college. My father was a firefighter for the city of Baltimore. He never graduated high school. My mother was a housewife. She never graduated high school. There’s not the slightest doubt in my mind, if they were alive today, they would have voted for Trump. And to hear some of the NeverTrumpers – not all of them, but some of them – pour disdain over that white working class portion of the population, which is what my parents were, just filled me with outrage. So I think it’s a great victory for the common man in America, and that drives the political class wild, too.” Bolton agreed with Marlow that Hillary Clinton’s “basket of deplorables” gaffe was a watershed moment because successful candidates don’t attack the voters themselves, no matter how hard they go after the opposing candidate. “Hillary and her husband were a year ahead of me in law school, so I’ve known them for a long time, and I have to tell you, in the early seventies at Yale Law School … there might have been one or two conservatives on the faculty – Robert Bork, Ralph Winter, Ward Bowman, great professors. There might have been about the same number of conservatives in the student body. Overwhelmingly Democratic, overwhelmingly leftist, overwhelmingly convinced they knew better than anybody else,” Bolton recalled. “And I’d put right at the top of the list of the people who thought they knew better than anybody else, Hillary Clinton. She was destined, destined, to run the country. Her husband was not way, by the way. He was much more personable, a normal, easygoing kind of guy,” Bolton continued. “So when you are Hillary Clinton and you are a master of the universe, smarter than everybody else, you know what’s good for them. And if they’d just do what you tell them to do, they’d feel so much better, she’d feel better, the world would be happy.” “The people said, and again, I feel this was a parallel with Brexit, ‘Thank you very much; we’ll run our own lives. Don’t tell us what to do. Don’t tell us what to think. Don’t tell us what to say,’” he concluded. Breitbart News Daily airs on SiriusXM Patriot 125 weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Eastern. LISTEN:Writer and illustrator of children’s book series about a community of mice in the English countryside had sold more than 7m copies Jill Barklem, whose intricate Brambly Hedge stories have delighted children for decades, has died at the age of 66. Her publisher HarperCollins Children’s Books said this morning that the author died peacefully in London on Wednesday following a long illness. Barklem had sold more than 7m copies of her Brambly Hedge books, which tell the tales of a community of mice in the English countryside. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Hawthorn blossom, as pictured in one of the Brambly Hedge books. Illustration: Jill Barklem Barklem first conceived the stories in the 1970s, as she commuted from her Epping home into St Martin’s School of Art on the London underground. “I did not have a very clear idea of my future but assumed I would earn my living by illustrating other people’s books. I certainly never imagined that one day I would write my own,” Barklem said. She went on to publish Spring Story, Summer Story, Autumn Story and Winter Story in 1980. They were followed by The Secret Staircase, The High Hills, Sea Story and Poppy’s Babies. Each of the stories was deeply researched, and would take up to two years to finish; all of the food that features in the stories, for example, was created by Barklem in her kitchen first, to see that it worked. In 1996, the stories were adapted for television, using the voices of actors including Jim Broadbent and June Whitfield. Ann-Janine Murtagh at HarperCollins said the publisher’s staff were all deeply saddened at the news of Barklem’s death. “Her exquisite Brambly Hedge stories have enchanted children and many adult admirers across the world for more than 35 years. Jill was a lovely person with a rare talent to turn her astute observation of the English countryside into an enchanting miniature world,” she said. “Her enduring stories about the mice of Brambly Hedge remain as beautiful today as when she first created them and will continue to be treasured by future generations.”A leader of the Palestinian group Hamas has said there will not be a renewal of the Gaza ceasefire that ends on Friday unless Israel meets some of its demands. Ismael Radwan told Al Jazeera: “The truce will not be renewed; it cannot be renewed without real achievements. As we speak, no response has been received to Hamas’s demands, which means there is no breakthrough in this respect.” A 72-hour deal brokered by Egypt took effect on Tuesday, bringing relief to residents in the Gaza Strip after four weeks of fighting and heavy bombardment. Israeli media has reported that Israel was offering to extend the ceasefire for another 72 hours unconditionally. Al Jazeera's Nicole Johnston, reporting from Jerusalem, said there were also reports in Egyptian media that the truce could be extended but few details were coming out of Cairo on any progress made with the talks. "It really goes to show how difficult it is for both sides to reach an agreement," our correspondent said. While Israel is calling for demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip, Hamas wants the Israeli blockade on Gaza lifted, and the release of Palestinian prisoners. On Wednesday, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended his country's military actions during the four-week-long assault, blaming Hamas for the fatalities in Gaza. In a news conference in West Jerusalem, Netanyahu said: "Israel deeply regrets every civilian casualties. The people of Gaza are not our enemy, our enemy is Hamas". "Every civilian casualty is a tragedy, a tragedy of Hamas's own making." Netanyahu said Israel's intense bombardment of Gaza was a necessary response to Hamas attacks. "It was justified. It was proportionate," he said. At least 1,875 Palestinians, most of them civilians, were killed in the assault, while 67 people, including 64 soldiers, died on the Israeli side Netanyahu's comments came as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the deaths in Gaza "have shocked and shamed the world". The UN chief has also called for investigation into bombardment of UN facilities in Gaza. "Attacks against UN premises, along with other suspected breaches of international law, must be swiftly investigated," he said. 'Senseless cycle of suffering' The UN has called on all parties in the Middle East to find a lasting peaceful solution to the conflict in Gaza. In a special meeting of the UN General Assembly convened at the request of Arab countries, Ban said: "The senseless cycle of suffering in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as in Israel, must end. Ban called for an end to rocket fire from Gaza and weapons smuggling as well as lifting an Israeli-Egyptian blockade on Gaza and bringing the besieged territory back under one Palestinian government. In Gaza, where about a half-million people have been displaced by a month of bloodshed, some residents have left UN shelters during the ceasefire to trek back to neighbourhoods where whole blocks have been destroyed by Israeli shelling and the smell of decomposing bodies fills the air. Meanwhile, streets in towns in southern Israel, which had been under daily rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, have again come to life with children playing.Damage comes after many coral reefs in Whitsundays were pummelled and broken by storm Scientists have raised concerns about another sting in the tail from Cyclone Debbie, with fresh runoff pollution from torrential rains sweeping into Great Barrier Reef waters where many corals lie smashed. The cyclone dumped much of its deluge on a stretch of the north Queensland coast known as an “erosion hotspot” that generates almost a third of all sediment flowing into the reef. Andrew Brooks, an associate professor at Griffith University, released pictures hinting at the scale of damage in the erosion-prone Burdekin catchment, as well as flood plumes from the Burdekin, Fitzroy and Gregory rivers pushing sediment and nitrogen pollution out to sea. Abbot Point coal port spill causes'massive contamination' of Queensland wetland Read more Brooks, in a helicopter flight partly funded by the federal and Queensland governments, flew over the area to gauge the damage on 31 March, three days after the cyclone hit. Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Fitzroy river mouth before and after the cyclone. In the top image the plume of sediment can be seen. Photograph: WWF Brooks said the cyclone’s impact on a 11,000 sq km stretch of the Burdekin, estimated to produce 30% of runoff to the reef, highlighted the importance of a major state government investment in tackling erosion and improving land use in the area. It comes after many coral reefs in the Whitsundays, which were largely spared mass bleaching further north, were pummelled and broken by Debbie. Flood waters created a sweeping brown veil of sludge 18.5km out to sea from the mouth of the Burdekin, while the plume from the Gregory wrapped around Middle Island, 70 nautical miles south-east of Mackay. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Large alluvial gullies in Burdekin catchment. Photograph: Andrew Brooks/Griffith University/WWF In the Burdekin, the collapse of a 20-metre bank was one of the signs of Debbie compounding problems in four river gully systems that have emerged as major sources of runoff. These four gully systems covering 43 hectares alone had produced an estimated 36,000 tonnes of sediment a year for 60 years after being opened up amid cattle grazing and road building, Brooks said. “Erosion from this hotspot must be significantly reduced to protect the reef,” he said. Great Barrier Reef at 'terminal stage': scientists despair at latest coral bleaching data Read more “We know sediment can harm coral and sea grass by restricting light. Now we’re learning that sediment from this area also carries large loads of harmful nitrogen because it sticks to the sediment sourced from these same soils.” Brooks said he hoped state and federal governments continued to take erosion in the area seriously as a health issue for the reef by funding rehabilitation of the area. Sean Hoobin of WWF-Australia said the flood plume and erosion images were a concern after the reef was weakened by coral bleaching for an unprecedented two years in a row. “We need greater investment in catchment repair so that the next cyclone or flood does less harm to the reef,” Hoobin said.Glen Burnie native Steve Clevenger will make his Orioles debut Friday night behind the plate in Toronto, The Baltimore Sun reports. The catcher, who was acquired earlier this season from the Chicago Cubs with pitcher Scott Feldman, gets the start with pitcher Jason Hammel (in his first start off the disabled list) and will bat ninth against the Blue Jays. In eight games with the Chicago Cubs this season, Clevenger had just eight at-bats with one hit and a walk before injuring himself on a strikeout in April. Clevenger batted.324 in 20 games with Triple-A Norfolk, with 2 HR and 11 RBI. Clevenger graduated Mount St. Joseph High School in 2004 and was taken by the Cubs in the seventh round of the 2006 draft, while a student at Chipola College in Florida. He made his major league debut for the Cubs in 2011.Did he sign up for just 2 years if so then he doesnt have to join anything he doesnt want to. when you join for any period of time you get 8 years in active (not active) that means they can call him and put him back in to deply this way they dont have to call for the draft but until then he does what he wants. as far as being deployed they both can deploy him at any time but in the guard once he deploys with them he wont have to for 2 years after his return. in active resurve he will be on a base in the guard he wont its just i weekend a month till he gets activated to deply or has his 2 week training.in reserve he will
to one judge in Florida, the former is the correct answer. Christopher Wheeler, 41, was sentenced to 180 days in jail by Broward Circuit Court Judge Michael Rothschild for failing to reveal the correct passcode to his iPhone. Wheeler was initially arrested on charges of child abuse in March, after he was accused of hitting and scratching his young daughter. The catch is that police are claiming the evidence of this abuse—multiple photos of repeated injuries to the child—can only be found on Wheeler’s locked iPhone. After he was held in criminal contempt of court by Judge Rothschild in early May, Wheeler did provide a passcode to the iPhone, it just wasn’t the right one. “I swear, under oath, I’ve given them the password,” Wheeler insisted when he appeared in court on Tuesday. Wheeler’s case was determined on the basis of an appeals court decision, which separated the phone’s passcode from incriminating photos or videos located on the device. In December 2016, the Florida Court of Appeal’s Second District ruled that a passcode is not related to any criminal evidence found on the phone: “Providing the passcode does not ‘betray any knowledge [Stahl] may have about the circumstances of the offenses’ for which he is charged. Thus, ‘compelling a suspect to make a nonfactual statement that facilitates the production of evidence’ for which the state has otherwise obtained a warrant based upon evidence independent of the accused’s statements linking the accused to the crime does not offend the privilege.” As Wheeler was sentenced to 180 days in jail for failing to provide the passcode to his iPhone, another Florida man was facing similar demands. Wesley Victor appeared in court on Tuesday as a suspect in an extortion case that surrounded a sex-tape scandal involving Miami social-media celebrity YesJulz. In contrast, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Charles Johnson chose not to hold Victor in contempt of court, ruling that he should not be expected to remember his phone’s passcode more than 10 months after his initial arrest. Critics of the appeals court decision argue that such a requirement violates the individual’s Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states: “No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.” The Florida Supreme Court has yet to address the issue of whether police should have the right to demand a suspect’s passwords. In Wheeler’s case, he will eventually have an opportunity to post bond, following an appeal. However, Judge Rothschild made it clear that there was one “Get Out of Jail Free Card” which would result in his temporary release: the correct passcode to his iPhone.We get it: Cooking a steak can be intimidating. Especially a $50 steak. But this technique, from H. Alexander Talbot and Aki Kamozawa, the genius folks behind cooking blog Ideas in Food, is fool-proof. Read on for 8 steps to porterhouse perfection—and check out the video for the step-by-step. 1. Score It Use a sharp knife to make ¼"-thick incisions in the meat, about 1" apart. Sound crazy? It allows the seasoning to better penetrate the meat, which is important when you're working with an ultra-thick cut of steak, like a porterhouse. Repeat this technique on both sides, then season generously. What do we mean by "generously"? For each pound of steak, go for 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon salt, and ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper. The sugar will caramelize when it hits the heat, making for a browner crust. Pat the seasoning into the meat with your fingers to ensure that none falls off. 2. Let It Rest You know you're supposed to let steak rest after cooking it, but you should also let it chill out in the fridge for a full 24 hours before it hits the flame. Set the steak bone side-down on a rack-lined sheet pan, and keep it in the fridge for a day. Not only will the seasoning get deep into the meat, but also standing it on its end will allow air to circulate, allowing the steak to dry out. A drier surface makes for a better sear. 3. Freeze It Stay with us here: After your steak has chilled out for 24 hours, let it really chill out: Pop it in the freezer for 4-6 hours. Once the steak hits the heat, the ice crystals that form in the meat will help tenderize it—no pounding required. 4. Fry It Wait, what? Yep, we want you to deep-fry your steak, right when it comes out of the freezer. Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point, like canola, and fill the pan with enough oil so that it comes halfway up the steak. Wait for the oil to reach 350˚, then gently and carefully lower the steak in. Aim for 3-4 minutes per side, and be cautious when flipping—hot oil splatters! Searing helps lock in the seasoning, but you're not done yet. 5. Roast It After the first fry, let it roast in a 200˚ oven on a rack-lined sheet pan for 30 minutes. The meat will continue cooking evenly without getting too dark. 6. Baste It A blend of melted, browned butter and seasoning (we like fragrant vadouvan, but use whatever you're into) will add color and tons of mouth-watering flavor to your steak. After it has roasted for 30 minutes, use a spoon or pastry brush to coat the steak with the spiced butter. Place it back in the oven and keep continue to roast, basting frequently, until the internal temperature reads 120˚. This will take about 1–1 ½ hours. 7. Fry It…Again That slow roast will have turned your steak tender and juicy. But it also means you will have lost the gorgeous, crackly crust from the first fry. So back in the frying pan we go (you can use the same oil as the first time). 350˚and two minutes per side will do the trick. 8. Let It Rest…Again You're almost there! Let the steak rest for at least 10 minutes, or all your hard work will be wasted. Cutting into a steak too quickly will mean the juices pool on the cutting board, not on your fork, where you want them. Cut the meat away from the bone and slice before serving, then dig in. You've definitely earned this one. Learn more with step-by-step photos! Get the recipe here: Slow-Roasted, Twice-Fried PorterhouseClick to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) Most assistants desire to be a head coach, a chance to be the man, to cook up their own ideas, to stir in their own training concepts and implement their own personnel strategies. So they are often willing to take a flier when offered a chance to manage an expansion team, to step aggressively into the breach – even when the odds of long-term survival are historically quite slim. Increasingly slim in Major League Soccer, it seems. Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson has called a news conference for this evening. Practice was closed this morning, with reports in Oregon media that coach John Spencer wasn’t there. (Update: Yep) So the chances look quite high that Portland will soon be on to their second manager, which shouldn’t be surprising at all. Not because Spencer deserved it, but because the life span of original managers is typically, perilously short. So while we all wonder “What do expansion club owners expect?” let’s look at the last eight MLS expansion clubs (all since Chicago in 1998, a different time in MLS) and what became of their original manager: Chivas USA, 2005: After a 1–8–1 start (with the only win against another expansion club, Real Salt Lake), Thomas Rongen was reassigned within the organization in May, nine months after being named manager and just three months into the season. After a 1–8–1 start (with the only win against another expansion club, Real Salt Lake), Thomas Rongen was reassigned within the organization in May, nine months after being named manager and just three months into the season. Real Salt Lake, 2005: John Ellinger survived into his third season, although it was a struggle along the way. His first season finished with a 5-22-5 mark. Things improved in Year 2 (10-13-9) although RSL still didn’t make the playoffs (eight of 12 clubs reached the post-season then). Ellinger was replaced a month into his third season with an overall 15-37-16 record with the club. John Ellinger survived into his third season, although it was a struggle along the way. His first season finished with a 5-22-5 mark. Things improved in Year 2 (10-13-9) although RSL still didn’t make the playoffs (eight of 12 clubs reached the post-season then). Ellinger was replaced a month into his third season with an overall 15-37-16 record with the club. Toronto FC, 2007: Mo Johnston lasted a full year but moved into a front office position before the next season. He was 6-17-7 at BMO Field. Mo Johnston lasted a full year but moved into a front office position before the next season. He was 6-17-7 at BMO Field. San Jose, 2008: One of two success stories, as Frank Yallop remained in charge despite some down years. Looks like the club’s decision to remain loyal is paying off. In his case, Yallop had significant skins on the wall, so he had greater benefit of the doubt. One of two success stories, as Frank Yallop remained in charge despite some down years. Looks like the club’s decision to remain loyal is paying off. In his case, Yallop had significant skins on the wall, so he had greater benefit of the doubt. Seattle, 2009: The other real success story for the original manager in this group; Sigi Schmid remains the Sounders one and only coach. The other real success story for the original manager in this group; Sigi Schmid remains the Sounders one and only coach. Philadelphia, 2010: Peter Nowak came close to “making it,” building around young talent and making the playoffs in his second year at PPL Park. But he lost public faith this spring after a series of increasingly erratic personnel choices. Nowak was dismissed in June, four months into his third season. Peter Nowak came close to “making it,” building around young talent and making the playoffs in his second year at PPL Park. But he lost public faith this spring after a series of increasingly erratic personnel choices. Nowak was dismissed in June, four months into his third season. Portland, 2011: John Spencer, with a two-year mark of 16-22-13, appears to be on his way out at Jeld-Wen Field. John Spencer, with a two-year mark of 16-22-13, appears to be on his way out at Jeld-Wen Field. Vancouver, 2011: The club retained Teitur Thordarson, who had been in charge during the club’s time in lower tiers. It always looked like a stretch, but the choice seemed somewhere between half-baked and just plain unfair when Thordarson was dismissed three months into his first season. The club won just once in his first twelve matches. The club retained Teitur Thordarson, who had been in charge during the club’s time in lower tiers. It always looked like a stretch, but the choice seemed somewhere between half-baked and just plain unfair when Thordarson was dismissed three months into his first season. The club won just once in his first twelve matches. Montreal, 2012: Jesse Marsch, a first-time head coach, remains in charge as Montreal builds a highly respectable opening campaign, currently 8th among 10 Eastern Conference clubs. More on the Spencer dismissal from ProSoccerTalk is here and hereI’ve not blogged much since getting back from tour. I’m still playing catch up. There has been a ton of things to comment on, so in brief: Paris. Coming soon to a location near you. Mumbai, Beslan, and a thousand others, we’ve seen this before, and we’ll see it again. On the personal, local level, this is another example of why you should carry a gun. No, we don’t expect every permit holder to be a Navy SEAL, just a speed bump. The best way to stop a mass shooter is an immediate violent response. At best, you drop them before they can hurt too many people. At worst, congratulations you were a distraction, but even distractions can save lives or derail plans. Running is great. I’ll never fault somebody who chooses to run or hide when bad things happen. Every one of us has a different level of training, knowledge, and commitment, and what is the right answer for you, isn’t the right answer for your grandma. If you are the kind of person to get involved, you need to have a clue. However, since the only constant of gunfights is that they suck for somebody, you can do everything right and still die. On the bright side you at least bought everybody else some time. For the pacifistic anti-gun dumb asses on the internet who always crop up in the aftermath of any violent event, bitching about imaginary crossfires, or how fighting back would just make things worse. Just shut up already. You’re children, with a child’s grasp of the subject. When people are being mass butchered, barring tossing hand grenades at the bad guy, it is pretty damned hard to make it worse. Then I see the idiots claiming that they’re only worried about the quality of the regular people with guns… Liars. But okay, thought experiment time. Say there was a proposed law for a federal “super permit”, where if a regular person could pass a rigorous background check and, oh say, the same firearms qualification as an FBI agent, that individual would then be allowed to carry a gun anywhere in the fifty states a federal agent could, and ignore things like idiotic gun free zones, or could carry a gun in states where concealed carry is banned. This doesn’t replace state laws. Heck, make the federal super permit really hard to get. Have it require a really high level of proficiency, a big knowledge of use of force laws, and one hell of a tough qualification. Make the applicant foot the bill for everything. And you know what? I bet you within a week we could still provide a million of my people as defense in depth, worst case scenario interrupters, spread all over America, for when bad things happen. Would these people so worried about our level of training be in favor of this? Of course they wouldn’t. They’d find some other reason to bleat. And murderous assholes will continue to target disarmed populations. Besides, this is just wishful thinking, because any federal program which would empower the general populace would be designed to suck and fail from the get go. Ask any pilot who went through the armed pilot training post 9-11 how easy the feds made that simple,obvious, no brainer program. Other than learning to shoot, learn first aid. The main things to remember about gunshot wounds is direct pressure. For most of them there’s not much else you can do. Learn how to apply a tourniquet. That’s all personal stuff that could actually help. You want to argue about putting a French flag over your profile pic, I don’t care if you do or not. Whatever makes you feel better. I’ve seen some people saying that if you want to actually make a difference you need to join the military. That’s great, but missing the point. We don’t have a lack of warriors problem, we have a lack of leadership problem. Now, big picture. Militant Islamist Wahhibi douchebags want to kill you. Period. Don’t make excuses for them. Don’t try to explain them away. They literally want you to submit or die. This isn’t rocket science. Just ask them. They’ll tell you. In our current stupid society, you can’t talk about this topic without being accused of racism. That’s just idiotic, since a religious philosophy isn’t a race. But these same idiots like to bitch about Christians being awful and look under every rock for an imagined slight to rail against. Only Christians aren’t blowing people up. But libs love to throw out the racism card to automatically shut down all dissent, because most cons are nice people, who don’t like being accused of being vile, repugnant things. So they shut up. Like if you say, hey, maybe taking in tens of thousands of completely unvetted refugees from a war torn third world nation that is a hotbed of the philosophy that wants to saw our heads off is a bad idea… They scream racist. For the people saying the refugees are vetted… How? The Syrian Bureau of Criminal Identification? I’ve seen some people quoting the plaque from the Statue of Liberty. Really? Did you miss the point of what Ellis Island was for? Do I feel bad for the actual refugees? Yep. The decent people are running from the same scumbags we’re worried about. However, that doesn’t mean the western world has to commit suicide in order to save everybody. It sucks. There’s evil in the world. Not having it on your doorstep makes it easier to treat it elsewhere. When you’ve got a disease you quarantine it. You don’t purposefully spread it everywhere. We’re in the position to help other countries only because ours isn’t currently on fire. Some of you are under the mistaken impression that there is a good answer. Another thing that I keep seeing are two opposing, equally idiotic schools of thought. The immediate knee jerk reaction of liberals flipping out about potential retaliatory hate crimes that almost never happen, but will eventually. Because push someone far enough, and they will inevitably lose their shit. Europeans are good at that. And the other is the they’re all guilty, kill 1/6th of the world’s population, let God sort them out rage posters. Not getting into morality at all, that’s dumb just from a logistical and target selection stand point. That’s just good business. You’ve got a particular problem, focus on that specific rather than the overwhelming whole. Of course we aren’t fighting all Muslims. If we were fighting a billion people, you would know it. However, we are fighting millions. This isn’t some tiny, violent splinter group. This is a fairly wide spread, violent, jihadist, idealized imaginary history, philosophical movement, and they are motivated and think they can win. The problem is that this murderous faction has taken over large swaths of everything, all over the world, and it has been going on for a long time. I’m not talking physically taking over either, but they’re in the mosques, in the leadership, and in the money. Yes, there are plenty of moderate Muslims who fight these people. That’s why the nut jobs spend most of their energy blowing up people who are supposedly of the same religion. There are bombings and shootings daily across the third world that barely make a blip in our media because they’re business as usual. For the vast majority of the moderates however, what do we expect them to do? You can ally with the west, where you can fight against the death cultists, but the minute a progressive gets elected, you are going to get sold out and left to die. So why ally with us? Because the death cultists aren’t going anywhere. Those fuckers are committed. Look at what happened to Iraq and Afghanistan. Why would any leader side with us now? America will come in, kick ass with the greatest fighting force ever… Oh, wait. MSNBC is upset. Buh bye. We’re out. Everybody who helped us get massacred. A year later, if they’re lucky they might get a hashtag on twitter, because that’s how America shows it cares. Boko Haram, ISIS, and Hamas are all different groups, but they all share that idealistic, death cult, militant, asshole philosophy. Barack Obama has two signature achievements. No seriously, check google. That’s all they can come up with. Two. Obamacare and pulling out of Iraq. Obamacare is an expensive train wreck, that didn’t solve the problems it was supposed to, which raised everybody else’s costs, and now for the handful of the population it did help, all of the exchanges are imploding like everybody who can do math said they would. Brilliant. But back to Muslim extremists, we pulled out of Iraq, and Daesh rolled right in. Yay. Meanwhile, the rest of the middle east fell apart. Hillary Clinton and John Kerry showed us the brilliance we’ve come to expect from democrat presidential candidates and did… shit. I can’t tell. Our administration totally sucked it up to the point that the western world was literally cheering Putin getting involved. How badly do you have to fuck up that your allies are happy the Russians moved in instead? Mostly it looks like our State Department yelled at the one little country in the region who isn’t trying to blow us up, for being too mean to the philosophical allies of the people trying to blow us up, or for trying to stop the biggest country that wants to blow them up from getting a nuke, even though they get the population adjusted equivalent of a Paris attack all the freaking time. Liberalism is a suicidal political philosophy that focuses on non-problems and ignores real problems. We’ve got an actual death cult massacring people? Well, we’d better crack down on regular Americans civil liberties. Hey, there’s a conservative organization in rural Nebraska that has absolutely nothing to do with militant Islam, better tap their phones and sick the IRS on them. We do security theater at the airports, while having a foreign policy that makes zero sense and no border. Bad guys are massacring people with machine guns they smuggled into a country with incredibly strict gun control? Well, we’d better double down on gun free zones to minimize the number of people who could effectively fight back. DHS leadership is issuing warnings about American veterans, while the actual guys fighting terrorists are stymied with rules that make absolutely no sense. I’ve got a ton of fans who are feds. Oh, the horror stories I hear from these guys. So many plots have been foiled, so many bad guys have been caught, and the stuff they are worried that is coming next is frankly terrifying… I mean, we’ve not seen anything yet. There are some nightmare scenarios out there that I won’t talk about on the internet. But don’t worry, our administration’s greatest concern is climate change. They’re all over that. Seriously, this bunch of fuck ups will go down in history as the most clueless administration we’ve had. ISIS is the JV team! They’re contained. We spent like half a billion dollars on a training program that produced, what? A squad? But even if we’d turned out an actual Syrian fighting force, because of stupid campaign promises to Code Pink, heaven forbid we let our SF guys do their freaking job, and actual lead or help, because that would be “boots on the ground”, and that is so much worse than having hundreds of thousands of refugees overwhelming the western world a year later. The other day on book tour I was stuck in an airport watching CNN. I swear airports are the only place that play CNN anymore (and before anybody bitches at me about bias, I’m not a FOX news guy either. I cancelled cable years ago). I caught Obama’s speech about the Keystone Pipeline, and it was just asinine. The whole thing was bullshit. He talked about the lowered energy costs, as if that was his doing, and not because of North Dakota, and Saudi Arabia going all bargain basement to try and stop them. Hang on… Isn’t this the same administration that is always bitching about the evils of fracking. Yeah, heaven forbid we be energy independent. Because if you think things suck now, just wait until the house of Saud collapses, and the same militant asshole extremist JV team that we’ve contained so well rolls in there. But don’t worry, before that we’ve got a nuclear deal with Iran that will surely result in Peace in Our Time. But that’s us. Europe has been following the liberal, progressive, pseudo-socialist path a lot longer than we have. Instead of doing little things that make sense all along, they’ll let the problem get really big and stupid, and then it is guillotines, gulags, and cattle cars. There’s a lot of really pissed off Europeans right now, and over the centuries we’ve got plenty of examples of what masses of pissed off Europeans do when pushed. The death cultists are totally cool with that, because they truly believe they’re going to win the apocalypse. The only long term problems liberals can fixate on are imaginary ones that allow them to make the government more intrusive for regular law abiding citizens. So I expect everything to get far stupider from here on out. For the super isolationist types of the Perhaps if We’re Nice They’ll Go Away school of foreign diplomacy, too late now. We’re dealing with a group of people who literally think they’re helping bring about the apocalypse, and that’s a good thing. Our leadership is made up of petulant children more worried about poop swastikas that may or may not have existed, than actual killers who believe in real oppression. Solution? Beats the hell out of me. It certainly isn’t whatever it is we’ve been doing. The ball is now in Europe’s court. America’s bipolar leadership has abdicated responsibility. Europe can either decide it is in it to win it, and fight like their survival is at stake, or keep doing their thing. The extremists are happy to die, and they consider everybody on their side expendable. My guess? Retaliation. Our warriors will do what they’re awesome at, and kill a whole bunch of assholes. Depending on how hard and fast we, or in this case the French, do it, that will stop a whole bunch of other attacks. However, innocent people will die as has happened in every war in human history, which will cause liberals to flip out, which will cause the west to go all half-hearted and stupidly forward. So nothing will get fixed. The west will go back to the next imaginary issue that allows liberals to be control freaks. The security apparatus will then go back to being an ever tightening ratchet against the wrong people. We’ll repeat this cycle until the west collapses, or one particular brand of religious philosophy is utterly annihilated forever.Police used batons and tear gas to disperse the 500-strong crowd from outside the Amethi palace. A long-standing property dispute between the erstwhile Amethi royal, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, and his former wife, Garima Singh, turned ugly today, as her supporters clashed with the police. A constable died when supporters of Garima Singh opened fire at the police.Earlier, the police used batons and tear gas in a bid to disperse the 500-strong crowd from outside the royal palace. Two media persons had been injured in the lathi charge.Tensions have been on the rise since Garima Singh and her three children -- Anant, Mahima and Shaivya - moved into the royal palace a few months ago.Mr Singh, who has stayed away from Amethi, is slated to arrive today. After the news spread, Garima Singh's supporters gathered outside the palace.WWE is the biggest game in town when it comes to Sports Entertainment, evident by the fact that they just got me to type that phrase instead of “pro wrestling." Unlike the four major sports that they aspire to share some mind space with, WWE doesn’t exactly have a draft to pull talent from. Gone are the days where big names would switch companies between WCW, WWE and ECW. Most talent is brought up through their own farm system; the Performance Center down in Orlando, and WWE’s version of an indie federation in NXT. Other times, they pluck an “attraction” out of obscurity in hopes that the crowd will get behind them. The thing about breaking out a new star or giving a seasoned name a push is that a vast amount of time and money goes into the endeavor, and, more often than not, the first attempt just doesn’t quite pan out. Everything leading up to a performer's reveal is carefully planned and calculated. There are video packages to produce, there is live airtime to consider, t-shirts and other merchandise to create. In all, just breaking one potential star could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, even more if that performer is kept around to flounder. So who are the worst of the worst? Who are the “superstars” that Vince McMahon saw the most potential in and decided to force down our throats like so much Tussin? Well, whether they were groomed from the get go or plucked for another avenue of entertainment, here are 10 recent performers who had a huge buildup, but for some reason or another couldn’t quite deliver on their potential, and may have cost the company way more than they were worth in the end. Continue scrolling to keep reading Click the button below to start this article in quick view 8.6K Shares Share Tweet Email Copy Link Copied 10 10: Snitsky Starting off the proceedings is Gene Snitsky. It almost seems unfair to call him a bust since his lack of draw wasn’t exactly his fault. His downfall can actually be placed squarely on the shoulders of the creative team. He made his debut in a no-DQ match with Kane on RAW. The goal of the match was to make Snitsky a heel, and in turn make Kane a face. How did they pull that off? By having Snitsky inadvertently cause a miscarriage by knocking Kane into his on-screen girlfriend, Lita. This got Snitsky immediate heat from the crowd, and never one to pass up the quick money, WWE kept Snitsky around to feud with Kane. The original plan was for him to go back and work on his in-ring ability and appear on TV sometime down the line. Problem was, Snitsky couldn’t wrestle all that well. He wasn’t great on the mic either. They were building him as an unstoppable force when he came off like a clumsy kid with a deviated septum. He was placed in awkward moment after another for four years before finally being released. Had WWE stuck to the plan, who knows what could have happened with Snitsky. Let’s just all be glad he’s not going into any more detail about his foot fetish. 9 9: Kharma Poor Kharma just couldn’t get her thing going in WWE. After reigning supreme in the TNA Knockouts division, it was revealed that Awesome Kong, as she was then known, had signed to WWE. After weeks of vignettes, and an eventual name change to Kharma, she made her debut at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view in May of 2011. Kharma would appear at events, attack any Divas in her vicinity, and leave. All of this building up to an eventual confrontation with then champion, Kelly Kelly. Less than a month after her arrival, she announced her pregnancy, and that she would be leaving the company. Even then, she was featured as a playable character in the video game WWE ’12, so it seemed like she would be accepted back into the fold. She even made a huge return during the 2012 Royal Rumble match, making her only the third woman to compete in the event. On the flipside, that was technically her only official match in WWE. She was released from her contract just a short time later amid rumors of being in bad ring shape, and difficult to work with backstage. Months of build, two years under contract, and only one match. 8 8: Mr. Kennedy imageevent.com Ken Kennedy is one of those rare cases where everything was going well for him right until it wasn’t. He had good mic work, good ring work, and was even given a starring role in the movie Behind Enemy Lines: Columbia, which was produced by WWE Films. Kennedy just had the unfortunate luck of having his rise in popularity run parallel to performers that WWE had more stock in. You could say he had a back and forth with Jeff Hardy, but he barely won any of their matches. He had his Money in the Bank briefcase taken from him and given to Edge. Then, when he finally made his return after time off to film Behind Enemy Lines: Columbia, he was released just four days later. 7 7: Scott Steiner de.wwe.com In a true “what the hell were they thinking” move, WWE signed former tag team champion and constant headache Scott Steiner to a contract in 2002. Scott Steiner had an impressive career up to that point, and his name could still put plenty of butts in seats, but not for the right reasons. It was as if WWE had not seen his last few years in WCW. Steiner was a man unhinged. On the mic he was a FCC risk, and his in-ring skills had diminished so much that his matches looked like a series of belly-to-belly suplex gifs. It didn’t help that his physique was a constant reminder of potential steroid use in WWE. The company cut ties with Steiner a year before his contract was up. 6 6: Chris Masters Chris Masters was a quintessential “Vince Guy” in terms of look. His in-ring ability was ok for his size, but alas, The Masterpiece was doomed to gimmick-land for his entire run with the company. It was all thanks to his “Master Lock”. The move wasn’t even a glorified full-nelson - it was just a regular full-nelson, but it was sold with such arrogance and smarm that it made for fun stories. Holding a “Master Lock Challenge” every week to see who could make it out of his signature move, he was able to work his way into some high profile feuds with the likes of The Big Show and John Cena. That’s when it all went downhill. For as much build as he was getting as an unbeatable heel, he wrestled less and less as time went on. After some injury issues, he was relegated to popping his pecs to music at whatever special guest host was on RAW that week. After being suspended for violating the WWE wellness policy for a second time, he was let go in 2007 5 5: Vladimir Kozlov Yet another casualty of the creative team deciding to “declaw” a monster, Vladimir Kozlov was portrayed at a Russian wreaking machine and for a while it worked. He was moved between the different WWE brands for three years or so, usually to strong reception as a heel. His feuds were never at the top of the card, but he made for a strong villain. That was until someone had the bright idea to make him a good guy. Even worse, someone thought that he should be teamed with resident goofball, Santino Marella. While the pairing made for some fun comedic moments, it pretty much killed any validity the Kozlov character had left. He and Santino did their “Big Man & Spunky” bit for another year until Kozlov had his foot broken in a match with Mark Henry in 2011. He was released from his contract later that day. 4 4: Bobby Lashley On paper Lashley was perfect. He had a collegiate wrestling pedigree, he had a great athletic look, and he was good in the ring. His problem was he was about as interesting to watch as real time weather updates in Seattle. Lashley was given all kinds of pushes. He won the U.S. Championship and the ECW Championship. He made it to the finals of the King of the Ring tournament in 2006. In the middle of all this, Lashley was given the “honor” of being the first person to win the Master Lock Challenge by Chris Masters. He was also given a storyline with WWE CEO, Vince McMahon where they had a street fight and Lashley defeated his boss for the ECW title. If that’s not a personal investment, then I don’t know what is. Still, no one cared all that much, and after a series of injuries in 2008, he was released from his contract and went on to pursue a MMA career. 3 3: Nathan Jones Nathan Jones is further proof that just because a guy is an actual badass, that does not mean that they should play the part of one in a wrestling ring. The Australian actor and power lifter was given some of the best pre-match video packages in the company’s history. A series of interviews were dedicated to his near-decade-long prison term in Austrailia’s Boggo Road Gaol, a maximum security prison. He was even made to be a protégé of WWE elder statesman, The Undertaker. Problem was, the big man couldn’t wrestle. His in-ring ability could be compared to watching someone on roller skates navigating an obstacle course during an earthquake. He was awkward, and given his size, somehow gangly-looking while performing. His scheduled match at Wrestlemania XIX was audibled once higher-ups realized his skills weren’t up to par, and his tag team role with The Undertaker was relegated to assistive interference. He was eventually given the “fake injury” treatment to train more, but upon his return several months later he wasn’t much better. Jones abruptly quit the company while they were touring his native Australia in 2003, claiming that he didn’t like the rigorous travel required of the company. Wrestling fans the world over thanked him for it. 2 2: Carlito A classic case of wasted potential. Carlito is one of the few stars on this list who not only stuck around for a good while, but had moderate success. So what makes him a bust? He was plum lazy. Carlito was gifted in the ring and on the mic, he had charisma, and for a time, his own segment/TV show with Carlito’s Cabana. For all that was given to him, he felt he could coast on his famous lineage and natural talent. Both of which rubbed people backstage the wrong way. He reportedly had issues backstage and on more than one occasion wanted to quit altogether, only to be talked into sticking around by Vince McMahon himself. He had good storylines and even had a “who’s a better bad guy” feud with Ric Flair, but he refused to shape up.
Black opening us, and once again sitting in front of the Senate parliamentarian who I looked to for guidance for so many years." Speaking of retired parliamentarian Alan Frumin, Biden recalled the importance of the position in providing guidance to new senators as they preside. "Having been No. 100 in seniority, I remember how I realized I would be absolutely, totally lost were it not for the fact that this gentleman here to my right, sitting in front of me, telling me exactly what to do when I presided, and even then I got some of it wrong," Biden said. Of course, the current vice president and Kennedy were friends and allies, and Biden recalled a familiar story about the influence Kennedy had on his very first election to the Senate. And Biden left the audience at the outdoor ceremony that preceded the chamber dedication with what might be best described as an unexpected visual image. "He introduced me to other senators who I had never met. I'm the first United States senator other than him I ever knew, and so it was new," Biden said. "In the Senate gym, like in a YMCA they, the men, walk around between the shower and the stalls with nothing on." Kennedy, Biden said, introduced him to the likes of Jacob K. Javits of New York and Jennings Randolph of West Virginia — in the nude. "I felt guilty I was fully clothed," Biden said. Perhaps appropriately since President Barack Obama served in the Senate for less than one term, vaulting from politics in Illinois to the presidency with only a brief stopover in the real chamber, he paid only a brief visit to the chamber facsimile. He walked in before the start of the more formal proceedings, and spoke briefly to students gathered on the floor, actually introducing them to Black before the opening prayer. But Obama too was in a mood to reminisce, particularly about the role of the institute's namesake Kennedy brother. "Any of us who have had the privilege to serve in the Senate know that it’s impossible not to share Ted’s awe for the history swirling around you — an awe instilled in him by his brother, Jack. Ted waited more than a year to deliver his first speech on the Senate floor. That's no longer the custom," Obama said. "It's good to see Trent [Lott] and Tom Daschle here, because they remember what customs were like back then." The two former majority leaders, a Republican from Mississippi and Democrat from South Dakota, serve on the board of directors for the institute, and both spoke before Obama Monday morning. Daschle even spent the mock chamber ceremony seated in the Democratic leader's chair that he occupied in Washington until losing his seat to Republican Sen. John Thune in 2004. Both men offered introductory remarks, with Lott recalling how he got on board with the project as soon as he heard what Kennedy's vision had been. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., remembered her first meeting with Kennedy in Boston, about one of her research specialties as a professor: bankruptcy law and its effect on more vulnerable populations. Warren was interested in trying to help individual bankruptcy filers, not a group likely to have much lobbying clout. "They were miserable and so humiliated they probably wouldn't have shown up for a political rally if they'd been invited," Warren said. But after a meeting between Warren and Kennedy in Boston, Kennedy agreed to take the case in a battle against credit card companies over bankruptcy protections, even if it would prove ill-fated. Warren said it was only after that meeting that she became particularly interested in the political business. When Kennedy agreed to vote with Warren's side, against easing bankruptcy protections, Warren said she asked Kennedy for more leadership. It was just the kind of issue that was bread-and-butter for the liberal lion, a fight that he could wage in spite of lobbyist pressures or prevailing winds. "He looked over at that big satchel of papers that he always carried, the satchel full of a zillion other commitments that he had already made. A zillion other fights that he had already agreed to fight. He looked at it and looked back at me, looked again, and then he just said: 'I'll do it,'" Warren said. "He kept his word, and he led that fight for 10 years. I left his office, and I went out to the elevator bank, and put my head against the wall, and I cried. Sen. Kennedy changed my life that day." Related: Even Senators Are Awestruck by Ted Kennedy’s Senate Chamber The 114th: CQ Roll Call's Guide to the New Congress Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call in your inbox or on your iPhone.Alex Wong via Getty Images Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) speaks at a session. The veteran lawmaker said all those responsible for the water crisis, including Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, should be tried and arrested. WASHINGTON -- Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) said Wednesday that Congress needs to ensure that everyone at fault in the Flint water crisis answers for their crimes. “We need to make sure that those responsible for this thing meet the accountability standard. They should be arrested. They should be tried,” Conyers said. Does that include Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder? “Sure does,” Conyers told The Huffington Post afterward. “He’s No. 1.” Conyers is the first member of Congress to publicly say that Snyder or anyone involved with the crisis should be arrested, though others have called for criminal investigations. Conyers, along with other House Democrats, signed a letter of support in February for Attorney General Loretta Lynch's announced criminal investigation into the crisis. But he has been on a tear the last 24 hours on Capitol Hill. Conyers introduced a bill to reform Michigan’s emergency manager laws on Thursday morning, met with families from Flint on the Hill later Thursday for Snyder’s testimony in front of Congress and held a press conference Friday with Rev. Al Sharpton to formally introduce the bill. Conyers said he's just getting started. Congress needs to hold more hearings, he said, not only about Flint but also about lead poisoning throughout the United States. “We don’t want to act like we’ve done just this one where tragedy has struck already. There is lead and other contaminants in our water supplies that are being examined for the very first time,” Conyers said. “It’s in that spirit I come to this issue. We need more enforcement, more oversight and more concern. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) wouldn’t completely back Conyers' remarks, but he said that a criminal investigation should look at every individual involved in the water catastrophe, including the governor. “If they determine the facts support prosecution, they should go with the fullest extent of the law,” Kildee said. Conyers, however, stuck to his guns about Snyder needing to be behind bars.The rumors are true! I have started playing Skyrim again. I was already late to the party when I finally got it, but I ended up putting it down for a bit, but picked it up Friday and COULD NOT STOP PLAYING IT. I am pretty bad at it, but so far I’ve had a lot of fun running around setting things on fire including Lydia (may she rest in peace). In other news over on the Nameless PCs Facebook page, we have crossed over 250 likes! HUZZAH! I’m really excited about this and I figure I should do a give away. So, I am giving away a free drawing of anything you like (within reason). All you have to do is go to the Nameless PCs page and either share or like today’s comic, do both and get a bonus entry, and I will announce the winner on Thursday on the Facebook page. Also, if we get over 275 likes I’ll pick another winner, and I’ll keep picking winners for every 25 more (i.e. 3 winners at 300, 4 at 325, etc.). So tell your friends and thank you so much for supporting this comic. It means a lot to me and I’m thankful every time I get a like or a comment or a Retweet or anything. You all are awesome. Have a most excellent week! Thanks, WesleyVeteran forward Rasheed Wallace has informed the New York Knicks that he will come out of retirement to play for the team this season, according to a league source. Wallace first worked out for the Knicks last Saturday and had been contemplating a return in recent days. The 15-year veteran retired after the 2009-10 season, which he spent with the Boston Celtics. Wallace has not yet signed a deal, according to a team source. But the Knicks expect him at training camp, barring something unforeseen between now and the first day of camp Tuesday. Wallace took a physical with the team late last week and has been working out at the Knicks' facility for most of the last week. The New York Post reported on Saturday that Wallace would join the team on Monday. The 38-year-old Wallace has ties to the Knicks. He played under Mike Woodson in Detroit. Woodson was an assistant under Larry Brown when the Pistons won the 2004 NBA title and was considered one of the main architects of Detroit's stingy defense. Bill Strickland, Wallace's longtime agent, would not comment on his client's decision, out of respect for Wallace's privacy. But Strickland called Wallace's relationship with Woodson a "positive" one on Friday. Wallace, a 15-year veteran, spent the bulk of his career with Portland and Detroit. He retired after a run to the 2010 NBA Finals with the Celtics, leaving nearly $12 million in guaranteed money on the table. According to reports, Wallace was out of shape early in his season with Boston, but seemed to get into form as the year continued.NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — An investigation is underway in Brooklyn after a construction crew unearthed skeletal remains at a dig site near a psychiatric hospital. Workers were doing sewer repair work at the East Flatbush construction site when they found a skull, arm and leg bones 13 feet below the surface Monday afternoon, police said. The city medical examiner later confirmed the remains found at the Clarkson Avenue site belonged to a human. Authorities do not know how long the bones had been there. “Right now we think this is a disinterment of a burial,” Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said, adding foul play is not suspected. “This looks like they’re old bones but we’ll go forward through forensic anthropology.” The construction site is near the Kingsboro Psychiatric Center. Police continue to investigate. (© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Monday that a group of Virginia Republican lawmakers appealing over a court-ordered redistricting plan didn't have the legal standing to bring their case. This ends a long argument over redrawing Virginia's third congressional district without implying that incumbent lawmakers have the right to a fair shot at reelection. The case, Wittman v. Personhuballah, dealt with the argument around Virginia's 3rd congressional district, redrawn as part of the state's redistricting in 2012. The new boundaries drawn by the state legislature slightly increased the share of black voters in the district, which is heavily Democratic, from 53 percent to 56 percent. A federal trial court ruled that this was racial gerrymandering — that the Republican-dominated state legislature was drawing boundaries based on voters' races, which isn't allowed, rather than for other, permitted purposes, such as protecting incumbents. And after the Virginia legislature couldn't agree on how to redraw the district, the court did it for them. But in the process, the court turned a Republican-dominated neighboring district into a Democratic-leaning one. Eight Republican members of Congress sued, arguing that the court shouldn't have redrawn the district because the version from the 2012 was constitutional. But it wasn't clear if they had the right to sue. The state, now governed by a Democrat, isn't defending its original redistricting plan, and Rep. Bobby Scott, who represents the redrawn district, didn't sue. One of the members of Congress represented a district near the redrawn district that went from a safe seat to an uphill battle for Republicans after the court redrew the boundaries. So the Supreme Court case, nominally about the boundaries of a Virginia district, raised another question: Should a politician get to sue over a redistricting plan that makes it harder for him to get reelected? The Court decided unanimously that none of the Republican members of Congress challenging the Virginia district have the standing to do so, because they can't prove that the new boundaries actually harmed them. The decision means the court-drawn boundaries of Virginia's third district stand. Watch: Gerrymandering, explainedIn a strange fashion, the whole world’s attention is now focused on China’s stock market—an unlikely event given China’s tensions with other countries over the South China Sea. While different pundits offer different opinions about China’s recent stock market correction, one thing is clear: this problem is getting very serious and it will have political consequences. Why did the market drop so much so quickly? There are many likely reasons, including technical, economic, psychological, and political ones. It is too early to declare the death of China’s bull market, however, as the Chinese government still has many tools in its toolbox to fix the market and strengthen investors’ confidence. In a way, the market crash is insignificant if we focus on the real economy in China. The problem, reflected by this ongoing stock market crash, is twofold. First, the fundamental question is what is the real role of the stock market in China’s economics and politics? There is the Western stock market, and there is the Chinese stock market. The two are actually different in many fundamental ways. In China, the stock market is not merely a tool for reallocating valuable resources to help firms create and expand; it is first and foremost a tool of government legitimacy building. In that sense, the stock market is a tool for the government to maintain economic growth, which is a key foundation of the government’s legitimacy. In recent years, however, because of the lack of institutional oversight, China’s stock market has also become an ATM for the country’s rich and powerful interest groups to transfer wealth from ordinary Chinese people to their own pockets. Corruption is a deep problem in all of this. Rarely has any Chinese company received serious punishment for faking data and bribing officials within China’s Securities Regulatory Commission. If this is allowed to continue, then there is little hope for China’s stock market to play a healthy and effective role in channeling money to firms that really need it. The second problem is the appropriate role of government in China’s economic development. Right now, a huge problem for the Chinese government is whether or not to intervene in the market and determining precisely how much intervention is enough to be effective. There is no question that the stock market at its previous high was a bubble, but, to a certain degree, a bubble is tolerable for a stock market like China’s. To burst the bubble to prevent an even bigger bubble in the future might sound like a smart idea, but can authorities control the pace and the inevitable bursting without hurting investors’ confidence? Already we are witnessing a panicked feeling among Chinese investors and this could spread to China’s economic reforms, including President Xi Jinping’s political reforms. The right lesson to be learned here is to not overestimate the power of government intervention. It was a bad idea for the government to prop up the stock market in the first place; it is a even worse idea to think that the government could control the pace of stock market development and decline. The economic and political consequences of the ongoing stock market drama are still uncertain. This is not the end of China’s bull market and it is certainly not the end of China’s economic reforms. Nonetheless, there are many valuable lessons to be learned here by the Chinese government, retail investors, regulatory authorities, and other countries as well. No country can escape financial crisis (as the United States is well aware). China will not be an exception. In this sense we do not need to overreact to a normal crisis. What is important is to develop sound institutional oversight to make sure a financial crisis does not turn into a broader and systemic economic crisis or even a political one. China simply cannot afford one like that. If the Chinese government cannot draw the right lessons from this mini crisis, then the China dream might also drop like the stock market now.The construction sector is booming and demand for new property is being met. That statement refers to the commercial property sector. It does not apply to the housing side of the industry, which is malfunctioning badly. That, in turn, is creating difficulties and distress for a growing share of the population. The construction sector is booming and demand for new property is being met. That statement refers to the commercial property sector. It does not apply to the housing side of the industry, which is malfunctioning badly. That, in turn, is creating difficulties and distress for a growing share of the population. It is for this very reason that this newspaper is beginning a series on the national housing shortage and related issues. Let's start with the obvious: too few houses are being built. Everyone, on every side of the debate is agreed on that. But there the consensus ends. To get to the nub of why the supply of new homes, though rising, is far below the numbers needed, it is instructive to compare the two parts of the building/development business - residential and commercial (although there is a difference between construction companies and developers, for simplicity's sake I refer to them both here as builders). Consider first the well-functioning side of the sector. When the economy began to recover, prices of commercial property - offices, hotels and the like - began to rise. That made it more profitable to build, and so building happened. Today, construction companies are meeting demand for non-residential buildings, and the supply of new property they are putting on the market has cooled price increases. Both prices and rents for all kinds of commercial property remain below peak levels of a decade ago, according to figures compiled by property company Jones Lang LaSalle. House prices relatively low Dublin’s Docklands: commercial construction has taken off with gusto in the area with cranes in abundance. Photo: Arthur Carron The big question now is why the same is not happening in the residential property market. Before trying to answer that question and discussing what can be done to increase the supply of new homes, let's narrow the focus to where the problem is most acute. There is a lot of talk about rising house prices. Though an issue, it is important to say that they are still far below peak everywhere and they are well below peak in terms of average incomes. A recent study by Davy stockbrokers showed that even Dublin house prices, relative to incomes, are much lower than in many parts of the UK. This is important because it shows there is not a bubble in prices (rising prices now are being caused by a lack of supply, not the sort of crazy bank lending that causes bubbles). Fears that the crash of a decade ago is about to be repeated are wrong and should be discounted, not least because they complicate discussion of an already complicated housing market picture and serve as a distraction from the central issue of boosting supply. While there are serious issues around getting on the property ladder as a buyer, the problems are much worse for renters (there is, admittedly, some connection between the two in so far as people who want to buy, but don't have the wherewithal to do so, are adding to demand for rented accommodation). Rents above Tiger-era peaks In contrast to prices, rents are well above Tiger-era peaks in a growing number of places and rising faster. This is the main cause of worry and hardship for renters, would-be renters and the homeless. So, let's pause for breath and recap: too few homes are being built and the biggest problem by far is in the rental sector. If that much is clear, why is an industry that could build too many homes a decade ago now be building too few? As is often the case in big social, economic and political conversations, the debate has broken on largely ideological and interest group lines. One side blames too much interference by the State, claiming that if the Government got off builders' backs they would deliver much needed new homes; the other side blames too little state intervention and says that the market has consistently failed to get the provision of housing right. Voices blaming the Government come mostly from the building industry and associated interests. They say that up to 45pc of the final price of homes goes to the Government in taxes and charges. That, given the other costs of building - including land, labour, materials and interest on borrowings - means that they can't turn a profit. They are, they say, better off building commercial property, if they build at all. Read more: The red-tape factor Another charge the industry makes is that the State further hinders homebuilding by heaping regulations on builders. These come in two forms. The first, which add directly to costs, are obligations such as the inclusion of underground car parking spaces for all new-build apartments. The second is red tape, which delays getting construction projects up and running. Just this week, the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland published a lengthy list of complaints in this regard. At the other end of the spectrum, many commentators and analysts see builders as the villains of the piece. They are hoarding land and refusing to build, this line of reasoning goes, because they are orchestrating ever-higher prices so that they make higher profits in the future. The disaster of the property crash shows that the housing market never works in Ireland and that the State must roll up its sleeves and start building. Both sides have good and bad points. Of the latter, red tape and conspiracy theories are the most obvious. While planning delays are an issue, a 2011 study by the OECD shows that Ireland was average among peer countries when it comes to the time it takes to get planning permission. Staff shortages in planning offices have stretched that time lag in recent years, but if planning were such a problem, the commercial side of the businesses would not be booming as it is. As for the notion that greedy builders are conspiring to hike prices even further, it just doesn't stack. Getting a group of people as large, disparate and avaricious as homebuilders to agree to anything would be hard enough. Getting them to stick to a secret deal in which they postpone making money would be harder than herding cats. It should be added that the usual suspects will always blame business folk for society's ills - builders were too greedy when they oversupplied homes in the past and they are too greedy now because they are not supplying enough. The State's role But that is not to say there is not a role for the State to use a stick to get builders to build. The tax system, if well designed, can make markets work more efficiently. Taxing land based on its value does exactly that, by, for instance, disincentivising the use of hugely valuable sites in the middle of cities for parking buses. The Government that came to power in 2011 in the midst of crisis and with a thumping majority had a golden opportunity to put such a system in place. It didn't take it. It meekly announced that a vacant-site tax would be imposed, but not until 2019, and the proposal is riddled with loopholes. Hitting owners of zoned land harder and sooner, as is being mooted for Budget 2018, would work as a stick to move owners to build on their land, or else sell to someone who will. It would also show that the Government isn't in thrall to the construction sector once again. That will be important politically if the Government decides to offer carrots to the industry - while the anti-capitalist brigade will shriek at any incentive for any sector, plenty of saner people are rightly suspicious of tax breaks for builders given their inglorious history. That is why a temporary reduction in VAT on new build sales, as proposed by Fianna Fáil, was not met with much enthusiasm. But it is an idea that should not be ruled out. There are almost 50,000 registered construction businesses in Ireland. If they were building one house each, there would not be a housing shortage. They are clearly not doing so. Low or no profits because of high costs is a part of the problem, although exactly to what extent is hotly contested. The case for a VAT break Officials in the Department of Housing are currently slaving on a detailed study looking at the matter. If it is found that all-in construction costs make building unprofitable even at today's rebounding prices, then there will be a strong case to cut the Government's take, either via reducing development levies or the sort of VAT break that was given to the hospitality sector (and switching that tax break from hospitality, which is booming and should no longer have it, to the building industry would cover the cost). Read more: It should be added, and in spite of what Fianna Fáil has claimed, such a VAT break would not bring down the price of homes, but it would help to make building worthwhile for many operators who are now at the margin, thus help to address the supply problem. While the issue of building costs is the central issue, there are many other aspects to the housing debate. Not all of them can be discussed in one article. Let me touch on two to conclude: the banks and social housing. A big reason for the lack of building is too little and too costly bank lending to small and medium-sized builders. This is the price being paid for a far too timid approach by the Government in the past to forcing the banks to clean up their act. Irish banks still have one of the highest-in-Europe levels of bad loans on their books. Lots of bad loans always means fewer new loans. That won't change overnight and it will continue to inhibit housebuilding. As regards social housing, there are many aspects to public provision of homes, many of which are neither analysed nor discussed in the debate. Suffice it to say here, that social housing, even if ramped up radically, would address only a small part of the undersupply problem. When asked by a voter about rising rents and prices last Monday, this is what one politician said: "A shortage of housing and exploding prices have led to the fact that well-to-do people can't even afford rent and those on smaller incomes have no chance at all… we have to invest in housing construction and we need more subsidised housing, so that affordable housing is created." The politician in question was Germany's Martin Schulz who was speaking on his country's undersupply of homes. The point of citing him here is to show that housing, like health, is hard to get right and is a contentious matter in most countries, as anyone who listens in to political debate in our nearest neighbour knows. Cold comfort though it may be, but Ireland is not alone in having serious housing problems. No comfort at all is that, given the scale of Ireland's problems and the time lags involved in building homes, it will remain a problem for years to come. @danobrien20 Indo ReviewA's approach architect about building new ballpark in Oakland Effort begins after Coliseum lease OKd The Oakland A's have begun talks with an architect to build a baseball-only stadium at the Coliseum site, A's owner Lew Wolff said Wednesday. "I've always loved Oakland. I love our fans. But we need a new venue," he said. "We're going to make our sincerest effort to do that." Wolff's comments came on the heels of the Oakland Coliseum board unanimously ratifying a 10-year contract with the team, which keeps them in Oakland at least through the 2018 season. Appearing with Oakland and Alameda County leaders at the Coliseum offices, Wolff said he was relieved to get the contract signed after 15 months of often tense negotiations and was looking forward to building the team a new stadium. The Coliseum board "has been our landlord for almost 50 years. This lease is very important to us," he said. "It was a little more confusing than we thought it would be, but at the end of the day, we're all in the same family.... Now we've got a winning streak in Major League Baseball as well as with the (Coliseum board)." The ratification followed months of debate between the Oakland City Council, Alameda County Board of Supervisors, the Coliseum board and A's leaders over the details of the lease, on topics ranging from a new scoreboard to the impact on the Oakland Raiders to the A's ability to build a new stadium. A's owner Lew Wolff says the team needs a new venue. A's owner Lew Wolff says the team needs a new venue. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close A's approach architect about building new ballpark in Oakland 1 / 12 Back to Gallery Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley was elated to finally get the contract signed. "This is extremely important and gratifying for the City of Oakland, Alameda County and the entire region," he said. "It's just fantastic. It symbolizes our mutual respect and desire to work together." Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, City Council members Rebecca Kaplan, Larry Reid and Noel Gallo, as well as Wolff and the rest of the Coliseum board, signed baseballs and a wooden bat to celebrate. "It's been a long, frustrating 15 months," said Reid, who sits on the Coliseum board. "Now we can begin talking about building a new stadium."With Betsy DeVos just confirmed as the new Secretary of Education, it's worth taking a look back at the events that led the creation of this cabinet-level department. Public education (including federal involvement in public education) was a thing in the United States for a couple hundred years before 1979, when Congress narrowly approved the cleaving of a new Department of Education (DoED) out of the already existing Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. But the newly created federal bureaucracy was more of a favor to a large and powerful special interest group on behalf of a beleaguered president than a necessary reorganization to allow the federal government to "meet its responsibilities in education more effectively, more efficiently, and more responsively," as then-President Jimmy Carter put it. Upon signing the Department of Education Organization Act Statement in October 1979, Carter said: Primary responsibility for education should rest with those States, localities, and private institutions that have made our Nation's educational system the best in the world, but the Federal Government has for too long failed to play its own supporting role in education as effectively as it could. Instead of assisting school officials at the local level, it has too often added to their burden. Instead of setting a strong administrative model, the Federal structure has contributed to bureaucratic buck passing. Instead of simulating needed debate of educational issues, the Federal Government has confused its role of junior partner in American education with that of silent partner. Essentially, Carter's argument—similar to the argument President George W. Bush used to create the bloated, expensive, and ineffective Department of Homeland Security—is that because of all the "bureaucratic buck passing," a new bureaucracy must be created. Creating the DoED was Carter's fulfillment of a 1976 presidential campaign promise, when he earned the endorsement of the largest labor union in the United States—the National Education Association (NEA). As the Washington Post reported in 1980: The NEA gave its first presidential endorsement ever in 1976, when Walter Mondale promised them, at an NEA annual meeting, that the Carter administration would form an education department. At the 1976 Democratic National Convention, more delegates — 180 — belonged to the NEA than any other group of any kind. They've endorsed Carter for 1980, and were a major force in getting delegates to the Iowa caucuses... Is the department, then, a creature of the NEA? "That's true," says NEA executive director Terry Herndon. "There'd be no department without the NEA." By the time the bill calling for the creation of the DoED had been passed in Congress, President Carter's approval rating was at its nadir—below 30 percent—in large part thanks to an international oil and energy crisis contributing to a tanking economy and a national "crisis of confidence." A study of the DoED's creation by Georgia State University found that although the department "was fairly low on the list of priorities," President Carter's "Domestic Policy staff did its research, sent people to testify on behalf of the department in Congress, and hoped that their endorsement of the Department would help ensure the backing of the NEA and its members for the 1980 election." A section on the DoED in the Cato Institute's Handbook for Congress includes a passage about the lukewarm support from even congressional Democrats for creating the DoED, who were more motivated to keep a Democrat in the White House than to create a new federal bureaucracy: According to Rep. Benjamin Rosenthal (D-N.Y.), Congress went along with the plan out of ''not wanting to embarrass the president.'' Also, many members of Congress had made promises to educators in their home districts to support the new department. The Wall Street Journal reported the admission of one House Democrat: ''The idea of an Education Department is really a bad one. But it's NEA's top priority. There are school teachers in every congressional district and most of us simply don't need the aggravation of taking them on.'' Just today, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has introduced H.R. 899, a one-sentence long bill which would eliminate the Department of Education in its entirety by the end of 2018. Check back later for more Reason coverage of Massie's bill.Former Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton said President Trump Donald John TrumpREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails Trump urges North Korea to denuclearize ahead of summit Venezuela's Maduro says he fears 'bad' people around Trump MORE will not secure a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians. “[Trump] is an optimistic man and can take a good shot at it, but I don’t think the conditions exist,” he said Monday in Jerusalem, according to The Jerusalem Post. “I don’t think the two-state solution is viable anymore,” Bolton added. “It’s not a question of personality or effort, it is just undoable. ADVERTISEMENT “There has been a 70-plus year effort for the two-state solution [which has failed]. You can’t put it back together again.” Trump returned to the U.S. this weekend after his first foreign trip as president, a trek that included stops in Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Vatican. The president during his visit to Israel expressed hope for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. “Today, let us pray for that peace and for a more hopeful future across the Middle East,” he said at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. “There are those who present a false choice,” Trump added. “They say that we must choose between supporting Israel and supporting Arab and Muslim nations in the region. That is completely wrong.” Trump added that he is “personally committed to helping Israelis and Palestinians achieve a peace agreement.” “Making peace will not be easy,” he said. “We all know that. Both sides will face tough decisions. But with determination, compromise and the belief that peace is possible, Israelis and Palestinians can make a deal.”Author's Note: Hello all... again... you're all still here? Happy Labor day to all of my American readers out there! Happy Monday to the rest of you! :p I tried to promise myself that I wouldn't write a short chapter for this story, but then this chapter happened and it just felt like the perfect length. A gasp filled the room as the sole inhabitant awoke from a twisted land of dark premonitions. A sheen of cold sweat encased her body as she continued to fight for the additional air to calm her nerves. She didn't need to check to know that the bed next to her was empty, the warmth that would have been there was gone. Sliding her bare legs out of bed, she grabbed her robe that lay on the floor and glanced at the clock; 2:49am. Tying the garment around her, she crept out the bedroom door and headed to the location where she knew she could find her missing spouse. The house was unnervingly quiet at this hour and the plush carpet muted her normally boisterous footsteps to only a small whisper. Small creaks and groans could be heard as the house continued to settle and cool from the late afternoon heat they had experienced the day before. Taking the last corridor, she caught sight of her objective. As predicted, a light shone out from under the closed door of the study, but no noise could be heard from the person inside it. Gently gripping the brass door handle, she eased the door open. The room was a combination of a study and a library. When they first moved in, Weiss made it a personal priority to clean this room out for their use. After all, they had plenty of books that they had brought with them and at least one of them enjoyed having a quiet space to read. Moving carefully through the room she spied the person she was looking for. Slumped in the chair with her head resting on the desk, her midnight black tresses were strewn across the table top. "Oh, Blakey." Yang sighed softly as she stepped forward, determined to carry her wife back to bed. "You need to stop this." Every night for the last two weeks, since Blake and Weiss were released from the hospital, Yang had awoken to an empty bed. The faunus didn't seem to be able to sleep properly and could always be found back her in her study, usually reading. Stooping forward, she brushed her lips against the faunus' head, giving her a light kiss. Now leaning over, she was able to see what her wife was doing before she had passed out. Obscured by her face was a long hand-written letter that was addressed to Yang. Without pause, she walked to the other side of Blake and carefully withdrew the letter to read it's contents. My Dearest Yang, Do you remember how we got to where we are today? Do you remember how we first started on this path? Do you remember how many trials and troubles I have caused you through the years? How I fought tooth and nail to make your life difficult? Your smile always told me that you have forgiven me and forgotten about it. I have always tried to do the same, but I can't. As far back as my memories take me, you have always deserved better than me. So do you remember? I remember the first day at beacon. This beautiful blonde came up to me. She only wanted to be friends, but I couldn't be bothered with the inconvenience. I remember our trials in the forest. I was going to pass you over, but you were so sure of yourself in combat, so powerful. It was only for my benefit that I revealed myself to you in the forest and forced my burdens
is only guaranteed for a certain period of time so if the transaction doesn’t complete within that window of time, then the amount of Bitcoin needed to cover the transaction can change. The amount it can change has been increasing recently to a point where it can be significantly different.” Valve said that those price discrepancies will normally result in a refund or an additional payment from the customer when more traditional, more stable currencies are involved. But in the case of bitcoin, high transaction fees can make those resolutions costly. “At this point, it has become untenable to support Bitcoin as a payment option,” Valve said. “We may re-evaluate whether Bitcoin makes sense for us and for the Steam community at a later date.” Valve added support for Steam purchases with bitcoin in 2016 as part of a partnership with company Bitpay.A prominent Latino advocacy group launched a Spanish-language campaign ad in Virginia Tuesday, jumping into a hotly-contested race in a key swing state. The ad, produced by the Latino Victory Fund (LVF), targets Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie, tying him to President Trump Donald John TrumpREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails Trump urges North Korea to denuclearize ahead of summit Venezuela's Maduro says he fears 'bad' people around Trump MORE's immigration policies. "With one vote, we can decide Virginia’s future. And with one vote, we can say, 'no.' No to hate. No to the insults against immigrants. No to fear. No to destroyed families, and no to Donald Trump and Ed Gillespie’s efforts to divide us," says a voiceover on the ad. ADVERTISEMENT Gillespie has taken to the airwaves tying criminality to illegal immigration — and to the Democratic candidate, Virginia Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam — drawing sharp criticism from Democrats and Hispanic groups who dispute that link. Gillespie has campaigned on Trump's message, particularly when it comes to immigration and cultural issues like the preservation or removal of Confederate monuments. Most polls have Northam leading in the race, but he's failed to garner the enthusiastic national Democratic support of other post-2016 candidates. And while Latinos make up about 9 percent of Virginia's population, they're only 5 percent of eligible voters, according to the Pew Research Center. Still, the Virginia race is a test to gauge Hispanic enthusiasm in the polls amid the national debate on immigration and minority rights. "Just weeks after the racial terror in Charlottesville, Ed Gillespie has decided to follow the hate-filled rhetoric of Donald Trump, and has chosen division and hate over unity and progress, " said Cristóbal J. Alex, president of LVF. "Gillespie has chosen to attack our community with race-baiting myths and lies. It’s no wonder why Trump has voiced support for Gillespie and his efforts to demonize immigrants,” he added. The latter half of the ad turns from attacks on Gillespie and Trump to touting Northam and Hispanic Democratic candidates in the state. "But with this same vote, we can say yes. Yes to a state where everyone is welcome," says the voiceover. The ad will run on Virginia's Telemundo affiliate, first airing during halftime of the Honduras-Mexico World Cup qualifying match, which will be broadcast at 8 p.m. Tuesday. The match is expected draw a large TV audience, as it's the last game of the qualifying rounds and a Honduran victory could send that team to next year's World Cup in Russia. Mexico, whose national soccer team draws massive stadium attendance and TV audiences in the United States, has already qualified.An agreement by OPEC to cut oil production helped push oil prices, along with the loonie and the S&P/TSX Composite Index, higher on Wednesday. The price of the November contract for light sweet crude rose $2.38 to close at $47.05 US per barrel following media reports that OPEC had reached agreement to limit its output to between 32.5 million and 33.0 million barrels per day — down from the current output of 33.24 million barrels a day. Citing unnamed sources, Reuters said the members of OPEC will agree to the output reduction at its next formal meeting in November. The Canadian dollar, which is closely tied to the movements in the price of oil, rose by 0.54 of a cent to 76.28 cents US. On Bay Street, the S&P/TSX Composite Index shot up by 173.39 points to end at 14,731.43. Energy stocks led the way, with Canadian Natural Resources up almost seven per cent at $41.17 and Suncor up more than four per cent at $35.58, In the United States, the benchmark Dow 30 index finished at 18,339.24, up 110.94 points. The broader S&P 500 rose by 11.44 points to 2,171.37, while the Nasdaq composite index ended the trading day at 5,318.55, up 12.84 points. In other commodities, December gold contract fell $6.70 US to $1,323.70 US an ounce and November natural gas contracts fell five cents at $3 US per mmBtu. December copper contracts climbed two cents at $2.18 US a pound.HOT TEA ALERT! I recently got a bit of intel about the newest addition to The Real Housewives of Atlanta‘s 9th season!! It appears that after weeks of testing various ladies, producers have chosen singer R.L. (of the R&B music group ‘Next’) and his fiancée Lena Chenier for a full time spot. The couple will be spending a lot of time in front of Bravo cameras this season as they are the newest cast members slated for the popular ATL reality show and we’ll also get to see them tie the knot on the show! Details + more photos of the atest ROA ‘newbie’ below… Lena and her fiancée RL have quite a bit of ties to the show and have often appeared during events hosted at Peter Thomas’ former Bar One restaurant in Atlanta. For those of you who follow that whole Bar One debacle, RL invested a reported $10,000 Peter’s business venture and subsequently filed a lawsuit after he failed to see any type of return. I’m sure since Peter is getting a check this season (a fact he confirmed with me during our one on one Facetime last month) he’s going to be way more ornary than usual… and by that I mean Thomas is sure to be battling R.L. over his failed investment during this season, as he (Peter) attempts to bring Bar One back to life at it’s new Auburn Avenue location. Peter also has his hands full with his relationship problems, as he and Cynthia will be bumping heads about their marital strife. Meanwhile, Lena is apparently good friends with Kandi Burruss (i.e. her entry way onto the fold) and has been filming with Burruss quite a bit this summer. Lena and Kandi attended Porsha’s pool party this past weekend together and I’ve heard that Lena tested so well during her tapings that she will certainly be holding a peach this season. Lena is also the proud owner of an instagram boutique that I hear does pretty well and while there were some women who tested that had more going for them career wise, Lena’s storyline beat out others gunning for the spot since she will be planning a wedding to longtime love R.L. Yes… you read right! There will be yet another RHOA wedding. Lena and R.L. will be reportedly be getting married during season 9 and their wedding will be filmed for the show. Needless to say, weddings are always a good draw for drama and failed business investments aren’t too bad either! R.L. will certainly be throwing quite a bit of shade at Peter and perhaps the former business ‘partners’ will be finally going to court over that $10,000 investment R.L. is seeking to recover. Looks like season 9 will be interesting… Welcome to the circus Lena! What do you think of this newest addition to ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’?Get the biggest daily news stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Rib-eye steak, baked potato, lemon meringue pie and Coca-Cola; this was Oscar Ray Bolin’s last meal before he was executed in January. Oscar had spent 30 years on death row for killing three women in 1986. He protested his innocence to the very end, but a last-ditch appeal to save his life was rejected. "I did not murder these women," he told local media the day before his death. "My conscience is clear." While arguments raged about the ethics of using the lethal injection on the guilty, there was no doubt that three young female victims deserved to be remembered. They’d suffered unimaginable fear and pain during their abductions and brutal murders, and while their families fought tirelessly for more than a decade for justice, Oscar played the legal system and even got married. In January 1986, Natalie Holley, 25, was abducted one night after leaving a fried chicken restaurant in Tampa, Florida, where she worked as the manager. The next day, a jogger found her body dumped in woodland. She’d been brutally stabbed to death and the police launched a murder inquiry. (Image: Police handout) Ten months later, Stephanie Collins, 17, disappeared from a shopping centre car park. Weeks later her battered body was found in Hillsborough County, Florida. She was wrapped in sheets and had blunt force head injuries. On the very same day she was found, police discovered the body of Terri Lynn Matthews, 26, by a railway line in Pasco County, Florida. She’d been abducted the night before from a post office where her car was found with the engine still running. The post she’d collected was scattered on the ground. Terri had been beaten, raped and stabbed – and was also wrapped in sheets. With three women snatched and killed in the same way, the authorities knew there was a serial killer on the loose, but it took four years and a betrayal of trust before anyone was charged with the murders. In 1990 Police received an anonymous tip on a phone line, pointing the finger at Oscar Ray Bolin. There was no need for a manhunt – he was already in prison serving a 75-year sentence for kidnapping and raping a waitress who worked at a truck stop cafe in 1987. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now It later transpired that the call was from the new husband of Oscar’s ex-wife Cheryl – a woman Oscar had confessed all three killings to. Oscar was a former carnival worker, and long distance truck driver. There was a record of his car being near Natalie Holley’s abandoned vehicle at the time of her disappearance. Another key witness came forward and testified against him in court. Oscar’s half-brother Phillip Bolin said he’d seen him beating a woman wrapped in a sheet. Oscar had claimed it was a woman who had been shot in a drug deal gone wrong. Phillip also said he’d watched Oscar try to drown the woman with a hose and beat her with a club. That woman turned out to be Terri Matthews. Oscar’s wife Cheryl, who is now deceased, also testified against her ex-husband. Convicted In July 1991, Oscar was convicted of Natalie Holley’s murder. Three months later he was found guilty of murdering Stephanie Collins and, in 1992, guilty of murdering Terri Matthews too. He was given life, and the death sentence for Terri’s murder. (Image: Police handout) But over the next two decades, all three convictions were overturned at least twice due to legal errors, and it dragged out the suffering of the victims’ families. Oscar claimed his ex-wife’s testimony wasn’t admissible in court because their conversation was his ‘spousal privilege’ and it had been violated. There was also another convict who had confessed to the crimes before committing suicide, and a forensic officer who’d handled evidence that had been later disqualified. But despite Oscar facing 10 more juries, each one found him guilty. By 2005 he was re-convicted of all three murders and the death sentence for Terri Matthews was upheld. (Image: Police handout) Oscar managed to remain in the spotlight for decades with his legal battles and, incredibly, his love life. While in prison, Oscar started dating Rosalie Martinez, a paralegal on his defence team. Rosalie had been married to a prominent attorney when she met Oscar, but she divorced him to marry the convict on live TV in 1996 to an audience of 12 million. They remained together until his death and Rosalie insists she never thought he was guilty, and campaigns for the end of the death penalty. In January this year, Oscar filed a last-minute appeal, but it was denied. On January 7, he spent three hours with his wife then ate his last meal. Then he was taken to the room where more than 30 witnesses, including the victims’ families, were waiting out of sight. Moments before the execution, Oscar was asked if he had any last words. "No sir," he replied. At 10.16pm, he died after being administered a lethal injection. (Image: Fox 13) Terri and Stephanie’s mothers were there to see Oscar die. They’d stuck together through 10 trials – along with Natalie’s mum, who has since passed away. Their bond was like no other. They shared the pain of losing daughters and the agony of his constant denial which led to years of sitting in courtrooms. The day before Oscar died he gave an interview with Fox 13 News claiming he’d been framed. Oscar said evidence had been tampered with and planted. "I did not murder these women," he said. "My conscience is clear. Florida’s just killing me, [the families] are not getting any peace by executing me tomorrow." But the victims’ loved ones say they have found peace. They’ve expressed their relief that their ordeal is finally over, and although the punishment of death legally was just for Terri’s murder, they agreed Oscar had died "for all our girls". Oscar denied his three young victims the chance of a future so the law took away his.public_safety_oregonian_107.PNG (The Oregonian/OregonLive) A man was indicted Thursday for "masturbating vigorously" outside of New Avenues for Youth in downtown Portland on May 3. Court documents say that when a Portland police officer responded to a complaint of public indecency at the location, the officer saw Terry Lee Andreassen, 59, "with his erect penis exposed to the public." Terry Lee Andreassen When Andreassen saw the officer, he "put his penis back in his pants and began to walk away." Documents say that when the officer asked Andreassen whether or not it was appropriate to masturbate in public and why he was doing it, Andreassen told the officer that he was on meth and wanted to go back to prison, because he "f--ing hates Portland." This is not Andreassen's first time acting inappropriately in public. He has convictions for public indecency going back to at least 2001. An affidavit from a 2014 felony conviction for public indecency says that on Aug. 30 of 2014 Andreassen was observed "laying on the sidewalk on NW Couch between 1st and 2nd Ave...across from the exit of Jones Bar." The affidavit says Andreassen was observed "stroking his penis outside of his pants" and that he was "staring at several females in the bar that were standing in line." Andreassen was observed doing this for two nights in a row. Andreassen is currently booked at the Multnomah County Inverness Jail. -- Lizzy Acker 503-221-8052 [email protected], @lizzzyackerNorth Korea warns Australia over joint military exercises with US and South Korea Updated Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has hit back at "reckless" North Korea after the reclusive country described Australia's decision to participate in joint military exercises with the US and South Korea as a "suicidal act". Key points: North Korea says Australia should focus on peace, not war games Turnbull says "all countries" must help "bring North Korea to its senses" Army denies any risk to ADF members participating in war games Thousands of US and South Korean military personnel are beginning an annual military exercise, which will include Australian involvement in computer-simulated drills. In a statement dated two days ago, North Korea's official news agency said the Australian Government should be focused on maintaining the peace of its own country, instead of joining the US in moves towards nuclear war. It has described Australia's move as suicidal, inviting disaster and "an illustration of political immaturity unaware of the seriousness of the current situation". "Australia followed the US to the Korean War, the Vietnamese War and the 'war on terrorism', but heavy loss of lives and assets were all that it got in return," a translation of the editorial reads. "Countries like Australia that join the military adventure against the DPRK, blindly following the US, will never avoid the counter-measures of justice by the DPRK." Mr Turnbull responded by urging the international community to "bring North Korea to its senses". "North Korea has shown it has no regard for the welfare of its own population, no regard for the security and good relations with its neighbours and no regard for international law," he said in a statement to the ABC. "We call on all countries to redouble their efforts, including through implementation of agreed UN Security Council resolutions, to bring North Korea to its senses and end its reckless and dangerous threats to the peace of our region and the world." Deterrent against North Korean aggression Defence Minister Marise Payne told the ABC just over two dozen ADF members would take part in the annual Ulchi-Freedom Guardian war games. Chief of Army Angus Campbell last week denied there would be any risk to the Australian military personnel participating in the war games. The Ulchi-Freedom Guardian exercises are scheduled to run from August 21 to August 31 and involve tens of thousands of American and South Korean troops on the ground and in the sea and air. Both the US and South Korea have said the war games were defensive in nature and crucial to maintaining a deterrent against North Korean aggression. According to the US Department of Defence, the annual activity involves about 40,000 troops, along with civilian South Korean Government personnel who train their civil defence responses. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull last week confirmed Australia would join the US in any conflict with North Korea if it carried out its threat to fire missiles towards the strategic American territory of Guam in the Pacific. Topics: defence-and-national-security, world-politics, unrest-conflict-and-war, korea-democratic-peoples-republic-of First postedUnemployment in Greece hit a record high of 25.1 percent in July as the country's financial crisis continues to exact its heavy toll, official figures showed Thursday. All indications are that unemployment in Greece will continue to rise. The economy has shrunk by around a fifth since the recession started in 2008 and youth unemployment has pushed far above 50 percent. The economy is expected to enter a sixth year of recession next year. "This is a very dramatic result of the recession," said Angelos Tsakanikas, head of research at Greece's IOBE economic research foundation. The state statistics agency said Greece's unemployment rate rose from 24.8 percent in June. According to European statisticians, that would be the same rate as Spain's in August. The two countries have the highest unemployment rates among the 17 that use the euro. In August, eurozone unemployment stood at an average 11.4 percent, itself the highest level since the single currency was launched in 1999. Greece's statistical authority said 1.26 million Greeks were out of work in July, with more than 1,000 jobs lost every day over the past year. In the worst-affected 15-24 age group, unemployment was 54.2 percent. In July 2008, a year before Greece's acute financial crisis broke, there were only about 364,000 registered unemployed. The country's main GSEE labor union said real unemployment is above 30 percent and growing, which it blamed on "violent" government cutbacks. After losing access to international money markets and nearly defaulting on its mountain of debt, Greece has survived on international bailouts since May 2010. However, solvency comes at a harsh price: To secure and continue receiving the loans, Athens imposed tough austerity measures, slashing incomes and repeatedly increasing taxes, in an attempt to get its public finances in order. The conservative-led government is currently in negotiations with the country's creditors over another raft of austerity measures, worth €13.5 billion ($17.4 billion) over the next two years, so it can get the next batch of bailout funds. Greece has to satisfy certain periodic conditions in order to qualify for the handouts. Without the money, Greece won't be able to pay all its financial obligations and may end up defaulting on its debts and leaving the euro. The cutbacks have triggered deep resentment among a population reeling under nearly three years of austerity. GSEE and other main unions have called a new general strike and demonstration next week. "During a time when unemployment is strangling Greek society and the recession is at 7 percent, it is at least provocative that (bailout creditors are) focusing on further bleeding workers and pensioners," GSEE said in a statement. Finance Minister Yiannis Stournaras was holding talks Thursday evening with representatives of the European Union, International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank — the so-called troika. The government still hopes to have struck a deal before next week's EU summit in Brussels, officials say. The troika has to sign off the package for the release of the funds. After the late-evening talks, a senior government official said it remained unclear whether agreement on the austerity package could be reached before the Oct. 18-19 meeting in Brussels of European heads of government. The official said another sticking point was how to cover the cost of a Greek request to extend its fiscal adjustment program by two years to the end of 2016, with the price tag estimated at €12 billion ($15.5 billion). The official asked not to be named because the negotiations are ongoing. Some evidence emerged Thursday that the government's strategy is working on one front, at least. Finance Ministry figures showed that the deficit-busting effort is on track despite lower-than-anticipated revenues. The ministry said the January-September deficit was €12.64 billion, lower than the €13.5 billion target. Although revenues were €1.3 billion off target, spending was €2.2 billion less than budgeted. All three parties in Greece's governing coalition back the two-year extension, and IMF chief Christine Lagarde on Thursday said she also supports the idea. "I said repeatedly that an additional two years was necessary for the country to actually face the Fiscal Consolidation Program that is considered," Lagarde told reporters as the IMF and World Bank held annual meetings in Tokyo. But German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who in a visit to Athens on Tuesday praised Greek progress with reforms but stressed that much remains to be done, said the troika must deliver its report before any decision is made. "I do not want to comment on every single statement of which we see many during a single day," she said. "This is the base. I now wait for the troika report, then we will forge our position," she said. ___ Associated Press writer Derek Gatopoulos in Athens contributed.Employment protection and technology choice Eric Bartelsman, Pieter Gautier, Joris de Wind Why is the US more productive than the EU? Many studies have shown that the wider use of information and communication technologies in the US explains much of the difference. Why does the US use these technologies more? This column provides new evidence suggesting the answer may lie in differences in employment protection legislation. Until the mid-1990s, EU productivity had been converging towards US productivity. But since then, US productivity growth has accelerated and the US-EU gap has widened. Cross-region comparisons, including van Ark et al. (2008), show that the production and use of information and communication technologies (ICT) are much lower in the EU than in the US and that this explains much of the relative slowdown. Why has the adoption of the new ICT been much slower in the EU? Recent research in Brynjolfsson et al. (2008) and our latest paper (Bartelsman et al. 2010) provides evidence that the adoption of these new technologies is associated with an increase in the variance of firm productivity. For example, implementation of advanced business software like SAP and Oracle requires a new organisational structure and the outcome is inherently uncertain. The variance of firm productivity is therefore relatively large in sectors that intensively use ICT. For a given firm, adopting a technology with risky outcomes is attractive because the benefits can be scaled up if the outcome is good, while firms can fire workers or exit if things go poorly. Essentially, the ability to close a production unit is a real option that bounds the downward risk. The role of labour market policy One major policy difference between Europe and the US is that employment protection legislation is much stricter in Europe (Nicoletti et al. 2000). Further, between European countries there is substantial variation in legislation. We show that the employment share of risky (ICT-intensive) sectors is indeed smaller in the EU than in the US, and that, within Europe, high-protection countries have relatively smaller ICT-intensive sectors than low-protection countries. We then find that countries with strict legislation are relatively less productive. Those facts are depicted in Figure 1 and Figure 2 and are consistent with the story above that high-protection countries did not fully benefit from the new risky ICT opportunities that arose in the 1990s. Using a country-industry panel dataset (EUKLEMS), we find robust evidence that high-risk innovative sectors that intensively use ICT are relatively smaller in countries with stricter employment protection and that the effect of legislation on sectoral allocation increases with riskiness. Figure 1. Sectoral allocation and productivity in the EU versus the US Figure 2. Sectoral allocation and productivity in low-protection EU countries versus high-protection EU countries In order to explore the mechanism and to establish how much of the US-EU productivity divergence can be explained by stricter employment legislation, we develop a two-sector matching model with endogenous technology choice, i.e. firms can choose between a safe sector with stable productivity and a risky sector with productivity subject to sizable shocks. In the absence of employment protection legislation, the risky sector is relatively attractive because firms have the option to fire workers which bounds the downward risk. Introducing legislation makes it less attractive to use risky technologies, so this establishes the negative relationship between employment protection and the size of the risky sector. Legislation also results in more labour hoarding, i.e. the productivity threshold below which a worker is fired is lower if legislation is stricter. Further, the size of the effect increases as the variance of the shocks in the risky sector increases. This explains why productivity growth is lower in high-protection countries in particular when new technologies with a high variance in profitability become available. We calibrate the model using a variety of aggregate, industry, and micro-level data sources. We then simulate the model to reflect both the observed differences across countries in employment legislation and the observed increase in the variance of firm performance associated with the adoption of new ICT since the mid-nineties. The simulations produce a differential response to the arrival of risky technology between low and high-protection countries that coincides with the findings in the data. The described mechanism can explain a considerable portion of the slowdown in productivity in the EU relative to the US since the mid-nineties. Increasing employment protection in the US (around one month of production) to European levels (around seven months of production), reduces aggregate productivity by about 10%, partly through a direct reduction of average productivity within the risky sector and partly through a significant reduction of activity in the risky sector. One of the simplifying assumptions that we make is that workers are risk neutral. A natural question to ask is whether employment protection is more desirable if workers are risk averse? This is not obvious since employment protection makes the unemployment state less attractive because it increases unemployment duration and risk averse workers prefer the differences between the good and bad state to be small. In other words, it puts the burden of unemployment on a smaller group. In richer models where optimal unemployment benefits and employment protection are determined jointly, optimal legislation may well be positive. Regardless of your view of the origins of employment protection legislation, our research shows that a change over time in the type of technological opportunities available, such as using ICT in production chains, has increased the economic costs of employment protection while the benefits are not affected. References Bartelsman, Eric J, Pieter A Gautier, and Joris de Wind (2010), “Employment Protection, Technology Choice, and Worker Allocation”, CEPR Discussion Paper 7806. Brynjolfsson, E, A McAfee, M Sorell, and F Zhu (2008), “Scale without mass: business process replication and industry dynamics”, Harvard Business School Working Paper, 07–016. Nicoletti, G, S Scarpetta, and O Boylaud (2000), “Summary Indicators of Product Market Regulation with an Extension to Employment Protection Legislation”, Discussion paper, OECD, Economics Department. Van Ark, B, M O'Mahony, and M Timmer (2008), “The productivity gap between Europe and the US: trends and causes”, Journal of Economic Perspectives, 22(1):25-44.Almost every night this week, emergency services in Malmö have had to contend with young people throwing rocks, bottles, and eggs as crews ventured into Rosengård to put out fires set around the neighbourhood. Late Thursday night into Friday, several dumpsters and a communal recycling station were set ablaze. Around 40 police officers were called in before firefighters could begin putting out the fire. There were no injuries, although two young people were detained for refusing to move when instructed. Police have made significant strides recently in neutralizing some of the more influential criminals in the crowded neighbourhood. “According to our intelligence, the fires and stone throwing are directed toward us. The trigger is that we’ve succeeded in picking up five important figures from the criminal network which is ravaging the area. They are now being subject to a number of measures,” said Börje Aronsson of the Rosengård neighbourhood police force to the TT news agency. Prior to Thursday night’s fires, people have set fire to cars, as well as rubbish bins in stairwells and basements, only to launch attacks on firefighters when they arrive to extinguish the flames. In addition to firefighters, park and road workers and other contractors have also had rocks thrown at them. Aronsson attributes the violence in part to the crowded living conditions in the area as well as the social exclusion that results. “Rosengård is built for 5,400 people. But between 8,000 and 9,000 people live here. Children and young people don’t stay at home but instead are out late into the evenings and sometimes well into the middle of the night,” he said. In the most troubled section of the area, Herrgården, adult employment stands at 86 percent, leaving most of the residents dependent on social welfare payments. “That’s a catastrophic figure,” said Aronsson.Image copyright AFP Image caption Talks to try to reach a permanent agreement on Iran's nuclear programme by the end of July have begun The United States is to release frozen Iranian funds, saying Tehran has kept commitments made under an interim deal over its nuclear programme. It said $450m (£270m) would be made available in light of a report by the world's nuclear watchdog, the IAEA. On Thursday the agency said Iran had neutralised half of its higher-enriched uranium stockpile. The six-month deal saw Iran agree to scale back its nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief. World powers are concerned Iran is seeking the capability to build nuclear weapons, a charge Iran strongly denies. Talks have started on turning the temporary agreement, which came into effect in January, into a permanent one. The interim deal is due to expire on 20 July. 'Not seeking war' Iran has diluted half of its higher-grade enriched uranium stockpile, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a confidential report. This will be seen as a positive sign by the West, as it lengthens the time Iran would need to make a nuclear bomb, says the BBC's Bethany Bell in Vienna. Under the agreement, Iran agreed to limit its enrichment of uranium to no more than "low-level" 5%, stop enriching uranium to 20% and eliminate its stockpile of 20% enriched uranium. The IAEA report said Iran had so far either diluted or converted nearly three-quarters of its highly-enriched stockpile. Image copyright (C) British Broadcasting Corporation The US state department said Washington was releasing the instalment of funds - previously frozen as punishment for Iran's nuclear programme - because "all sides have kept the commitments" they signed up to. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani reiterated on Friday Iran's position that it had only peaceful intentions. "During the [nuclear] talks, we announced to the world and we say so again... we are not after war, we are after logic, we are after talks," he said in a televised address marking National Army Day. The IAEA report also said that progress in commissioning a plant for converting low-enriched uranium, part of the interim agreement, had been delayed, Reuters reported. Iran said the delay would not prevent it from fulfilling its side of the deal by the July deadline, the IAEA report noted. The IAEA, which has inspectors in Iran, issues monthly updates on whether Iran is complying with the interim deal with the so-called P5+1 - the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany. Iran and the six powers are keen to start drafting the terms of a new deal, but correspondents say they are still some way apart. The P5+1 wants Iran to agree to permanently reduce the scope of its enrichment programme and to give UN inspectors more oversight. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has backed talks with the P5+1 but warned Tehran will never give up its nuclear programme.REUTERS - Indian e-retailer Infibeam filed a draft prospectus for an initial public offering (IPO) to raise 4.5 billion rupees ($70.69 million), becoming the first of India’s ecommerce companies to list its shares on the domestic market. Infibeam’s IPO comes at a time of intense competition in India’s e-commerce sector, with high cash burn rates at industry leaders Flipkart, Snapdeal and Amazon.com’s India unit raising concerns among investors. A top Flipkart executive told Reuters in May it was not yet ready for the stock market and the resulting investor scrutiny. Launched in 2007, Infibeam runs the infibeam.com and BuildaBazaar.com websites. Last year, Sony Music bought a 26 percent stake in Indent, the company’s digital entertainment arm. The company will use the IPO proceeds for expanding business, including setting up a cloud data unit and 75 logistics centres. ($1 = 63.6600 rupees)Introduction I love all kinds of books, but I tend to gravitate towards those that have a speculative bent. This is the reason I like novels so much, the form is entirely speculative, in the sense that all novelists are creating their characters and worlds from whole cloth. But within this effort, the opportunity for imaginative exploration is unlimited. From Phillip K. Dick creating a world in which the Germans won WWII, to the more historically based Czech society under Communism of the late sixties in Milan Kundera’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Dick’s world is entirely speculative while Kundera’s is based on memory and experience, but both are the inventions of the author. Emily Barton is a writer who masterfully splits the difference. Barton's second novel Brookland, while wildly speculative, doesn’t feel that way. Brookland is the tale of three sisters in the late 18th century who run a gin mill, the eldest of whom goes on to design and build a bridge that spans the east river from Brookland to Manhattan decades before the current edifice we all know and love. Through Barton’s use of archaic English and dazzling verisimilitude you find yourself utterly convinced that this historical event happened. The story spans the years and tracks the sisters relationships, the progress of the Bridge, and citizens of Brookland in the language of the period. History breathes in this book, and you find yourself transported as you move through time. When you do step back from it, the immense effort in research of detail becomes apparent and adds another level of pleasure to the experience. When I receive a submission for The Hypothetical Library, I'm always amazed at how much can be drawn from a brief description. Barton's hypothetical entry—Golems! A Musical—arrived as a simple one page premise about the ascent (or descent) of a young Jewish man from the lower east side of 1920's Manhattan to the bright lights of Broadway, containing within it a whole structure based on duality: a boy and girl, the Yiddish theater and Broadway, being good and living the good life, hetero and homosexuality, orthodoxy and worldliness. And that's just the novel part of it. Barton doubles up again with a story inside the story, a play is embedded within the novel. Naturally this play also features doubling—two men who create two Golems to win the hearts of two girls—and examines the pairings of effort versus ease, the mystical and the earthly. In that spirit I decided to do two parts for this hypothetical book: a book cover featuring the slightly kitschy, and hilarious Broadway approach for the novel, and a more somber period-style Yiddish theater poster of the play inside the novel, Di Goylemim. With each submission to The Hypothetical Library I ask the authors, if possible, to approach other authors to provide an actual cover blurb for their hypothetical book, and this time I am very happy to say we have author Michael Chabon. He penned one of my personal favorites, The Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, so I am very excited that he provided the well-deserved praise for Ms. Barton’s hypothetical book. So with out further ado I give you Golems! A Musical/Di Goylemim. The Cover Golems! A Musical—The hypothetical flap copy Shlomi Berenfelt works as a bootblack on Second Avenue, spit-shining the wingtips of the big machers of Yiddish theater. While they smoke Cuban cigars and sip champagne, he lives in Mrs. Gold’s boarding house, eating her cabbage
be a delayed effect from the storms. Meier also said that decades ago, the melt season would slow down by the middle of August, when the sun starts setting in the Arctic. He said: In the past, we had this remaining sea ice pack that was mostly thick, old ice. But now everything is more jumbled up, which makes it less resistant to melt, so even late in the season you can get weather conditions that give it a final kick. A recently published study led by Claire Parkinson, a senior climate scientist at NASA Goddard, ranked 37 years of monthly sea ice extents in the Arctic and Antarctic. That study found that there has not been a record high in Arctic sea ice extents in any month since 1986. During that same time period, there have been 75 new record lows. Parkinson commented: When you think of the temperature records, it’s common to hear the statement that even when temperatures are increasing, you do expect a record cold here or there every once in a while. To think that in this record of Arctic sea ice that goes back to the late 1970s, since 1986 there hasn’t been a single record high in any month of the year, and yet, over that same period, there have been 75 record lows. It’s just an incredible contrast. It is definitely not just September that’s losing sea ice. The record makes it clear that the ice is not rebounding to where it used to be, even in the midst of the winter. Bottom line: Summertime sea ice in the Arctic appears to have reached a minimum on September 10, 2016. It’s tied for the second-lowest minimum in the satellite era.Last month, I published an article looking at two examples of the use of social engineering in everyday life. I’d like to continue the theme of that article by talking about three other social engineering attacks that caused great damage. Diamonds, diamonds, DIAMONDS If you’re planning on stealing USD$27.9 million worth of diamonds, then all you need is some chocolate and a smile. No, seriously. A mystery man walked into an ABN Amro bank in Belgium back in 2007 and walked out with a large amount of diamonds and other gems weighing 120,000 carats. The man, who is still at large, walked in through the front door at regular hours, skipped through all security measures and walked out with the loot. “He used one weapon — and that is his charm — to gain confidence,” Philip Claes, spokesman for the Diamond High Council, said at the time. “He bought chocolates for the personnel, he was a nice guy, he charmed them, got the original of keys to make copies and got information on where the diamonds were.” Associated Press Twitter hijack Back in 2013, the Associated Press Twitter account was taken over by the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA), which posted the following tweet. Within moments, the stock market dropped: the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 150 points as the tweet was retweeted, and the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index fell about 1%, briefly losing USD$136 billion in value before quickly rebounding. The SEA was able to gain access to the Twitter account through a phishing email sent to several Associated Press employees: From: [An AP staffer] Subject: News Hello, Please read the following article, it’s very important : http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/04/23/ [A different AP staffer] Associated Press San Diego Clearly, a well-put-together phishing email – apart from the fact that the signature is different from the sender. All it took was one AP staffer clicking the link, which didn’t actually point to the Washington Post, but a malicious site instead. RSA SecurID breach Adobe Flash and vulnerabilities go hand in hand, which is unfortunate for RSA’s SecurID. Back in 2011, RSA employees received two phishing emails, which would ultimately lead to SecurID’s two-factor authentication system being compromised – costing RSA $66 million. RSA said in a blog post: “The attacker in this case sent two different phishing emails over a two-day period. The two emails were sent to two small groups of employees; you wouldn’t consider these users particularly high-profile or high-value targets. The email subject line read ‘2011 Recruitment Plan.’ “The email was crafted well enough to trick one of the employees to retrieve it from their Junk mail folder, and open the attached excel file. It was a spreadsheet titled ‘2011 Recruitment plan.xls.’ “The spreadsheet contained a zero-day exploit that installs a backdoor through an Adobe Flash vulnerability (CVE-2011-0609).” Next week, I’ll be writing about other techniques that are used in social engineering, and the stories are magnificent. Subscribe to our Daily Sentinel below to ensure you don’t miss out.Image copyright AP Image caption Berenson has lived in Lima with her young son since being released on parole An American woman who was jailed in Peru 20 years ago for aiding left-wing guerrillas is leaving Peru and returning to the United States. Lori Berenson, now 46, was found guilty of helping the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) in 1996 and given a 20-year prison sentence. She was released on parole in 2010 but was barred from leaving Peru for good until her sentence expired. Berenson said she would travel to New York City to see her family. Return home The former inmate said she would live with her parents until she had established herself. She had previously travelled to the US for a holiday but had returned to Peru under the terms of her parole agreement. Before leaving Peru for good, she told a local newspaper that she "wanted to express her deep sympathy for the victims of Peru's internal armed conflict, to which I was linked through my collaboration with the MRTA". Berenson also asked those who "had been affected or offended by my words or deeds for forgiveness". Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Lori Berenson (right) was arrested when she was 26 years old Berenson has been living in Lima with her six-year-old son since her release from prison on parole. She married former MRTA rebel Anibal Apari in jail in 2003 and gave birth to their son Salvador while in prison. The couple are no longer together. The daughter of university professors from New York, Berenson travelled to Central and South America in the 1990s. In Peru, she became involved with the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA), which robbed banks, kidnapped and killed a number of people in the 1980s and 1990s. Berenson was arrested in November 1995 and accused of gathering information for a rebel plot to kidnap members of Peru's Congress and exchange them for imprisoned rebel leaders. She was convicted of treason by a military court in 1996 and initially sentenced to life in prison. But amid US government pressure, Berenson was retried in a civilian court and found guilty of the lesser crime of terrorist collaboration. Her 20-year sentence lapsed on Sunday.One of the most powerful and compelling cases to use an ebike is for local delivery of lightweight goods in urban and suburban areas. In fact, there have been so many ebikes used in New York City to deliver take-out food that the state ended up banning ebikes there because New Yorkers thought that the popularity of ebikes had made them a nuisance. An A2B ebike used to deliver pizza in Los Angeles’ Westwood neighborhood Ebikes aren’t very visible to consumers, and part of the reason is that consumers simply don’t know that ebikes are in use at thousands of businesses. How can you help? Well, if you happen to have any photos, videos, or stories about ebikes being used for delivery or transportation, go ahead and drop us a line at [email protected] and we might share your story with the ebike community. UPDATE A photo posted by Lauren Medina (@laurennmedina) on Jul 9, 2015 at 6:56am PDT An ebike being used for deliveries in Bogotá, ColombiaProtonMail 3.8 introduces custom folders. This is one of the most requested features from our community of users. We are excited to continue to make ProtonMail easier and easier to use! Note: Due to the way we roll out new versions, ProtonMail 3.8 has not been released to everyone yet. If you do not see it yet, you will see it soon. Note 2: If ProtonMail 3.8 causes your iOS or Android app to show all messages as encrypted text, logging out and logging back into the mobile app will fix the problem. Folders are also in ProtonMail mobile with version 1.6 of our Android/iOS mobile apps. ProtonMail was started with the idea of making encryption accessible to everyone. We are slowly but surely becoming an encrypted alternative to Gmail. Organization is critical to effectively managing our daily communications through email. We continue to make this a priority within ProtonMail as we add folders to the existing organization toolset of labels, filters, and search. ProtonMail does not show advertisements or abuse your privacy to make money. Paid accounts are our only source of funding. Please consider upgrading to a ProtonMail Plus account so that we can continue to operate the service and fund further development. Custom Folders Folders provide the ability to store messages in different locations within your account. In the past, ProtonMail has had 5 fixed folders: Inbox, Sent, Archive, Trash, Spam. All the messages within your inbox was saved in one of these 5 folders, and they also appear in the All-Mail folder. In addition to these 6 folders, we provided labels to organize the mail within the folder the message was stored in. With the introduction of custom folders, you can now create custom folders and store messages within those custom folders. You can learn more about creating and using folders here. The difference between Labels and Folders is the following: multiple Labels can be applied to a single message, but a message can only be in a single Folder. Version 3.8 Full Release Notes New Features Custom Folders New inbox loading indicator New move actions inside message view dropdown Bug Fixes Some users unable to activate 2FA Rendering autocomplete filters Duplicate member creation if the address already exists Don’t display sent notification if the message is sending Duplicates shown inside the search autocomplete Sidebar icons appearance Improvement Attachment drag and drop in Safari Label message As always, your feedback is appreciated. Please report bugs using ProtonMail report bug feature, or send us a support request here: https://protonmail.com/supportBut for some mass market brands like Chevy, Honda or Volkswagen, Winterhoff says it will tougher to compete and win in a world where self-driving cars usher in the idea of mobility on demand. "Autonomous drive vehicles will mean many families will need fewer cars and if you only have one car instead of two, you will likely make it a premium brand," he said. Read MoreWhat Apple must fix before it builds a car Winterhoff is careful to point out Chevy, Honda or Volkswagen could ultimately survive the transition to self-driven cars, but he truly believes we will see fewer mass market brands. "If you don't have something special or unique to make your autonomous drive car stand out, buyers will move towards the higher end models," he believes. Shared Mobility Coming Winterhoff estimates the ramp up in autonomous drive models will lead to an increase in shared mobility, allowing many people to use cars without owning them. That trend will be both good news and bad news for automakers. The good news is that annual vehicle sales are expected to increase by 750,000 annually as more people have a chance to gain mobility. The bad news is many families will need fewer vehicles and consumers may opt to not own a vehicle, hitting the mass market brands hardest. "This is the reason every automaker is being so aggressive developing autonomous drive vehicles," said Winterhoff. "They all know the train will soon leave the station, and they want to be on it, because if they aren't, they won't survive." Read MoreThis country just gave driverless cars the green light Nearly every major automaker, including GM, Volkswagen and Tesla is working to develop vehicles with auto-pilot technology. Some of those models are expected to be in showrooms by 2017. By 2020, automakers like Nissan have said they expect to have fully autonomous drive vehicles. While the technology behind these cars is coming along quickly, it remains to be seen when regulators approve self-driven cars. By 2030, Winterhoff expects to see self-driven cars on the road with regularity. But one thing he doesn't expect to see are some of the brands we've known for decades. "Self-driven cars will change the auto industry and not every brand will survive," he said. Questions? Comments? [email protected] one of its most inaccurate “fake news” Thanksgiving stories this year, the New York Times blamed America for migrant California farmworkers from Mexico having bad diets. In an article titled “In a California Valley, Healthy Food Everywhere but on the Table,” Times reported that Mexican farm workers in the Salinas Valley do not have antioxidant healthy items like “tossed salads, broccoli casseroles or steaming bowls of roasted brussels sprouts” on their Thanksgiving dinner table. The Times did report correctly that Salinas Valley has “more than doubled its output of produce in recent decades and now grows well over half of America’s leaf lettuce.” And it was right that the Mexican migrant workers who harvest “America’s Salad Bowl” prefer sugary drinks and have “cultural preferences for filling but high-calorie foods like tacos and tamales contribute to the obesity of farmworkers and their families.” But the Times is blatantly wrong in blaming America for Mexican immigrants’ bad eating habits making them obese. The only nation on the planet, based on a “body mass index” (BMI = kg/m2), that has even worse eating habits than the United States is Mexico, according to a recent report from the United Nations. Mexico has surpassed the U.S. in terms of both obesity and overweight residents. About 32.8 percent of Mexican citizens are obese, versus 31.8 percent of Americans, while 70 percent of Mexican adults are overweight, compared to 69 percent of Americans. Rising obesity in Mexico has caused a steady rise in diabetes. With 400,000 new cases diagnosed each year and 70,000 yearly deaths, diabetes is also growing faster in Mexico. The Times correctly stated that Monterrey County “public health officials estimate that half of agricultural workers in the Salinas Valley are in the country illegally, with most working for $10 to $15 an hour.” But it was wrong to declare that farmworkers are uniquely “overweight or obese, partly because unhealthy food is less costly.” The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and the California Center for Public Health Advocacy in 2011 found that ten of California’s 58 counties had obesity rates above 43 percent. Imperial County had the highest obesity rate at 47 percent, while Monterrey was only number four at 44.6 percent. The number one reason for these counties’ high obesity rates is that they have high Mexican immigrant populations that maintain native diets. There is no way to determine the accuracy of a Berkeley Media Studies Group survey of 1,200 young people, which is quoted by the Times as stating, “72 percent of children under 10 years old and 83 percent of teenagers said they drank at least one soda a day.” But it does border on “Fake News” that the Times relied on a survey whose authors’ website states, “BMSG helps: community and public health groups practice media advocacy — the strategic use of mass media to advance policies that improve health.” The official “Monterey County Community Health Assessment” does scientifically measure “Two or more sugary drinks consumed daily by gender for ages 2-17.” It reports that an average of only 25.8 percent of Monterrey County youth consumed two or more sugary drinks each day. Hispanic/Latino youth had a slightly higher rate of consumption, at 28.1 percent.Microsoft announced another change to its privacy policy on Friday, saying that it will not read the email of those suspected of violating intellectual property rights and instead turn the matter over to law enforcement. “Effective immediately, if we receive information indicating that someone is using our services to traffic in stolen intellectual or physical property from Microsoft, we will not inspect a customer’s private content ourselves,” general counsel Brad Smith said in a blog post. “Instead, we will refer the matter to law enforcement if further action is required.” The move follows an uproar that occurred after it came to light that Microsoft had searched a blogger’s Web mail account to discover the identity of an employee that was leaking prerelease software. Microsoft had already made a smaller change to its practices before announcing Friday it would stop reading customer email entirely in such cases. For now, it is a matter of policy, but Smith said “in the coming months we will incorporate this change in our customer terms of service, so that it’s clear to consumers and binding on Microsoft.” Microsoft’s prior terms of service, as well as those of rivals such as Google and Yahoo, allow the service providers to inspect e-mail if they believe their own intellectual property rights are being violated. “While our own search was clearly within our legal rights, it seems apparent that we should apply a similar principle and rely on formal legal processes for our own investigations involving people who we suspect are stealing from us,” Smith said. “Therefore, rather than inspect the private content of customers ourselves in these instances, we should turn to law enforcement and their legal procedures.” Microsoft also said it will work with privacy groups to create a broader dialogue on issues such as these. The full blog post is here.Oakland police subdue armed man in BART station Police used beanbag projectiles to capture an armed man at the 12st Street BART station Thursday, after a chase that began on the street above and affected train service for more than an hour. The incident began around 5:30 p.m., when Oakland police received reports of a man on Broadway carrying a firearm and pointing it at passing vehicles. It ended shortly before 7 p.m. when the suspect — who turned out to be carrying a BB pistol — was subdued by several officers on the lower platform of the 12th Street station. “Obviously, it was a tense situation,” said Lt. David Elzey. “We’re lucky that BART wasn’t as crowded as it normally would be on a weekday at rush hour.” After the initial calls, police responding caught sight of the man near 13th Street and Broadway. They trailed him, but as officers began to close in the suspect ran down stairs into the station. The police were close behind, with additional officers deployed at BART entrances to keep people from entering or leaving the stations. Service was delayed for up to 15 minutes in all directions, with trains passing through the station without stopping. The suspect was cornered on the westbound platform. When he refused calls to surrender, police fired beanbags rounds from shotguns at him and placed him in custody after taking his weapon. “We get a report of a guy pointing gun at people, that’s a priority call,” Elzey said. “Still, to us it’s a peaceful resolution.” Police declined to identify the suspect, who was being held in custody pending charges. John King is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: [email protected] In April 2017 GlobalFoundries offered early retirement to Essex Junction employees to cut costs. Dan D'Ambrosio/Free Press GlobalFoundries in July 2015 at the former IBM fab facility in Essex Junction. (Photo: RYAN MERCER/FREE PRESS) GlobalFoundries is offering early retirement to longtime employees in all three of its U.S. semiconductor manufacturing plants, including Essex Junction, blaming a fickle chip market for the reduction in workforce. "We go through these ebbs and flows," Spokesman Jim Keller said Wednesday. "Right now we're at a point where some customers delayed their orders. We're in a period where we don't have as much business." Keller said the chip business is a "dynamic industry" that changes quickly, and that the long-term market looks "pretty good." The Essex Junction fab employs about 2,800 people. Keller declined to say how many jobs GlobalFoundries is looking to cut at the facility. He said all three fabs — the other two are in New York in East Fishkill and Malta — have targeted reductions to make. GlobalFoundries believes it can reach those targets through early retirements and other cuts in expenses, according to Keller. Operators work in a masking room at the GlobalFoundries fab in Essex Junction on Nov. 3, 2015. (Photo: GLENN RUSSELL/FREE PRESS FILE) Keller did not rule out layoffs, however. "Obviously, that is a last resort," he said. The voluntary retirement program is focusing on support roles in sales, administration, information technology and finance. In the New York plants, operators on the fab floor are also being offered early retirement, but Keller said operators are not being targeted in Essex Junction. Engineers and maintenance technicians are also exempt from the early retirement offers in all three fabs. In February, GlobalFoundries announced it was looking to hire 200 people in Essex Junction to fill roles in production, manufacturing, information technology and engineering. On Wednesday, Keller said that only a "small portion" of those jobs have been filled, but that those positions are not in jeopardy as a result of the current effort to encourage early retirements. GlobalFoundries' Janette Bombardier, second from left, speaks as the company announces a $55 million investment in equipment and infrastructure at the GlobalFoundries Fab 9 in Essex Junction during a news conference on Wednesday, November 4, 2015. With Bombardier are Dale Miller, director of fab operations, Gov. Peter Shumlin and Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger. (Photo: GLENN RUSSELL/FREE PRESS) GlobalFoundries acquired the Essex Junction fab from IBM in July 2015. In a deal that left many people scratching their heads, GlobalFoundries received a payment of $1.5 billion from IBM to take over the fab, which had been losing money. As part of the deal, GlobalFoundries agreed to be IBM's exclusive provider of semiconductor chips through 2025. Owned by the government of Abu Dhabi, GlobalFoundries has invested $72 million in the Essex Junction fab in the nearly two years it has owned the facility. Contributing: John Ferro, Poughkeepsie Journal. Contact Dan D’Ambrosio at 660-1841 or [email protected]. Read or Share this story: http://bfpne.ws/2oKCvwvFile photo of Bollywood actress Zohra Sehgal. Veteran actress Zohra Sehgal is an unhappy woman. The 101-year-old actress, who currently stays with her daughter Kiran Sehgal in South Delhi's Mandakini Enclave, had written to the state government in 2011 seeking a house - preferably on the ground floor - in the capital. More than three years later, she is yet to call a house her own.Kiran tells HitList, "We applied to the then chief minister Sheila Dixit asking her to allot a house to my mother as per the provisions under the artiste quota. We were told our application was forwarded to the Urban Development Ministry. We even met the minister but nothing was done."Kiran adds that her mother - who turns 102 in April - finds its difficult to move around without help. "I cannot take her down to the lawn and she needs to be wheeled around," she says.She also points out that Zohra, who was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2010, wrote a similar letter to the Sangeet Natak Akademi in September 2013. "As per the regulations of the Ministry of Culture, I filled up forms and even submitted an audit report on my mother's earnings. She has not worked in a film after 'Saawariya' (2007). But so far, there has been no progress on this front."Does this mean that their demand has been turned down? "Some mediapersons told us that the proposal has not been honoured. When my mother heard this, she narrated a dialogue from her play. She said, 'Maya ko maya mile kar kar ke lambe haath, Tulsidas gareeb ki koi na maane baat (the rich only help the rich, there is nobody for the poor)," says Kiran. Zohra's daughter, however, doesn't want to give up hope. She wants to approach the current Delhi CM, Arvind Kejriwal. "We will reach out to Kejriwal and plead our case before him," she says.Three in four Japanese adults think society is unkind to sexual minorities, while just more than half oppose same-sex marriage, a recent nationwide poll found. A total of 74.6 percent said they think society is either unkind or somewhat unkind to sexual minorities, including gay and transsexual people, according to the survey by Nihon Yoron Chosa-kai, a group tasked with carrying out opinion polls. The group is comprised of Kyodo News and 38 of its member news organizations across the country. It showed that 19.7 percent believe society is either kind or somewhat kind to sexual minorities, while 5.7 percent said they did not know or gave no reply. The survey was conducted March 1 on 2 and 1,744 people were interviewed. On same-sex marriage, which is not legally recognized in Japan, 42.3 percent said they support it or somewhat support it, while 52.4 percent said they oppose or somewhat oppose it. The remainder said they do not know or gave no answer. Same-sex unions drew divergent responses between the genders and age groups. Women in support of the concept, including those giving qualified endorsement, outnumbered those against it, while among men, those who oppose it were in the majority. By age bracket, support reached 70 percent among those in their 20s and 30s, with 24.7 percent against. Among those aged 60 or older, 70.9 percent were opposed, and 23.6 percent were in favor. Sixty-two percent said they feel resistance or some resistance to homosexuality. A total of 60 percent said they are not against a man and a woman living together outside marriage, but 69 percent said they were against an unmarried man and woman raising a child.ABOUT Rand Paul 2016 Our mission is to promote and defend the great American principles of individual liberty, constitutional government, sound money, free markets, and a noninterventionist foreign policy, by means of educational and political activity.Senator Rand Paul, M.D. is one of the nation’s leading advocates for liberty. Elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010, Dr. Paul has proven to be an outspoken champion for constitutional liberties and fiscal responsibility. As a fierce advocate against government overreach, Rand has fought tirelessly to return government to its limited, constitutional scope.Primary Steam group for Rand Paul.Rand Paul staged a historic 13-hour filibuster to protest the use of drones on US citizens.Rand Paul supports demilitarizing the police.Rand Paul supports small government, free market, the 2nd ammendment, ending foreign "aid", decriminalizing Marijuana, cuting taxes, the abolishment of the TSA and the repealing of the National Defense Authorization Act.Rand Paul does not support the unconstitutional lie called Obamacare and is against NSA spying without warrants.Rand Paul is leading a lawsuit against the NSA and fighting for your 4th Amendment right.SHOW YOUR SUPPORTChange your profile picture to support Rand!Promote the group on your profile!Invite fellow libertarians, constitutional conservatives and liberal/leftist converts!Find suitable images here:Better call Paul!Moderator duties include:Posting news about Rand Paul.Inviting supporters to the group.Engaging and initiating discussions.Being polite, respectful and having good grammar skills.Published: Tuesday, December 23, 2014 @ 12:24 AM Updated: Wednesday, December 24, 2014 @ 5:47 AM — KEY POINTS: Two people, including a child, were killed in a shooting in Preble County. Deputies said Brian Harleman shot and killed Samantha Carpenter before killing himself. Carpenter’s mother, Catherine L. Gessman, was injured in the shooting UPDATE @ 5:45 a.m.: Catherine Gessman is in stable condition, according to the hospital. UPDATE @ midnight: Samantha’s friend Charlie Mitchell and Charlie’s mother Angel Lawson made a phone call and a whole community responded. Dozens turned out for the candlelight vigil at the school where children, parents and others comforted each other. Flowers, stuffed animals, written words and several lit candles made up a makeshift memorial in Samantha’s honor. “She likes to make people smile all the time and she likes … she likes to fit in all the time and I wanted to do something to make her happy more,” Charlie said during an interview at the vigil. “She made me laugh all the time. And nobody else could.” Charlie’s mother said she knows first hand how strong the National Trail Schools and New Paris community can be. “This is a very strong and supporting community. I’ve been through tough times. They’ve been there for me,” Lawson said. Samantha’s friends described her as a kind and funny friend who will be dearly missed. Classmate Jazlin Wallace: “I thought me and Sam would be best friends forever.” Samantha’s mother Catherine Gessman was transferred from Reid Memorial Hospital in Richmond to the IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. Her condition was not available Tuesday night, but her injuries were not believed to be life-threatening. UPDATE @ 4:05 p.m. Samantha Carpenter attended National Trail School, according to deputies. A candlelight vigil is planned at the school at 7:30 p.m. UPDATE @ 2:35 p.m. The Preble County Sheriff’s Office has released the names of two victims in the overnight shooting that left two people dead. Samantha Carpenter, 10, was pronounced dead on the scene. Her mother, Catherine L. Gessman, 45, remains hospitalized at an Indiana hospital. The suspect, Brian Harleman, 43, was also pronounced dead in the driveway. Harleman was arrested last Wednesday and charged with domestic violence after punching Gessman several times, according to an incident report released by the sheriff’s office. Gessman asked to pursue charges and told the officer she was “scared for her life,” the report states. Gessman also told the officer on the scene that Harleman had a handgun inside the residence, the report states. Justin Ginter, a friend of Gessman, said he believed Harleman had an “emotional snap” after the restraining order was issued last week. UPDATE @ 7 a.m.: Preble County Sheriff Mike Simpson released details about the overnight shooting that killed a 10-year-old girl, seriously injured her mother and left the suspect dead. The suspect was identified as Brian Harleman, 43. Initial investigation shows that Harleman forced his way into the home, chased the girl and her mother outside and then started shooting at them, according to a news release. The child was pronounced dead at the scene. The girl’s mother was able to call 911 and said Harleman had shot himself in the driveway. He was also pronounced dead in the driveway, the release says. Harleman was the mother’s boyfriend and had recently been living at the home, Simpson said. Deputies had responded to the home last Wednesday on the report of domestic violence, Simpson said. Harleman was arrested, and posted bond to get out of jail one day later. He was charged with domestic violence and a protection order was issued against him, according to the news release. The girl and her mother have not been identified, pending notification of their family. The mother is now being treated at an Indianapolis hospital because of the seriousness of her injuries. She is expected to survive, Simpson said. FIRST REPORT: A 10-year-old girl was killed outside her Preble County home overnight in a shooting that also left the suspect dead, according to Sheriff Mike Simpson. The girl’s 45-year-old mother was also shot, and is expected to survive, Simpson said. Neighbors heard the gunshots around 11:50 p.m. in the 7800 block of New Paris Gettysburg Road and called 911. Simpson said the child and a man, described as the suspect, were found in the driveway. He did not release any identities. He said there is a history of domestic violence at the house and the suspect is apparently a former boyfriend of the mother, or possibly lived at the house in the past. The woman may have had a protection order against the man, he added. She was taken to Reid Hospital.A leading drone maker is taking steps to ensure that its unmanned aircraft systems don’t disrupt the summer Olympics. China-based DJI announced Thursday that it has updated its software to include no-fly zones over the Olympic venues in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and other Brazilian cities during the upcoming games. ADVERTISEMENT The temporary restrictions were added at the request of the Brazilian military and will remain in place for the entirety of the athletic events in an effort to enhance safety and security, DJI said in a press release.“DJI is proud to work with Brazilian authorities to put temporary no-fly zones in place during this important time, in order to increase safety and security at high-profile locations and reduce the likelihood of drone operators inadvertently entering sensitive areas,” said Manuel Martinez, DJI’s Latin America corporate communications director.“The overwhelming majority of DJI customers want to operate safely and within the law, and establishing clear no-fly zones helps reduce any potential for drone operations that could distract from the upcoming events.”Similar restrictions were incorporated into DJI’s software for other large events that drew security concerns, such as the presidential nominating conventions in the U.S., the Group of Seven Summit in Japan and the Euro 2016 football tournament in France.While consumer drones will be prohibited from flying over the Olympics, a number of television companies plan to use the emerging technology to broadcast portions of the games, according to Business Insider But safety concerns and certain restrictions will still apply to broadcasters, as drones are barred from flying over crowds and are required to maintain a 30-meter-wide space when landing, according to the report.Prevalence of female genital cutting among Egyptian girls Mohammed A Tag-Eldin a, Mohsen A Gadallah a, Mahmoud N Al-Tayeb a, Mostafa Abdel-Aty b, Esmat Mansour c, Mona Sallem a Introduction Female genital cutting (FGC) is the collective name given to traditional practices that involve partial or total cutting away of the female external genitalia whether for cultural or other non-therapeutic reasons.1 It is estimated that between 100 and 130 million girls and women now alive in at least 28 African countries and the Middle East have been subjected to FGC.2 FGC represents a fundamental violation of women’s and girls’ rights. Eighteen African countries have prevalence rates of 50% or higher. FGC has traditionally been called female circumcision. Recognition of its harmful physical, psychological and human rights consequences has led to the use of the term “female genital mutilation” or FGM. Many women who have undergone FGC do not consider themselves to be mutilated and have become offended by the term “FGM”. Recently, other terms such as “female genital cutting” have increasingly been used. Practices involving cutting of female genitals have been found throughout history in many cultures, but there is no definitive evidence documenting when or why this ritual began. Some theories suggest that FGC might have been practised in ancient Egypt as a sign of distinction, while others hypothesize its origin in ancient Greece, Rome, Pre-Islamic Arabia and the Tsarist Russian Federation. In Egypt, the Demographic Health Survey in 2000 revealed that 97% of married women surveyed experienced FGC.3 Another study, carried out by the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population in 2003, reported that 94.6% of married women had been exposed to FGC and 69.1% of those women agreed to carry out FGC on their daughters. A pilot study by the Health Insurance Organization showed that 41% of female students in primary, preparatory and secondary schools had been exposed to FGC. Rational The majority of existing research into FGC concentrated on women of reproductive age. Girls exposed to FGC had not been studied before on a national level. Thus, the Ministry of Health and Population realized the importance of conducting this prevalence study. Objectives Our objectives were to measure the prevalence of FGC among schoolgirls in Egypt, identify who performs FGC, and document the rate of reported complications. Places of study Multistage random technique was applied for site selection as follows: First stage Egypt was divided into five geographical areas, from which nine governorates were randomly selected (Table 1): Table 1 The prevalence of FGC among female students in selected governorates in Egypt Governorates Total no. of females interviewed Females with FGC No. Percentage Cairo 7 696 2 811 36.5 Alexandria 4 597 1 800 39.2 Sharkia 4 487 3 314 73.9 Dakahlyia 4 240 2 111 49.8 Demiatta 3 415 735 21.5 Port Said 1 989 356 17.9 Bani Suif 4 135 3 024 73.1 Assuit 4 508 3 389 75.5 Luxor city 1 761 1 506 85.5 North Sinai 1 988 503 25.3 Total 38 816 19 543 50.3 FGC, female genital cutting. Greater Cairo (Cairo) Lower Egypt (Sharkia, Demiatta, Dakahlyia and Alexandria) Upper Egypt (Bani Suif, Assuit and Luxor city) Sinai (North Sinai) Suez Canal Region (Port Said)Although it is a small city, Luxor is considered as a governorate due to its cultural and historic importance. It has only one health district which was included in our study. Second stage From each governorate, two educational districts were selected randomly. In each of the selected districts, the schools were divided into primary, preparatory and secondary schools. In each education stage, the schools were divided into rural, urban, government and private (Table 2). Third stage Representative schools were selected randomly. Sample size The
and the Saudi army, besting them both again and again. For the Saudis, who have spent tens of billions of dollars on their military, it was deeply humiliating. The Houthis won against both Saleh and the Saudi army, besting them both again and again. The Arab Spring came to Yemen in 2011. The Houthi movement was one part of the wide national uprising against Saleh. It was primarily concerned with advancing the narrow interests of the Zaydi community, not surprisingly. When Saleh was replaced by a Sunni from the south—Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, who had been Saleh’s vice president at the behest of the Saudis—the Houthi response was predictable. They were critical of the process and of Hadi. A national dialogue was instituted to address the future of Yemen after Saleh, with regional and international assistance. It proposed a federal solution with six provinces with some autonomy. The Zaydi-dominated north got two landlocked entities, which the Houthis argued was gerrymandered against them. In 2014, they began colluding with Saleh against Hadi secretly. Even by the standards of Middle East politics, it was a remarkable and hypocritical reversal of alliances by both the Houthis and Saleh. Much of the army remained loyal to Saleh and his family, so together with the Houthis the two had a preponderance of force in the country. Hadi was deeply unpopular and seen as a Saudi stooge. The war After months of gradually moving into the capital Sanaa, it fell to the rebel alliance in January 2015, just as King Salman ascended to the throne in Riyadh. The Houthis opened direct civilian air traffic between Sanaa and Tehran, Iran promised cheap oil for Yemen, and rumors of more Iran-Houthi cooperation spread quickly. The main port at Hodeidah fell to the Houthi forces and they began marching to take Aden, the capital of the south and the largest port on the Indian Ocean. For the Saudi king and his 29-year-old defense minister and son Prince Muhammad bin Salman (MBS), it was a nightmare. A traditional enemy with ties to their regional foe was taking over the country on their southern belly. The strategic straits at the Bab al Mandab could be in the Houthis’ hands. It was a very difficult challenge for an untried team in the royal palace. For the Obama administration, the picture was more complicated. American intelligence officials said that Iran was actually trying to discourage the Houthis from seizing Sanaa and openly toppling Hadi. Iran preferred a less radical course, but the Houthi leadership was drunk with success. Moreover, Undersecretary of Defense Michael Vickers said on the record in January that Washington had a productive informal intelligence relationship with the Houthis against al-Qaida. He suggested that the cooperation could continue. The Saudis chose to go to war to support Hadi and prevent the Houthi-Saleh rebellion from consolidating control of the country. Operation Decisive Storm began in March 2015, MBS taking the public lead in promising early victory for the Saudis. They forged a coalition to back them including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and other traditional Saudi allies. Two refused to join: Oman, Yemen’s neighbor, and Pakistan, whose parliament voted unanimously against the war. Obama backed the Saudi war. In the choice between the Saudi ally and the Houthis, the president—not surprisingly—took the side of a 70-year old alliance. U.S. and U.K. support is essential to the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF), which is equipped with American and British aircraft. The RSAF has dropped tons of American and British munitions on Yemen since. Almost three years later, the Saudi air and naval blockade of Houthi-controlled territory has created a humanitarian disaster, with millions of Yemenis at dire risk of starvation and disease. The Saudi-led coalition has tightened the blockade and gradually gained more territory, although Hadi has little if any control over the territory recovered from the rebels. He resides in Riyadh. All sides are credibly accused of war crimes. Saleh broke with his putative ally this month, signaled to Riyadh that he was flipping sides again, and was killed days later. The Houthis won the battle for Sanaa but are isolated from the rest of Yemeni politics and political parties. Riyadh portrays them as Iranian puppets, but many Yemenis see them as patriots fighting the country’s traditional enemy Saudi Arabia and America, Israel’s defender. Houthi propaganda plays to the line that Yemen is under attack by a Saudi-American-Israeli conspiracy. A major consequence of the war is to push the Houthis and Iran and Hezbollah closer together. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley underscored that point, perhaps unintentionally, when she presented compelling evidence of Iranian support for the Houthis missile attacks on Saudi and Emirati targets last week. With their own cities under constant aerial bombardment, the Houthis are firing missiles at Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, with Tehran’s technological assistance. The war costs Tehran a few million dollars per month, while it costs Riyadh $6 billion per month. Tehran and the Houthis are playing with fire, of course. If a missile hits Riyadh, Jeddah, or Abu Dhabi and kills dozens or more, the pressure for retaliation against Iran will be significant. The Trump administration is poorly designed to provide cooling counsel. This brief and simplified account of the background of the Houthis should underscore how complex Yemeni politics are and how volatile they can be. Saleh called running Yemen to be akin to dancing on the heads of snakes. It is a foolish place for Americans to be drawn into a war and a quagmire against an enemy they hardly know. The administration has recently called for an easing of the blockade. It’s time to get serious about a political solution, not to wade deeper into quicksand.Animal communication theory holds that in order to be evolutionarily stable, signals must be honest on average, but significant dishonesty (i.e. deception) by a subset of the population may also evolve. A typical praying mantid mating system involves active mate searching by males, which is guided by airborne sex pheromones in most species for which mate-searching cues have been studied. The Femme Fatale hypothesis suggests that female mantids may be selected to exploit conspecific males as prey if they benefit nutritionally from cannibalism. Such a benefit exists in the false garden mantid Pseudomantis albofimbriata —females use the resources gained from male consumption to significantly increase their body condition and reproductive output. This study aimed to examine the potential for chemical deception among the subset of females most likely to benefit from cannibalism (poorly fed females). Females were placed into one of four feeding treatments (‘Very Poor’, ‘Poor’, ‘Medium’ and ‘Good’), and males were given the opportunity to choose between visually obscured females in each of the treatments. Female body condition and fecundity varied linearly with food quantity; however, female attractiveness did not. That is, Very Poor females attracted significantly more males than any of the other female treatments, even though these females were in significantly poorer condition, less fecund (in this study) and more likely to cannibalise (in a previous study). In addition, there was a positive correlation between fecundity and attractiveness if Very Poor females were removed from the analysis, suggesting an inherently honest signalling system with a subset of dishonest individuals. This is the first empirical study to provide evidence of sexual deception via chemical cues, and the first to provide support for the Femme Fatale hypothesis. 1. Introduction The handicap principle [1] suggests that costly signals will always be honest because only the best-quality individuals will be able to produce the best-quality signals. However, more recently it has been suggested that signalling systems will rarely, if ever, be perfectly honest and that infrequent dishonest signalling can be an evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS) within a system of overall signal honesty [2–5]. Both the cost of signalling and the benefits to be gained by signalling can influence signalling strategy [2,3,5,6]—a given level of signal may indicate a high-quality individual that has less to gain from signalling but can easily bear the costs, or a poor-quality individual that has more to gain from signalling but cannot easily bear the costs [2,3,5]. While there are many examples of intraspecific deception in the context of mate competition [7–13], there are relatively few illustrations of intraspecific deception via mate choice [14,15]. However, one such example comes from the long-tailed dance fly (Rhamphomyia longicauda), where females deceive males by signalling the readiness of eggs that are actually immature, thereby obtaining a protein-rich nuptial gift in exchange for a copulation that leads to relatively low paternity for the male [15]. Sexually cannibalistic mating systems provide an opportunity to study the reliability of signals within the framework of extreme sexual conflict. In both cannibalistic spiders and mantids, females chemically signal their receptivity to mate-searching males [16–25], a mechanism by which females could potentially exploit sexually motivated males as easy prey (the Femme Fatale hypothesis [26,27]). This may be particularly relevant in species that gain nutritional benefits from cannibalism (see table 1 in [28]), and for individuals within these species that are food limited and/or in poor nutritional condition. In praying mantids, the fitness cost of this deception for males is potentially severe—food-limited females are not only less fecund [18,21,29] but also significantly more likely to cannibalize than well-fed females ([21,28,30–32]; table 1). In spite of the Femme Fatale hypothesis, honest signalling systems have been demonstrated in all cannibalistic mantid species studied thus far [18,20–22,33,34]. The overwhelming consensus is for complete differential attraction to females in good condition; that is, well-fed females are chemically attractive to males, whereas hungry females in poor condition are almost exclusively unattractive. A recent study of Pseudomantis albofimbriata [18] delved deeper into the relationship between female body condition and attractiveness, and found evidence of a more complex scenario in which egg production and pheromone production are linked. First, many poor-condition females with eggs in their ovaries were attractive to males, but poor-condition females with no eggs were never chemically attractive to males. Second, attractive females were significantly more fecund than unattractive females within both the poorly fed and well-fed treatments, but body condition per se did not have an effect on attractiveness within treatments. Third, attractive poor-condition females were still attractive in the presence of good-condition females, suggesting that all females can potentially attract males if they have a base level of fecundity. These results suggest that previous findings of complete differential attraction in mantids [18,20,21] may be owing to food-limited females being physiologically incapable of producing eggs and, therefore, pheromone [35,36]. Table 1.Comparison of female traits between the four feeding regimes (superscript letters (A, B and C) represent Tukey's values). Collapse treatment Good (n = 6) Medium (n = 6) Poor (n = 6) Very Poor (n = 6) body size (mm) 15.505 ± 0.199A 15.882 ± 0.221A 15.842 ± 0.236A 15.522 ± 0.354A body condition (mm g−1) 0.062 ± 0.005A 0.057 ± 0.002A,B 0.049 ± 0.001B 0.027 ± 0.001C fecundity (no. eggs) 62.33 ± 7.11A 52.67 ± 2.45A 32.83 ± 2.94B 5.33 ± 1.65C frequency of cannibalism low—0% ([28], n = 19)a low—0% ([28], n = 19)a medium—42% ([28], n = 35)b high—90% ([28], n = 19)b frequency of copulation very high—100% ([28], n = 19)a very high—100% ([28], n = 19)a high—79% ([28], n = 35)b medium—50% ([28], n = 19)b This study of the false garden mantid P. albofimbriata aims to overcome the aforementioned constraint by assuring that food-limited females in poor condition have begun egg production (and are therefore theoretically able to produce pheromone [18]), and subsequently determine whether these females deceptively signal to males. To identify cases of deceptive signalling, overall honesty in the population must first be determined by establishing a correlation between the signal and some characteristic of the quality of signaller. Once this correlation is ascertained, cases where the correlation is lost in ways that benefit the signaller can be identified [5]. In this study, female attractiveness (i.e. total number of males attracted) is used as a proxy for pheromone quality and/or quantity and female fecundity is used as the related female characteristic. Three mutually exclusive outcomes are possible: (i) no pattern—attractiveness is unrelated to female condition/fecundity, e.g. all egg-bearing females are similarly attractive irrespective of egg number; (ii) total honesty—attractiveness increases with increasing food quantity and positively relates to female condition/fecundity across all treatments; (iii) partial dishonesty within overall honesty—attractiveness generally increases with increasing food quantity and positively relates to female condition/fecundity, with the exception of the poorest-quality females. In this scenario, poor-quality females fit Johnstone and Grafen's description of poor-quality individuals that have more to gain from being deceptive but cannot easily bear the costs involved [2], and therefore produce a quantity or quality of pheromone that mimics a high-quality/low-risk individual instead of a poor-quality/high-risk individual. 2. Material and methods (a) Study species and site Individual P. albofimbriata (N = approx. 100) were collected in January 2012 from various sites around Sydney, Australia. The majority of individuals were found in Lomandra longifolia bushes at Kuringai Bicentennial Park, West Pymble, Sydney (33°45′37.76″ S, 151°08′20.88″ E). Juvenile mantids (in their antepenultimate or penultimate instar) were collected from the study sites and maintained on a diet of two small crickets (Acheta domestica: mean cricket body mass = 0.034 ± 0.002 g, N = 50) three times a week and sprayed with water daily. Animals were housed individually within well-ventilated 425 ml transparent cups in the laboratory, at a temperature of 24–26 °C and with a diurnal period of 14 light hours per day. (b) Measuring and sexing individuals The pronotum length of all mantids was measured after the final moult using electronic callipers and was used as a measure of fixed adult size, whereas body mass was measured immediately preceding mate choice experiments using electronic scales. I used body mass divided by fixed size and the residuals of a regression of body mass over fixed size as indices of body condition [37]. However, both gave very similar results, so I report only fixed size over body mass throughout this paper. The sex of P. albofimbriata individuals was determined by differences in the adult abdomen and wing morphology. The total number of eggs in a female's ovaries was used as a measure of her fecundity. (c) Feeding treatments After adult emergence in early February 2012, females were assigned to one of four feeding regimes—Good, Medium, Poor or Very Poor—for approximately six weeks. This increase in the time spent on feeding regimes (two weeks extra compared with [18]) was implemented to ensure that all females, particularly those in the Poor and Very Poor treatments, would have eggs in their ovaries at the time of mate choice experiments. Individuals in the Good treatment (N = 6) received four crickets three times per week, the Medium treatment (N = 6) received three crickets three times per week, the Poor treatment (N = 6) received two crickets three times per week and the Very Poor treatment (N = 6) received one cricket three times per week. Adult males continued on the juvenile feeding regime of two crickets three times per week. There was no significant difference in the body size (pronotum length) of females between treatments (ANOVA: F 3,23 = 0.604, p = 0.620; table 1), however the feeding treatments did create a significant difference in female body condition (ANOVA: F 3,23 = 24.336, p < 0.001; table 1) and female fecundity (ANOVA: F 3,23 = 37.578, p < 0.001; table 1). That is, female body condition and fecundity tended to increase as feeding treatment increased (see Tukey's in table 1). There was also a significant correlation between female body condition and fecundity across all groups (Pearson's: R = 0.838, N = 24, p < 0.001). The fixed size and body condition of all females raised in the laboratory were similar to the range of female sizes and conditions previously recorded in nature (range [fixed size] = 13.19–19.13 mm, N = 22; range [body condition] = 0.016–0.072, N = 22), and the fixed size and body condition of males raised in the laboratory were similar to the range of male sizes and conditions previously recorded in nature (range [fixed size] = 11.830–15.160 mm, N = 27; range [body condition] = 0.015–0.022, N = 27) [29]. (d) Mate choice experiments I carried out choice experiments in three large field enclosures (6 × 4 m and 3 m high) on the Macquarie University campus, North Ryde, Sydney, in mid-March 2012. The field enclosures were made of thick green plastic screen that allowed unobstructed airflow through each of the walls, but not through the roof. Ten small cylindrical cages (30 × 20 cm diameter)—two cages with females from each of the four feeding treatments and two empty control cages—were placed in a random order around the interior perimeter of each enclosure, and each enclosure was used only once (total females = 24, total controls = 6). So as to mimic the approximate natural sex ratio of 1 : 1 [28], eight virgin adult males were then arbitrarily chosen from the laboratory population and released onto foliage in the centre of each field enclosure (total starting males = 24). All of the small cages were covered in two layers of green plastic garden mesh to obscure visual cues while still allowing any chemical signals produced by the females to escape. The cages were checked for males at 07.00 each day over a 4-day period (males are most active at night/early morning; [18]) and any male found on a cage was removed from the field enclosure and replaced with a new virgin male from the laboratory population (also added to the central foliage). This procedure ensured that there were always eight males in each field enclosure. Fifty-five out of 78 males released into enclosures were found on female cages; the remaining 23 were either collected from the roof/walls of field enclosures at the end of the 4-day experimentation period or presumed dead and were therefore not included in analyses. The cumulative total of males found on a female's cage was used as an indicator of female attractiveness [18,20–22,34]. After the completion of these experiments, females were dissected and eggs counted under a stereomicroscope. (e) Use of animals and fieldwork No permits were obtained for the described field collections because New South Wales state law does not require specific permissions for the collection of invertebrates from locations outside of a national park. This study did not involve endangered or protected species. (f) Data analysis Data were analysed using SPSS 20.0 for Mac (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) and were checked for normal distribution (Kolmogorov–Smirnov test) before further statistical analysis. Unless otherwise stated, all values are mean ± s.e. and all statistical tests are two-tailed. An ANOVA with Tukey's test was used to compare female characteristics (i.e. body size, body condition and fecundity) between the four treatment groups, and a Pearson's test was used for correlative analyses. A generalized linear model with Poisson distribution was used to compare the total number of males chemically attracted to each treatment group, with enclosure and day of experiment used as additional fixed factors. G-tests were subsequently used for pairwise comparisons and to compare overall male activity between enclosures and days. The size of fixed effects was estimated as the absolute difference in the total number of males as a proportion of the average number of males (for each pairwise comparison). 3. Results Over the course of the experimental period, 18/24 females (75%) attracted a male. That is, 1/6 Good females (16.7%), 1/6 Medium females (16.7%), 3/6 Poor females (50%) and 1/6 Very Poor females (16.7%) were completely unattractive (G 3 = 1.726, p = 0.631). Every treatment group within an enclosure had at least one attractive female, and all females (N = 24) had at least one mature egg in their ovaries at the time of the mate choice experiments. No male was ever found on a control cage, so this treatment was removed from analyses. Overall male activity ranged from two to eight males per enclosure per day (mean number of males = 4.583 ± 0.543; electronic supplementary material, table S1), but did not significantly vary by enclosure (G 2 = 1.829, p = 0.401) or by day of experiment (G 3 = 1.462, p = 0.691). Feeding treatment significantly affected female attractiveness (F 3,21 = 15.588, p = 0.001; figures 1 and 2), and there was no significant effect of enclosure (F 2,21 = 1.758, p = 0.415) or day of experiment (F 3,21 = 1.345, p = 0.718) on the number of males attracted to females. Further pairwise analyses showed at least a marginally significant difference in attractiveness between all treatment combinations except for between Good and Medium females (table 2). Across all feeding regimes, the total number of males attracted to each treatment group did not increase with increasing food quantity (figures 1 and 2) and the relationship between female body condition and attractiveness (R = −0.384, N = 24, p = 0.064) and female fecundity and attractiveness was not significant (R = −0.193, N = 24, p = 0.367). However, if Very Poor females were removed from these analyses, female attractiveness did indeed increase with increasing food quantity (figures 1 and 2) and a positive correlation between female body condition and attractiveness (R = 0.676, N = 18, p = 0.002) and fecundity and attractiveness emerged (R = 0.618, N = 18, p = 0.006). Figure 1. There was a significant difference in the attractiveness of females between treatment groups (F 3,21 = 15.588, p = 0.001). With the exception of Very Poor females, attractiveness (filled bars) increased with increasing body condition (unfilled bars). Most interestingly, females in the Very Poor treatment attracted significantly more males than females from any of the other treatment groups, even though they had the poorest body condition. Figure 2. There was a significant difference in the attractiveness of females between treatment groups (F 3,21 = 15.588, p = 0.001). With the exception of Very Poor females, attractiveness (filled bars) increased with increasing fecundity (unfilled bars). Most interestingly, females in the Very Poor treatment attracted significantly more males than females from any of the other treatment groups, even though they had the poorest fecundity. Table 2.Pairwise analysis of frequency data (number of males attracted to female treatments). Collapse treatment combination d.f. G-value p-value effect size Poor versus Very Poor 1 18.028 0.000022 1.47 Good versus Poor 1 5.884 0.015 1.11 Medium versus Poor 1 6.26 0.012 0.93 Medium versus Very Poor 1 6.26 0.012 0.81 Good versus Very Poor 1 3.656 0.056 0.6 Good versus Medium 1 0.361 0.548 0.24 4. Discussion Feeding treatment created a sliding scale of body condition and fecundity for P. albofimbriata females: that is, an increase in food quantity translated to an increase in both body condition and fecundity. With the exception of the poorest-quality females, the number of males attracted to females increased with increasing female food quantity and there was a positive correlation between female body condition, fecundity and attractiveness, suggesting a system of overall signal honesty [2]. Most interestingly, however, females in the Very Poor feeding treatment attracted significantly more males in total than females from any of the other treatment groups even though Very Poor females were in the poorest body condition (figure 1) and had the lowest level of fecundity by far (figure 2). Furthermore, correlations between female body condition, fecundity and attractiveness were lost if Very Poor females remained in the analyses, suggesting signal dishonesty by the poorest-quality females. To my knowledge, this is the first study to provide evidence of intraspecific deception within the context of mate choice via chemical cues. Although the cost of producing and releasing pheromone was not directly measured here, there is an increasing body of evidence suggesting that pheromones are indeed costly, affecting both survival and future reproduction (see [38] for review; [39,40], but see [41]). If signals were not costly for P. albofimbriata, we would expect all females to signal maximally, thereby increasing the chance of a meal and/or a mate. I suggest Very Poor females from this study are akin to Johnstone and Grafen's [2] ‘low-quality signallers with much to gain’, and females from the other treatments are either ‘high-quality signallers with less to gain’ (Good and Medium females) or ‘low-quality signallers with less to gain’ (Poor females). Very Poor females gain important resources from the easy meal attained as a result of deception—the consumption of one male improves body condition by approximately 33% and fecundity by approximately 40% [28]—so it is not surprising that females in the poorest condition invest maximally in pheromone production in order to increase the number of potential meals. Previous studies from non-cannibalistic taxa have also provided some support for the notion that poor condition induces an increase in signalling effort, most likely due to poor-condition individuals having a lower probability of survival and future reproduction than individuals in good condition, and therefore having more to gain from signalling at a higher level [42,43]. It is likely that P. albofimbriata females resort to cheating in only exceptional cases; that is, when their resource level is too low to survive a breeding cycle. Further study is required to determine where the specific switch point inducing deception lies in this species. But the question still remains: how do the poorest-quality females manage to make a sufficient quality/quantity of pheromone if they have insufficient resources to make many eggs? As chemical cues have long been advocated as a relatively cheap signalling option [44], it may be that the resources required for pheromone production in P. albofimbriata are inexpensive compared with those required for egg production. In this case, the best strategy for the poorest-condition females would be to signal maximally and put off egg production until after a meal. Comprehensive data on the proportion of these food-limited/poor-condition females in nature are yet to be collected for P. albofimbriata, but for the closely related and ecologically similar praying mantid Stagmomantis limbata, poor-quality females constitute only 3–9% of the mature population (depending on the time of season) [21]. Such a low frequency of poor-quality females suggests a generally reliable and honest system on average, and therefore any deceptive signalling within such a system is likely to be an ESS [2–5]. Another possibility is that males are able to uncover cheaters by basing their mate choice on multiple signals/traits [45,46]. Indeed, male mantids can visually perceive variation in female condition and fecundity and choose well-fed females in a simultaneous choice scenario [21,33]. However, they do not reject poorly fed females if they are the only option [28,47]. Unequivocal evidence of sexual deception implies a significant disadvantage to the receiver as a result of responding to the signal. Previous studies of P. albofimbriata found that females on the same diet as Very Poor females in this study are particularly high-risk for males—they are 90% likely to sexually cannibalize (as opposed to 0% for Good females; [28], and see table 1), only 50% of interactions result in copulation (as opposed to 100% in Good females; [28], and see table 1), and they have very few eggs to fertilize [18]. Taken together, these results suggest that females in the Very Poor treatment are deceptively signalling that they are in good condition and have an abundance of eggs when the reality for males is a twofold cost that includes a very high risk of cannibalism and low (or no) paternity. And as the overall signalling system is honest, males presumably fly to Very Poor females without any hesitation and have not evolved any obvious counter-adaptations to avoid these risky females [47]. Here, I provide the first empirical evidence in support of the Femme Fatale hypothesis—previous praying mantid mate choice experiments have revealed honest signalling systems in which poor-condition females are completely unattractive to males [18,20,21,34]. A system in which barren females are unable to properly signal their receptivity to males makes intuitive sense; however, results from this study tell a more complex story and predict that other systems might also discover cases of sexual deception if considering a broader range of female condition/fecundity. Although the underlying mechanism linking egg production and pheromone production in praying mantids is not well understood, the most plausible explanation is that both processes are under the same hormonal control, so that one cannot occur without the other [35,36,48]. Once egg production has begun, it is difficult to determine the underlying cause of differential attractiveness in praying mantids because feeding history, body condition and fecundity are generally correlated. Further studies that systematically attempt to tease apart these factors are needed if we are to determine the underlying mechanism responsible for pheromone production and subsequent female attractiveness. Data accessibility Mate choice data: Dryad Digital Repository doi:10.5061/dryad.h8m2q [49]. Acknowledgements Thanks to Jacqui Luff for help with specimen collection and laboratory husbandry, Drew Allen for help with statistical analysis and to Kate Umbers, Chrissie Painting and Mariella Herberstein for helpful comments on the manuscript. Funding statement This project was funded by the Hermon Slade Foundation, the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour and the Linnean Society of NSW. FootnotesTo: President Barack H. Obama Subject: Missing from Your College Plan: 45 Million Peanut Butter Sandwiches. Per Week. Forty-five million peanut butter sandwiches a week? This 45 million idea came to me the other day, at a sink. I was washing peanut butter from the wooden paddle hungry students use every day to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at the Boston community college where I work. Bread donated via Panera and the Minute Man High School Parents Association. PB&J bought with donor funds. Why not, I thought, one peanut butter sandwich per school day for each of the nine million students (source) on a Pell Grant? How many of these are the same students who were eligible for free and reduced lunch in high school? No one knows and no one is counting. How many are from households on food stamps? No one’s asking, either. Why not, then, 45 million peanut butter sandwiches at colleges each week? Until we come up with a better idea. In your proposed evaluations and rankings of colleges, where’s hunger? Or poverty? Is hunger an obstacle to college completion? We don’t know. Hot lunches are better, but let’s start simple. Just give the nine million on Pell Grants a peanut butter sandwich at school every day. Most? Many of these students, Mr. President, received federal free and reduced lunch in high school, didn’t they? Why? Because their families cannot afford enough food for the family. Why have we, the people, snatched lunch from these low-income students going on to college? “Why?” Students are arriving on college campuses without having eaten that day. Or even the day before. Where? My office and others at Bunker Hill Community College in Massachusetts (12 electoral votes). I have credible reports of college hunger in Wisconsin (10 electoral votes), Florida (27 EVs), New York (31 EVs), California (55 EVs), Louisiana (9 EVs), New Jersey (15 EVs), and New Mexico (5 EVs). Peanut butter? Let’s take a page, a few tablespoons from public health and acute hunger. Public health has long known of the astonishing effects from this simple dose of peanut butter, plumpy’nut, nourimandba. My late discovery, the peanut butter solution, beyond that sink, arrived in the new book, To Repair the World, by the public health leader Paul Farmer. Listen: “One remedy for acute malnutrition is known as ready-to-use therapeutic food – RUTF for short. Colleagues from Medicins Sans Frontieres showed in Niger that a miraculous and tasty peanut paste could save the lives of most children with moderate and acute malnutrition.” Click here for more on RUTF. (Yes, sounds like, but not the same as, the AUMF that has been dogging you so, Mr. President.) Acute malnutrition? In the U.S.? In colleges? Quibble over semantics as you wish, Mr. President. I’m talking about, say, the mother of two who showed up in my office late one afternoon this summer. She told me she and her children had had nothing to eat that day. Or the day before. Exaggeration? Let’s compare these two statements, one from U.S. public higher education, one from global public health. Listen: To President Madeline Pumariega of the Miami Dade College (total seven-campus enrollment 175,000) Wolfson campus: “When a student is hungry, he does not feel safe, and it is hard to help him synthesize class material. We have to meet students’ basic needs in order for them to fully concentrate on assimilating the information in a class in a way that they can apply it, learn, and take it forward.” That’s in a report: Clearing the Path to a Brighter Future: Addressing Barriers to College Access and Success, published this summer by Single Stop USA and the Association of Community College Trustees, authored by Sara Goldrick-Rab, Katherine Broton, and Christin Gates of the University of Wisconsin. Listen: To Medicins sans Frontieres, from the Farmer book: “An example: one of the lessons we’ve learned since the early days is that it’s difficult, sometimes impossible, to treat patients who don’t get enough food to eat.” (Emphasis added.) Mr. President, let’s connect some dots. Wouldn’t the same go if we rephrased: “It’s difficult, sometimes impossible, to educate students who don’t get enough to eat.” Another dot: Don’t the same students eligible for federal free and reduced lunch through high school need lunch at college, too? I mean even me, a sometime English professor and an obscure columnist, can see the overlap across Pell Grants, free and reduced K-12 lunch, and food stamps. Aren’t all these programs synonyms for poverty for many of the same people? Any critics? “But if people are on food stamps, then they aren’t hungry, right?” A knuckleheaded Hill staffer, happy to tell me which prep school he had attended, said this to me last spring. Reply: Food stamps seldom last the whole month. Hummus can counter peanut butter allergies. Exaggeration? Listen: To the national anti-poverty NGO Single Stop USA. “So far Single Stop has sites on 17 community college campuses across the country. In 2012, Single Stop USA and its community college partners helped over 2,300 students nationwide access more than $6 million in food stamps. Roughly half of the people who received a public benefit through Single Stop in 2012 received food stamps. These numbers help illustrate how widespread the issue of hunger and poverty is on community college campuses.” Listen: To Sadhana Dharmapuri, M.D., Medical College of Wisconsin, Adolescent Medicine: "Food insecurity and its complex effect on the individual, such as, increase in psychological stress, the physiological changes due to starvation, as well as, other financial hardship due to lack of food is not clearly defined for individuals pursuing a post-secondary education. Although there is data identifying the association of starvation with cognitive functioning, little is known how these changes affect college retention and completion rates, and whether lack of food and/or access to food, has a long term effect on potential learning, earning, and health outcomes.” Listen: To the April 2011 Study Food Insecurity at CUNY (City University of New York): Results from a Survey of CUNY Undergraduate Students. The study invited a random sample of 6,883 students to participate, of whom 1,086 responded to USDA-validated survey questions. 39.2 percent of students sampled reported experiencing food insecurity during the previous 12 months. About twice as many (45.1
the way to professional artist,” Dorsey said. But, under Dorsey, the Union Project has been just as focused on community outreach as it has been on the arts. “So, even though we’ve put more of a focus on the arts as a strategy for how we build community, we are community-builders at our core,” Dorsey said. To that end, after realizing that East End residents needed a place to just sit down and talk, Dorsey started a monthly program called Creative Conversations two years ago. “The community members who attend kind of steer this thing. They give their input," Dorsey said. "We get into really difficult issues sometimes, about race and class and politics – obviously, with this political year, that has come up a lot. We’ve had issues come up around police shootings, and we’ve made art together.” Dorsey said the Union Project builds much of its programming around which activities are in demand in the East End, and also which ones local residents can offer to lead. That can be anything from free health and wellness services given by local professionals -- to a long-running hula-hooping class given by Erica Johnson, who lives down the street. Johnson said she was a new resident to Highland Park when she wandered into the Union Project with two hula-hoops on her shoulder. Within an hour, Dorsey was asking her to teach a class. “And I still marvel that he took that time out of his day to just talk to this neighbor and hula-hoop, and gave me that opportunity to do that thing that changed my life and brought this really fun thing to the neighborhood,” Johnson said. Johnson, who’s now the interim office manager at the Union Project, said Dorsey is a community leader. “He doesn’t ever take credit for what goes on here," Johnson said, "but the rest of us have to acknowledge that, without leadership like his -- that is vulnerable, and open, and questioning, and willing to be changed -- that this place wouldn’t have the welcoming atmosphere that it has, and wouldn’t have the impact in the community.” For his part, Dorsey said he’s looking forward to preparing the Union Project as one of several Pittsburgh locations hosting events for the National Council on Education for the Ceramics Arts in March.Photos: Deadly earthquake strikes Turkey – Rescue workers carry 2-week-old baby Azra Karaduman. The baby was pulled from debris on Tuesday, October 25, in Ercis, Turkey, two days after a deadly earthquake devastated parts of eastern Turkey. Hide Caption 1 of 16 Photos: Turkey fire quake – Residents of Ercis gather around a fire to keep warm as they wait in the streets on Tuesday for news of survivors. Hide Caption 2 of 16 Photos: Deadly earthquake strikes Turkey – Residents of Ercis collect tents from a Turkish Red Crescent truck on Monday, October 24. Hide Caption 3 of 16 Photos: Deadly earthquake strikes Turkey – Rescue teams in Van, Turkey, search for survivors on Monday. Sunday's 7.2-magnitude quake struck at 1:41 p.m. local time about 12 miles from Van, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Hide Caption 4 of 16 Photos: Deadly earthquake strikes Turkey – Turkish rescuers try to find survivors in the rubble of a collapsed building in Van on Monday. Hide Caption 5 of 16 Photos: Deadly earthquake strikes Turkey – Ercis residents collect loaves of bread provided by relief agencies on Monday. Hide Caption 6 of 16 Photos: Deadly earthquake strikes Turkey – Turkish rescue workers try to recover people from a collapsed building in Ercis on Monday. Hide Caption 7 of 16 Photos: Deadly earthquake strikes Turkey – A man walks through the rubble in Van on Monday. Hide Caption 8 of 16 Photos: Deadly earthquake strikes Turkey – Residents of Ercis, Turkey, gather around fires in the aftermath of a the quake that rocked the city on Sunday. Hide Caption 9 of 16 Photos: Deadly earthquake strikes Turkey – Ercis residents gather around a fire in the street and survey the destruction of the surrounding city on Sunday. Hide Caption 10 of 16 Photos: Deadly earthquake strikes Turkey – Rescuers assist a man trapped beneath a collapsed building minutes before his death on Sunday. Hide Caption 11 of 16 Photos: Deadly earthquake strikes Turkey – Citizens and rescue workers sift through the rubble looking for survivors in Ercis, Turkey, on Sunday. Hide Caption 12 of 16 Photos: Deadly earthquake strikes Turkey – Two men stand in the rubble of a collapsed building in the aftermath of the quake on Sunday. Hide Caption 13 of 16 Photos: Deadly earthquake strikes Turkey – A Turkish man searches for survivors in the rubble on Sunday. Hide Caption 14 of 16 Photos: Deadly earthquake strikes Turkey – Rescue efforts continue well into the night on Sunday. Hide Caption 15 of 16If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Just improve it here and there. That was the mantra at ESPN's 2015-2016 upfront presentation at New York's Minskoff Theater this morning. The event was billed as the ESPN Impression, because, as president of marketing and sales Ed Erhardt explained, "Impressions are the currency of our industry." After pop star Jordin Sparks, accompanied by the New York City Joint Color Guard, sang the national anthem, ESPN execs Erhardt and evp of global multimedia sales Eric Johnson hit the stage to welcome the crowd and provide the data advertisers were there to hear: One out of every five TV-related tweets is about ESPN content. 95 percent of ESPN viewing happens live. ESPN Digital reached more than 30 million women in the fourth quarter of 2014 and reaches more than 23 million millennial males a month. ESPN Digital products have 40 million registered users. Once the all-important stats were out of the way, it was time to have some fun. ESPN veteran Kenny Mayne did what amounted to a stand-up routine, saying only ESPN could "bamboozle you before 10 a.m." Comedian Frank Caliendo did a Jon Gruden impersonation, complete with an exaggerated, oversize Super Bowl ring. He was joined by Monday Night Football commentator Mike Tirico and Gruden himself. Mike Golic emerged with a giant drum and—along with his co-host Mike Greenberg—ostensibly got ready to make a major announcement. But the drumming stopped when it became clear the news was already out there—their show will be relocating to New York in 2016. ESPN personalities Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Lindsay Czarniak, Kevin Negandhi, Hannah Storm, NBA star Dwyane Wade and NFL star Darrelle Revis also took the stage before closing remarks from Disney co-chairman and ESPN president John Skipper. Other programming announcements include: SportsCenter: ESPN's flagship program is adding two hours of live programming from 7 to 9 a.m. ET. The new version of SportsCenter will be faster paced, ideal for viewers who are on the move and don't have much time early in the morning. Scott Van Pelt's new midnight show: Van Pelt has signed a new, multiyear extension with ESPN and has a new show coming out late this summer. It will air at midnight and provide a unique spin on the day's news and highlights. It's essentially a solo-anchored version of SportsCenter, but the description sounds a lot like Keith Olbermann's daily program. 30 for 30: ESPN Films has 30 new episodes of the critically acclaimed documentary series. The Mike Tyson-Evander Holyfield rivalry, polarizing Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and the Buffalo Bills' four consecutive Super Bowl loses in the early '90s are among the topics. NFL wild-card game: ESPN and ABC simulcast a wild-card playoff game for the first time ever. MLB pennant race: ESPN has added three baseball games with playoff implications in the final week of the regular season, increasing its total to seven games during that week. The American League Wild Card Game will also be on the network. A new research initiative partnership with BlueKai was also announced.A driverless shuttle in Las Vegas crashed Wednesday after it was launched only hours earlier. The shuttle crashed just before noon not far from the Las Vegas Strip, less than two hours after officials held an unveiling ceremony to promote the vehicle. Dozens of people had lined up to board the shuttle, but no one was injured in the accident, which saw the bus collide with a semi-truck, KSNV reported. The shuttle was built by Navaya, a French company that is also operating it on the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, not far from a manufacturing facility it has established in the city of Saline. The one involved in the accident in Las Vegas can hold up to 12 passengers and can hit a top speed of just 25 mph, but is only expected to ride around at about 15 mph. It doesn't have a steering wheel or any pedals, but an attendant rides onboard to oversee operations via a computer monitor. The bus is currently free, according to KSNC. The AAA, which is sponsoring the shuttle, will donate $1 to the Las Vegas Victims Fund for each rider that gets aboard the bus – starting with a $100,000 check. The self-driving shuttle was reportedly scheduled to drive through downtown Las Vegas during the next year. It remains unclear whether the shuttle will continue operating after its collision. The Associated Press contributed to this report.Seattle-based Big Fish Games, one of the largest privately-held tech companies in the Northwest, has agreed to be be acquired by Churchill Downs Inc. for $885 million. Churchill Downs Inc. is a publicly-traded company that operates the famous Churchill Downs horse racetrack in Louisville, home to the legendary Kentucky Derby. It also owns six casinos, a video poker business, an online wagering business, and a bevy of other holdings. In a statement, Big Fish founder and CEO Paul Thelen said that Churchill Downs is a “great cultural fit for us.” “We are extremely proud of the company we have built over the last twelve years,” Thelen said. “Churchill Downs is a company with a commitment to interactive entertainment and a track record of growth and performance. We believe Big Fish is now positioned to become an even greater force in the casual, mid-core and social casino mobile and online games industry.” On the surface, it may seem peculiar that Churchill Downs is gobbling up Big Fish. But the famous race track operator, which employs more than 4,500 and has 10 offices across the country, actually maintains a large online horse racing wagering business called TwinSpires and runs slot-machine gaming and video poker machines at some of its racetracks. Big Fish sells a number of casino-oriented games, everything from Vegas Penny Slots to Mystic Palace Slots to Gallop for Gold, a horse racing-themed casino game. Its Big Fish Casino was the top revenue producing social casino app on iOS last year, and the company’s casino games ranked 4th in total market share in the category behind Zynga, IGT/DoubleDown and Caesar’s Interactive. Social casino games are estimated to be worth roughly $2.7 billion worldwide, according to a report from Eilers Research. With the acquisition of Big Fish, Churchill Downs obviously wants to get into the race. The companies declined to make executives available for comment in advance of a conference call Thursday morning. The news release makes no reference to the status of Big Fish Games’ ongoing operations in Seattle, but a spokeswoman tells GeekWire that the operation will remain intact and all 622 employees wordwide will remain once the deal is finalized. (Editor’s note: This post has been updated with more current information). Big Fish raised $83 million from Balderton Capital in 2008, and it had been discussed for years as a possible IPO candidate. But the company never produced a big hit in the mobile or social gaming realm, passed by companies such as Zynga (with Farmville) and Rovio (with Angry Birds). That didn’t seem to bother executives at Churchill Downs. “They have never had the mega-hit game, and we actually like that,” Churchill Downs CEO William Carstanjen said in Thursday’s conference call. Missing out on a huge blockbuster game has allowed Big Fish to build a sustainable and diverse business over time, with Carstanjen singling out the “seasoned” management team and “consistent” results. Gross bookings at Big Fish stood at $278 million last year, and Thelen is poised to make a $50 million “founder bonus” if he can grow the company to $1 billion in gross bookings by the end of 2016. “Mobile and online games is a large, competitive and sophisticated segment,” said Carstanjen. “Scale matters. Game development expertise matters. Distribution scope matters. Marketing analytics and experience matter. We don’t think we could expect to be successful dipping a toe into the water, and we felt we needed to go big and start with scale, team and with more expertise and experience.” We believe Big Fish is now positioned to become an even greater force in the casual, mid-core and social casino mobile and online games industry.” Big Fish was founded in 2002 by Thelen, a former RealNetworks employee who holds an MBA from Stanford and an electrical engineering degree from the University of Washington. By 2011, the privately-held company reported $180 million in revenue and boasted about 700 employees. Thelen resumed the CEO post in 2012, attempting to launch the company’s streaming gaming efforts. However, by 2013, Big Fish had pulled the plug on the cloud games business and announced a number of layoffs, including the closure of facilities in Ireland and Canada. The acquisition marks one of the biggest in Seattle’s vibrant gaming community, joining the ranks of IGT’s purchase of DoubleDown Interactive for as much as $500 million in 2012 and EA’s purchase of PopCap Games for up to $1.3 billion in 2011. It also helps cement Seattle’s role in the social casino gaming space. “Seattle has long been a major center for casual game development,” said Derrick Morton, the CEO of Seattle gaming startup FlowPlay and, like Thelen, a former RealNetworks employee. “The sale of Big Fish Games to Churchill Downs is just another example of how Seattle game companies are building valuable businesses. We often don’t get the credit we deserve in comparison to Silicon Valley, but it’s clear that, while we don’t get the buzz, we definitely attract the benjamins.” Susan Lusty, a spokeswoman for Big Fish, said that Churchill Downs plans to retain all employees. Big Fish employed 495 workers in Seattle as of last week, not including 47 contractors. It employed 622 people worldwide, including offices in Oakland and Luxembourg. Here’s the full press release:Image copyright Reuters Image caption There have been anti-government protests in Bamenda in recent months Three weeks after reports that Cameroon had blocked the internet in English-speaking parts of the country, residents say services have yet to be restored. So what is going on? Cameroonians have little doubt that pulling the plug on internet services for about 20% of the population is an intentional act by the government. The two regions affected, South-West and North-West, have seen anti-government protests in recent months. Just a day before services disappeared, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications issued a statement in which it warned social media users of criminal penalties if they were to "issue or spread information, including by way of electronic communications or information technology systems, without any evidence". The statement also confirmed that the authorities had sent text messages direct to mobile phone subscribers, notifying them of penalties, including long jail terms, for "spreading false news" via social media. A number of Cameroonians have posted screenshots on Twitter showing the various warnings they were sent. Image copyright Twitter There has been no official comment about the internet since then (or any credible reports of technical faults) leading many Cameroonians to conclude that the severing of services is part of government attempts to stifle dissent. What do the mobile phone companies say? In criticising their government, some Cameroonians have also taken aim at the mobile phone companies who provide the services through which many access the internet. These firms may not have been able to prevent the outage, since they all rely on fibre-optic infrastructure provided by a state-owned company, but nor have they been objecting publicly about the interruption to their services. Image copyright Twitter The biggest provider, MTN Cameroon, denied it had violated customer privacy by forwarding the ministry's warning texts and added that all its services remained accessible. That was on 15 January and since then it has not commented. Some subscribers say they have since received messages referring to "circumstances beyond our control". There has been no comment by Orange Cameroun, Nexttel or Vodafone Cameroon. What has been the effect of cutting internet services? Much of Cameroon's digital economy is located around the South-West capital, Buea - an area known as Silicon Mountain. Some entrepreneurs and their workforces are reported to have relocated temporarily to Douala or Yaounde where the internet is available. Less mobile, digital-dependent businesses will be suffering. Image copyright Twitter The outage is also reported to have hit the banking system, causing cashflow problems for businesses and individuals. A week ago campaign group Internet Sans Frontieres estimated that blocking access to the internet over the previous two weeks had cost businesses up to $723,000 (£570,000). That may not sound very much now, but the long-term cost of damaging the area's digital ecosystem could be very much higher. And then there are the unquantifiable social costs entailed in cutting channels of communication and entertainment. The United Nations has said internet access is now a basic human right. Cameroonians with access to Twitter have been tweeting their opposition to the outage using the hashtag #BringBackOurInternet. Why is this an issue only in English-speaking areas? It follows a period of rising tensions in which long-held grievances of English speakers against the government have erupted into protests and strikes. The protesters say that Anglophones are discriminated against by Cameroon's French-speaking majority. Last November, more than 100 people were arrested and at least one person was shot dead in demonstrations over the use of French in courts and schools. In January, lawyers and teachers in Bamenda went on strike over the issue, turning the main city in Cameroon's North-West region into a ghost town. Image caption North-West and South-West are Cameroon's two English-speaking regions The government responded by arresting activists and warning against protests and "malicious use of social media". English speakers in Cameroon say they are often excluded from top civil service jobs and that many government documents are published only in French, even though English is an official language. English-speaking lawyers object to the employment of French-trained court workers who do not understand the English common law system. Residents also object to the posting of teachers who do not speak good English to the region's schools. Why is the country divided along language lines? The official language or languages of African nations are usually a legacy of their colonial past. Cameroon was colonised by Germany in the 19th Century and then split into British and French areas after World War One. Later, areas controlled by Britain and France joined to form Cameroon after the colonial powers withdrew in the 1960s. In 1961, a referendum was held in the previously British areas - Southern Cameroons voted in favour of joining a unitary Cameroonian state, while Northern Cameroons decided instead to become part of neighbouring, English-speaking Nigeria. A secessionist movement, the Southern Cameroons National Council (SCNC), emerged in the 1990s and has been banned. Cameroon timeline How widespread are internet shutdowns in Africa? There have been many other partial or full internet shutdowns by African governments in the past 12 months, including in Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Morocco and Uganda. This is generally seen as an attempt to stop opposition activists from using social media to mobilise protests, although governments say it is to prevent violence, or to stop people circulating false election results. Human rights groups have said such action probably violates international law and should "never be allowed to become the new normal". Deji Olukotun, senior global advocacy manager at Access Now, said in December: "As more people use the internet and social media, they are also increasingly enjoying the freedom and opportunity these provide to organise themselves and advocate for what they want. "In response, it seems governments are shutting down the net more often to stop this practice."What was once highly classified can now be found on YouTube -- and this isn't a leak. The Lawrence Livermore National Lab is beginning to publish thousands of films of U.S. nuclear weapons tests.The images are both frightening and fascinating.These are no Hollywood effects. They're films of real U.S. nuclear tests conducted in the 1950s and 60s. They were made for science and measured to create parts of the nuclear prediction models that are still in use today."One frame at a time, and they would shine it onto a grid and somebody actually had to eyeball what the answer was or what the measurement was," Lawrence Livermore Lab's Greg Spriggs said.And that was a problem. With an error of plus or minus 10 percent, it was far less precise than today's computer image analysis. So Spriggs is leading a project to re-analyze the films for data that could be critical if there's ever a nuclear war."That he's not going to drop a bomb on one of our enemies and it's going to wipe out one of our allies," he said.Getting those films into the computer required starting from a dizzying array of different film sizes and formats shot at all different speeds."They were looking for every way to possibly capture information from these detonations," Spriggs said.And James Moye is an expert in most of them. "This camera is the Eastman high speed camera type three," he said.It shoots thousands of frames per second to capture every detail of the initial blast.Moye has to clean and splice the films and scan them before even more of them start falling apart. "The data that we took back then is it. That's it. We're never going to test an atmospheric shot again, so need to preserve these data," Moye said.But why make them public? Spriggs said they're priceless for academic research but also as a reminder. "Of the immense energy that's produced with a nuclear detonation, and hopefully that nobody will ever want to use these things or attack the United States. I don't think they want to have the retaliation of one of these nuclear weapons being dropped on their country," Spriggs said.SHARE THIS STORY: Salt Lake Tribune — ‘Cruz in Utah: Glenn Beck Says He’s Fulfillment of Mormon Prophecy’ “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” 2 Timothy 3:1 (KJV) For months now, we have been telling you about Ted Cruz’s unique brand of Christianity and we have taken a lot of flak from people saying that we should “support Ted Cruz as the only Christian candidate”. We showed you last week about Ted’s Dominionist Theology roots that they have combined with the false Prosperity Gospel. We also told you about how Mormon Glenn Beck has been campaigning for him incessantly. Glenn Beck says to ‘prepare for a time of miracles’ from Ted Cruz: Well, this weekend Beck upped the ante and says Ted Cruz is doing more than running for president. Glenn Beck said this weekend in Utah that Ted Cruz is the fulfillment of the Mormon doctrine of the White Horse Prophecy. Let that sink in for a moment. Glenn Beck – A Message for Utah 3/19/2016 The White Horse Prophecy is a statement purported to have been made in 1843 by Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, regarding the future of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons) and the United States of America. The Latter Day Saints, according to the prophecy, would “go to the Rocky Mountains and … be a great and mighty people”, identified figuratively with the White Horse described in the Book of Revelation. The prophecy further predicts that the United States Constitution will one day “hang like a thread” and will be saved “by the efforts of the White Horse” Glenn Beck brings a child on stage who apparently has been fasting in anticipation of Tuesday. “This is the priesthood rising,” Beck says. — Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) March 19, 2016 Now Glenn Beck has stood up to declare that Ted Cruz is that man from the White Horse Prophecy, and that he is going to lead a Mormon priesthood takeover of the United States. And as of this writing, Ted Cruz has not done his Christian duty and publically disavowed this heretical false Mormon teaching. The gospel truth about the wacky doctrines of Mormonism: Since Ted Cruz doesn’t have the guts to tell you that Mormonism is a cult, we are doing it for him. Is that because Ted believes it, too? Christians write to me every day and tell me what a “great Christian” Ted Cruz is. If he really is such a great Christian, how come he wants to you think that the cult of Mormonism is a legitimate sect of Christianity? If Cruz does not set the record straight on Beck’s comments, we must take that as his endorsement of Mormonism. As much as Cruz has made this election all about God and the Bible you would think he would take a moment and expose a cult like the Mormons. But sadly, he seems quite incapable of even this small thing to make a stand for Biblical Christianity. If you have a link where Cruz disavows Beck’s statement please post it in the comments section below.After Pyingyang fired its first ever ICBM, South Korea and the US retaliated with what they called "precision strike" missiles in a simulated attack on the North Korean leadership ADVERTISING Read more Seoul (AFP) South Korea and the United States fired off missiles Wednesday simulating a precision strike against North Korea's leadership, in response to a landmark ICBM test described by Kim Jong-Un as a gift to "American bastards". Tuesday's launch -- acknowledged as an ICBM by Washington -- marked a milestone in Pyongyang's decades-long drive for the capability to threaten the US mainland with a nuclear strike, and poses a stark foreign policy challenge for Donald Trump. The US president had vowed that "won't happen", but independent experts said it could reach Alaska or even further towards the continental US. It will require a reassessment of the threat posed by the nuclear-armed North, which has carried out five atomic tests and said the multi-stage rocket's warhead could survive atmospheric re-entry to strike a target. Amid international condemnation of the test, South Korean and US military forces launched short-range ballistic missiles of their own less than 24 hours afterwards from the peninsula into the Sea of Japan. Both weapons homed in on their target, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, "diplaying the capability of a precision strike against the enemy headquarters in times of emergency". The South's new President Moon Jae-In, who backs engagement with Pyongyang to bring it to the negotiating table, said the North's "serious provocation required us to react with more than just a statement". US general Vincent Brooks, the Combined Forces commander in South Korea, said: "Self restraint, which is a choice, is all that separates armistice and war. "As this Alliance missile live fire shows, we are able to change our choice when so ordered by our Alliance national leaders.? The two countries are in a security alliance, with 28,500 US troops stationed in the South to protect it. Their language is likely to infuriate Pyongyang, which says it needs nuclear weapons to defend itself against the threat of invasion and has been subjected to multiple sets of UN sanctions over its atomic and missile programmes. The launches came hours after a joint appeal by the presidents of China and Russia for all sides to exercise restraint and ease tensions. Disagreement on how best to respond will complicate discussions at the UN, where the Security Council was due to meet in emergency session later Wednesday after Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the North's launch as a "dangerous escalation." - 'New escalation' - After personally overseeing the test, the North's leader Kim Jong-Un "said American bastards would be not very happy with this gift sent on the July 4 anniversary", the official Korean Central News Agency reported. Breaking into peals of laughter, KCNA said, he "added that we should send them gifts once in a while to help break their boredom". Kim had inspected the Hwasong-14 missile and "expressed satisfaction, saying it looked as handsome as a good-looking boy and was well made". Questions remain over the precise capabilities of the weapon, but KCNA said it was a multi-stage rocket with a carbon composite nose cone that could carry a "large, heavy nuclear warhead". The test had shown it could survive the harsh conditions of re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, including "heat reaching thousands of degrees centigrade", to "accurately hit the target", it said. The missile only travelled little more than 900 kilometres to come down in the Sea of Japan, but the altitude it reached -- more than 2,800 kilometres according to Pyongyang -- demonstrated it can travel far further. South Korea's defence minister Han Min-koo put its range at 7,000 to 8,000 kilometres -- far enough to put US Pacific Command in Hawaii within reach. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson strongly condemned the launch, saying: "Testing an ICBM represents a new escalation of the threat to the United States, our allies and partners, the region, and the world. "As we, along with others, have made clear, we will never accept a nuclear-armed North Korea." But experts said that particular red line had already been crossed. "The window for negotiating denuclearisation is closed," Jeffrey Lewis, an expert in nuclear non-proliferation, told AFP. "The big point is that we have to accept North Korea with a nuclear-armed ICBM." © 2017 AFPThe Russians ate Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill’s memories! The Democrat senator, up for re-election in a state Donald Trump won, sought to push the narrative that his administration has been having nefarious contacts with the Russians. I've been on the Armed Services Com for 10 years.No call or meeting w/Russian ambassador. Ever. Ambassadors call members of Foreign Rel Com. — Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) March 2, 2017 “I’ve been on the Armed Services (Committee) for 10 years. No call or meeting w/ Russian ambassador. Ever. Ambassadors call members of Foreign (Relations Committee),” McCaskill tweeted on Thursday. Her declaration was in reference to the news that Attorney General Jeff Sessions met the Russian ambassador twice last year when he was a U.S. senator. But in 2015 and 2013, McCaskill bragged on Twitter about meetings and calls she was having — with the Russians! “Calls today with British, Russian, and German Ambassadors re: Iran deal,” she tweeted on August 6, 2015, adding the hashtag, “#doingmyhomework.” On January 30, 2013, she wrote, “Off to meeting w/ Russian Ambassador. Upset about the arbitrary/cruel decision to end all US adoptions, even those in process.” “So McCaskill is either lying to everyone or she forgot about those meetings,” Senate Leadership Fund spokesman Ian Prior said in a statement. “Whichever it is, she’s definitely the wrong messenger on this issue.”liftedwithleather Registered User Join Date: Aug 2001 Member # 6423 Location: Mass Posts: 432 63" Chevy 1/2-ton spring swap FAQ!! Welcome to 63" Chevy 1/2-ton Spring Swap FAQ I made this FAQ because there was so many questions being asked about the 63" Chevy 1/2 ton spring swap for the rear of Toyota 4x4s. And I was getting tired of answering the same million questions everyday. This swap is becoming so popular I wanted a place where people can come and have all there questions answered. Without me saying the same answers a million times. Below are all the questions from, people asking me, gathered from around the internet and from the Pirate message board. Any contributions to add/help this FAQ along are gladly accepted. So here they are.[/b] What year and vehicle do you get the springs from? The correct years are 88-2010+ 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton Chevy or GMC truck. Don't worry about the front suspension it does not matter. You only need the rear springs. Where do I get these springs? From a boneyard! All you need is the rear springs off an 88-2010+ 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton Chevy or GMC truck. Does it matter if it's from a 2WD or 4WD? No it does not matter if they are from a 2WD or 4WD. The 2WD have 3 leaves plus and overload leaf. The 4WD have 4 leaves plus and overload leaf. The 2WD are the most desirable because they are softer with only 3 main leaves and are good on a pickup. You can use the 4WD but you will have to pull out one leaf. Don't get me wrong the 4 leaves will work but most guys run 3 plus overload leaf. Some just run only three leaves. Also some people run add-a-leafs too. Just depends on what you want to achieve. How much should I pay for the springs? Pay no more than $100 a pair. How do I mount these loooog springs to my Toyota? You must get a new front spring hanger and weld it on the flat part of the frame forward of the stock spring hanger. For the rear shackle hanger, you can either go with a double shackle set-up (very popular) or weld on a new hanger back about 4 inches from stock. Where do I get new front spring hangers? You can either buy Jeep CJ spring hangers (some say they hang kinda low) or make your own out of 3.5" x 3.5" x 1/4" or 3/16" square tube. You can't use the chevy front hangers they are shaped to oddly to work. Can you explain the double shackle set-up? Ok the double shackle set-up works like this. You connect one Toyota style shackle from the factory rear hanger (let it lay flat against the frame) to another shackle going straight down to the spring. Most people run the stock Chevy shackle as the second one that mounts to the spring. Or you can make your own shackles. Doing the double shackle set-up is just a cheaper and easier way to do the rear of the springs. No need to weld in a new hanger. It also gives you a bunch of extra suspension droop, which is a good thing! How far forward do I mount the new front spring hanger? If you are replacing 48" long stock springs, Mount them 11" forward of the stock spring hanger center hole to center hole. This will position the axle in stock location. Or drop a plumb line from the frame down to the center pin of your stock springs. Leave it there. Take off stock springs and line up chevys. On 3rd gen trucks, mount the front hanger 9" To 9 1/2". 9" the axle will sit slightly rear of center and 9 1/2" should get the axle centered. On 1998-2000 Tacomas mount the front spring hangers forward 7.5 inches. Earlier Tacomas have shorter springs, but I don't have the measurements for those. Anyone? Some new info from Grabber(Pirate4x4 BB) for 89-95 trucks: I did a double shackle set-up leaving the rear shackle hanger in the stock location. Here are all the specs: Front spring hanger was mounted 8 1/2" forward of the stock hanger, eye to eye. ( I stated; I did it 9" before, but is actually 8 1/2", really 9" would be about perfect, but the less you go forward the better the double shackle will set up, I forgot and lost the info I had written down on my computer. Sorry.) I then used 2" x 3/8" Flat bar for the shackles. The top shackle is 5 1/2" with 3/4" washers on the inside of the shackle against the bushings (to space it slightly). Then I used an 8" shackle for the second shackle, putting it inside the top shackle, with a pipe spacer and washers between the bottom shackle (I used a 3/4" bolt at 6" for this, and size 9/16" to 3/4" will work fine). This leaves the bottom shackle slightly angled back. Looks and works good. With the mount being 8 1/2" forward of the other mount on 89'-95' trucks (which I think is really the best spot), you may need to lengthen your year drive- shaft about an 1" or 2", it works but its way down on the splines. I had another driveshaft out of a 79' that had new u-joints in it, and it work perfect, they are slightly longer. And I am using the stock d-shaft as spare, it should work fine as a spare. I have a buddy who put his mount at 9 1/2" and I will let you know how that worked out, as far as the drive-shaft and rubbing in the wheel well at full compression. But even with the d-shaft problem I feel 8 1/2" puts the wheel in the perfect spot. Another way of placing it, if you have a 2nd gen. 4runner, is to put it exactly in the center of the body mount at that location. That is where 8 1/2" ends up. Since 4runners dont have an original mount. How wide are the Chevy springs compared to Toy springs? The chevy springs are 2-1/2" wide and Toyota is about 2-1/4" wide. Please note on the Chevy's that the sleeve in the bushings at both ends of the spring is 3" wide. Thats why you must use 3 1/2" box tube (1/4" or 3/16" wall) for the front hanger (3" on the internal width). Can I use Toyota stock U-bolts and spring plates? Yes you can use the stock Toyota U-bolt but you will have to grind the springs a little bit to get them to fit. What about a u-bolt flip kit? Can I just flip the factory u
Judge, Deputy Chief Judge or Judge of the Industrial Court or member of the Industrial Relations Commission in Court Session" [18] Constitution Act to judges of the Supreme Court of that State [19] The general functions of the Commission are set out in s 146 of the IR Act. They include: . setting remuneration and other conditions of employment [20] . resolving industrial disputes [21] . hearing and determining other industrial matters [22] The Commission is required to take into account the public interest in the exercise of its functions, and for that purpose is required to have regard to the objects of the IR Act, the state of the economy of New South Wales and the likely effect of the Commission's decisions on that economy[23]. That requirement does not apply to criminal proceedings before the Industrial Court or proceedings that the Industrial Court "determines are not appropriate."[24] The power to make awards is conferred in general terms by s 10, which provides: "The Commission may make an award in accordance with this Act setting fair and reasonable conditions of employment for employees." Certain functions of the Commission can only be exercised by the Industrial Court. They include proceedings relating to: . unfair contracts [25] . breach of industrial instruments [26] . the recovery of money, other than small claims under s 380 [27] The Industrial Court may make binding declarations of right in relation to a matter in which it has jurisdiction and may do so whether or not any consequential relief is or could be claimed[28]. If a matter arises in proceedings before the Commission (other than in Court Session) that is within the jurisdiction of the Industrial Court, then "the Commission may continue to deal with that matter as the Commission in Court Session" [29] [30] [31] There was no dispute that the Industrial Court is a "court" for the purposes of s 71 of the Commonwealth Constitution, and a court of the State of New South Wales for the purposes of s 77(iii) [32] IR Act, its members are accorded the protections of judicial office and its functions involve the exercise of judicial power [33] It is questionable whether the Commission and the Industrial Court should be characterised as two distinct legal entities. The first to fourth respondents and the Attorney-General of Queensland argued, in effect, that they should. The PSA submitted that they are a single body. The text of the IR Act supports the characterisation of the Commission as one body clothed with distinct legal characters according to its composition and functions. It exercises what might broadly be called arbitral functions in its character as the Commission sitting other than in Court Session. There may be some "arbitral" functions which could also be classified as "judicial". The boundary between those classifications is not necessarily defined by a bright line [34] It was not suggested that the conjunction of different legal characterisations and functions in the one body gives rise to any constitutional infirmity. The doctrine of the separation of judicial from executive and legislative powers, which is derived from the text and structure of the Commonwealth Constitution, has the consequence that a body like the Commission, combining non-judicial and judicial functions, could not be established by a law of the Commonwealth [35] Powercoal Pty Ltd v Industrial Relations Commission (NSW) [36] "The mere fact that powers are not strictly separated does not impair the institutional integrity of the court." Further, nothing in this case turns upon the question of whether the Commission when sitting other than in Court Session can be characterised as a "court" for the purposes of particular statutory provisions[37]. The Amendment Act and the procedural history On 7 March 2011, the PSA filed an application in the Commission seeking two new awards. The awards claimed provided for increases in salaries and allowances for a wide range of public sector employees. The first claim related to employees already covered by a number of awards, agreements and determinations specific to particular government departments and authorities. The second claim concerned employees covered by awards relating to the Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales. The application was made on the basis that the nominal terms of the existing awards would expire on 30 June 2011 and that increases in salaries and allowances were justified under current "Wage Fixing principles". Considerations said to support the PSA's claims included the need for economic adjustments having regard to the current rate of inflation, changes in the cost of living and improvements in productivity and efficiency in aggregate across the public sector. While the proceedings were pending, the Industrial Relations Amendment (Public Sector Conditions of Employment) Act 2011 (NSW) ("the Amendment Act") was enacted [38] IR Act. That section provides, inter alia: "Commission to give effect to certain aspects of government policy on public sector employment (1) The Commission must, when making or varying any award or order, give effect to any policy on conditions of employment of public sector employees: (a) that is declared by the regulations to be an aspect of government policy that is required to be given effect to by the Commission, and (b) that applies to the matter to which the award or order relates. (2) Any such regulation may declare a policy by setting out the policy in the regulation or by adopting a policy set out in a relevant document referred to in the regulation. (3) An award or order of the Commission does not have effect to the extent that it is inconsistent with the obligation of the Commission under this section. (4) This section extends to appeals or references to the Full Bench of the Commission. (5) This section does not apply to the Commission in Court Session. (6) This section extends to proceedings that are pending in the Commission on the commencement of this section. A regulation made under this section extends to proceedings that are pending in the Commission on the commencement of the regulation, unless the regulation otherwise provides. (7) This section has effect despite section 10 or 146 or any other provision of this or any other Act." It is not necessary for present purposes to set out s 146C(8), which defines "award or order", "conditions of employment" and "public sector employee". The Regulation The object of the Regulation, according to the Explanatory Note, was "to declare the Government's public sector policies for the purposes of section 146C of the Industrial Relations Act 1996." Clause 4 of the Regulation provides: "The matters set out in this Regulation are declared, for the purposes of section 146C of the Act, to be aspects of government policy that are to be given effect to by the Industrial Relations Commission when making or varying awards or orders." What are called "paramount policies" are declared in cl 5, being: "(a) Public sector employees are entitled to the guaranteed minimum conditions of employment (being the conditions set out in clause 7). (b) Equal remuneration for men and women doing work of equal or comparable value." Other policies are declared in cl 6(1) but stated to be subject to compliance with the declared paramount policies. Those policies include: "(a) Public sector employees may be awarded increases in remuneration or other conditions of employment that do not increase employee-related costs by more than 2.5% per annum. (b) Increases in remuneration or other conditions of employment that increase employee-related costs by more than 2.5% per annum can be awarded, but only if sufficient employee-related cost savings have been achieved to fully offset the increased employee-related costs.[[46]] (c) For the purposes of achieving employee-related cost savings, existing conditions of employment of the kind but in excess of the guaranteed minimum conditions of employment may only be reduced with the agreement of the relevant parties in the proceedings. (d) Awards and orders are to resolve all issues the subject of the proceedings (and not reserve leave for a matter to be dealt with at a later time or allow extra claims to be made during the term of the award or order). However, this does not prevent variations made with the agreement of the relevant parties. (e) Changes to remuneration or other conditions of employment may only operate on or after the date the relevant parties finally agreed to the change (if the award or order is made or varied by consent) or the date of the Commission's decision (if the award or order is made or varied in arbitration proceedings). (f) Policies regarding the management of excess public sector employees are not to be incorporated into industrial instruments." Definitions of the terms "guaranteed minimum conditions of employment", "employee-related costs" and "employee-related cost savings" are set out in the Regulation [47] The decision of the Industrial Court It is no disrespect to the careful reasoning of the Industrial Court to observe that the essential steps in that Court's reasons for dismissing the PSA's motion were: . The motion required consideration of the effect of the Amendment Act on the functions of the Industrial Court and whether the impugned legislation would lead to an identification of the Court in the exercise of its functions with the Executive Government of New South Wales [48] . The IR Act provides for the creation of two related but distinct bodies, the Industrial Court and the Commission. Section 146C expressly does not apply to the Industrial Court. That is a complete answer to the suggested invalidity of the Amendment Act [49] . As to the validity of the Regulation, it is sufficiently authorised by s 146C [50] [51] The grounds of appeal By its Notice of Appeal to this Court, the PSA challenged the proposition that the exclusion of the Industrial Court from the application of the Amendment Act answers its complaint that the Amendment Act undermines the institutional integrity of the Industrial Court. The PSA contended that the Industrial Court erred in failing to consider whether the requirement imposed upon judicial members of the Commission to give effect to government policy, when sitting as the Commission other than in Court Session, undermines the institutional integrity of the Industrial Court having regard to the closely intertwined composition, operation and functions of the Commission and the Industrial Court. The PSA also asserted that the Industrial Court and the Commission are a single body constituted in different ways so as to exercise particular functions. The Industrial Court was said to have erred in finding that incompatibility or repugnance could only arise as a result of non-judicial functions conferred on a judge persona designata. Industrial tribunals in New South Wales The PSA, in its submissions, emphasised the close connection between the functions conferred on the Commission and the Industrial Court, including the Court's jurisdiction to enforce orders and awards of the Commission. It pointed to the dual functions of judicial members of the Commission. The organisational overlap of the Commission in its non-judicial and judicial characters and the involvement of judicial members in the non-judicial work of the Commission was the foundation for the PSA's argument that s 146C provides impermissibly for the Commission, including its judicial members, to be subject to direction and control by the Executive Government from time to time. It is desirable to put that argument in context by reference to the variable proximity of non-judicial and judicial functions in the history of labour market regulation in New South Wales. So much is indicated by reference to the relevant legislative history. In 1901 a "court of arbitration" was established in New South Wales [52] [53] [54] [55] [56] [57] [58] [59] [60] [61] The Industrial Court was replaced by the Court of Industrial Arbitration in 1912 [62] [63] [64] [65] [66] In 1926 the Industrial Commission of New South Wales was established. The jurisdiction and powers of the Court of Industrial Arbitration were vested in the Commission [67] [68] [69] [70] [71] The Industrial Arbitration Act 1940 (NSW) constituted a new Industrial Commission of New South Wales. Like its predecessor, that Commission was designated as a superior court of record [72] [73] [74] [75] The Industrial Arbitration Act 1940 (NSW) was repealed by the Industrial Relations Act 1991 (NSW) [76] [77] [78] [79] [80] Industrial Relations Act 1991 (NSW) was repealed by the IR Act [81] The legislative history indicates a longstanding, albeit varying, connection between non-judicial and judicial functions in labour market regulation in New South Wales. Those relationships may be seen as reflecting the constitutional authority of the State legislature in structuring the regulatory and judicial institutions of the State unconstrained by the doctrine of separation of executive and judicial powers applicable to federal courts. There are, however, as this Court has held in a number of decisions, limits upon the powers of State legislatures to make laws imposing on State courts functions which are incompatible with their institutional integrity as courts. A State legislature cannot subject State courts to direction by the executive government of the State [82] [83] [84] There is no suggestion in this case that, apart from s 146C itself, the IR Act creates a relationship between the Commission and the Industrial Court which gives rise to any impermissible incompatibility between the exercise by the judicial members of their functions as members of the Commission and their functions as members of the Industrial Court. As appears from what follows, s 146C does not give rise to any such incompatibility. The operation of s 146C and the Regulation The operation of s 146C and the nature of the Regulation determine the disposition of this appeal. It was submitted by the PSA that s 146C(1) requires the Commission, in making or varying an award or order, to give effect to any policy on conditions of employment of public sector employees that is declared by the regulations. The declaration, it was submitted, amounts to an instruction to the Commission by the Executive, requiring it to comply with the identified policy of the Government. It was said to be immaterial that the direction takes the form of a regulation. The PSA also pointed to the express application of s 146C to pending proceedings and the application of any policy declared by regulation to proceedings pending at the time of the making of such regulation. The PSA submitted that the capacity to direct the Commission in pending proceedings permits the Government to alter or dictate the outcome, or require the acceptance of the Government's own submissions, in those proceedings. The PSA submissions require attention to be given to the following questions: . What is the proper construction of the term "policy" in s 146C? . What is the constitutional character of a regulation of the kind referred to in s 146C – in particular, does it require the Commission to respond to a direction of the Executive Government? As to the first question, the relevant ordinary meaning of the word "policy" is "a course or principle of action adopted or proposed by a government, party, business, or individual" [85] Section 146C(1), however, readily accommodates the concept of "policy" as a principle or principles adopted or proposed by government. That meaning of the word "policy", particularly in a context in which it gives content to delegated legislation, does not extend to a policy which is ambulatory. That is to say, it does not extend to a policy which requires compliance with future variations of its terms or with future ministerial directions. The word "policy" has a range of possible applications, from the specific to the general. An example of the constructional choice which that range may present was considered by the Full Court of the Federal Court in Leppington Pastoral Company Pty Ltd v Department of Administrative Services [86]. The scope of a "policy" which could be stated in a ministerial pre-acquisition declaration under s 22(5) of the Lands Acquisition Act 1989 (Cth) defined a field of enquiry from which the Administrative Appeals Tribunal was precluded in reviewing the declaration. The Full Court rejected a construction of "policy" in s 22(5) which would extend to a proposal to acquire a particular parcel of land. The Court observed [87] "As one progresses downwards on the scale of generality, into the realm of considerable particularity, the less apt becomes the use of the word 'policy', as that term is normally understood in the Australian political context." Analogical arguments about the construction of terms taken from one statutory context and applied to another must be treated with caution. Nevertheless the observation of the Full Court in Leppington is consistent with general usage of the word "policy" in relation to the executive branch of government. It supports the conclusion that as used in s 146C(1), "policy" does not extend to a direction as to the outcome of a particular matter before the Commission which leaves the Commission with nothing to do but to translate the direction into its order. The term does, however, encompass principles of the kind embodied in the Regulation. The regulations referred to in s 146C are made in the exercise of the general power conferred by s 407. As explained earlier, s 146C may be taken as modifying that general power but it does not alter its character as a delegated legislative power. Consistently with that character, s 146C cannot be construed as extending to a regulation incorporating by reference a policy which consists simply of a direction about the outcome of a particular case before the Commission [88] It is not necessary in these proceedings to express a view about whether such a regulation would fall within the scope of s 407. Properly construed, s 146C does not encompass that kind of regulation. That is because of the constraint imposed by the use of the term "policy" in that section. The second question relates to the constitutional character of a regulation of the kind referred to in s 146C. That question is shortly answered. A regulation of the kind referred to in s 146C declares a policy in the sense explained above and attaches legal consequences to it, including the Commission's duty to give effect to it. The policy becomes part of the body of law which the Commission is required to apply in the proceedings before it. Government policy is the product of executive activity. When declared by a regulation of the kind contemplated by s 146C, it becomes part of the content of legislation. All legislation reflects policies attributable to the legislature but, in many if not most cases, they are policies originating with the executive government as the proponent of most statutes enacted by the parliament. The use of the word "policy" in s 146C does not alter the constitutional character of the class of regulation to which it refers. The point should also be made that the mechanism created by s 146C, read with the regulation-making power in s 407, differs from an Act or regulation which authorises a Minister to do an executive act to which the Act or regulation attaches legal consequences. Examples in the latter class include provision for the making of a ministerial direction which must be complied with [89] [90] The application by the Commission of a regulation of the kind contemplated by s 146C does not involve the Commission in giving effect to an executive direction. It is simply required to apply the law as set out in the IR Act and the relevant regulation, which incorporates by reference the principles set out in a policy declared by the regulation. Such a policy could be embodied in the text of the regulation itself without any need to separately identify it as a "policy". There is no relevant constitutional distinction to be drawn between the making of a regulation which creates decision-making rules that have been formulated by the executive government to give effect to its policies, and the making of a regulation which incorporates by reference a statement of a policy setting out those rules. As an element of its incompatibility argument the PSA pointed out that seven of the eight Presidential Members of the Commission had also been appointed as judicial members. A member of the Commission could, on the one day, hear proceedings (other than in Court Session) in which the Commission would be required to give effect to a government policy declared by regulation and on the same day, in the same courtroom with the same staff, sit as the Industrial Court to determine judicial proceedings involving the Government as a party. The PSA submitted that an intelligent observer would find no basis upon which to distinguish between the two proceedings, or to have confidence that the member of the Commission would, as required, give effect to government policy when sitting other than in Court Session but bring an impartial and independent mind to bear when sitting as a member of the Industrial Court. Those submissions are sufficiently answered by the characterisation of the Commission's function, in responding to a regulation of the kind contemplated by s 146C, as a function of applying the relevant law. No question of incompatibility arises between the role of the judicial members of the Commission as members of the Industrial Court and their functions as members of the Commission other than in Court Session giving effect to such a regulation. Conclusion For the preceding reasons the appeal should be dismissed with costs. HAYNE, CRENNAN, KIEFEL AND BELL JJ. The facts, circumstances and statutory provisions which give rise to this appeal are set out in the reasons of French CJ. It is not necessary to repeat them. The Industrial Relations Act 1996 (NSW) ("the IR Act") establishes [91] IR Act provides [92] Some functions of the Commission are to be exercised [93] [94] [95] [96] Pt 9 of the Constitution Act 1902 (NSW), is a court of status equivalent to the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the Land and Environment Court [97] As already noted, there are some functions of the Commission which the IR Act provides may be performed only by the "Commission in Court Session" (which is to say by the Industrial Court). Other functions of the Commission, notably the functions [98] [99] Section 146C(1) of the IR Act provides that the Commission, "when making or varying any award or order", must "give effect to any policy on conditions of employment of public sector employees... that is declared by the regulations [made under the IR Act] to be an aspect of government policy that is required to be given effect to by the Commission". The Industrial Relations (Public Sector Conditions of Employment) Regulation 2011 (NSW) ("the Regulation") stated policies affecting public sector employment. One of the policies stated in the Regulation limited the increases in remuneration that may be awarded by the Commission. The appellant ("the PSA") alleged that s 146C is invalid because it "impairs the institutional integrity of the Industrial Court in a manner inconsistent with Chapter III of the Constitution". The PSA submitted that the institutional integrity of the Industrial Court is impermissibly affected because judicial members of the Commission, who sit as the Industrial Court, must comply with government policy when exercising the arbitral functions conferred on the Commission. This submission must be rejected. Section 407(1) of the IR Act provides a regulation making power "for or with respect to any matter that by this Act is required or permitted to be prescribed". Section 146C envisages the making of regulations that, in the circumstances to which they apply, govern what awards may be made and what orders may be made varying an existing award. Neither s 146C nor the regulations it contemplates permit, let alone require, the Industrial Court to decide any question in any matter that is committed to it except in accordance with law. When the Industrial Court is required to interpret or enforce any award, the terms of the award, to be valid, must be fashioned according to any requirements fixed by the regulations to which reference is made in s 146C. Those requirements (described in s 146C(1)(a) and cl 4 of the Regulation as "government policy") are fixed by law, for they take effect only when fixed by regulation. The fixing of those requirements, by regulation, is an exercise of legislative power [100] Central to the PSA's submissions was the observation that members of the Commission who are judicial members may exercise both judicial functions (when sitting as a member of the Industrial Court) and non-judicial functions (when performing other functions of the Commission). This observation is, of course, accurate. But it does not lead to the conclusion that s 146C is invalid. Two points may be made about the fact that the Commission and its judicial members perform both judicial and non-judicial functions. The first is that whether or not the Commission and the Industrial Court can be said to be separate entities, as the first to fourth respondents and the Attorney-General of Queensland intervening suggested, the PSA did not submit that the conferral of both judicial and non-judicial functions on the one body was invalid. It was right not to do so. The doctrine of separation of powers developed and applied in R v Kirby; Ex parte Boilermakers' Society of Australia [101] [102] The second point is dispositive of this appeal. The Commission is constrained, when making or varying an award, by the provisions of regulations made under s 407(1) and referred to in s 146C. In performing its functions, the Commission must act according to law. That s 146C and the Regulation refer to the rules and principles which may be, or have been, made by regulation as statements of "policy" or "government policy" does not deny that those rules and principles form a part of the body of law which governs the Commission's performance of its arbitral functions. The institutional integrity of the Industrial Court is not, and cannot be said to be, affected by its members applying the law when performing non-judicial functions. Section 146C is not invalid. The appeal should be dismissed with costs. HEYDON J. The Attorney-General for the State of South Australia accurately encapsulated the issue in this appeal as follows: "Does the operation of s 146C of the Industrial Relations Act 1996 (NSW) ('the Act'), which has no direct application to the exercise of the jurisdiction vested in the Industrial Court of New South Wales ('Industrial Court'), undermine the institutional integrity of that Court by reason of the members of that Court also being members of the Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales ('Commission') to which the Act does have direct application, requiring the Commission to give effect to Government policy on conditions of employment of public sector employees, or by reason of the interrelationship of the functions of the Commission and the Court?" A federation is a system of government permitting diversity. It allows its component units to engage in their own legislative experiments. It leaves them free to do so untrammelled by what other units have done or desire to do. And it leaves them free to do so untrammelled by what the central legislature has done or desires to do, subject to a provision like s 109 of the Australian Constitution [103] In 1996, Kable v Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW) [104] cut into that concept of the Australian federation by reducing the legislative freedom of the States. Statements in that case have been much debated in this Court over the last 16 years. Some of them have been invoked successfully to strike down State legislation. Those statements are in an entirely different category from s 109. Section 109 is an express provision. No express language in the Constitution corresponds with the Kable statements. The Kable statements have received a remarkably chilly reception from some academic lawyers – a class usually keen to salute and foster modernity in constitutional law [105] [106] Kable's case; now let us enjoy it." No party to litigation has ever challenged the correctness of the relevant statements in Kable's case. The courts have had no alternative but to apply them whatever they think about their merits. But those statements raise questions. Has the basis of the decision changed over time [107] Kable statements, being "insusceptible of further definition in terms which necessarily dictate future outcomes" [108] [109] Kable's case referred to the need to keep State courts as fit receptacles for the exercise of the judicial power of the Commonwealth, untainted by powers repugnant to or incompatible with that exercise, as if those State courts were inferior institutions, uncouth, uncultured and coarse, needing always to be scrutinised to prevent pollution of the snow-white purity of federal jurisdiction. The appellant is an important and well-advised trade union. When special leave was granted for the appellant to bring this appeal, the appellant was not called on to present oral argument. On the appeal, its arguments were detailed. The arguments were supported by a plausible apparatus of scholarship involving numerous footnotes, some lengthy. In this, the appellant aped a modern judicial fashion which has not grown up without criticism [110] Kable statements. It may sometimes be wrong to blame the parents for the sins of their children. But that so much time, money and effort could be wasted on an empty point suggests difficulties and flaws in the statements from which the point is derived. Section 146C(1)(a) of the Act, none too elegantly, imposes an obligation on the Commission. That obligation is to: "give effect to any policy on conditions of employment of public sector employees: (a) that is declared by the regulations to be an aspect of government policy that is required to be given effect to by the Commission". (emphasis added) The appellant's submission was couched in the hallowed but hollow phrases of the Kable line of cases. The appellant submitted that s 146C(1)(a) "impairs the institutional integrity of the Industrial Court in a manner inconsistent with Chapter III of the Constitution... by requiring judges... to give effect to any government policy dictated by the executive and act, in effect, as an arm of the executive, when acting as presidential members of the Commission." The appellant also submitted that s 146C(1)(a) "affects critically the functions of the Commission in a manner which substantially impairs the reality and appearance of its independence. The Commission is directly subject [to] the dictates of government policy". And the appellant submitted that the declaration in the regulations "constitutes an instruction to the Commission by the executive that it is required to comply with the identified policy of Government. It is immaterial that the form of the direction of the executive is by way of a regulation." If these submissions are correct, either most regulations will be invalid or the words in s 146C(1)(a) emphasised above mean something other than "mandatory". In truth "mandatory" is all they mean, and the submissions are incorrect. The appellant's counsel was asked: "if... [s] 146C... said regulations may prescribe the limits or conditions to be applied to awards regarding remuneration..., that would not be a problem, would it, expressed in that way?" (emphasis added) Counsel said: "No". He explained: "the feature that gives rise to the difficulty is the way in which [s] 146C(1) expresses itself." (emphasis added) The appellant's point is thus a formal one only. It ignores criteria of substance. It passes by the fact that questions going to the constitutional validity of legislation generally turn on questions of substance, not of form. It overlooks the fact that the words italicised in the above quotation from s 146C(1)(a) mean only "mandatory". The Kable statements cannot possibly be applied to invalidate regulations merely on the ground that the courts are obliged to apply them. If they did, there would be a fatal flaw at their heart. That flaw is that the enactment of a s 146C(1)(a) regulation as part of an Act of Parliament would be equally vulnerable to invalidity on Kable grounds. Vulnerability of that kind would destroy the legislation-making power of the States. Yet the Constitution contemplates that there will be a wide field for State legislative activity outside the potential restrictions created by the interaction of ss 51 and 52 and s 109. Non-lawyers might applaud or deprecate the reference to policy in s 146C(1)(a). They might applaud or deprecate the suggestion that some battle of the Caudine Forks has taken place as a result of which the Commission must pass beneath the Samnite yoke of a regulation the Executive drafted pursuant to the power s 146C(1)(a) confers. But applause does not matter. Neither does deprecation. In a system of responsible government, all legislation enacted substantially in conformity with a Bill presented to the legislature by the Executive may be said to "give effect to... government policy dictated by the executive". Most legislation is of that kind – not all, for Members of Parliament acting or claiming to act independently of the political parties consistently supporting the executive government in the legislature can sometimes procure the enactment of legislation. And when legislation enacted in conformity with the will of the Executive contains regulation-making power, the regulations, which are themselves a form of legislation and which are subject to parliamentary scrutiny and the power of disallowance [111] Kable statements invalidate legislation giving effect to government policy on that ground alone, they are wrong for that reason. They do not. Whether the Kable statements are wrong for other reasons need not be investigated in this appeal. That is because the statements will not bear the weight which the appellant places on them. It is the law that courts are subject to legislative power. And it is the law that courts are subject to acts of the Executive, including the making of regulations, carried out pursuant to valid delegations of legislative power. Section 146C(1)(a) is a perhaps excessively colourful and triumphalist grant of regulation-making power. But it is no more than a grant of regulation-making power. Section 146C(1)(a) and the regulations which may be made under it do not suffer from the substantive vices which affected the legislation impugned in Kable's case and in other cases where Kable's case has been successfully invoked. As the Attorney-General for the State of Victoria submitted, s 146C(1)(a) provides that the Commission "must give effect to delegated legislation in the exercise of its statutory powers", but "merely sets the parameters for the Commission's exercise of its statutory powers without directing the outcome of particular proceedings." The members of the Commission are not required to implement government policy in a way which adversely affects the capacity of the Industrial Court when it is comprised of those members to be a fit repository of federal jurisdiction. The statements in Kable's case are thus not fatal to the validity of s 146C(1)(a). But the fact that the statements were thought capable of useful employment for the appellant's ends raises questions about their correctness. As already indicated, those questions do not call for further discussion on this appeal. There are two particular arguments of the appellant which remain to be dealt with. The first was: "Section 146C expressly applies to pending proceedings and any policy declared by regulation for the purposes of the section will apply to proceedings pending at the time the policy is so declared. The capacity to direct the Commission to give effect to government policy in pending proceedings permits the Government to alter or dictate the outcome or require the acceptance of the Government's own submissions in the proceedings." (footnote omitted) It is not necessary to decide the validity of s 146C(1)(a) in relation to its possible conferral of power to make a regulation declaring that the government's submissions in a particular case are an aspect of government policy which is required to be given effect to. Nor is it necessary to consider the validity of s 146C(1)(a) in relation to its possible power to make a regulation the only effect of which is to alter or dictate the outcome of particular proceedings. The appellant has not demonstrated that the regulation relevant to this appeal falls into the first category of regulation. And, despite the appellant's submission to the contrary, the regulation is not within the second category of regulation either. It applies to the pending proceedings before the Commission, but not to them exclusively. The terms of s 146C(1)(a) permit regulations going well beyond these categories. The validity of s 146C(1)(a) in its possible conferral of power to make a regulation in either category can be put aside until an occasion on which the issue arises. Secondly, the appellant submitted: "The effect upon the appearance of the independence of the Industrial Court is demonstrated by reflecting upon the fact that a member of the Commission will one day hear proceedings in which he or she is required to give effect to any policy determined by the Government. The same day (or the next) the same member of the Commission may sit in the same courtroom with the same staff but constituted as the Industrial Court to determine judicial proceedings involving the Government as a party. An intelligent observer would find no basis upon which to distinguish between the two proceedings or have confidence that the member will (as required) give effect to Government policy in one proceeding, but bring an impartial and independent mind to bear upon the other." In one sense, the proceedings are not to be distinguished. In each set of proceedings the Commission member is applying the law and, so far as a particular law takes the form of an enactment, that member will usually give effect to government policy. In each set of proceedings, the tribunal will bring an impartial and independent mind to bear, subject to what the law commands. The appellant laid stress on the interrelationship of the functions of the Commission and those of the Industrial Court, but that analysis raised no point not considered above. The appeal must be dismissed with costs. [1] Public Service Association and Professional Officers' Association Amalgamated Union of NSW v Director of Public Employment [2011] NSWIRComm 143. [2] IR Act, s 3(a). [3] IR Act, s 3(b). [4] IR Act, s 9B(1). [5] IR Act, s 145(1). [6] IR Act, s 147(1). [7] IR Act, s 147(2). [8] IR Act, s 155. [9] IR Act, s 156. [10] IR Act, s 149(1). [11] IR Act, s 149(3). [12] IR Act, s 149(2). [13] IR Act, s 151(2). [14] IR Act, s 151(1). [15] IR Act, s 151A. [16] IR Act, s 152(2). [17] IR Act, s 156(3). [18] Constitution Act, s 52(1)(b). [19] Constitution Act, ss 53-56. [20] IR Act, s 146(1)(a). [21] IR Act, s 146(1)(b). [22] IR Act, s 146(1)(c). [23] IR Act, s 146(2). [24] IR Act, s 146(2). [25] IR Act, s 153(1)(c); being proceedings under Ch 2, Pt 9 of the IR Act. [26] IR Act, s 153(1)(f); being proceedings under Ch 7, Pt 1 of the IR Act. [27] IR Act, s 153(1)(g); being proceedings under Ch 7, Pt 2 of the IR Act. [28] IR Act, s 154(1). [29] IR Act, s 176(3). [30] IR Act, s 176(3)(a). [31] IR Act, s 176(3)(b). [32] The Industrial Court so regards itself – see Morrison v Chevalley (2010) 198 IR 30 at 73-77 [141]-[
future that could have been. If only, if only.Our very popular web, mobile and tablet version of Betcoin Poker has been fixed and is available and ready today for the weekend with NEW IMPROVEMENTS To play Betcoin Poker from the web simply to to: https://securepoker.betcoin.ag To play Betcoin Poker on your mobile phone or tablet, simply follow these steps: 1. Download the Free Puffin browser onto your tablet or mobile phone by going to the play store or apple store. 2. Once the Free Puffin browser is downloaded and installed, launch the free puffin browser from your mobile phone or tablet by clicking on it. 3. In the url field go to: https://securepoker.betcoin.ag/flash/ (Once you enter this once you can store it for quick access later.) The web version of the Betcoin Poker software will load. 4. Enter your username and password in the selected fields. 5. Choose from the cash tables, tournaments and / sitngo's that you would like to play. 6. Take your seat and play. 7. You can multi-table by clicking lobby and going to another cash table, tournament or sitngo. 8. You can also use the TrackPad feature in your phone to make maneuvering and gameplay very easy. The TrackPad feature is activated by clicking the icon in the bottom left corner. We look forward to your feedback and we will see you on the tables! Filed under: PokerThe liberals’ lament: What’s wrong with Obama? 9 March 2010 The first week of March has seen a number of commentaries in the American media, mainly from liberal pundits, worrying over the declining public standing of President Obama and the growing signs of disarray in the Democratic Party. Typical is the column in Sunday’s New York Times by Frank Rich, who writes that the problem facing Obama is that “there is no consistent, clear message to unite all that he is trying to do.” “Obama needs to articulate a substantive belief system that’s built from his bedrock convictions,” Rich advises. “That he hasn’t done so can be attributed to his ingrained distrust of appearing partisan or, worse, a knee-jerk ‘liberal.’” Similar laments have come from the Times’ economic columnist Paul Krugman, E. J. Dionne of the Washington Post and other commentators who have deplored the failure of the administration to rally popular support. Dionne warned last month that if Obama and the Democrats continued on the current path, “they’ll be washed out by a tidal wave” in the November congressional elections. The underlying premise of this opinionating is that Obama heads a progressive administration that suffers from a “communication problem” and is somehow unable to explain the benefits of its policies to the American public. Obama does not, however, suffer from a failure to communicate. He heads a right-wing, big business administration whose policies and performance are rapidly dispelling the popular illusions that accompanied his runaway election victory only 16 months ago. Working people have seen the bailout of Wall Street and the continuing slide in jobs and living standards. They understand that when the administration speaks of cutting health care costs, it will be the elderly and the lower-paid who will pay the price. They have heard Obama praise the firing of public school teachers in Rhode Island, while not a banker or speculator has been held accountable for the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. They have seen Obama continue the Bush administration’s assault on democratic rights, including military tribunals, indefinite detention without trial, rendition and assassination—the full panoply of the Bush “war on terror.” Sunday’s New York Times carried a full-page ad from the American Civil Liberties Union, appropriately showing the face of Obama morphing into that of Bush. In foreign policy, the public has seen Obama, who postured as an opponent of war when a candidate, don the mantle of commander-in-chief with a vengeance, escalating the war in Afghanistan with the dispatch of 30,000 additional US troops and a doubling of missile strikes into Pakistan, and continuing the US occupation of Iraq, with nearly 90,000 troops still in that country, 14 months after Obama’s inauguration. Such a record can be defended as “progressive” only on the basis of the complacent perspective of upper-middle-class liberals who are indifferent to the colossal impact of the economic crisis on working people and bloody destruction in Iraq and Afghanistan. They see Obama through the rosy prism of the rise in their stock market portfolios. This week marks the anniversary of the stock market bottom, and the 4,000-point rise in the Dow Jones Industrial Average since then is proof enough to this privileged layer that the Obama administration’s policies have “worked.” The inversion of reality is particularly apparent on the health care question, where the liberal pundits suggest that the Obama administration is on the brink of engineering a great social advance, like Social Security in the 1930s and Medicare and Medicaid in the 1960s. At the same time, they are forced to admit that the bills adopted by the Senate and House are deeply unpopular, and that the Democrats are likely to pay a price in the November congressional vote. The liberals don’t ask the obvious question: if the health care reform plan is a progressive reform that will benefit the American people, why do its right-wing opponents, like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Sunday, vow to turn every House and Senate campaign this year into a referendum on Obamacare? Roosevelt did not pay a price at the polls for the passage of the Social Security Act. On the contrary, the bill was enormously popular and the program that it established led to a significant improvement in the living conditions of millions of elderly people. Medicare and Medicaid won similar public support, and remain the only enduring social reform enacted in the 1960s, guaranteeing the elderly access to decent medical care for more than a generation. If the Obama health care plan is unpopular, it is not because of the White House’s failure to communicate, or the ravings about “death panels” and “socialized medicine” from the Republican right. It is because the American public has seen through the rather threadbare rhetorical fig leaf of “reform,” and correctly identified the essential purpose of the legislation as cost-cutting, with the working class and the elderly to pay the price. Within the straitjacket of the US two-party system, the only alternative to the right-wing, anti-working-class policies of the Democratic Party is the even more right-wing policies of the Republicans. That is why the central task facing all working people and youth who want to oppose the policies of social reaction and war, advocated by both big business parties, is the building of an independent mass political movement from below. This political movement must be based on a socialist and internationalist program, rejecting American imperialist domination of the globe and capitalist domination of America. All working people and youth who want to take this road of independent political struggle should make plans to attend the Emergency Conference on the Social Crisis and War, called by the Socialist Equality Party, to be held April 17-18 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (For information on the conference and to register, click here.) Patrick Martin Patrick MartinThis is a paid-for submitted press release. CCN does not endorse, nor is responsible for any material included below and isn’t responsible for any damages or losses connected with any products or services mentioned in the press release. CCN urges readers to conduct their own research with due diligence into the company, product or service mentioned in the press release. Play.Win.Socialize. Beijing-based LoMoStar company is building an O2O ecosystem by putting cryptocurrency in red envelopes, also known as “hongbao.” The company’s LoMoCoin (LMC) token can be exchanged for real value (either fiat money, bitcoin, or other cryptocurrencies) and it enables marketing and advertising in the LoMoStar ecosystem, according to its CEO, Xiong Lijian. It’s like the Pokémon Go app but with cryptocurrency gift cards, monetizing the game exprience and following the win-win concept for both businesses and consumers. “Take this as an example: a cafe releases LMC red packets on the map, attracting users’ attention, even drawing them close to the physical location of the cafe. At the same time, it can also send coupons, discount cards, and other services,” Xiong explains. “On the other end, users open the app and find red envelopes issued by a nearby cafe. They walk into the cafe and get LMC in a red envelope. If the coffee shop itself and the sales are really attractive, users may transform consumer behavior immediately.” LoMoStar is also a social platform. Users automatically follow the business from which they received red envelopes and businesses can reach out to them and build communities. The advertising effect is easier to measure and evaluate. “It’s kind of like what Ether is to the Ethereum ecosystem. Ether enables smart contracts for users. Meanwhile, LMC promotes and smooths traffic conversion from users to businesses,” said Xiong. LoMoStar also plans to connect its blockchain tech with the Internet of Things (IoT) with the help of iBeacon, Bluetooth devices developed by iPhone which enable smartphones and other devices to perform certain actions when they get close to them. This option, however, is still in early phases of development. Cryptocurrency is also far from mainstream and it remains to be seen if it will become a widely accepted marketing tool. LoMoCoin now has more than 300,000 users and has signed up several hundred businesses in China. “Just like Bitcoin, it’s a meaningful social test,” said Xiong. “Although blockchain technology is not mature enough we still believe that it can change many industries, and cryptocurrencies will be applied into more industries under the legal compliance framework.” LoMoStar just started building their presence on the international market and their current goal to achieve the global audience. For LoMoCoin it means avoiding the conundrum caused by China’s cryptocurrency trading and ICO ban. Nevertheless, blockchain is still very much a hot item in the country: At the end of last year, blockchain technology was written directly into the national “13th Five-Year plan.” Xiong noted that LoMoStar is planning a comeback soon and preparing more interesting projects. Their current project phase is 2.0, they are unique and they ready to repeat PokemonGo success, but already in the modern crypto-blockchain field. Developer Community of LoMoStar Sirius Project, which is a similar project as CoZ to NEO just launched a 10000 LMC reward MEME WAR – https://medium.com/@contact_78563/lomostar-memewar-contest-1ec77b37897fSeattle artist and science illustrator Marlin Peterson was recently commissioned by the Washington State Artist Trust to paint a mural somewhere in the city. After searching unsuccessfully for a suitably large wall, Peterson got the idea to look for a large roof, and where would a painting on a roof be more visible than right underneath the Seattle Space Needle. An agreement was reached with the Seattle Center Armory (formerly the Center House) and he quickly began work on two daddy long-leg spiders using a technique called trompe l’oeil that creates the illusion when seen from above that gigantic arachnids are actually overtaking the building. You can see many more photos and an explanation of his process over on Peterson’s website. (via street art utopia) An earlier version of this post referred to these arthropods as spiders. While technically daddy long-legs belong to the class Arachnida, they fall into the order Opiliones, which means they aren’t spiders, they’re called harvestmen. We regret the error. (thnx, everyone)Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag.Click here to view original GIF Using 100 images taken by the New Horizons spacecraft over the course of six weeks, NASA has produced a colorized video showing what it would be like to approach and land on Pluto. Prepare yourself for a marvelous trip. To create the video, NASA scientists had to deduce Pluto’s actual colors from the many black-and-white photos taken by the probe. Following that step, they stacked lo-res color images taken by New Horizon’s Ralph instrument on top of the monochrome photos to glean the best possible interpretation of what an approach to Pluto would actually look like. The video starts with a distant view of Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, and finishes with a “landing” on the shoreline of Sputnik Planitia, a bright, ice-covered basin. It gives us a chance to see Pluto in all its colorized glory, showcasing the red, brown, and copper hues characteristic of the dwarf planet. Advertisement The deep red coloring in Pluto’s southwestern hemisphere is likely caused by hydrocarbons called tholins, which form in Pluto’s atmosphere. After exposure to direct sunlight, its reddish ice turns to vapor and drifts toward the north pole, where it regains its icy form on the surface. This pattern of melting and freezing is probably why we’re seeing distinct latitudinal color bands. New Horizons took these photos over the course of six weeks leading up to and culminating in its historic flyby of Pluto on July 14, 2015. Its powerful telescopic cameras were able to spot features as small as a football field. The original black-and-white video can be viewed here. [NASA]Birgitta Ohlsson, one of Sweden's staunchest advocates of equal rights and The Local's Swede of the Week, has had a busy week. The vibrant colours of Stockholm's Pride Week have been sullied by news of Russia's anti-gay laws, which among other things ban "propaganda for non-traditional sexual relations." Ohlsson has been working to ensure Sweden leads the international fight against the laws – something that resulted in her being pelted with eggs during a speech at a Pride event in Lithuania on Saturday. SEE ALSO: Topless activists demonstrate outside Russian Embassy "When it comes to countries like Russia I think it's so important to have a united front towards the negative messages that are coming from them, and Sweden is one of the key players in this dialogue," she told The Local. She added that she was pushing the European Union's foreign affairs spokeswoman Catherine Ashton into sharing a "very solid and firm position" on condemning the politics in Russia. SEE ALSO: A list of The Local's past Swedes of the Week "Of course, we have the horrifying anti-gay law – that is repulsive and disgusting, going in the total wrong direction. But then we have other laws that are also very severe for the Russian open civil society and that has to do with laws concerning freedom of expression, freedom of assembly," she said. "Other countries are not holding to the position as they should when it comes to human rights and the rule of law." Russia, she claimed, needs to perform a complete U-turn: "[Russia is] not respecting LGBT human rights. What is key now is to have a dedicated support to LGBT supporters and other human rights activists in the area – and Sweden is definitely one of the key players in the EU [in this regard]," Ohlsson said. But the minister's dedication and presence at pride events is not always welcome, however, with protesters in Vilnius hurling eggs at Ohlsson on Saturday when she spoke at the second ever pride event to be held in Lithuania, a largely Catholic country. "That was an interesting experience... but we have to keep up the pressure. When it comes to the Lithuania, they are in the EU, so we can have an even more solid approach with them," she told The Local. "When you're a member of the EU, you have to follow the ideals that we share." Oliver Gee Follow Oliver on Twitter here Editor's Note: The Local's Swede of the Week is someone in the news who - for good or ill - has revealed something interesting about the country. Being selected as Swede of the Week is not necessarily an endorsement.Tip #1: Double Click on the Digital Crown to go to your last used app Tip #2: Clear all your notifications at once While you can swipe left to delete an individual notification from the Notifications screen, you can also get rid of all your notification alerts in one tap. First, swipe down from the display to access Notifications, then Force Touch the display to bring up the Clear All option. Tip #3: Set Automatic alerts when it's time to go for Calendar events If you enable "Travel Time" on your iPhone inside a calendar event that has a location, it will automatically take into consideration factors such as traffic for your drive and alert you what time you should leave and the Apple Watch will notify you! On your iPhone go to the Calendar app, add a new event or tap on existing one, then go to Edit > Travel Time. Then click on "Alert" and select a start of travel time. Tip #4: How to limit alerts on your Apple Watch The first time you sync your Apple Watch, the default setting will send you notifications for all the usual notifications you receive on your iPhone. This can surely get annoying, so there are steps you can take to mute your Apple Watch but still receive important alerts and notifications from certain apps. 1) Go to the Apple Watch app 2) Go to Sound & Haptics 3) Turn on Mute Tip #5: Silence or mute an incoming call 4) Now go to Notifications and only enable certain apps from notifications When a call comes in, you have a couple options. You can answer it on your Watch, or you can also hit that big red reject button. However if you hit the reject button, the person on the other end will know. Instead, you can silence the call by covering the display with your hand. This will silence the incoming call until the other person hangs up. Tip #6: Hold a call until you find your iPhone Another nice feature is the ability to tap "Answer on iPhone". What this does is place the person on hold until you can find your iPhone and answer. This is great because it gives you extra time to get your iPhone out instead of rushing and fumbling around for your phone. The person on the other end will hear a short repeated sound until you can get to your iPhone. Tip #7: Take a screenshot on the Apple Watch It's easy to take a screenshot on your Apple Watch by quickly and simultaneously pressing both the side button and Digital Crown. The screenshot will get stored automatically in your iPhone's camera roll. Tip #8: Put your Apple Watch in power reserve mode Simply hold the side button to access the power menu, then slide the power reserve. It's a good way to save battery life on the Apple Watch. In this mode the watch will only display time. Tip #9: Use the taptic engine for directions If you use the maps app to navigate on your Apple Watch, you will receive taps when you need to make a turn. For a left turn, you'll get a series of 3 beats each being 2 quick taps. For a right turn, you get a steady beat of about 12 taps. You also get a long vibration when you're getting close to your destination. Tip #10: How to Force restart the Apple Watch If your Apple Watch is frozen or stuck, try rebooting it by holding down the side button and crown until it shuts off and apple logo appears for force restart. BONUS #11: How to force close an app! While you have an app opened, hold down on the side button until you see the power menu. Let go of the side button and hold down on it again for a few seconds until the app has closed out.A woman is accused of beating up her 87-year-old boyfriend after he allegedly cheated on her. NBC 6 Reporter Claudia DoCampo has more. A 52-year-old woman beat up her 87-year-old boyfriend of 37 years because she thought he cheated, prosecutors said in a Miami-Dade bond court. Regina Soivilien, 52, is facing a felony charge of battery on a person over the age of 65, which is punishable by up to five years in prison. “They’ve been together for 37 years," the prosecutor said. "He’s cheating on you at 87? Gee whiz.” Soivilien's public defender asked the court for a non-monetary bond, called Pretrial Services in Miami-Dade, to secure her release because she does not have a criminal record. Miami-Dade Woman Accused of Attacking Elderly Boyfriend Regina Soivilien is accused of beating up her 87-year-old boyfriend. (Published Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017) Judge Mindy S. Glazer said Soivilien must stay at least 500 feet away from her boyfriend, as well as his home, school and workplace, or she faces the risk of violating her bond and being detained. She would also have to pay $5,000 if she violates the conditions under the Pretrial Services. Soivilien said she will stay with her sister in the meantime while her boyfriend, who sustained bumps and bruises on his face when she allegedly punched him several times, recovers.Before I forget (again), here is the long-awaited Limited review of Snapcaster Mage: [draft]Snapcaster Mage[/draft] Limited: 3.5 I can’t imagine not running this guy, even with something like one or two targets. He’s still a 2/1 flash, so he will trade well, and it shouldn’t be hard to save him until you get some value. Most decks will have a fair amount of good things to flash back, especially if you have other good blue milling cards, which you should. The later in the draft, the lower his value, assuming you don’t already have good targets, but early he’s a very good pick. Once you have him, just prioritize spells, and you’ve got yourself a solid source of card advantage! [draft]Ancient Grudge[/draft] Ancient Grudge Constructed: 3.0 I’m not rating this low because I have a grudge against it, I’m rating it low because all the formats that it’s insane in already have access to it. It’s definitely awesome, and a great card to have around, but being multicolor restricts it greatly in Standard, despite it being a staple in Eternal formats (Modern kind of counting, since it’s fine there too). With Tempered Steel, Birthing Pod, and Swords running around, I expect this to be a reasonable sideboard card for any red/green deck. Limited: 0.5 With all the handy household implements the humans in this set seem to be fond of, I certainly wouldn’t object to having a Grudge in my sideboard, but I’m not really looking to maindeck one. [draft]Ashmouth Hound[/draft] Ashmouth Hound Constructed: 1.0 Doggone it, another woofless Constructed (yes, I decided to restrain myself for once in my life; there are other jokes I could have made). Limited: 2.5 This little doggie battles pretty well, easily taking down 3-4 casting cost creatures, and even blanking a number of opposing foes. It is still soft to cards like Geistflame, but you should be able to get plenty of mileage out of it otherwise. [draft]Balefire Dragon[/draft] Balefire Dragon Constructed: 1.0 So, this is supposed to hit them so hard they don’t even exist, potentially unraveling the fabric of reality itself? That would be more likely to happen if it ever got cast in Constructed, which it won’t. Limited: 4.0 Ah, the classic “dragon that wins the game when it attacks” that is in every set. As usual, it’s good, and the format even seems slow enough to make it a very viable plan. [draft]Blasphemous Act[/draft] Blasphemous Act Constructed: 2.5 This starts to look reasonable once there are three creatures in play, and is a bargain once it gets up to 5+, especially considering the single colored mana cost. I’m not sure how many red decks really want Wrath of God, but it’s now available. Limited: 3.5 I’ve talked about how mediocre Wrath effects tend to be in Limited before, but I’ve never been afraid to beat a dead horse, so here we go. It’s hard to convince your opponent to overextend without playing something out, limiting the total cards gained, and once the opponent knows about them, it won’t work very well at all. This even gets harder than most Wraths, since if they stop at two guys, you might not even be able to cast it. That all being said, it does blow up the world, and having access to that is certainly better than not. [draft]Bloodcrazed Neonate[/draft] Bloodcrazed Neonate Constructed: 1.0 Sperling did a pretty good job of explaining why this sucks, and you’d have to be crazy to disagree. Sorry, Nate Dogg, no regulating this time around. Limited: 1.5 If you don’t have removal to back it up, the drawback is quite significant. Even in a deck with two Rakish Heirs and eight removal spells, I had to chump attack more often than I was happy with. Plus, even if you do get a solid hit in, they can usually just trade the second time around. [draft]Brimstone Volley[/draft] Brimstone Volley Constructed: 2.0 Five is a lot of damage, and [card]Furnace Scamp[/card] enables it quite nicely. I’m not a huge fan of playing situational Lava Axes in Constructed (or Limited, for that matter), but if you are, this seems like an option worth exploring. Limited: 3.5 It’s pretty hard to go wrong with this; it either is a very solid three damage for three mana, or it overperforms and blasts a five-toughness guy, with the additional option of going to the face. [draft]Burning Vengeance[/draft] Burning Vengeance Constructed: 1.0 I know all those flashback cards are burning a hole in your pocket, but this isn’t Lightning Rift v2.0 (with a vengeance). Limited: 1.0 You need a ton of flashback before this becomes an option, and I highly doubt that’s going to happen very often. If it does, the more power to you, and I’d love to play that deck, but I’m not taking Burning Vengeance early in anticipation of such. [draft]Charmbreaker Devils[/draft] Charmbreaker Devils Constructed: 1.0 Apparently the second time isn’t the charm, since Nucklavee version two is much, much, worse. Having to wait until you untap pretty much rules this out; the devil is in the details. Limited: 3.5 My favorite combo with this so far is Into the Maw of Hell, but even something as tame as a Geistflame should be good value. Plus, it even comes with an 8/4 monster, which sadly means that I don’t get to cast Into the Maw very often before the game ends. [draft]Crossway Vampire[/draft] Crossway Vampires Constructed: 1.0 What do you get when you cross a Warpath Ghoul with a Goblin Shortcutter? Oh right, an unplayable. Limited: 2.5 The casting cost is a little tough, but the stats are solid and the ability is relevant. The best use seems to be following up a Bloodcrazed Neonate, and then ideally having another good play on turn four, such as Nightbird’s Clutches. If you have less than 10 Mountains, the utility of this drops enormously, so keep that in mind. [draft]Curse of Stalked Prey[/draft] Curse of Stalked Prey Constructed: 1.0 Curses, foiled again! Limited: 1.5 A special set of circumstances has to exist before this becomes a good playable; you have to have plenty of creatures, plenty of removal, and still space for this durdle card. So far it’s been left on the bench more often than not, because those conditions are somewhat hard to meet. It’s tough finding room for a non-creature non-removal spell that only works when your guys are hitting them. [draft]Curse of the Nightly Hunt[/draft] Curse of the Nightly Hunt Constructed: 1.0 Curses, foiled again! Limited: 1.5 Strangely enough, this is very similar to Curse of Stalked Prey; you need space for a do-nothing, and creatures enough to make it a do-something. At least this one is a little more brutal; playing this in order to make one or two guys chump attack gets them pretty good. Red-green seems like the obvious combination for this, but it also shines as a sideboard card if your guys outclass theirs. [draft]Curse of the Pierced Heart[/draft] Curse of the Pierced Heart Constructed: 1.0 Ok, this one I’ll actually talk about, since it at least pretends to be good enough. Cursing them to a slow and painful death sounds good, except for the slow part. One damage just isn’t enough, even if it’s unblockable and hard to kill. Control decks aren’t that anemic nowadays. Limited: 1.5 I’m not entirely sold on this yet. Even if you are the deck playing Bump in the Night, any random 2-drop is likely to do more damage, and can actually block. If you don’t have enough creatures, you might have to run this, but it doesn’t seem like the optimal situation. You want burn to finish the game, not be in your opening hand. [draft]Desperate Ravings[/draft] Desperate Ravings Constructed: 2.0 With Forbidden Alchemy in the format, you’d have to be pretty desperate to play this. It does add a little credence to the idea of an UR burn deck, possibly with [card]Delver of Secrets[/card], but the “at random” part worries me. You could actually cast this and be worse off than before, which isn’t exactly what I look for in Constructed. Limited: 3.0 What can I say, I’m a sucker for card advantage. You obviously have to be both colors to get full value, since playing this just for the red half is a desperate gambit indeed. It fills the graveyard, though hopefully not with your best cards, and lets you go deep in the lategame (remember to hold excess lands and all that). [draft]Devil’s Play[/draft] Devil’s Play Constructed: 3.0 This may well be the best Fireball variant to date. Sure, it might be counterable, but it comes back for a second helping, and very few cards can threaten as much damage by themselves. It nukes two guys, if needed, and can lie in wait in the graveyard for the whole game, ready to pounce at any time. You don’t need many of these, but even just two or so gives you a significant amount of lategame, and the first casting isn’t that mana inefficient. Limited: 5.0 By all that’s right and just in this world, couldn’t this at least be mythic? I’ve played with and against it, and it’s exactly as absurd as it looks. I’m not playing around when I say that this is the best card in the set, since it covers all the bases: it’s a two for one, it can win the game by itself, and it deals with all the other bombs. At least the flashback isn’t splashable, though the main part is, and I can’t imagine this will get passed very often. I mean, Fireball you for 9, Fireball you for 7 just isn’t fair (and neither is Fireball your guy turn four, flash it back 10 turns later). [draft]Falkenrath Marauders[/draft] Falkenrath Marauders Constructed: 2.0 I don’t want to completely rule this out, but 2+4+6+8 is so much worse than 5+5+5+5, so calling it “the next Demigod of Revenge” is a bit of an exaggeration. If they kill it within the first few attacks, your damage output just isn’t high enough, especially with [card]Hero of Oxid Ridge[/card] as an option. You just can’t tap this much mana and not get anything against removal without good reason, and a 2/2 that grows by two a turn really isn’t enough. Limited: 4.0 If you can get the first hit in, they probably can’t block it, and it soon turns into The Abyss. This guy is gonna Falk some people up, that’s for sure. [draft]Feral Ridgewolf[/draft] Feral Ridgewolf Constructed: 1.0 I’m just about out of canine-related puns, as fast as these reviews tend to wolf them down. Limited: 1.0 The mana investment is just too high on this to really make it worth it; unlike [card]Kessig Wolf[/card], you have to pay mana just to trade with their guy. I get that it’s a mana sink so you can flip your Werewolves, but that doesn’t excuse it just being a bad card. [draft]Furor of the Bitten[/draft] Furor of the Bitten Constructed: 1.0 It may come back to bite me, but I’m going to go ahead and declare all durdle auras like this unplayable, from now until furever. Limited: 1.0 A mediocre advantage with a significant drawback, all in Aura form? Sign me up! [draft]Geistflame[/draft] Geistflame Constructed: 1.0 I liked (losing to) [card]Firebolt[/card] as much as the next guy, but this is actually [card]Engulfing Flames[/card], Firebolt’s lesser-known and puny cousin. Red has plenty of ways to take advantage of 1-toughness creatures, and no need to resort to this. Limited: 3.0 Geistflame has impressed me so far; it never gets less than a card, in total, even if sometimes you need to use both halves. When you get a whole card for half of this, it makes you feel less bad about running the block + Geistflame combo on one of their bigger guys, which ends up happening often. I like this, and would happily play multiples in my maindeck. [draft]Hanweir watchkeep Bane of hanweir[/draft] Hanweir Watchkeep/Bane of Hanweir Constructed: 1.0 Who watches the watchers (who are watching the real cards)? Limited: 3.0 I like either half of this, though it probably isn’t surprising that I’m a fan of a 1/5. I’d play a 1/5 defender most of the time regardless, and having the option to flip into a 5/5 is nothing to sneeze at. Plus, look at that badass crossbow/arbalest thingie he has! [draft]Harvest Pyre[/draft] Harvest Pyre Constructed: 1.0 What do you mean you can’t do damage to players? You’re pyred! Limited: 3.0 This bears remarkable similarities to [card]Corpse Lunge[/card], and I bet it isn’t too hard to figure out why. Depending on your deck, one may be easier to power than the other, and the first one or two are fine without any additional effort on your part. Once you start to try and jam three or more in there, you really are gonna need some Forbidden Alchemies or Desperate Ravings to enable them. [draft]Heretic’s Punishment[/draft] Heretic’s Punishment Constructed: 1.0 Any deck that can spend its entire turn tapping out for this (and wants this kind of effect) probably isn’t playing expensive enough cards to actually warrant it. As the top end in a burn deck, it provides you with some sort of inevitability, but at way too punishing a cost. Limited: 3.5 I guess you don’t get actual infinite shots, but if you need more than the six or seven you normally get, you weren’t winning anyway. The biggest cost is obviously the time, though eating their best creature every turn usually solves that as well. If you miss, you probably do get punished, for what it’s worth. [draft]Infernal Plunge[/draft] Infernal Plunge Constructed: 1.0 In order to use this, you really just have to take the plunge and accept that you are playing pure combo. Of course, creatures don’t usually have a place in pure combo, and trying to shoehorn in something like Memnite just doesn’t seem like it will work. In older formats, [card]Culling of the Weak[/card] is definitely better, though I wouldn’t put it past someone to try and “break” this plus Memnite plus Past in Flames. Limited: 0.0 I don’t care how many morbid cards you have, this is just unacceptable. [draft]Instigator gang Wildblood pack[/draft] Instigator Gang/Wildblood Pack Constructed: 1.0 I hope I don’t get ganged up on in the comments, but I just can’t see how any of the 4 mana+ Werewolves are remotely playable. At that point, both players are reasonably expected to cast something every turn, and not doing so is a huge sacrifice. A four mana 5/5 isn’t even that insane, even if it smashes for 8, so I’d pack these in my binder instead of my deck. Limited: 4.0 There will be blood if this comes out, since they aren’t living through very many 8-point attacks, and that’s not even taking into consideration the bonus given to the rest of your team. This is one of the few flip cards I don’t mind taking first, and even sends a good signal. [draft]Into the Maw of Hell[/draft] Into the Maw of Hell Constructed: 1.0 The names in this set are seriously out of control; they are as good as this card is bad. Limited: 3.5 [card]Plague Spores[/card] you! The colors might be less intense in this set, so the land destruction part isn’t
Cuba will host the U.S. men’s national team in Havana on Friday, just the second time the Yanks have set foot on the island since the beginning of the Cold War-era embargo. While U.S. Soccer touts the “historic” friendly as a triumph of sports diplomacy, Cubans may be excited for a more practical reason: playing on their home soil, at least none of their players will be able to defect. Over 30 Cuban soccer players have defected while on international duty in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada since the institution of America’s “wet foot, dry foot” policy. This policy, the byproduct of a 1995 revision to laws regarding immigration from Cuba, essentially promises a pathway to U.S. citizenship for any Cuban who sets foot on U.S. soil. Since its enactment, dramatic scenes have played out along the Florida coast as people fleeing the Castro government try desperately to make it ashore. For most, the journey is a perilous, sometimes deadly one. For others, soccer has been a way out. The institution of “wet foot, dry foot” set off a steady trickle of defections by Cuban international soccer players, one that quickens even as U.S.-Cuban relations thaw. Goalkeeper Rodney Valdes may have started the trend in 1999, when he snuck away from his teammates while in Winnipeg with the Cuban national team for the Pan American Games. During the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup, two members of the national team went to their Los Angeles hotel lobby to “make a phone call” and fled to the house of a nearby relative. Forward Maykel Galindo defected in Seattle while representing Cuba in the 2005 Gold Cup and went on to make 74 appearances for the MLS’ Chivas USA before playing for several other lower-division teams. One wonders why the Football Association of Cuba felt it was worth it to keep competing in the Gold Cup. In 2007, the tournament was the backdrop for perhaps Cuba’s most well-known football defection, that of Osvaldo Alonso. The midfielder was a rising star, having captained the Cuba U-23’s and worked his way into the senior team, when he defected in Houston. On a trip to that most iconic of American institutions, Wal-Mart, Alonso wandered off from his teammates, asked a Spanish-speaking bystander if he could use his phone, called friends in Miami, and got on a bus to Florida. Ozzie was soon playing for the Charleston Battery – TransferMarkt.com hilariously lists the move from his Cuban club as a “free transfer” – and signed with the newly-formed Seattle Sounders in 2009. Since then, he has helped the Sounders make their mark on the league, scoring 20 goals and notching 277 appearances. He also gained U.S. citizenship, which would clear him to play for the U.S. national team if he could prove that his Cuban citizenship was revoked against his will. Both Alonso and USMNT boss Jürgen Klinsmann have expressed interest in his suiting up for the U.S.A., but for whatever reason the Cuban authorities have been less than cooperative. His international career has long been in limbo, as he is not welcome in his homeland but cannot formally renounce his citizenship without permanently forfeiting his chance to play for another country. Though he still starts regularly for Seattle at age 31, it’s highly unlikely he’ll ever play for the USMNT. Ozzie may be MLS’ answer to Yasiel Puig, but soccer lags far behind baseball when it comes to high-profile defectors. Whereas many baseball-playing defectors arrived in America knowing that Major League Baseball teams would be fighting to sign them, Cuban soccer players cannot expect anything, other than a shot at becoming an American. Lester Moré, who defected on the same 2007 trip as Alonso, never made an MLS roster but did play for a spell with the Battery, a team that enthusiastically welcomes Cuban defectors. Seven U-23 players slipped away from their Doubletree Hotel during an Olympic qualifying tournament in Tampa the next year. Their defection drew media attention and offers of tryouts with Miami FC, but only one of them, Yordany Alvarez, reached MLS, though several had stints with Charleston or the Orange County Blues. Just last year, over a dozen Cuban soccer players appeared to have defected. After setting up the only goal in Cuba’s Gold Cup victory over Guatemala in Charlotte, Ariel Martinez gave his coach a farewell hug and disappeared “into the darkness,” becoming the fourth member of his team to defect over the course of the tournament. He made an appearance with the Battery before signing with similarly Cuban-friendly Miami FC. Several more young players slipped away during Olympic qualifying last year, and two more defected during a trip to Mexico. Though Cuban authorities signaled in 2013 that they would begin to allow Cuban nationals to sign contracts with Liga MX clubs, it remains very difficult for players to secure a contract by going through the island nation’s FA. Meanwhile, President Obama’s lifting of the embargo in 2014 has led to an increased rate of defections. Weirdly simplistic and arbitrary though it may be, the wet foot, dry foot policy does give Cubans an easier route to citizenship than many other would-be immigrants who reach the border. Cubans fear that, as the U.S-Cuba relationship normalizes, they will lose this unique pathway and immigration will become even more difficult. As such, the thawing of U.S.-Cuban relations could mean even more Cuban athletes will seek refuge in the United States in the coming years. The U.S. is expected to host the 2017 Gold Cup, so it looks like we’re on track for another round of defections should Cuba qualify. No defectors will play for the U.S. Friday, but the match in Havana will still serve as a reminder, to the home crowd and the American audience, of those who left their team, their families, and, in some cases, their careers behind when they left the island for good.There’s a certain irony in making a feature film about David Foster Wallace: funneling the most voluminous of writers, he of the endnotes with their own gravitational pull, into a work of entertainment. The market, of course, is primed for a multiplex-filling movie. DFW’s fans have already consumed every available DFW product—not just his terrific short stories, or his 900-plus page dystopian novel on TV, tennis, and addiction, Infinite Jest; but also his critical essays, his Kenyon College commencement address, and his gonzo forays into reporting and travel writing. For the completist, there are also his interviews with Rolling Stone journalist David Lipsky from the Infinite Jest book tour of 1996—which have now been adapted as The End of the Tour, with Jason Segel playing DFW. But what emerges from those interviews and Wallace’s critical essays is his deep aversion to entertainment. “I think that if there is a sort of sadness for people under 45, it has something to do with pleasure, and achievement, and entertainment—like a sort of emptiness at the heart of what they thought was going on,” says Segel as Wallace, in the trailer. For most of his career, Wallace suggested that art ought to be difficult, that pleasure is suspect, and that entertainment is compromised. Art, Wallace told Lipsky, is a sort of superfood that “requires you to work.” (Italics his.) Entertainment is candy whose “chief job is to make you so riveted by it that you can’t tear your eyes away, so the advertisers can advertise.” It’s taken a decade or so for me to wean myself off DFW and his ideas about entertainment. In fact, for a long time, his anti-entertainment campaign wasn’t always clear. For those who read them in real time, Wallace’s critical pieces were prescient responses to the enthusiasms and obsessions of the time—David Lynch, Mark Leyner, and Image-Fiction. (They appeared in niche publications such as The Review of Contemporary Fiction and Premiere.) For most of the rest of us—who read the essays when they appeared later in collections like A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again—they meted out smaller doses of the idiosyncratic voice behind Infinite Jest. That voice hadn’t exactly been deployed on behalf of a generation, but it seemed to be the private discovery of droves of us, who were overeducated, steeped in pop culture, and unable to quiet our minds. “He’d done a thing that was casual and gigantic,” Lipsky wrote, “he’d captured everybody’s brain voice.” By the time many of us got around to reading Wallace’s early critical essays, they were already period pieces—artifacts of the anti-corporate 90s, when it would’ve seemed necessary to decry the negative effects of television or bring down Brett Easton Ellis’s cohort. Nevertheless, after Infinite Jest, we were prepared to consume whatever variety and quantity of DFW we could. The subject matter hardly mattered. We read Wallace for his mash-ups of the academic and colloquial; footnotes that plunged the reader into fine-print; and the sort of sense of humor that breaks into an essay, on its twenty-ninth page, with the heading: “I do have a thesis.” We read Wallace because he was a lot of fun—even when he was warning us about the dangers of having too much fun.A scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Centre in California has launched an online petition demanding that a lecture on ‘Ancient Indian Aviation Technology’ to be delivered at the 102nd Indian Science Congress in Mumbai in January be cancelled as it brings into question the “integrity of the scientific process”.Dr Ram Prasad Gandhiraman’s petition, already signed by 220 scientists and academicians around the world, places its opposition to the lecture in the larger context of the increasing attempts in India to mix mythology with science, and cites Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling Lord Ganesha a product of ancient India’s unparalleled knowledge of plastic surgery as an example.Mumbai Mirror was first to report how the organisers of the 102nd Indian Science Congress, to be held between January 3 and 7 at Mumbai University’s Kalina campus, had slipped in Vedic mythology about aviation into the Science Congress’ schedule, which is otherwise packed with talks on ribosomes, resistance to antibiotics and the origin of life, and discourses on controlling the cell cycle, all delivered by some of the finest scientific minds, including six Nobel laureates.The lecture on the ‘Ancient Indian Aviation Technology’ is to be delivered by Captain Anand J Bodas and Ameya Jadhav.While speaking to Mumbai Mirror for the previous report, Bodas had claimed that the “ancient Indian aeroplane travelled from one country to another, from one continent to another, and from one planet to another.” He also asserted that in those days aeroplanes “could move left, right, as well as backwards, unlike modern planes which only fly forward.”Dr Gandhiraman’s petition says that it is “appalling” that such a prestigious science conference is providing a platform to pseudo-science talk. “We as scientific community should be seriously concerned about the infiltration of pseudo-science in science curricula with backing of influential political parties. Giving a scientific platform for a pseudo-science talk is worse than a systematic attack that has been carried out by politically powerful pseudo-science propagandists in the recent past. If we scientists remain passive, we are betraying not only the science, but also our children,” the petition says.Communicating with Mumbai Mirror over the internet on Wednesday, Dr Gandhiraman, who has previously been a research scientist with America’s Universities Space Research Association and the Dublin City University, Ireland said: “I have emailed the organisers, the chief scientific advisor to PMO, scientific secretary and directors of a few IITs and IISc. I am now trying to contact the Nobel laureates scheduled to attend the Science Congress to let them know that they will be presenting at a conference that promotes pseudo-science.”Gandhiraman has also been in touch with Nobel Prize winner Prof. Paul Nurse who is due to deliver a talk at the Indian Science Congress and is famous for his strong stance against the distortion of scientific evidence for political or religious ends. Captain Bodas’s source text for his claims on ancient India’s aviation prowess is ‘Vaimanika Prakaranam’, an Indian treatise on aviation, the authorship of which is attributed to the sage Bhardwaj.A section of scientists, however, emphasise the importance of scientifically scrutinizing all claims about the past.Prof S M Deshpande, one of the five authors of a study on aviation technologies in Sanskrit texts by the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore said while there is no harm in making a presentation on ancient India’s aviation achievements, care must be taken to base the talk on a correct scientific study. “When we undertook a study of aviation in Sanskrit texts, we were driven by great intellectual curiosity and not by any desire to dismiss it as ‘psuedo-science’.Prof Deshpande’s study of the Vaimanika Shastra, the text Captain Bodas widely quotes from, had concluded that the text “cannot be dated earlier than 1904” and that the planes described in it are “poor concoctions” and “unimaginably horrendous from the point of view of flying”.Prof Gauri Mahulikar, head of MU’s Sanskrit Department and coordinator for the session, said that this was the first time that the Indian Science Congress had held a symposium on ancient Indian science viewed through Sanskrit literature. “If we had chosen Sanskrit professors to talk about the references to aviation technology in Sanskrit literature, which includes information on how to make planes, the dress code and diet of pilots, the seven types of fuel used, people would have dismissed us, but Captain Bodas is himself a pilot, and his co-presenter, Ameya Jadhav, holds an MTech degree besides an MA in Sanskrit.”U.S. Marine Corps special operations (MARSOC) operators now have official permission to use the Glock 19 pistol in place of the standard M9. There are many reasons for MARSOC buying all these new pistols. The Glock 19 is lighter (at.595 kg/1.31 pounds empty) and smaller (174mm/6.85 inches) than the M9, which is a 914 g (2.1 pound empty), 217mm (8.5 inch) long weapon that has a 125mm (4.9 inch) barrel. Both are 9mm weapons with a magazine that holds 15 rounds. In the 1980s the M9 replaced the World War I era M1911.45 (11.4mm) caliber ACP. This is a 1.1 kg (2.44 pounds empty), 210mm (8.25 inch) long weapon with a 127mm (5 inch) barrel and a 7 round magazine. Both 9mm and 11.4mm pistols are only accurate at up to about 50 meters. The M1911 had more hitting power, while the 9mm weapons are a bit more accurate. Loaded, each pistol weighs about 230 g (half a pound) more. The Glock 19 is considered more rugged and easier to “handle” although some marines still yearn to have the 11.4mm pistol again. It’s not just MARSOC as all the services have been trying to replace the Beretta M9 9mm pistol. The air force tried to replace the M9 back in 2007 and was ordered by the Department of Defense to back off. But now the services have a more compelling argument. The army, in particular, is finding the many of its oldest M9s are, literally, breaking. Some components (especially the barrels, frames and locking blocks) tend to break on older, especially heavily used, weapons. Since September 11, 2001 the army has used its M9s a lot. There are also a host of other problems, like the shape (too awkward for some users), trigger pull (too heavy) and lack of a Picatinny rail for easily mounting accessories. The safety switch is in an awkward position and troops in combat often accidentally put the safety on when cocking the pistol. That can be fatal (for the user) in combat. More modern designs have something more efficient (and less of a dirt catcher) than the open-slide and spent cartridge ejection system of the M9. Another sign of the times is that the M9 is not equipped to screw on a silencer, an accessory that is more commonly used these days. Despite all these problems the Department of Defense refuses to replace the M9 although SOCOM has been able to do what it always does and obtain whatever weapons it believes it need. Most of the problems with the M9 result from the fact that it is a design that is over three decades old. Pistol technology has improved a lot since the late 1970s and that can be seen in the pistols that are popular with police forces. Cops can often buy their own pistols and tend to get the most modern, but proven in action, models. Thus many troops in the combat zone leave the M9 they were issued back at the base and go into the field with a 9mm pistol they bought themselves. This has often been a Glock 19, which has long been a police favorite and popular with troops in other countries. Many armies do not replace pistols as frequently as police forces, or special operations troops. But in Afghanistan and Iraq regular combat troops used pistols a lot, and the M9 was showing its age. As you can see, it’s not just the wear and tear, it’s also obsolescence in the face of advances in pistol design. Meanwhile in 2012 the army had to order another 100,000 M9 9mm pistols, each costing $640. This was just to replace the M9s that were falling apart. The U.S. military (mostly the army) already has over 600,000 M9s and that purchase keeps the M9 in service at least until the end of the decade. The U.S. military adopted the 9mm pistol in 1985 largely to standardize ammunition with NATO and to replace the M911.45 caliber (11.4mm) pistol with something smaller and lighter. All other NATO states used 9mm for pistols. At the time it was noted that most 9mm pistols were carried by officers and support personnel, who rarely used them, in combat or otherwise. Many American combat veterans disagreed with the switch to a 9mm pistol, but that advice was ignored. But times have changed. Since 2001 American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan discovered, through combat experience, what types of weapons worked best at close range to take down the enemy. It was the same with SWAT teams and commandos all over the world. When conducting a raid and finding yourself up close and personal with someone trying to kill you, there is a need for a heavy caliber pistol or a shotgun (firing 00 shot or slugs). The premier pistol for ensuring you take down someone is still the.45 caliber (11.4mm) or.40 caliber (10mm, but only with a heavy bullet) pistols. There is also a.50 caliber (12.7mm) pistol, but only very large people can handle this one. The 11.4 and 10mm pistols are light and handy, compared to assault rifles or shotguns, and have a long history of quickly taking down an armed and determined foe. SOCOM (Special Operations Command) came into being a few years after the M9 was adopted and immediately began planning to bring back.45 pistols for its commandos. Actually, many Special Forces and SEAL operators never gave up using the.45, as it was the ideal pistol for many commando operations. SOCOM had its own budget and was allowed to adopt a number of 11.4mm pistols for its personnel. The U.S. Marine Corps ordered 12,000 11.4mm caliber pistols (for $1,900 each), mainly for use by its SOCOM and recon troops. The MARSOC (Marine Special Operations Command) troops have, like the army, navy, and air force components of SOCOM, quietly replaced most of their 9mm pistols with 11.4mms. For several years the marines supplied their special operations troops with older M1911 model.45s, refurbished (or built from scrounged up parts) in a marine-run facility. In the 1990s, SOCOM adopted the Heckler and Koch Mk 23 SOCOM model. This is a 1.47 kg (3.2 pound) 11.4mm pistol with a 12-round magazine and the ability to use a silencer. It is expensive, at $2,400 each. Loaded with a silencer and laser aiming device the Mk23 weighs 2.29 kg (5 pounds). The Mk23 is a precision weapon, capable of accurate fire at 50 meters (51mm/two inch shot groups). The Mk 23 is for offensive operations while the lighter and cheaper USP Tactical model was later introduced for personal protection and other duties not requiring the heavier Mk 23. As the U.S. Army Special Forces discovered, if you are well trained and know what you are doing you should carry a pistol, in addition to your rifle. Not the official issue M9 9mm pistol but something with a bit more stopping power. The Special Forces prefer new model 11.4mm pistols, although 10mm weapons are also popular. The reason for this is that you are most likely to be using the pistol indoors, where your target is going to be really close. You want to knock him down quickly, before he can get at you with a knife or even his hands. Many troops are getting their own larger caliber pistols and most commanders have been lenient on this issue. The army and air force do not have the same needs as SOCOM and simply want a 9mm pistol with fewer flaws and more of the latest pistol tech than the existing M9. MARSOC ordered the Glock 19 for marines who did not need a heavier pistol but wanted something better than the M9.The most fouled man in the Premier League has a spring in his step, and if the opponents charged with stopping Eden Hazard by any means necessary are having an effect then when we meet this week it does not show. When he strolls through the door at Chelsea’s training ground, Hazard does not look like a man who plays football in fear of the next challenge; he looks like he does not have a care in the world. It is his third season at Chelsea and the 24-year-old Belgian is now one of the Premier League’s biggest stars. He signed a new contract this month to stay until 2020 at least, and by that time the expectation is that he will have added considerably to the one trophy he has won so far at Chelsea, the Europa League in 2013, starting with Sunday’s Capital One Cup final against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley. Hazard was one of the goalscorers in the 5-3 defeat to Spurs at White Hart Lane on New Year’s Day and when that game is mentioned, he shrugs and points out that Chelsea beat Spurs at Stamford Bridge at the start of December. “It’s true it was a bad day but the first time we met them we won 3-0,” he says, “so that’s in balance over the two matches. Now we need to win the third match.” Join Independent Minds For exclusive articles, events and an advertising-free read for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month Get the best of The Independent With an Independent Minds subscription for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month Get the best of The Independent Without the ads – for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month Hazard is a glass half-full kind of character, the sort of winger who will gladly reach out a hand to haul a full-back to his feet, even if the opponent in question has spent the game kicking him. It’s an endearing trait, and while you might expect it to drive Jose Mourinho mad, even the Chelsea manager seems to admire it. Never more so than in the 2-0 win over Stoke City in December when Phil Bardsley almost put one of Hazard’s legs in the stand with a challenge in the first half. After the break, the English full-back went down with an injury and, in possession at the time, Hazard noticed and kicked the ball out so that Bardsley could have treatment. “I wouldn’t do it for a player who kicked me,” Mourinho joked afterwards. “It shows the kid is fantastic.” Hazard remembers the moment in the game but he says it never occurred to him to do anything different. “That’s my mentality. Just because somebody has fouled me there is no reason for me to be nasty to him. I try to respect football as much as possible and when someone is injured you put the ball out.” As for the fouls on him, the numbers are inarguable. Hazard has played 2,301 minutes of Premier League football over 26 appearances this season, according to the statistics website whoscored.com. Over that period he has been fouled 75 times, an average of a foul every 30 minutes. In the Champions League – 534 minutes over six appearances encompassing 28 fouls on him – that frequency rises to a foul every 19 minutes. By way of comparison, Cristiano Ronaldo is fouled on average every 55 minutes of football he plays in La Liga and every 51 minutes he plays in the Champions League. For Lionel Messi, the frequency is even lower: a foul every 124 minutes in La Liga games, every 121 minutes in the Champions League. Hazard is not even the player who has drawn the most bookings in the Premier League, despite being the most fouled. We could go on. He tries not to worry about it too much. Hazard says that as a kid growing up in Braine-le-Comte, south-west of Brussels, with his football-obsessed family he also did a bit of judo, which helps now. “I learnt how to fall safely. I was only doing it at a low-level. I wasn’t a black belt!” He hardly ever gets injured and, although he is small, there is a lot of core power. Like a lot of prodigies he has always played with older boys and been forced to compensate for his size. From the academy at Lille to life in the Premier League he seems to adapt. He uses the French “rugueux” to describe the typical profile of defenders in English football – “rough” or “rugged” – but if it bothers him, he doesn’t show it. Shape Created with Sketch. Didier Drogba's stunning record in cup finals Show all 8 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Didier Drogba's stunning record in cup finals 1/8 2005 Carling Cup Final - Liverpool 2 Chelsea 3 (aet) Drogba put Chelsea ahead in extra-time as the Blues won their first trophy under Jose Mourinho. Getty 2/8 2007 Carling Cup final - Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2 Drogba scored both goals, including the winner six minutes from time, as Chelsea came from behind to beat Arsenal. Getty 3/8 2007 FA Cup final - Chelsea 1 Manchester United 0 Drogba scored the winner with just four minutes of extra-time remaining after playing a one-two with Frank Lampard. Getty 4/8 2008 Carling Cup final - Chelsea 1 Tottenham 2 Drogba became the first player to score in three League Cup finals when he put Chelsea ahead with a free-kick. Getty 5/8 2009 FA Cup final - Chelsea 2 Everton 1 Drogba's equaliser set Chelsea on the road to victory after Louis Saha had put Everton ahead with the quickest FA Cup final goal. Getty 6/8 2010 FA Cup final - Chelsea 1 Portsmouth 0 Drogba's 59th-minute free-kick clinched Chelsea their first league and cup double. Getty 7/8 2012 FA Cup final - Chelsea 2 Liverpool 1 Drogba became the first player to score in four FA Cup finals as Chelsea lifted the trophy for a fourth time in six years. Getty 8/8 2012 Champions League final - Bayern Munich 1 Chelsea 1 (Chelsea won 4-3 on penalties) Drogba's 88th-minute header took the final into extra-time and, fittingly, it was the Ivorian who struck the winning penalty in the shoot-out in the final appearance of his first spell. Getty 1/8 2005 Carling Cup Final - Liverpool 2 Chelsea 3 (aet) Drogba put Chelsea ahead in extra-time as the Blues won their first trophy under Jose Mourinho. Getty 2/8 2007 Carling Cup final - Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2 Drogba scored both goals, including the winner six minutes from time, as Chelsea came from behind to beat Arsenal. Getty 3/8 2007 FA Cup final - Chelsea 1 Manchester United 0 Drogba scored the winner with just four minutes of extra-time remaining after playing a one-two with Frank Lampard. Getty 4/8 2008 Carling Cup final - Chelsea 1 Tottenham 2 Drogba became the first player to score in three League Cup finals when he put Chelsea ahead with a free-kick. Getty 5/8 2009 FA Cup final - Chelsea 2 Everton 1 Drogba's equaliser set Chelsea on the road to victory after Louis Saha had put Everton ahead with the quickest FA Cup final goal. Getty 6/8 2010 FA Cup final - Chelsea 1 Portsmouth 0 Drogba's 59th-minute free-kick clinched Chelsea their first league and cup double. Getty 7/8 2012 FA Cup final - Chelsea 2 Liverpool 1 Drogba became the first player to score in four FA Cup finals as Chelsea lifted the trophy for a fourth time in six years. Getty 8/8 2012 Champions League final - Bayern Munich 1 Chelsea 1 (Chelsea won 4-3 on penalties) Drogba's 88th-minute header took the final into extra-time and, fittingly, it was the Ivorian who struck the winning penalty in the shoot-out in the final appearance of his first spell. Getty “I have always thought if there is a game and there have been a lot of fouls on me then I have been playing well for the team, so that means we’re having a good match,” he says. “You can win a free-kick when there’s a foul and that’s a chance to score a goal. “I have always been small so defenders have always been taller and tougher than me. So that’s difficult for me, they foul me sometimes but there you are – that’s what the rules of the game are for.” It is the absence of anger or annoyance that has always been striking about Hazard. His only red card in England has been for the ballboy incident at Swansea in the 2013 Capital One Cup but, other than that, he has picked up just seven bookings since joining Chelsea and only two this season, when arguably he has been targeted more than ever. “I don’t see the point in reacting,” he says. “True, it’s a human response but it is the way I have been brought up. I have been used to taking the knocks. The more I take, the happier I am. It always makes me want to outdo them but in a football way and I don’t want to make their life a misery by kicking them. I want to hurt the opponent but in terms of the football. “That [Swansea] was the only one [red card] – it’s true that I don’t normally get red cards. I am still young. Maybe with age it will come. Maybe I will become more aggressive but I hope not.” In recent weeks, Mourinho has taken the debate back to what he considers the lack of protection for his player, especially after the Paris Saint-Germain Champions League first-leg tie, in which the French team broke the competition record for the most fouls on one opponent – nine on Hazard. Mourinho has even suggested new shin pads that protect Hazard’s calves as well, but really the Chelsea manager seems to be making a point to referees. “I know when I was in France there was a moment when the [Lille] coach Rudi Garcia pointed his finger at refs who should have been protecting me,” Hazard says. “I hope they do try to protect me because they should be protecting the players who are playing the ball. That is the point of it. All we want is that there is a bit of consistency.” That was France, what about England as a tougher place for his breed of player? “Well, that is what characterises English football. Obviously, there are more rugged defenders but that is also the beauty of English football – as long as it does not get too much. “Of course, there are defenders who are typically English. It’s up to me to adapt to them. That’s how I always play against a defender. I try to adapt to his character so the more that they foul me the more I want to succeed on the pitch. So, in fact, maybe it’s a good thing to get fouled!” A young Ryan Giggs would tell stories about how opposing full-backs would warn him of the consequences of humiliating them, and that there were times when Bryan Robson would insist on switching positions with his teenage team-mate to sort out individuals. Hazard has a more 21st-century approach to the problem. “The more you play against teams and defenders, the more you get to know them. You know if they are more nervous, you know on the pitch people are different. I try to adapt to their character. “It is true that when I was younger – mind you, I’m still young – there were defenders, mostly in France who would say to me: ‘Go gently, otherwise I will break your leg’. But it has always been friendly! Now I am no longer entitled to the friendliness, we’ve gone beyond that point. It’s part of the intimidation. It is what defenders do. If they don’t have the quality on the ball, it’s what they do.” Asked who his most difficult opponent is, he talks about the team-mates he faces in training and then alights on Pablo Zabaleta. “It’s always a tense game with lots of conflict and he is always right behind me – it keeps you up right on your toes.” If anything it sounds like he enjoys it. For Hazard, there is the possibility that one day he will inherit the status that the likes of Messi and Ronaldo have now and perhaps might be a Ballon D’Or winner himself. At first he says that he still has “two or three stages” to go up before that. When I raise my eyebrows he corrects himself. “Well, maybe just one. It sounds better to say two or three! It is not the primary objective but it would be great.” What of Mourinho? The perception is that the Chelsea manager changed Hazard. That he turned him from an all-out attacker into more of a team player. Hazard sees it differently; very differently, in fact. He says that Mourinho gives him a lot of freedom. “It’s true we do have a special relationship. What is good about him as a coach is that he lets us play. He lets me play. He is not always on at me and I really appreciate that. If it isn’t good he says so, if it is good he says so. He is always direct. But I don’t think he has changed me. He has taught me to become more professional and to be better on the pitch. I don’t think I have changed my mentality. You can’t change that. I am who I am. He has always taught me to get the best out of myself.” Before we finish we talk about the possibility of those futuristic, wrap-around shin pads. I ask him if he often comes off the pitch with bruises all over his lower legs. “Sometimes,” he says, but he is smiling when he answers. Eden Hazard was speaking ahead of the Capital One Cup final on behalf of Capital One – the card in your corner. Visit facebook.com/CapitalOneUK Keep up to date with all the latest news with expert comment and analysis from our award-winning writersThe New York Times published one of those stories Saturday night that can fundamentally alter a presidential race, reporting that Donald Trump may have avoided paying federal income taxes for up to 18 years. Little wonder then that it’s being called the first October surprise of the election cycle. There are several reasons why the report could amount to a devastating blow for the Republican presidential candidate. Here are the main ones: Slides View As: One Page 1. Clinton appears to have been right, Trump was trying to hide something “terrible.” During Monday’s debate, Hillary Clinton went through several reasons why Trump may be refusing to release his tax returns. Whatever the reason, she concluded, it must be really bad. “And I think probably he's not all that enthusiastic about having the rest of our country see what the real reasons are, because it must be something really important, even terrible, that he's trying to hide,” Clinton said. The Times story fits right into this narrative. 2. What business acumen? A big part of Trump’s narrative of why he should be president is that he’s a great businessman who has managed to make lots of money throughout the years. He has vowed to transfer those business smarts to the White House. But the tax returns revealed by the Times that shows he lost almost $1 billion in one year lends credence to those who have said Trump is not as successful as he claims to be and how his business dealings have hurt a lot of people along the way. The Clinton campaign has already seized on this a bit in its first press release after the Times story was released, saying the piece “reveals the colossal nature of Donald Trump’s past business failures.” Clinton could take this idea further and get under Trump’s skin by calling him a failed businessman at the next debate, which we all know he hates. As Slate’s Jacob Brogan wrote on Twitter: “Trump said he didn't pay taxes because he's'smart'. It turns out he didn't pay taxes because he's one of the worst businessmen in history.” 3. He’s just another big shot taking advantage of a system that screws the little guy. Part of Trump’s appeal has always been that he knows Washington insiders have an unfair advantage over the little guy who always ends up getting the short end of the stick. But the Times story suggests Trump is one of those bigshots who knows how to game the system for his own personal benefit. Tax experts can very well argue (as they do) that none of
be prohibited between 10 pm and 6 am. Advertising However, the court expressed its displeasure over the central government’s failure to implement a previous order to sensitise the public on the ill effects and pollution of bursting of crackers. The court asked the Centre and concerned agencies to launch publicity campaigns in the media on the harmful impact of firecrackers during the festival season. WATCH VIDEO: SC Refuses To Ban Firecrackers On Diwali The opposition to the ban has been quite stiff, especially in Tamil Nadu. While Arulmigu Sri Ayyappan Sangam, a religious organisation based in Sivakasi opposed the idea of the ban saying that any restriction on bursting firecrackers on Diwali would affect the traditional and customary rights of Hindus, G Abirupen, leader of the Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers Association (TANFAMA), a body opposed the idea of ban, challenged the very logic of ‘pollution’ itself and the alleged ‘health impacts’ from firecrackers. READ: SC refuses to ban firecrackers on Diwali, frowns upon Centre’s inaction Abirupen represents the Rs 6,000 crore worth Sivakasi-based fireworks manufacturing factories. He said the fireworks industry in Tirupati, the largest in the country with over 800 fireworks factories, also supports over five lakh families. He denied reports that children were employed in their factories and claimed that all employees get minimum wages with Employee State Insurance and Provident Fund benefits. As far as Abirupen and the industry are concerned, the arguments of environmentalists and anti-pollution activists who raised an alarm at the pollution from fireworks during festival days are unfair on several counts. Speaking to The Indian Express, he raised the following points If firecrackers makes people sick, how clean are the city skies otherwise? If you go by the data of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), there is no major difference between the ambient air pollution levels during average normal day and festival days. If you could check the same with local pollution monitors in other cities, for instance, pay Rs 30 to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) and get the pollution data of a normal day and Diwali day, you would see that there is not much difference. How safe are the crackers? After the ban on Chinese-made firecrackers which contain the substances of banned potassium chloride, locally-made fire crackers are less dangerous and being manufactured with allowed substances such as aluminium, barium and potassium nitrate. Unlike Chinese products, our firecrackers are not friction sensitive too. Moreover, bursting crackers or fireworks during festival season are part of our culture that dates back to centuries. Advertising Only prolonged exposure to pollutants affect your health. Lakhs of people who live in our highly polluted cities are exposed to dangerous levels of pollution on a daily basis — the main reason for health problems is prolonged exposure. Smoke and pollutants from firecrackers that last for a day or two in a year wouldn’t make you sick or ruin your respiratory system.IN 1967 Canada invented a way to remove discrimination and prejudice from the process of choosing which immigrants to let in. The points system ignored an applicant’s race and country of origin (until then it helped to be white). Instead, it rewarded education, fluency in English or French and work experience. With the change, Asians supplanted white Europeans as the dominant immigrant group. The idea of basing admission to Canada on merit rather than on a bureaucrat’s whim was visionary at the time. Several countries, including Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, adopted Canadian-style points systems. In Europe even politicians hostile to “uncontrolled” immigration sing the praises of Canada’s selective approach. Canada remains relatively enlightened on immigration. The ruling Conservative Party may be the only right-leaning party in the Western world firmly in favour of it. While European countries look for ways to close their doors and the United States argues about how many illegal immigrants to deport, Canada recently lifted its target for new permanent residents from 265,000 a year to 285,000. Chris Alexander, minister for immigration, says he expected a fuss when the announcement was made in October. It never came. “People thought it was the right thing to do,” he says. Get our daily newsletter Upgrade your inbox and get our Daily Dispatch and Editor's Picks. But Canadian policy is changing. Since winning power in 2006 the Conservatives have moved away from the idea of letting in people based on their “talent for citizenship” to admitting workers with job offers. On January 1st the government moved further in that direction. A new “Express Entry system” greatly increases the weight given to offers of employment for people applying to become permanent residents. In this, Canada is a follower rather than a leader. New Zealand started giving preference to job holders in 2003 and Australia made the shift in 2009. The change makes sense. But critics worry that in shifting from a policy based on civic values to one governed by commercial logic, Canada is making the system more vulnerable to fraud and discrimination. Though more open than other right-of-centre parties, Canada’s Conservatives have been characteristically hard-nosed about letting in refugees and immigrants’ family members. The original points system had flaws. Immigrants escaped discrimination at the entry gates but often faced it when they tried to find a job. Employers did not always recognise skills and education acquired abroad, especially outside Europe. Doctors ended up driving taxis; architects toiled at convenience stores. The unemployment rate among immigrants is nearly 50% higher than that of Canadian-born workers. Employer-led systems are intended to correct some of these problems. They reduce the mismatch between available jobs and immigrants’ skills, and encourage them to settle outside big cities such as Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, where they tend to congregate. “If you care only about how immigrants fare in an economic sense, evidence suggests an employer-led system is good,” says Madeleine Sumption, head of the Migration Observatory at Oxford University. The Conservatives’ first attempt to adopt one was not a success. The government tried to please employers by sharply increasing the number of foreign workers allowed in temporarily. That was the only way to fill low- and semi-skilled jobs that Canadians did not want, says Dan Kelly, head of the association that represents Canada’s small businesses; applicants for permanent residence were too well educated. But there were complaints. Rather than discriminating against immigrants, employers went out of their way to hire them at lower cost. A bank laid off 60 information-technology workers and contracted the work to a supplier, who applied to bring in foreign workers to replace them. Visas for “exotic dancers” embarrassed the prime minister, Stephen Harper, an evangelical Christian. The government severely restricted entry under temporary work visas last June. Express Entry is a second attempt. It ranks would-be economic migrants on a 1,200-point scale, with half the points awarded to those with a job offer or a nomination under one of Canada’s provincial immigration plans, which are closely aligned with job vacancies (see chart). Those with the highest scores will be quickly invited to apply for permanent residency under one of three economic entry programmes. The rest remain in a pool from which the government and eventually employers can pick. While skilled workers must still pass the old 100-point system, this is a legal formality. The new system will help attract the engineers, information-technology specialists and health-care workers that Canada needs, says Mr Alexander. The changes deal with earlier problems by requiring that applicants prove in advance that their credentials are recognised in Canada and by obliging employers to show in advance that no eligible Canadian is available for the job. The new scheme lowers Canada’s age targets: applicants in their 20s get maximum points for age. Canada’s new dream immigrant is younger, more polyglot, has already worked longer in Canada than the older version and, unlike him or her, has a job offer. One former minister praises the Conservatives for transforming the immigration department into a giant manpower agency. Not everyone is so happy. The changes amount to a privatisation of immigration policy and could reintroduce discrimination, says Jeffrey Reitz of the University of Toronto. “The points system, with all its flaws, had some value,” he believes. Visa officers fear that an employer-led system will be “fraught with fraud”, according to a survey commissioned by the immigration department. They worry that non-existent employers will offer fictitious jobs to residents’ friends and families. Immigrants who are tied to an employer for a fixed period are at risk of abuse. Unlike the old points system, which is neutral on race and nationality, the new one makes it possible for employers to discriminate in ways that are hard to detect. English-speaking employers in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver give preference to job applicants with English-sounding names, according to a study published in 2011. The Conservatives’ turn towards employers goes along with a tougher line on refugees and elderly people who want to join their families in Canada. The old points system gave applicants credit for family members in Canada (under “adaptability”); the new one does not. Jason Kenney, who preceded Mr Alexander as immigration minister, tightened admissions of refugees on the grounds that too many “abuse our generosity or take advantage of our country”. A court ruled that his cuts to spending on refugees’ health care were cruel and unconstitutional, a decision the government is appealing against. Mr Alexander is under fire for agreeing to admit just 1,300 refugees from Syria in 2014. He insists that Canada taking more than its share given the size of its population. About 2,400 Syrian refugees now are in Canada and the government has promised to take in an additional 10,000 over the next three years. The new Canadians are younger and better educated than ever before, boasts Mr Alexander. “Our immigrants have a much higher incidence of post-secondary degrees than the Canadian population at large,” he says. That bodes well for Canada’s future. But the idealism of the past is fading.The Indian government announced the roll-out of the Dot Bharat country code top-level domain name in the Devnagri script in eight regional languages. The idea is to let the non-English speaking part of the population type URLs in the tongue they understand best. Dot Bharat is technically the English version of Dot IN, just in case you’re wondering. Websites in regional languages (also called IDNs standing for Internationalized Domain Names) will help encourage the development of content in such localized scripts too. This should slowly but surely allow for inclusive growth of the Internet. The Dot Bharat launch by the government in the Devnagri script encompasses Hindi, Konkani, Marathi and five other languages. Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, has disclosed that the venture will continue to expand, with all Indian languages expected to be added to the roster in the near future, reports The Economic Times. IDNs in Bangla, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu will also be delivered by the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI). In a move to push its Digital India initiative, the Indian government has been working on connecting the whole nation with wireless telephony and broadband networks. The government has set aside Rs 20000 crore in order to bring mobile connectivity to 55000 villages in the country over the next five years. Then there’s the National Optical Fiber Network (NOFN) project estimated to cost Rs 35000 crore. Related post: Prime Minister’s Office orders DoT to explain slow broadband speed, or else… The aim is to provide high speed Internet access to 2.50 lakh gram panchayats by March 2017. 60000 villages are supposedly going to welcome broadband support in 2014. The years 2015 and 2016 are each anticipated to ring in web connectivity for 1 lakh rural regions. The government is looking towards NOFN to bring about an e-commerce revolution in India.Florida Panthers defenseman Michael Matheson wore the initials "FLL" on his skates Friday versus the Nashville Predators, honoring the victims and first responders involved in the tragedy at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The Boston Bruins, who will visit the Panthers on Saturday, were diverted to Miami International Airport after the shooting which left five people dead and eight wounded. Several Panthers and other NHL players paid tribute on Twitter: Deeply disturbed by what's going on in our backyard right now at FLL airport. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved. Stay safe — VT3 (@trocheck_89) January 6, 2017 Can't believe the news of what is going on at FLL. My thoughts and prayers to all those who have been affected. Stay strong South Florida — Mike Matheson (@mmatheson19) January 6, 2017 Praying for all the victims and all the people at the Fort Lauderdale airport #FLL — Jonathan Huberdeau (@JonnyHuby11) January 7, 2017Chocolate, food product made from cocoa beans, consumed as candy and used to make beverages and to flavour or coat various confections and bakery products. Rich in carbohydrates, it is an excellent source of quick energy, and it also contains minute amounts of the stimulating alkaloids theobromine and caffeine. chocolate Easter bunnies Learn how chocolate Easter bunnies are made. Contunico © ZDF Enterprises GmbH, Mainz dog; chocolate; poison Why chocolate is bad for dogs. © American Chemical Society The cacao tree was cultivated more than 3,000 years ago by the Maya, Toltec, and Aztec peoples, who prepared a beverage from its fruit, the cocoa bean (sometimes using it as a ceremonial drink) and also used the bean as a currency. The Maya considered chocolate to be the food of the gods, held the cacao tree to be sacred, and even buried dignitaries with bowls of the substance (along with other items deemed useful in the afterlife). In fact, the identification of the (Olmec-originated) word ka-ka-w (“cacao”) inscribed on those containers was key to deciphering the Maya’s phonetic manner of writing. Spain was the earliest European country to incorporate chocolate into its cuisine, but exactly how that happened is vague. It is known that Christopher Columbus took cocoa beans to Spain after his fourth voyage in 1502, though little was made of it at that time. It has been commonly thought (though there appears to be no evidence) that in 1519 Montezuma II, the Aztec ruler of Mexico, served a bitter cocoa-bean drink to the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés, who subsequently introduced the drink to Spain. A strong possibility is that chocolate first arrived in Spain in 1544 with representatives of the Kekchí Mayan people of Guatemala, who came bearing gifts (including chocolate) to visit the court of Prince Philip. However, it was not until 1585 that the first recorded shipment of cocoa beans arrived in Spain from Veracruz, Mexico. Sweetened and flavoured with cinnamon and vanilla, chocolate was served as a hot beverage and became quite popular in the Spanish court. It was many years before chocolate had its introduction to France, England, and beyond. “American with his chocolate pot and goblet,” an engraving of an Aztec with cocoa beans and chocolate beverage, from a French history of chocolate, tea, and coffee, 1685. The Granger Collection, New York In 1657 a Frenchman opened a shop in London at which solid chocolate for making the beverage could be purchased at 10 to 15 shillings per pound. At that price only the wealthy could afford to drink it, and there appeared in London, Amsterdam, and other European capitals fashionable chocolate houses, some of which later developed into famous private clubs. In London many chocolate houses were used as political party meeting places as well as high-stakes gambling spots, notably Cocoa-Tree Chocolate-House (later the Cocoa-Tree Club), which opened in 1698, and White’s, which was opened by Francis White in 1693 as White’s Chocolate-House. About 1700 the English improved chocolate by the addition of milk. The reduction of the cost of the beverage was hampered in Great Britain by the imposition of high import duties on the raw cocoa bean, and it was not until the mid-19th century, when the duty was lowered to a uniform rate of one penny per pound, that chocolate became popular. Meanwhile, the making of chocolate spread overseas and grew in sophistication. Chocolate manufacture started in the American colonies in 1765 at Dorchester, Massachusetts, using beans brought in by New England sea captains from their voyages to the West Indies. James Baker financed the first mill, which was operated by an Irish immigrant, John Hanan. Waterpower was used for grinding the beans. In the Netherlands in 1828, C.J. van Houten patented a process for pressing much of the fat, or cocoa butter, from ground and roasted cocoa beans and thus obtaining cocoa powder. In 1847 the English firm of Fry and Sons combined cocoa butter with chocolate liquor and sugar to produce sweet (eating) chocolate—the base of most chocolate confectionary—and in 1876 Daniel Peter of Switzerland added dried milk to make milk chocolate. The proliferation of flavoured, solid, and coated chocolate foods rapidly followed. Chocolate is made from the kernels of fermented and roasted cocoa beans. The kernels are ground to form a pasty fluid chocolate liquor, which may be hardened in molds to form bitter (baking) chocolate, pressed to reduce the cocoa butter content and then pulverized to make cocoa powder, or mixed with sugar and additional cocoa butter to make sweet (eating) chocolate. The addition of dried or concentrated milk to sweet chocolate produces milk chocolate. Belgian chocolates Learn how Belgian chocolates are made. Contunico © ZDF Enterprises GmbH, Mainz White chocolate, prized for its rich texture and delicate flavour, is technically not a chocolate. White chocolate is made from cocoa butter with added milk products, sugar, and flavourings such as vanilla.A Message from Our Founder, Anand Shimpi I started AnandTech as a hobby on April 26, 1997. Back then it was called Anand's Hardware Tech Page, and it was hosted on a now-defunct free hosting service called Geocities. I was 14 at the time and simply wanted to share what I knew, which admittedly wasn't much, with others on the web. In those days PCs were very expensive and you could often save a good amount of money buying components and building your own. We have our roots in reviewing PC components and technologies. Today the definition of what constitutes a PC is much broader than it has ever been. I look at smartphones, tablets, set-top boxes, Macs, notebooks and of course desktops as PCs or more generally - computers. They all have a CPU, GPU, memory and some form of storage. These devices mostly vary in terms of how powerful they are and how you interact with them, but the components are all the same. The one thing we've done consistently since 1997 is evaluate all of these components and the devices that implement them. In the beginning you could classify AnandTech as a motherboard review site. I reviewed over 200 motherboards on my own before we got our first motherboard editor. From motherboards we moved to CPUs then video cards (later: GPUs). We added storage, memory, cases and display reviews. Full systems came next: notebooks and desktops became part of our review repertoire. As Apple began using more of the same components we were already reviewing in its machines, we began reviewing Macs as well. As smartphones and tablets did the same, we added them to the list. We can't (and won't) review everything, but we will review those products and technologies that we can lend our methodologies and expertise to. Today AnandTech serves the needs of readers looking for reviews on PC components, smartphones, tablets, pre-built desktops, notebooks, Macs, and enterprise/cloud computing technologies. We are among the largest technology websites, doing all of this with a level of depth that we feel isn't available elsewhere. We while we are no longer an independent site, we still like operate like a small business with big ambitions. We are motivated by one thing and one thing only: doing right by you. The Cable TV-ification of the Web and Our Mission Having seen the web grow from something used by the savvy minority to a ubiquitous part of life, things have changed tremendously over time. In the vast majority of senses, the progress made on the web has been for the best. There is one troubling trend that I have noticed over the past several years however: it's something I like to call the Cable TV-ification of the Internet. In the early days of technology reporting on the web the focus was almost exclusively on depth. We had a new medium for content that didn't come with the same restrictions as more traditional forms. We could present as much data as we felt was necessary and we could do it quicker. As the web grew, so did the approach to gaining readership. In many cases, publishers learned from the tips and tricks of more traditional media to growing their audience. The focus shifted away from ultimate understanding of what was being reported, to producing content significantly motivated by increasing traffic, or revenue, or both. Thorough observations were out; sensationalism, link baiting, and the path to shallow 10-o'clock-news reporting were in. While I believe it's definitely easier to produce content by going this route, I don't believe it's the only way to build a well read website. At the same time, I don't believe the web needs to be academic reporting or sensationalist garbage - as long as there's a balance, I'm happy. A personal goal of mine and our mission at AnandTech is to be a part of that balance. I don't believe the web has to go the same route as the majority of television news reporting. We should learn from the mistakes industries have made in the past, not repeat them with sweeter technology. No AnandTech writer is ever told to be quickest to post a story, but everyone at AnandTech is challenged to be the best that they can possibly be when working on a story. Focus on quality first, then timeliness second. There's value in both but there's more value in one. Many of our editors have backgrounds in engineering or computer science, which aids in our quest to explain and analyze the subjects of our reviews. We don't paginate articles to increase page views, we break them apart across logical boundaries to improve readability. If you want everything on a single page, we've offered the Print this Article view for over a decade now. Our headlines and article titles are specifically forbidden from being misleading or sensationalist in nature. I believe that a publication's readers are a reflection of their writers. If we resort to shameless tricks to attract readers, I don't believe we'll attract the sort of audience I'm looking for. There's an unwritten contract between AnandTech and its readers. You support us by simply reading the site and we owe it to you to do the best job possible. Our loyalty is ultimately to the readership and not treating you like idiots is the first necessary step to holding up our end of the deal. We also rely on you more than other sites to help spread the word of our content if you believe it's something worth sharing. I'd much rather rely on our readers to help extend our reach than lower our editorial standards to do the same. Review Philosophies There's a spectrum of coverage when it comes to any product or technology. Go too far to one side and you end up with superficial content that's hardly better than a press release. End up too far on the opposite side however and you end up with an article that either takes too long to produce or isn't accessible to the majority of readers. Our goal is to end up somewhere in between, erring on the side of being extremely thorough wherever possible. You should be able to trust in our content, as a result we have strict policies against making claims without having sufficient data or other support for those claims. We do all of our own testing in house using methodologies that we either describe in detail on the site or make publicly available in another form (e.g. ask and you shall receive). We employ the scientific method in all of our endeavors. Ensuring reliability by repeating tests multiple times, checking results against control groups and implementing sound testing methodologies. We create the vast majority of our own test suites using both in-house and industry standard benchmarks. We also put a lot of effort into ensuring that the results published in our reviews track with the real world user experience of the products we review. In many cases the majority of the test results we generate never make their way onto the site, they're simply used by our reviewers to better understand the product being evaluated to provide you with better overall content. Our reviews incorporate a mixture of objective and subjective based analysis, the balance varying where appropriate. We are not a site that exclusively relies on data based comparisons but also deliver honest user experience evaluations as well. Some reviews lend themselves to data driven analysis more than others (e.g. CPU review vs. smartphone review), but we always attempt to provide both in our coverage. We fundamentally believe that you need both to accurately portray any product. Numbers are great for comparative analysis, but without context they can be meaningless. Similarly, personal opinions are great to help explain what owning a product may be like, but without data to back up some claims the review lacks authority (e.g. average vs. good battery life begs to be quantified). We are a very small team for a publication of our size. We are human. We make mistakes. We gladly welcome criticism from our readers and vendors alike. Seeking perfection doesn't mean being perfect from the start, it means being able and willing to improve when faced with evidence that you're not perfect. We feel strongly about this - negative feedback is tough to hear, but as far as we're concerned it's free education. If there's validity in a complaint about something we've done, we will take it to heart and act upon it. We rarely ban commenters in our articles (99.9999% of banned commenters are spammers). While we would appreciate it if you are respectful to our writers when commenting, you won't be banned for expressing your feelings about something we've written - as nice or as harsh as you may be. Continuing with our pursuit of building trustworthy content, we almost always refuse to republish industry rumors unless we have sufficient internal evidence in support of the rumor. Our readers should be able to trust that they're reading accurate content on the site and haphazardly publishing rumors runs contrary to that goal. There is a lot of traffic and potential revenue in playing the rumor game, but we ultimately believe that it does a disservice - especially considering that often times rumors are seeded in the industry for ulterior motives. Sampling The majority of what we review is provided directly by the manufacturer of the product. The product samples are delivered to our reviewers with the expectations of us providing a fair, thorough review. There is never any implicit guarantee of positive or negative, just that the review will be done as well as we can. In the early days, when we were a much smaller site, manufacturers would threaten to withhold future review samples in response to a negative review (not so blatantly as that of course). We have quietly lost and gained the support of manufacturers throughout the years based on reviews. Especially in our earlier years, we've had a number of arguments with manufacturers who dare attempt to either knowingly deceive our readers or use advertising dollars or product support to influence our reviews. Today, we are large enough to avoid these petty discussions of withholding review samples. Most manufacturers know that one way or another we'll get our hands on a product for review and don't try to play these sorts of games. Rarely we are faced with a manufacturer or advertiser who is looking to influence our content. We have a firm internal policy in place to deliver honest, balanced reviews to the best of our ability - regardless of external pressures. Fortunately, as we mentioned earlier, we have been around long enough and are large enough to avoid this being an issue in the vast majority of situations. Advertising & Affiliate Commissions Like other news publications since the beginning of time, writing about the world is both a business and a craft. Our goal is to get the best editors we can in order to craft you the best articles that we can, and at the same time stay out of the business of the editors so that they are free to do what is best. That said, as a site available to free across every corner of the globe, we have to make AnandTech work as a business, and you are the most important part of that. Because AnandTech is available for free, we draw our revenue from a combination of advertising and affiliate sales commissions. AnandTech is a business, and while our publisher must at the end of the day balance the books, we, the editorial team behind the site, focus strictly on content for you, our readers. To accomplish this, we keep advertising and editorial strictly separated; the editorial firewall means that other than the editor-in-chief, the rest of the editors are not part of the discussion on revenue. They do not know who is buying advertising, and their only goal is to produce content that satisfies our readers. By producing good content that is informative and useful to our readers – to encourage them to visit the site again and again – we can have a free site paid for by advertising while respecting the editorial firewall. At the same time however, in recent years and like so many other sites, we have needed to cope with a softening advertising market and the rise of ad blocking. While we always appreciate it if you would whitelist AnandTech, we will not punish you for doing so. It is our job to make you want to support AnandTech and see value in what we do. Finally, along with advertising we augment our revenue with affiliate commissions. By collecting commissions, we are able to compensate for the drawbacks in advertising, and ideally, avoid taking on yet more ads. Links and widgets are present in many of our articles linking to retailers such as Newegg and Amazon. Like advertising, our editors are firewalled from this, and these devices are added to articles as a matter of policy. Individual editors do not benefit from affiliate commissions, and above all we strive to always write the truth about a product; to remove as much potential bias as humanly possible. As making a living on the Internet is an always-shifting landscape on a still-young medium, we still seek to achieve a better balance, and reader feedback is always welcome on these matters. And in the meantime, if you read an article and enjoy it, or find yourself wanting to buy a product listed in it, we would of course appreciate it if you could click on an ad or follow our affiliate links. Pipeline AnandTech is primary a review and analysis website, however we also understand the need to report on smaller items that may not warrant our normal long form coverage. At the same time, these smaller news stories are deserving of the same editorial treatment as our longer articles. To service this need we have created a short form content section called Pipeline. Pipeline's goal is to provide the same level and quality of AnandTech editorial, but for content that's better serviced by short form content (e.g. news releases, small announcements, etc…). The Pipeline team is in direct communication with the Reviews team (many of the team members have roles on both teams) and are given the same high level direction (e.g. no rumors, no sensationalism, etc…) as the rest of the AnandTech Editors. We believe there's a need for both long and short form content, but you don't have to sacrifice quality to deliver both. We have no internal guidelines for how many Pipeline stories we post per day - we strive to post content of value, just as we do with our reviews. Ryan Smith - Editor in Chief, GPUs, Mac, Business, Smartphones Ian Cutress - Senior Editor, CPUs & Motherboards Andrei Frumusanu - Senior Editor, Mobile, Smartphones, Tablets Ganesh TS - Senior Editor, Storage, NAS, HTPC, Media Streamers Johan De Gelas - Senior Editor, Enterprise, Cloud Computing, IT/Datacenter Brett Howse - Senior Editor, Laptops, Windows, Smartphones E. Fylladitakis - Editor, Cases, Cooling, PSUs, Keyboards Billy Tallis - Editor, Solid State Storage/SSDs Gavin Bonshor - Editor, Motherboards Nate Oh - Editor, GPUs Anton Shilov - Editor, News Partners AnandTech would like to thank the following partners for supplying software and tools used in our reviews: SpectraCalWho Needs Yeezy Boosts When You Have These Nike Air Prestos? 4.50 / 5 81 VOTES This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. The opinions and information provided on this site are original editorial content of Sneaker News. Nike Sportswear’s current obsession with Tech Fleece means that you can enter this fall with an entire ensemble of the patented tailored poly-fleece material including your on-feet selections. New to NIKEiD in a number of silhouettes, now the Nike Air Presto returns in the cozy mockup in an all black look that might make you rethink the adidas Yeezy 350 Boost obsession. Sure, the Kanye collaboration comes with a certain prestige that you actually got your hands on a pair, but this all-black-everything Presto is a fine alternative to the hype. The Presto’s resurgence has been highlighted by a number of OG colorways gracing store shelves, but Nike’s creativity continues with the early 2000s running model by swapping out the neoprene or mesh construction for the new material. The resulting pair keeps the aesthetic intact but adds a new-age flare that’s sure to please fans of the “Triple Black” colorway. Autumn’s on the horizon, which means this pair shouldn’t be too far off. Check out more photos below. Nike Air Presto TP QS Color: Black/Black Style Code: 812307-001Ski-U-Mah ( SKY-yoo-MAH) is a slogan used at the University of Minnesota since 1884. U of M Rugby captain John Adams had heard Edina boys yell "ski-yoo!" when they won canoe races on Lake Minnetonka. He incorrectly interpreted that phrase as the Edia word for victory, or exultation and suggested it as a cheer for the University rugby team. A co-captain added the "mah" to make it rhyme with "rah" and created "Ski-U-Mah!" The slogan has been used to cheer on the Minnesota Golden Gophers athletics teams, and was written into the lyrics of University songs including the "Minnesota Rouser", "Go Gopher Victory", "Minnesota Fight" and "Minnesota March". Dakota–Lakota specialists state that the word "Ski-U" or "Ski-yoo" or "Ski-oo" are not Sioux victory cries or the Sioux word for winning. What Adams heard on Lake Pepin, "sky-yoo," may have just been an interjection, similar to "woo hoo."[1] Other Dakota-Lakota words or phrases that have been suggested for what Adams heard include: "Schkee ooh poh!" or "Scheee ooh!" Scheeh/scheen-shay, which means "Try Hard" Oh-hee-yah, which means "To win" Oh-hee-un-yum, oh-hee-oohn-yum, which means "We won" The slogan has had other uses at the University through the years. In the mid-20th century, Ski-U-Mah (magazine) was a U of M humor magazine. It is currently used on the football team's helmets and jerseys,[2] as the name of a meeting room at the McNamara Alumni Center, a campus tailgate lot/parking lot near TCF Bank Stadium, and as the title of a yearbook-style publication published by the Minnesota Daily. References [ edit ] http://www.gopherhole.com/page/show/334856-ski-u-mahThe Center For Medical Progress is out with a new video today featuring Planned Parenthood whistleblower Holly O'Donnell, who details the organ harvesting process at the abortion giant. The video is the sixth released in a series as part of a three-year, undercover investigation. "It’s not an option, it’s a demand,” O’Donnell is shown explaining. “If there was a higher gestation, and the technicians needed it, there were times when they would just take what they wanted. And these mothers don’t know. And there’s no way they would know.” "They give you a sheet, and it’s everybody for that day, who’s coming in for an ultrasound, who’s coming in for an abortion, medical or a late-term abortion,” O’Donnell continued. “Pregnancy tests are potential pregnancies, therefore potential specimens. So it’s just taking advantage of the opportunities.” As quoted above, O'Donnell is seen on video describing how Planned Parenthood does not inform patients obtaining abortions that their fetus will be used and sold for parts. Not informing the patient about this practice is a federal crime. “Experiences like Holly O’Donnell’s show that Planned Parenthood’s abortion and baby parts business is not a safe place where vulnerable women can be cared for, but a harvesting ground for saleable human ‘product,'" CMP's David Daleiden said in a statement about the video. "Taxpayer subsidies to Planned Parenthood’s barbaric abortion business should be revoked immediately, and law enforcement and other elected officials must act decisively to determine the full extent of Planned Parenthood’s offensive practices and hold them accountable to the law." Efforts to defund Planned Parenthood were defeated in the Senate last week, but pro-life advocates on Capitol Hill say the fight is far from over and that efforts to strip federal funding from the abortion giant will continue after the August recess.Cost Of Wind Power Now On Par With Coal-Fired Power In Some Regions The price of onshore wind power has dropped to record lows, and is competitive with coal-fired power in some regions. That’s according to the latest edition of Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s Wind Turbine Price Index. The report has said that in some regions of Brazil, Mexico, Sweden, and the United States, the cost of wind powered electricity is on par with coal-fired power. In these places, the cost of wind power is $68 per megawatt-hour, compared to $67 a megawatt-hour for coal-fired power, and $56 per megawatt-hour for natural gas. What has caused this development is falling costs for wind turbines, which have been at their lowest level since 2005. The index is based on a review of wind turbine contracts by 28 turbine buyers in 28 markets worldwide. This represents 7,000 megawatts of combined wind turbine power. Michael Liebreich, chief executive of Bloomberg New Energy Finance, commented: “The latest edition of our Wind Turbine Price Index shows wind continuing to become a competitive source of large-scale power. For the past few years
to the book. Scaling the Ivory Tower may be under 100 pages, but there is no fluff. It doesn’t waste time in delivering practical advice and addressing the difficult questions. It focuses solely on the path to academia, as opposed to studies for other purposes, and it compels you to think carefully about where you want to go and why you would or would not want to be an academic. Seemingly every few pages there is a tough-love warning: if you don’t like X, maybe the academy isn’t the place for you. What struck me the most was the book’s detailed description of the many steps and the long-term planning necessary to scale the tower. As someone who wants results stat and who has no love for bureaucracy, this was not exactly music to my ears. However, the contributors make their case clearly and persuasively, and they speak from experience. They note how competitive academia can be, and how you have to be able to distinguish yourself from your rivals. In addition to the expected sections on choosing a graduate school and conducting a job search, Scaling the Ivory Tower weighs in on “dealing with people” and “getting along.” These seemingly quaint ideas, along with how to develop your brand, constitute perhaps the most valuable and distinct part of the book. Schmidtz wrote this for liberals who lean towards polemics and whose attitudes will put them in awkward positions when engaging with other people in the field. “There is a risk,” he writes, “that classical liberals will behave this way, just because they think they have something important to say which is being ignored.” He encourages people to think for themselves, engage with the field, and not hide behind all aspects of a pre-packaged “ism.” My friend Walter “the moderate” Block‘s path is illustrative here. The combative author of Defending the Undefendable is now chair of the economics department at Loyola University New Orleans, but his road has been arduous. As a professional editor and English-language purist, one aspect of the book’s style did give me a smile. Not without irony, it carries plenty of awkward and inconsistent gender terms, with contributors flipping between he and she and his, her, and their in the same passage. This is symptomatic of political correctness in higher education, and inevitably the contributors trip themselves up: “When I talk to a junior person, and he (or she) tell [sic] me about their [sic] research agenda, he (or she) often say [sic] something like this…” Aside from that distraction, the content of Scaling the Ivory Tower is not to be missed and a tribute to the work of IHS. There is no easy answer to whether the academic career is right for you, but at least this book explains “the rules of the game” you’re entering. Albeit annoying for those accustomed to shooting from the hip, these rules even encompass adherence to “netiquette,” so you don’t set off any alarms with hiring committees. Regarding the final step of tenure, Munger writes that the question is “whether you are so committed to intellectual achievement, so devoted to the life of the mind, that you will continue to work hard even after you have absolutely no material incentive to do so.” You may not be able to gauge that before entering graduate school, but eventually you will have to resolve whether you meet that threshold.The Tampa Bay Rays play in a dome -- there are no rays of sunshine beating down on fans' heads. Remie Geoffroi for ESPN WHETHER LUDICROUS legacies from long-ago cities (we're looking at you, Utah Jazz) or massive marketing fails (Raptors... really?!?), some franchise names make as much sense as, well, grizzly bears in Memphis. So we've orchestrated the world's largest 18-team trade, sending rightful monikers back where they belong. Sound nuts? Hardly more nuts than "lakes" in L.A. Let the trading begin! DEPARTURE Start Here IN: SAN JOSE BLADES (NHL) We begin our epic journey with a little-known fact: In 1991, a fan vote was held to name San Jose's NHL team. The winner: Blades. Because, you know, skates have blades. No fighting that logic! Team owners, though, fearing gang connotations, opted instead for "sharks" -- which is fine, except there are no sharks in San Jose, a city about 40 miles from the Pacific. So let's begin by righting that wrong and herding those Sharks from the NHL to the NBA and down the coast... OUT: SAN JOSE SHARKS (NHL) DESTINATION 1 Los Angeles IN: LOS ANGELES SHARKS (NBA)... to LA! Indeed, as we all know from watching Baywatch, there are sharks off LA's beaches. What there are not are a whole lot of lakes -- it's a veritable concrete wasteland! Thus, we'll divert the Lakers back to Minnesota. OUT: LOS ANGELES LAKERS (NBA) DESTINATION 2 Minnesota IN: MINNESOTA LAKERS (NBA) Yes, Minnesota! Land of 10,000 Lakes! What's wrong must be made right! And although the current name isn't technically a fail -- there are more timber wolves in Minnesota than in any other of the lower 48 -- there are, in fact, far more in and around Western Canada. OUT: MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (NBA) DESTINATION 3 Vancouver IN: VANCOUVER TIMBERWOLVES (NHL) Indeed, Western Canada is the primary stomping ground of the little jackals. And, in turn, migrating the Wolves there frees up the Canuck name, which is as generic as calling a U.S. sports team the Americans. OUT: VANCOUVER CANUCKS (NHL) DESTINATION 4 Toronto IN: TORONTO CANUCKS (NBA) So where, oh where, should we move the Canucks? Perhaps to the city with more Canucks (2.8 million of them) than any other town in Canada? So many Canucks in Toronto. No velociraptors. So why was the NBA team named Raptors in 1994? Well, kinda because of the popularity of the 1993 movie Jurassic Park. True story. Lame story. OUT: TORONTO RAPTORS (NBA) DESTINATION 5 Utah Pelicans now exist in California in abundance. Remie Geoffroi for ESPN IN: UTAH RAPTORS (NBA) There is, however, a state that's sick with raptor bones, where vacationing families routinely stumble across historic fossil finds. That place is Utah. Hell, there is an actual dinosaur named the Utahraptor. Utah has raptors! What it does not have is an abundance of jazz. There might, in fact, be a jazz bar in Salt Lake City -- but it sure as hell ain't Preservation Hall. OUT: UTAH JAZZ (NBA) DESTINATION 6 New Orleans IN: NEW ORLEANS JAZZ (NBA) And so it is that the name Jazz -- after a senseless relocation 34 years ago -- returns to the city in which the music is actually performed on a regular basis. Which means the Pelicans can be forcibly migrated from New Orleans -- where they only recently escaped the endangered species list. OUT: NEW ORLEANS PELICANS (NBA) DESTINATION 7 Los Angeles IN: LOS ANGELES PELICANS (NBA) And we'll fly them all, instead, to Cali, where pelicans now exist in abundance, in estuaries and in the form of lawn ornaments. What does not exist in abundance in LA -- whose maritime museum basically consists of a tugboat -- are tall, masted sailing ships. OUT: LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (NBA) DESTINATION 8 San Diego IN: SAN DIEGO CLIPPERS (NFL) Where do you find such ships? San Di-aaago, with an actual maritime tradition and a world-class maritime museum that houses the world's oldest active sailing ship. What it no longer has? An NBA team. Thus, the NFL team inherits the Clippers name because, little-known story: In 1960, Barron Hilton (team owner and grandpappy of Paris Hilton) named his football team the Chargers because his GM liked the "Charge!" bugle cry played at the LA Coliseum. OUT: SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (NFL) DESTINATION 9 Los Angeles IN: LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (MLB) Thus, we send that battle cry back to LA but hand it to the baseball team, since the Dodgers moniker was, of course, dragged to LA in 1958 because owner Walter O'Malley was the original troll. And he also apparently forgot that his team was named for the pedestrians who used to dodge (get it?) the trolley cars that roamed the streets of Brooklyn. OUT: LOS ANGELES DODGERS (MLB) DESTINATION 10 Brooklyn IN: BROOKLYN DODGERS (NBA) And so the name returns to those mean streets. Only it also jumps to the NBA, as there's only one team in Brooklyn today and that team plays basketball. Thus, the generic Nets moniker is displaced, both because it's a New Jersey hand-me-down and also: Try finding a net on a single outdoor hoops court in Brooklyn. OUT: BROOKLYN NETS (NBA) DESTINATION 11 Manhattan IN: NEW YORK NETS (NHL) There are, however, nets in hockey. There are not, however, Rangers in Manhattan. Nor have there ever been. Another little-known story: When, in 1926, Madison Square Garden president G.I. "Tex" Rickard was awarded a hockey team, local media dubbed them "Tex's Rangers." Inexplicably, it stuck. It sticks no more. OUT: NEW YORK RANGERS (NHL) DESTINATION 12 Pittsburgh IN: PITTSBURGH ALLEGHENYS (MLB) Yes, those darn media. They get so carried away. As they also did in 1891 in helping to bring about the demise of the original moniker of Pittsburgh's baseball team -- the Alleghenys! -- so named for the river that runs past PNC Park. That surely makes more sense than the name that stuck after a sports writer claimed the team "pirated away" two Philly players. There is not, nor has there ever been, swashbuckling in Pittsburgh. It's landlocked -- arrgh! OUT: PITTSBURGH PIRATES (MLB) DESTINATION 13 Tampa Bay IN: TAMPA BAY PIRATES (MLB) What is not landlocked, though, and what does have a storied history of piracy is Tampa; its freakin' NFL franchise is named the Buccaneers. What there are not in Tampa are rays of sun shining down on the heads of baseball fans -- because the Rays play in a dome. The name's a lazy sleight of hand anyway. Just because you drop the "devil" to appease religious groups does not alter the fact that your town averages six-plus inches of rain a month from June to September. OUT: TAMPA BAY RAYS (MLB) DESTINATION 14 Anaheim IN: ANAHEIM RAYS (NHL) So where is it always sunny? In Anaheim, of course, where the average monthly rainfall is just 1.13 inches. And although ducks do enjoy the rays, they take to freshwater better, and there are only two natural lakes in all of Orange County. Besides, the franchise started as a weak marketing ploy in 1993, capitalizing on Disney's peewee hockey hit Mighty Ducks. OUT: ANAHEIM DUCKS (NHL) DESTINATION 15 Memphis IN: MEMPHIS DUCKS (NBA) A far better marketing ploy can, instead, be found at Memphis' Peabody hotel, whose adorable ducks have been making their twice-daily march to the lobby's marble fountain since the 1940s. Meanwhile, if you see a grizzly marching through Memphis, rest assured the zookeeper is either in his stomach or hunting him down. Seriously, when the team moved 2,500 miles from Vancouver, why did nobody care that there isn't a single grizzly outside of captivity east of the Mississippi? OUT: MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (NBA) DESTINATION 16 Calgary IN: CALGARY GRIZZLIES (NHL) Thus, back go the hairy beasts to Calgary, where wild grizzlies still roam. Hell, one grizzly there devoured a whole black bear in August! Hungry grizzly. Besides, that moniker is far more sensible than Flames, considering it's a legacy from the franchise's original city and Calgary never experienced anything remotely similar to the burning of, well, Atlanta. OUT: CALGARY FLAMES (NHL) DESTINATION 17 Atlanta IN: ATLANTA FLAMES (MLB) Yes, Atlanta! A city that did go up in smoke before Sherman's March to the Sea. What didn't happen in Atlanta was James Gaffney dubbing the team Braves. That happened in the franchise's origin city of Boston, where Gaffney was team president from 1911 to 1916. He was also a member of a corrupt NYC political machine (Tammany Hall) that adopted a headdress as its emblem and called its members, yep, Braves. So we're sending the name back to... OUT: ATLANTA BRAVES (MLB) DESTINATION 18 D.C. IN: WASHINGTON BRAVES (NFL)... the rightful home of political corruptness. In fact, DC's NFL team began as the Braves in Boston, sharing the name with the local MLB team. How's that for full circle? The decision to rename it came only after its poorly attended inaugural 1932 season; owner George Preston Marshall assumed the switch to Redskins would create a stronger identity. Mission accomplished, jackass! Thus, the name is an unnecessary abomination of a lesser abomination -- and one that haunts the franchise to this day. So we'll right that wrong by tossing it out. Because if there's one thing we've learned: Nothing good ever comes from playing games with team names. OUT: WASHINGTON REDSKINS (NFL) Follow The Mag on Twitter (@ESPNmag) and like us on Facebook.Community Update — Oct 27th BlockCAT Blocked Unblock Follow Following Oct 27, 2017 Lots of exciting things this week at BlockCAT. We’ll start with a development update, since we’ve had lots of questions about the progress. Development We’re on track for our Beta to begin public testing before the end of Q4, as we outlined in our new roadmap. We’ll be releasing contracts one at a time in a very quick cycle to allow us to collect feedback for each new feature and make improvements. Currently we’re setting up the infrastructure to support this Beta release. Once we’ve got a specific date scheduled, we’ll update everyone with more details. Website Redesign One of the pieces we need to put in place before the Beta release is our website redesign. Right now it still contains details of our token sale, but moving forward you’ll be presented with details of the BlockCAT Platform and how to participate in the Beta release. You can expect to see that updating in the coming weeks. Mastercard At BlockCAT we’re always looking for ways to make cryptocurrency and smart contracts more accessible to the everyday users. This week Mastercard announced the release of their own Blockchain which supports smart contracts. We’ve begun our research into how we can utilize Mastercard’s new blockchain to make BlockCAT’s smart contracts simple to use. While the core platform we’re building will still run on Ethereum, we believe that Interoperability between chains is a key step to moving the whole crypto industry forward. Exchanges Radar Relay: We’re on the final stages of completing all the legal compliance and due diligence. Binance: They have a new community vote starting next week. BlockCAT is not planning to participate this month because we’re already in the late stage of a listing application with them, due to the great performance of the previous month’s vote. Partnerships We’re pleased to announce our official membership of AOTA, a tech accelerator who will help position us for success. AOTA have fantastic resources, top talent, and strong ties to Silicon Valley. As many of you know, it’s all about who you know, and thanks to our contacts we’ve already been talking with household name Fintech companies.The outcome of the referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union was, of course, very different in Scotland than in England and Wales. North of the border 62% voted to Remain while 38% backed Leave. In the rest of Great Britain, in contrast, only 47% voted to Remain, while 53% supported Leave. So divergent an outcome inevitably raises the question, ‘why did Scotland vote to Remain when the rest of Britain voted to Leave?’. Did older voters and those with fewer educational qualifications north of the border not share the scepticism that was commonplace amongst such voters in England and Wales? Did voters in Scotland simply take a different view of the economic consequences of Brexit or of its implications for immigration? Or were they swayed to a greater – or lesser – extent by the economic arguments and those about immigration and identity than were their counterparts elsewhere? Although there have been some clues about the answers to these questions in the opinion polls published since June 23rd, between them they have offered little opportunity to compare the pattern of voting on the two sides of the border systematically. However, the week before last, the academic British Election Study released the latest wave of data from a very large internet panel it has been running since the beginning of February 2014. This wave consists of just over 30,000 interviews conducted shortly after the referendum – including no less than 3,600 in Scotland. With everyone on both sides of the border asked the same questions about the referendum, these data make it possible to undertake the systematic comparison that has hitherto been impossible. The first key point to emerge (see Table 1) is that the sharp social divisions by age and educational background that were uncovered across the rest of Britain by the referendum are also in evidence north of the border. While 73% of those aged 18-34 backed Remain, only 54% of those aged 55 and over did so. Whereas 74% of graduates in Scotland voted to Remain, only a minority (41%) of those with no qualifications did so. True, the age and education gaps are somewhat smaller north of the border. Whereas in Scotland there is a 19 point difference between younger and older voters in their level of support for Remain, in England and Wales the equivalent figure is 28 points. The 33 point gap between graduates and those without any qualifications in Scotland is also a little less than the 38 point difference south of the border. But what is more noticeable is that voters in Scotland were more likely to vote to Remain irrespective of their social background. For example, 74% of graduates in Scotland voted to Remain, compared with 64% in England and Wales. At the same time, 54% of the over 55s voted to Remain, compared with only 41% in England and Wales. So, while the social divisions exposed by the referendum were clearly in evidence north of the border, voters of all ages and of all educational backgrounds in Scotland were more likely than their counterparts elsewhere in Great Britain to want to stay in the EU. One possible explanation is that voters in Scotland were less enamoured of the possible consequences of leaving the EU. Indeed, there is some evidence to support that claim from the answers that the BES panellists gave when they were asked shortly before the referendum what they thought the effect of leaving would be. For example, as many as 41% of people in Scotland felt that the ‘general economic situation in the UK’ would be worse if we left the EU, compared with 34% in England and Wales. Further, somewhat fewer (50%) felt that immigration would be lower, than did so in England and Wales (56%). At the same time, whereas 47% of those living south of the border agreed that ‘Being a member of the European Union undermines Britain’s distinctive identity’, only 39% of people in Scotland did so. These differences of between five and eight points in the distribution of attitudes towards the EU are typical of a wide range of other questions about what would happen if we left the EU that were also included on the BES survey. However, they are less than the 15 point difference in the level of support for Remain that was found in the ballot boxes. It seems that the higher level of support for Remain in Scotland cannot simply be accounted for by the fact that voters in Scotland were less taken with what Brexit might bring. However, that still leaves open the possibility that voters in Scotland weighed up the issues differently. Perhaps, for example, those in Scotland who thought the economy would be made worse if we left the EU were more likely to vote to Remain than were those of the same view in England. Or, maybe, voters in Scotland who felt that immigration would be lower in the event of Brexit were less likely to regard that as a reason to vote to Leave? In fact, even in England and Wales almost everyone – 92% – who felt that the economy would be worse if the UK left the EU voted to Remain. So, it is not surprising that the proportion in Scotland – 94% – is much the same. Meanwhile, on both sides of the border just 10% of those who thought the economy would be better following Brexit nevertheless still voted to Remain (see Table 2). Equally, while 78% of those in England and Wales who thought that immigration would not fall following Brexit voted to Remain, so also did 80% of those in Scotland. Equally, the level of support for Remain varies according to people’s views on the implications of being in the EU for Britain’s identity in much the same way on both sides of the border. That said, however, there are also some important differences. First, those in Scotland who thought that leaving the EU would not make much difference either way to the UK’s economy were more inclined to want to stay in the institution. While just 29% of people in England and Wales who were of that opinion voted to Remain, rather more, 43%, did so in Scotland. Equally, voters in Scotland who did reckon that immigration would fall if we left in the EU were more likely to vote to Remain than their counterparts elsewhere. As many as 43% did so – compared with just 29% in England and Wales. So, in some instances voters in Scotland who adopted much the same view about the consequences of leaving the EU as did those in England and Wales were nevertheless more likely to vote to Remain. How might we account for such a pattern? One of the claims often made about voting in referendums is that voters’ decisions about which way to vote are influenced by the cues that are sent out by the party that they support. In the EU referendum, Labour (and most though not all Labour MPs) campaigned to stay in the EU, while the Conservative party was officially neutral and prominent Conservative politicians were to be found campaigning on both sides of the argument. These stances were reflected in the way in which supporters of those parties voted. According to the BES data (see Table 3) just 34% of those in England & Wales who voted Conservative in 2015 voted for Remain, while in Labour’s case 64% did so. Much the same division is to be found amongst Conservative and Labour voters north of the border. While 68% of Labour voters in Scotland backed Remain, only 47% of Conservative supporters did so (the fact that the latter figure is a little higher than in England and Wales may be a reflection of the fact that the party’s Scottish leader, Ruth Davidson, was a prominent advocate of Remain). But, of course, it is the SNP that dominates political sympathies north of the border and, in contrast to its stance on the occasion of Britain’s initial referendum on EU membership in 1975, the party campaigned in favour of Remain. After all, ever since the late 1980s the party’s conception of independence has been of ‘independence in Europe’. Thus, as we might anticipate, SNP voters were also much more inclined to vote to Remain than to Leave, albeit that they were far from unanimous in doing so. According to the BES panel data 65% of those who voted SNP in the 2015 general election did so. Moreover, SNP supporters were also more likely to vote for Remain irrespective of their views on the consequences of leaving the EU. For example, amongst those who at the time of the referendum supported the SNP and thought that leaving the EU would not make any difference to the UK economy, no less than 57% voted to Remain. This is higher than the equivalent figure of 43% amongst all voters in Scotland, let alone the 29% figure to be found amongst voters in England and Wales. Equally, no less than 62% of current SNP supporters who thought that immigration would increase if the UK left the EU voted to Remain nevertheless – again well above the equivalent figure for everyone of that view in Scotland (43%) and in England and Wales (29%). In short, it seems that many a SNP supporter in particular voted to Remain in the EU even though they were not convinced that leaving would be harmful for the economy and even though they anticipated that immigration would fall if Brexit were to happen. Meanwhile, of course, the fact that rather fewer people in Scotland than in England and Wales thought that leaving the EU would be beneficial in the first place may well itself, in part at least, be the product of the SNP’s support for ‘independence in Europe’. So, many of the social divisions about Brexit and some of the key arguments about what it might mean helped shape voters’ decisions in Scotland in much the same way as they did in England and Wales. Scotland voted to Remain even though those forces were in play just as they did on the other side of the border. However, in a country where UKIP has little resonance and where a pro-European SNP has come to dominate the political landscape, views that elsewhere disinclined many a voter to back Remain had less impact north of the border. However, in voting to Remain some of those voters at least were seemingly telling us more about what they thought about ‘independence in Europe’ than they were about the merits of the UK’s membership of the European Union. Little wonder, then, that the UK-wide decision in favour of Brexit has served to stimulate afresh the debate about a second independence referendum north of the border. A correction was made to the figures in Table 3 and the associated text on 22 February 2018Intellectually disabled workers call for Government to do more to boost wages Updated The Federal Government has today announced a $173 million boost to workshops for the intellectually disabled who have been paying workers as little as $1 an hour. Under pressure after a court action described the wages as discriminatory and the sector that pays them cried poor, the Government's announcement came amid a class action by up to 10,000 workers to claim back pay. The ABC's 7.30 program has spoken to a number of the workers and their families employed in what are now known as Australian Disability Enterprises (ADEs) but used to be called "sheltered workshops". Tyson Comrie-Duvall earns $1.79 an hour packing muesli bars and jellybeans. In seven years, he has had just a five cent per hour pay rise. We are one of the wealthiest countries in the world. We can afford to pay intellectually disabled employees more than a dollar an hour. Maurice Blackburn solicitor Josh Bornstein Besides his intellectual disability, Mr Comrie-Duvall also has autism and ADHD. He and his mother Claudine, who is also on a disability pension, live a frugal existence. "We live in this house here and it's a Department of Human Services - so what you see here, that's all we have," Ms Duvall told 7.30. "And what's going to happen to him in the future after me?" she wondered, adding that Mr Comrie-Duvall's take-home pay is just $137.50 a fortnight. Maurice Blackburn solicitor Josh Bornstein, who is representing the workers, says Australia can afford to do better. "We are one of the wealthiest countries in the world," he said. "We can afford to pay intellectually disabled employees more than a dollar an hour." 'I don't want to be treated any different' Alysia Maloney was paid $4.85 an hour stuffing laminate tabs into plastic pockets. She quit her job in disgust at the low pay. "I don't want to be treated any different and I want to be on the same wages as everyone else," Ms Maloney said. Mr Comrie-Duvall and Ms Maloney's wages were calculated under a system called BSWAT - Business Services Wage Assessment Tool - which assesses an employee's ability to work. Ken Baker, who runs National Disability Services, the peak body in charge of ADEs, says the industry was merely implementing a government decision by paying the low wages. "It was a tool that was developed by government, owned by government," he said. "All the employer is doing in those circumstances is implementing the result." When asked if he had any problem with people working for a dollar an hour, Mr Baker did not answer the specific question but explained that workers could be out of a job if wages were too high. "I want wages to be fair and I think it's very important that they be determined in a fair way, that accurately reflects a person's range of competencies and skills and their productivity," he said. "But I don't want people to be excluded from employment or priced out of jobs just because their capacity to work is very restricted." Pay cut by 75pc 'because she picked up paper without bending knees' The regular BSWAT assessments, where workers like Ms Maloney were assessed according to their productivity and their competency, produced some bizarre results. I said 'why has she been marked not yet competent here?' And it was because she had been observed in the factory picking up a piece of paper from the floor without bending her knees. Lawyer Kairsty Wilson Her lawyer, Kairsty Wilson, says this happened when Ms Maloney was completing a workplace safety assessment. "She actually answered all of the questions correctly for the occupational health and safety, she was marked 'not yet competent' in that section and I said 'why has she been marked not yet competent here?'" said Ms Wilson, from Association of Employees with Disability Legal Centre. "And it was because she had been observed in the factory picking up a piece of paper from the floor without bending her knees." Ms Maloney's pay was cut by 75 per cent. "We're better than that and why do they treat us like that, and give us so little wage?" she said. Ms Wilson questions the assumptions behind the tests. "In our society, we work, we get paid for it. So why is there a difference?" she said. "It's employment - it's not a babysitting service." Discrimination issue flying 'under the radar' In 2012, a landmark Federal Court decision found that workers like Mr Comrie-Duvall and Ms Maloney were being underpaid and discriminated against. But two years on, they have not received back pay and a new system is yet to be designed. Mr Bornstein says the issue has been "under the radar" for most of the Australian community. "They're not aware that intellectually disabled employees are being discriminated against in this way and treated so shabbily by the Federal Government," he said. "And we're determined to let as many people know about this as possible." The Federal Government has hit back, introducing legislation that would give disabled workers half the back pay they are owed, but only if they abandon the court case. The Government argues the disabled workers are better off accepting its deal now than waiting for the case to be decided. The lawyers ask why the workers should only accept half of the money they are legally owed. Fears of job losses if businesses forced to pay more A Senate Committee has been scrutinising the Government's offer. David Barbagallo, who runs 230 not-for-profit disability enterprises around the country, told the Senate committee that if businesses like his were forced to pay higher wages, many of them would close. When asked in the committee how many people would lose their jobs if the wages went up substantially, he said "90 per cent". That worries Matthew Hillas' mum, Vicki Smith. Mr Hillas struggled when he tried to hold down a mainstream job, but after six years at a disability enterprise, he has his forklift licence and is learning to drive a truck. "So his confidence is sky-high - his self-esteem is incredible from where it was before we came into an ADE," Ms Smith said. "And every day is a joy for him to go to work." Mr Hillas loves his job but he gets $4.50 an hour and his earnings mean his disability pension is docked. Mr Bornstein agrees that there is an enormous amount of research showing that people work not just for money. "But, at the same time, getting paid a proper wage is recognition of someone's worth and is important to their sense of wellbeing and dignity in the workplace," he said. "There is no excuse in this country for paying anyone a dollar an hour." The Senate Committee's report is due on Tuesday but today Assistant Social Services Minister, Mitch Fifield, got in early and announced a $173 million payment to help bolster wages for disabled workers in ADEs in the future. But that does not settle the back pay issue, so for now, the class action will continue. Topics: disabilities, work, community-and-society, laws, australia First postedA robbery suspect was killed Tuesday in an officer-involved shooting in St. Louis, just miles from where 18-year-old Michael Brown was killed 10 days earlier. Police confirmed that there was an officer involved in a shooting about 12:30 p.m. outside a Six Stars Market at McLaran Avenue and Riverview Drive in North St. Louis, a local CBS affiliate reported. Police said a man tried to rob the convenience store with a knife. The suspect refused to put down the weapon when police arrived, and he was shot and killed as he tried to charge at them, police said. No officers were injured in the incident. Fox 2’s Danielle Scruggs reported that one witness called the incident “suicide by cop.” Miss Scruggs reported that several witnessed confirmed the suspect said “shoot me now, kill me now” before he was shot. SEE ALSO: Eric Holder promises fair, thorough investigation of Ferguson shooting When asked about the validity of the shooting, Police Chief Sam Dotson said officers “have a right” to defend themselves. St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay responded to the shooting on Twitter. “There will, of course, be a complete and transparent investigation to review circumstances and policies,” he tweeted to his 30,000 followers. “I am also making calls to pastors, the NAACP. And to members of the Board of aldermen.” Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.Constitutional Law Under Anarchy One of the biggest challenges to the complete decoupling of the provision of law from the state, with a free market of security and adjudication, is the possibility that these entities would collude against their customers. Economically, it is noted that consumers would lose some money while the collusion in the supply of goods and services is in effect, since the amount of supplied goods should drop and their price should consequently rise under a cartel. Perhaps that is not a problem, given that in a free market such arrangements would be unstable. Moreover, companies should not have the power over the rights of the parties, but only over the prices and services supplied. However, that is not true for the non-state supply of law. The collusion among agencies of law could lead to a change in the very structure of individual rights, its effects being more permanent, even after the dissolution of the cartel. The manipulation of the judicial system can generate severe losses for specific victims. Some argue that a constitutional state could be a solution for that, acting as an anti-trust supervisor. That is the conclusion reached by Robin Hanson (who supports the complete “privatization” of the provision of law) and Gillian K. Hadfield (who supports the “privatization” of commercial law only). Even though these authors do not go into great detail on how this anti-trust supervision would work, it seems that — beyond the conventional prohibition of anti-competitive practices and the nullification (or outright ban) of cartelization contracts — there would have to exist some sort of constitutional mandate that would specify the limits of what agencies should be able to supply (for instance, it could ban preventive detentions without due process) and forbidding secret arrangements that could lead to the harmful modification of the rights structure of the clients. Thus, constitutional restrictions would protect people’s rights against manipulations of colluding agencies. That would be a minarchist conclusion. But what about anarchism? How could market anarchism overcome that obstacle? First, we need to understand what a constitutional restriction means. Under constitutional democracies, these norms intend to prevent that legislative, judicial, or even executive acts have certain contents or that they should be put in effect without the fulfillment of certain procedures. For example, in Brazil, a law that establishes death penalty would be unconstitutional and thus invalid. So constitutional restrictions establish something that would not be accepted as a rule even if it were approved by the instances make the legislation. In private law, what would be analogous to political constitutions? Associations statutes would. Just like constitutions create the legal order under the state, association statutes govern associations. Just like constitutions set up restrictions over state decisions, statutes restrict what boards of directors and assemblies can do. In the specific case of condominiums in Brazil, the law establishes that owners have to elaborate a condominium convention (a statute) and approve an internal regimen for the building or the building complex. Market anarchism allows for organizations like these. Even though the better known polycentric legal models are those detailed by Murray Rothbard and David Friedman, where the provision of law is negotiated directly by individuals, Michael Huemer’s model in The Problem of Political Authority predicts that the collective acquisition of legal services through associations or condominiums would be the norm. These associations would contract with security agencies and would be able to stipulate a legal code that arbitrators would apply in the transactions made under their jurisdiction. This collective purchase by means of associations or condominiums opens up the possibility that in each association’s convention or statute there could minimal rules to be followed when acquiring those services. In other words, it could
! They're SUCH GREAT PHOTOS. There's also some alternate photos that are also awesome. If you woke up this morning with the question "Holy crap, what would Ryan from Dinosaur Comics look if he dressed up as Batman?" floating in your head, now you know. also I want to link to Posterchild's subway-ad-covering Andross face because it is RAD GUESS WHAT JUST CAME OUT: IT'S MY NEW BOOK!! If you've ever wondered what you'd do if you were stranded in the past, wonder no longer! With HOW TO INVENT EVERYTHING, you'll reinvent civilization from scratch, no matter what time period you're in. You'll become the single most influential, decisive, and important person ever born. You'll make history... ...better. Here's the trailer! One year ago today: can you believe i wrote this whole comic before i thought of the phrase "holy ghost"? i can. I JUST LIVED IT!! – RyanResearchers confirmed on Wednesday evening - 1,200 years to the day since Charlemagne died - that the 94 bones and bone fragments taken from the supposed resting place of the King of the Franks and founder of what was to become the Holy Roman Empire came from a tall, thin, older man. The team first opened the sarcophagus of the first emperor in western Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire in secret in 1988 and presented their results for the first time on Wednesday. One of the scientists studying the remains, Professor Frank Rühli, said: "Thanks to the results from 1988 up until today, we can say with great likelihood that we are dealing with the skeleton of Charlemagne." From studying the dimensions of the upper arm, thigh and shin bones, scientists have built up a picture of the man behind the skeleton, and it matches descriptions of Charlemagne. At 1.84 metres (six feet), he was unusually tall for his time. The team also estimated his weight at around 78 kilograms, giving him a slim body mass index of around 23. Previous estimates had placed his height at between 1.79 metres and 1.92 metres. And an account from medieval Frankish biographer Einhard the Frank claiming Charlemagne walked with a limp in old age could well be accurate, as both kneecap and heel bones had deposits consistent with an injury. No new evidence was found to corroborate accounts that he died of pneumonia as researchers discovered no strong clues as to Charlemagne's health at the time of death. The greater part of the skeleton was found in the king's elaborate tomb, while parts of the skull were found in a bust of the emperor. One of the shin bones was discovered in Charlemagne's reliquary - a ceremonial container for remains. While most of the bones are accounted for, it is believed some of those missing were given away as relics at the time of the emperor's death. READ MORE: Building beings of replica medieval townDisc Golf Pro Tour built on sustainable schedule, ‘culture of the disc’ New event series set to launch next year is ‘taking the leap’ ◊◊◊ It seems that 2016 will be the year of the disc golf tour. In addition to the annual PDGA National Tour Series and the recently revealed Disc Golf World Tour, a third event was announced tonight: the Disc Golf Pro Tour, a set of six tournaments running from June through September next year. The brainchild of Vibram Disc Golf manager Steve Dodge and Ledgestone Insurance Open tournament director Nate Heinold, the Disc Golf Pro Tour is focused not only on building a circuit that makes sense for professional disc golfers, but also on attracting spectators with a festival atmosphere and helping to grow disc golf by spreading what Dodge refers to as “the culture of the disc.” It’s something that Dodge has been pondering for decades, he said. But that doesn’t mean that there wasn’t some trepidation involved. “(The biggest challenge was) convincing myself that disc golf is ready for this,” Dodge said. “I strongly believe that disc golf can be a great spectator sport, but are we really big enough? …I think the biggest challenge is taking the leap to say, ‘We are going to do this, and it’s going to work.’” Sustainable for spectators, players In order for the tour to work, organizers have plotted out a schedule that will find players participating in five PDGA-sanctioned A-Tier tournaments that lead up to a Tour Championship event: June 23-26: Maple Hill Open, Leicester, MA July 8-10: Silver Cup, Manitowoc, WI July 29-31: Minnesota Majestic, East Bethel, MN Aug 18-21: Ledgestone Open, Peoria, IL Sep 15-17: Green Mountain Championship, VT Sep 17-18: DGPT Finals, Smugglers’ Notch Resort, VT With the events running in a geographically and chronologically-organized fashion – a wrinkle not found in the other tours – the DGPT aims to make touring more sustainable for professional disc golfers. “It is still difficult for a large number of players to stay on the disc golf tour, so we want to make it as easy as possible for them to tour and have success,” Dodge said. “We expect to have a larger number of players attend multiple events, and this participation is critical to our, and any tour’s, long-term success.” With 2016 viewed as a smaller test run for a larger tour in years to come – Dodge and Heinold envision 12 or more $50,000-payout events in future iterations – the hope is that connections can develop between players and spectators, similar to other sports. “There are a lot of great players out there and a lot of great companies supporting them,” Dodge said. “Once players are able to stay on tour for a decade rather than a couple years, fans will be able to count on their favorite players being in events and build an emotional connection with them. This will build the fan base which will build the desire of advertisers to get in front of these fans.” Three-time United States Disc Golf Champion Will Schusterick said an organized tour would change the toll that travel takes on him as a player. “The scheduling would affect me in a positive way, I am hoping,” Schusterick said. “Instead of going from one side of the country to another in a two-week time span and dealing with the pain of traveling long distances, I will be able to focus more on practicing and hopefully be able to participate in my clinics and demonstrations in specific areas.” Three-time World Champion Valarie Jenkins agreed that the series’ itinerary would benefit professional disc golfers. “There are few tournaments that pay out well enough to allow players to fly in, rent a car, get a hotel room, and come out ahead. Our sport just isn’t there yet,” Jenkins said. “Having more of a flow to the tournaments will allow touring pros to be on more of a consistent schedule and have enough time to travel and practice before the event. It’s how it should be.” The venues chosen to host the events also have spectators and quality of play in mind, with five of the six tournaments being played on Top-20 ranked courses (per DGCourseReview.com). “It is going to be thrilling to attend in person or watch live online and see the best players in the world challenged on the best courses in the world,” Dodge said. “Rollin’ Ridge, Maple Hill, Blue Ribbon Pines and Smugglers’ Notch are an amazing array of courses, and I would dare say the best courses on any of the three tours.” Common ideals, different execution With these three different tours on tap for 2016, Heinold said he realizes some people will see them as competitors. “While that is partly true, we believe we can all work together towards the common goal,” Heinold said. “At the end of the day we also believe that competition is good and that the presence of these tours will help everyone get better.” Dodge pointed to the DGPT’s Tour Championship as a feature that distinguishes it from the PDGA National Tour Series. “The National Tour has never given fans a compelling reason to get emotionally invested in who wins the tour,” Dodge said. “There is a small NT points winner, but it is mostly ignored. This is a huge area of opportunity.” The DGPT has created a system in which players will earn tour points based on their finishes at the five DGPT events, with the top 48 earning a spot in the quarterfinals of the Tour Championship event and the top eight getting a bye into the semifinals. It’s a stark contrast from the current NT points series that can reasonably be clinched prior to the season’s final event. “I think it’s highly necessary to have a series Championship,” Schusterick said. “All other sports have something related, and I think it pushes players to compete in all of the events. It also builds interest for the spectators to see that certain players have been playing well all season and it gives them someone to root for.” Then there are the payout and viewership aspirations, too. “We have a very exciting Championship structure set up,” Dodge said. “Top prize at the Tour Championship is $10,000, and my goal with the Tour Championship is to have it be the single most-viewed live disc golf event ever.” The DGPT will aim for this achievement by teaming with Smashboxx TV for live coverage. “Smashboxx TV continues to improve their capabilities,” Dodge said. “And with their partnerships at the Glass Blown Open and the USDGC, they have learned much more about broadcasting the sport than any team in disc golf.” With this focus on live coverage a staple of both the Disc Golf World Tour and the DGPT, organizers of the latter noted that there are other clear contrasts that set the events apart. The aforementioned schedule is a key difference – the World Tour hops across the pond to Europe with a spread of events that will see American players likely going back and forth to compete – as is the inclusion of a women’s division as part of the Pro Tour. “I understand the reason to have one division, one champion (in the World Tour model),” Dodge said. “But I believe we need to grow both men’s and women’s disc golf and are a decade away from the women being able to have their own tour. So, for the time being, our best men and women should tour and play together.” Spreading the culture Finally, there is the festival aspect that DGPT organizers hope will attract spectators from outside the tournament boundaries. With radar gun booths, putting courses, face painting, inflatable obstacle courses and other special event staples, the DGPT stops are aiming for a broad range of appeal. “The thing that the Pro Tour will do is give these kids a reason to look to disc golf and say, ‘That’s a real sport. I want to be like (insert cool player) and play disc golf.’” – Steve Dodge, Disc Golf Pro Tour director “It is critical to us that these events attract not only hardcore discers that want to watch the best in the world, but that they also provide fun and entertainment for the whole family,” Dodge said. “In addition to attracting an online following, it is critical to get people to come to the course, have them build an emotional bond with their favorite players, and experience a ton of fun while watching the best disc golfers on the planet.” Aside from attracting spectators and sponsors, Heinold also said the festival can help attract a future player base. “The tour isn’t just for pro players,” he said. “…With the addition of our festival, we believe all of these things will help grow the sport at the amateur level.” Emphasizing the “cool factor” will help, Dodge said. “The thing that the Pro Tour will do is give these kids a reason to look to disc golf and say, ‘That’s a real sport. I want to be like (insert cool player) and play disc golf,’” Dodge said. “We not only need to teach them the game, we need them to know how cool it is and to decide to make it their life sport.” This ideal of making disc golf a life sport is a driving force behind the DGPT and what Dodge refers to as the “culture of the disc.” It dates back to his days of first tossing a Frisbee while playing Ultimate, and is something he wants to retain as the sport continues to grow. “The wonderful hippies that taught me Ultimate were the embodiment of the culture of the disc: fun, respectful, accepting, competitive, giving,” Dodge said. “It is important to me that discers not lose this history of where our sport originated.” Or, in the case of the Disc Golf Pro Tour, where the sport is going. ◊◊◊ Connect with the Disc Golf Pro Tour as it works toward next season’s launch: Steve Hill is a Southern California-based disc golfer who doesn’t throw very far. Follow him on Twitter @NoodleArmDG.Character growth is a cornerstone of all fiction, and the collaborative fiction of roleplaying games is no exception. Normally, new combat options are the mechanical expression of growth in Fantasy D20 games, but 13th Age gives us another option to describe change in a game mechanism. The character’s backgrounds. I think that a level-up is a great place to allow a character to move around points, maybe adding a new background or re-naming an existing one to reflect a new paradigm. Similar to Fate’s aspects being modified after certain milestones. Now, this has been bouncing around in my head for a while, and I think it’s best explained through another pop culture property with adventure and a group dynamic. The original Star Wars trilogy. A true space fantasy with dashing rogues and secret wizards in a galaxy far, far away. The main characters (Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewbacca) each have different expressions of character growth. Their one unique thing stays the same, but their skill set changes as they surpass the challenges of the narrative. I’ll take each film as representing a different tier, and talk briefly about the changes therein. *Disclaimer: I am a bit of a Star Wars nerd, so some of the terminology might be a little esoteric. First we have Luke Skywalker. One Unique Thing: Secret Son of the Emperor’s Right Hand Backgrounds (Episode IV: A New Hope) Beggar’s Canyon Barnstormer +4 Reflecting his piloting skills Backwater Tinkerer +3 His mechanical prowess Force Sensitive +1 An unknown factor of luck and intuition at the start Even without a class or talents yet, we have a smart man with good reactions and the potential to wield the force. Now let’s take a look at the next narrative phase. Backgrounds (Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back) Rogue Squadron Commander +3 Reflecting his piloting skills and his role as an officer in the Rebel Alliance But loses a point as he’s devoting less time to flying, and more to learning the force Backwater Tinkerer +2 This loses a bit as his Jedi training intensifies Last of the Jedi +3 Having embraced the Force, he now steps on the road to become a true Jedi. So now that Luke has learned to harness the Force, that is taking over more of his time and the responsibilities of the rebellion are less important to him. Now for Jedi. Backgrounds (Episode VI: Return of the Jedi) Rogue Leader (on leave) +2 Having stepped aside from the Rebellion’s military hierarchy to focus on becoming a Jedi and rescuing Han, his skills are still there, but a little rusty. Lightsaber Builder +1 Still good with tools, but tinkering for fun is no longer part of his life. First of the New Jedi Order +5 Fully embraces his training, and prepares to confront his father and the Emperor. We have a complete character arc of a bored country pilot realizing his destiny as the rebirth of an ancient order expressed solely through backgrounds. Now, they don’t have to change as drastically as this, as we’ll see with Han Solo. I’ll skip most of the commentary this time. One Unique Thing: Legend of the Kessel Run (12 Parsecs!) Backgrounds (Episode IV: A New Hope) Silver-tongued Smuggler +5 Smooth-talking and rough around the edges Luck and Hydrospanners +3 Not a catch-all, but a description as how he keeps the Millennium Falcon from falling apart. Hydrospanner being an in-universe kind of tool. Backgrounds (Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back) Jabba’s Most Wanted +4 Now that bounty hunters are after him, he’s lost some credibility in the underworld, so a point gone there. Luck and Hydrospanners +3 No change here. Reluctant Rebel Hero +1 After saving Luke in the battle over the Death Star, he’s now thrown in with the Alliance, but not fully. Backgrounds (Episode VI: Return of the Jedi) Former Smuggler +3 Now that his career as a smuggler is toast, his contacts are fewer, but the skills remain. Luck and Hydrospanners +3 No change here. Secret Rebel General +2 Now that the rebellion’s the only place he has left, and the location of the woman he loves, he might as well join up for real. This is a subtler change, but it shows his movement from Outlaw to Rebel in discrete stages. Now, Icons can also reflect this sort of character growth, especially with the additional dice granted at 5th and 8th levels. But not as central to the character and mechanics as backgrounds. So Han’s relationship dice with The Hutt Clans would shift from positive to conflicted to negative as time goes on. Luke’s relationship with the Galactic Empire is even more tumultuous. Positive to Negative to Conflicted to Negative to Conflicted to Negative as the story goes on and the Emperor alternately tries to recruit him and kill him, and remember that Luke was applying to the Imperial Academy as the first film starts. Here’s hoping that this helps you reflect you character’s journey on the character sheet as your game goes along. AdvertisementsIf all goes as planned, the next time you travel to Spain you can gaze on treasures that were not intended for you to see -- booty, in fact, that was headed to the hands of treasure hunters and other adventurers, as so often happens with valuables rescued from ships lying at the bottom of the sea. I'm always fascinated by the modern twists and turns taken by the mythic legends of old colonial galleons -- most of them Spanish -- bursting with incalculable riches and lying dormant for centuries in the deep oceans until now, when new technologies finally enable their location and recovery. The other part of the modern epic is that these technologies generally rest in the hands of private individuals, meaning that the salvage of the shipwrecks' riches is surrounded by intrigue, greed, lies, disappointment, illusions and delusions. Finding treasures, after all, is the stuff dreams are made of. Much can happen in the murky waters between what is real and what is not. The haul that arrived in Spain this week consists, among other things, of 595,000 silver and gold coins with an estimated worth of more than $500 million that were stored in the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes, a Spanish frigate intercepted and sunk by the English in 1804 in the Atlantic Ocean not far from Portugal. The ship's salvage in 2007 by Odyssey Marine Explorations, a Florida shipwreck diving company, was followed by a five-year legal drama that the Spanish government won last week, wresting the cargo from the Florida firm and immediately moving to spirit it away to an undisclosed location until, according to the government, they decide how to “showcase the trove” that “probably will be distributed among different national museums.” In fact, Spain moved so fast after the Florida court ruling that many of the plaintiffs are only now realizing that the treasure slipped their grasp -- and with it, their chances to get those coins. The American firm wasn't alone in claiming the treasure. The government of Peru, along with 17 families in Peru and Colombia, descendants of the original owners of the cargo, had hoped to claim a share. After all, according to their court filings, the galleon's riches can be traced to mines in Peru and Colombia, and were struck at a mint in Lima. The frigate originally sailed from Lima's port at Callao and in addition to the coins bore vicuna fabrics, quinoa and cinnamon. To many in Colombia and Peru, this is yet another story of robbers robbing robbers, plunderers plundering the plunder of other plunderers. But if you're a fan of piracy, come back on Wednesday, when I'll tell the tale of the battle over an even greater undersea treasure, one that I've been covering as a journalist for many years, that of the Galleon San Jose.Share The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is warning drivers to avoid traveling on Interstate 285 this weekend. Projects on the interstate will require lane closures and delays. There are also some big events happening around town that will cause traffic snags. Here is GDOT’s list of those events: Turner Field Braves vs. Pirates (EA: 23,000 Each Day) Friday, June 5, 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM Saturday, June 6, 7:00 PM – 10:30 PM Sunday, June 7, 1:30 PM – 5:00 PM Virginia-Highlands (833 Virginia Ave NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30306) Virginia-Highland Summerfest (EA: 40,000 Each Day) Saturday, June 6, 10:00 AM – 11:00 PM Sunday, June 7, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Phillips Arena The Main Event Concert (EA: 18,000) Saturday, June 6, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM Dream vs. Connecticut (EA: 7,000) Sunday, June 7, 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM Here is GDOT’s list of planned weekend construction: · Paving on US 78 will require one lane closure and various ramp and shoulder closures from Montreal Road to SR 10/Memorial Drive from 9 p.m., Sunday, until 5 a.m., Monday; · Striping on I-285 northbound will require one lane closure from SR 10/ Memorial Drive to Northlake Parkway continuously from 9 p.m., Friday until 5 a.m., Monday; · Two northbound lanes on I-285 will close at Northlake Parkway from 7:30 p.m., Friday, until 7 a.m., Saturday; · On I-285, two southbound lanes will close from SR 280/ South Cobb Drive to SR 139/ Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and two northbound lanes will close from the I-20 interchange to South Atlanta Road continuously from 9 p.m., Friday until 5 a.m., Monday; · Work on Spaghetti Junction will require one eastbound and one westbound lane to close on I-285 – inside of Spaghetti Junction over I-85 -continuously from 9 p.m., Friday, until 5 a.m., Monday; · Work on Spaghetti Junction will also require one lane closure on the ramp from I-285 westbound to I-85 southbound continuously from 9 p.m., Friday, until 5 a.m., Monday; · Lastly, bridge work on Spaghetti Junction will require part of the exit ramp to SR 13/ Buford Highway from I-285 westbound to close continuously from 9 p.m., Friday, until 5 a.m., Monday; · On I-85, one northbound lane will close between Jimmy Carter Boulevard and Indian Trail Road from 10 p.m., Friday until 9 p.m., Saturday; · One westbound and one eastbound lane will close on I-20 from Almon Road to the Newton County line from 9 p.m., Friday until 5 a.m., Monday; · On I-20, two westbound lanes will close from Langhorn Street to SR 139/ Martin Luther King Jr. Drive/Anderson Avenue, continuously from 9 p.m., Friday, until 5 a.m., Monday, for bridge joint replacement; · On Georgia (State Route) 400, one southbound lane will close from the Toll Plaza to the tunnel south of Lenox Road from 9 p.m., Friday, until 5 p.m., Sunday for fiber optic cable installation; · Two northbound and two southbound lanes will close on Georgia (State Route) 400 at Northridge Road from 7 p.m., Saturday until 10 a.m., Sunday; · The Express Lanes project will require one lane closure on the I-285 eastbound collector-distributer lane to I-75 from 6 a.m., until 3 p.m., Saturday; · The Express Lanes project will also require one lane closure on I-575 northbound from Barrett Parkway to Chastain Road from 9 p.m., Friday until 10 a.m., Sunday; · On I-75 southbound at SR 120 Loop/ Marietta Parkway two lanes and one on-ramp lane will close from 9 p.m., Friday until 7 a.m., Saturday; · Pipeline construction will require one lane closure at SR 237/Piedmont Road and Habersham Road from 8 a.m., until 5 p.m., Saturday; · One lane will close on SR 10/ Freedom Parkway at US 78/US 278/ Ponce de Leon Avenue daily from 8 a.m., until 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday; and finally · On SR 154/ Memorial Drive, one lane will close between Moreland Avenue and Wilkinson Drive and one lane will close on SR 154/ Memorial Drive between East Lake Drive and Candler Road both closures are from 9 a.m., until 3 p.m., Saturday. Drive safely this weekend!Sought-after Porto right-back Danilo is joining Real Madrid this summer, Barcelona's new transfer advisor Charly Rexach has said. Local media speculation claimed Barca had targeted the Brazil international as the long-term replacement for right-back Dani Alves, who looks set to leave the Camp Nou when his contract ends in June. However, more recent stories in the Madrid-based press have said Los Blancos have agreed a 30 million-euro deal with Porto, with a six-year contract that would triple Danilo's wages already drawn up. Rexach, who was recently appointed to Barcelona's new Football Area Technical Commission, told Esport 3 it was still up to Danilo to make a final decision. Danilo's impressive form for Porto has seen him attract attention from La Liga's top clubs. "They have told me that the deal is already done, but I do not know for sure," the former Barca player and coach said. "[Danilo] must decide that himself." While Barca are banned from signing new players by FIFA due to irregularities in youth transfers, they are looking at ways in which they can do deals that would see players agree to join but not make their debuts until the ban ends in January. Should Danilo move to Madrid, he would be likely to compete for a first-team place with home-grown Spain international Dani Carvajal. That could mean long-serving Alvaro Arbeloa, 32, would then be surplus to requirements at the Bernabeu.Hand-picked candidates, votes for sale and manipulated elections results: were Egypt to see electoral business as usual this campaign season, it seems certain that there would be no surprises in November parliamentary elections. The National Democratic Party of President Hosni Mubarak would secure impossibly large margins of victory and the foundations the "Pharaoh's" 29-year grip on power would remain firm. But there is a power struggle underway on the Nile, and these parliamentary elections are only a prelude. In the next 18 months there won't just be elections for the National Assembly, but also for president. And whether Mubarak, or his son Gamal, who has been groomed for the throne, can maintain power is far from certain. Perhaps the most dangerous threat to the Mubaraks is Mohamed ElBaradei. Earlier this week, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was more critical of Mubarak than ever before. Speaking to a crowd of cheering followers, he compared the almost three decades of Mubarak's rule to a "decaying, almost broken down temple," that was built on poverty, illiteracy, and contempt for human rights. He also laid out his blueprint for how the Mubarak era can be brought to an end. "If the whole population were to boycott the elections, in my opinion, it would be the end of the regime," said ElBaradei, a recipient of the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize for his work at the IAEA. Hereditary Egyptian Dictatorship It was the most daring appearance ElBaradei has made since his return to Egypt in February of this year. And his appeal could be enough to unite unhappy Egyptians and deliver a serious blow to the regime. A boycott would deprive members of Mubarak's clique, who have for years relied on fraudulent elections to maintain their grip on power, of their legitimacy. In the long run, he could also prevent Mubarak's son from taking over from his sick father, thwarting their chances of establishing a hereditary Egyptian dictatorship. Rampant electoral fraud has resulted in limited public enthusiasm for elections. At most, only 25 percent of the population voted in the last parliamentary election. If voter turnout drops even further this time, it would be a clear signal of growing dissatisfaction among the populace. Conditions in Egypt would certainly warrant such dissatisfaction. One in four Egyptians lives under the poverty line and must get by on two US dollars a day. Illiteracy hovers around 40 percent. Economic progress made possible by ambitious reforms has not trickled down to the average citizen. The government hardly seems to care. Public anger is high. The success of ElBaradei's proposed boycott depends on the Muslim Brotherhood. The Islamists are the strongest opposition group in the country. Officially forbidden, they are tolerated by the government in part because their members have competed as independent candidates in past elections thus providing the polls with some legitimacy. Whether the Brotherhood will join the boycott, however, remains to be seen. An opposition boycott of the parliamentary elections would likely only be the first step towards a season of civil disobedience -- protests that could ultimately influence the presidential elections as well. A Powerful Signal And even beyond. Egypt, as the largest Arab country, remains a political heavyweight in the region. What happens on the Nile sends a powerful signal to its neighbors. Many Egyptians are hopeful that ElBaradei can help end the misery of their people. Every 10th user of the Internet platform Facebook is a member of a group that supports ElBaradei as an alternative to Mubarak. Yet the constitution doesn't allow ElBaradei, who served at the top of the Atomic Agency for 12 years, easy access to the ballot. He would need the support of 250 representatives and municipal councils, a significant hurdle given that both the upper and lower houses of parliament and the provincial governments are strongly under the control of Mubarak's National Democratic Party. ElBaradei has called for a change to the constitution in order to clear his path to the polls. In addition, he has urged that all election results be checked by Egyptian courts and demanded that the state of emergency -- which has, since it was established in 1981, allowed authorities to quickly squelch opposition -- be abolished. Almost one million Egyptians have signed a petition supporting his calls for political reform. Smear Campaign Against ElBaradei As ElBaradei's popularity has grown, so too has the regime's unease. Last month, photos of ElBaradei's daughter in a bikini and the family enjoying alcoholic beverages were anonymously posted on the Internet -- an apparent attempt to portray him as hopelessly Westernized, as someone who tramples on the value of Islam. Newspapers have spread rumors that ElBaradei supported the US invasion of Iraq. Imams in the state-controlled mosques are calling for their believers to stay away from him saying he repudiates God and the prophets. The seriously ill, 82-year-old Mubarak has given little indication as to whether his name will be on the presidential ballot next year. He has, however, clearly been trying to groom his son Gamal as his political successor. Indeed, Gamal was along for the ride on his trip to Washington for the Middle East peace conference two weeks ago. And last month, posters appeared in Cairo that promoted Gamal as the successor to his father. Analysts consider the posters a trial run to test the popularity of the 47-year-old. But other posters show that there is also doubt within Mubarak's National Democratic Party about Gamal's qualifications for the presidency. Last week, posters appeared touting long-time intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, also a member of the NDP, as the best qualified leader for Egypt. The NDP has dismissed any connection to the posters, but most believe that internal party opponents of Gamal were behind the campaign.Clearwater Racing has revealed to DSC that it is set to make a decision on the future of its FIA WEC GTE Am programme before the season finale at Bahrain next month. DSC spoke to team owner Weng Sun Mok at Fuji, who explained that there are many factors in the decision, but that the Singaporean team is more likely than not to be back in the WEC for the ‘Super Season’ in 2018/19. “I’ve really enjoyed my first year in the WEC, more than I thought,” Mok said. “We’re working on a programme. Amato Ferrari (head of AF Corse) has presented the ‘Super Season’ package to us, with the costs this weekend. “The chances are that if we stay, we’ll race with Ferrari, as we have a good relationship with them. We have a good relationship with McLaren too, but they don’t have a car ready.” The key though, is whether or not Mok wants to continue racing. The 2017 season was set to be his ‘farewell tour’, but learning the circuits and his performances throughout the year has inspired him to consider coming back again. Only at Mexico did he feel like taking part in the ‘Super Season’ was not an option. “It’s been a learning year, and if you look at how the crew has blended together as one with the Italians and Malaysians. I want to keep that going. We don’t have to win to come back, we have to be competitive. “The only bad race I have had was at Mexico, and there I got angry and said ‘this is it I won’t be back next year’, because I didn’t feel competitive. But then I had a good weekend in CoTA. “I told Arj (Kulasagarem), the moment I stop enjoying myself is the moment I stop spending my daughter’s inheritance going racing. “And we’ve done so much racing in Asia, that last year I wasn’t having fun anymore, it wasn’t new, and that made me think about WEC.” Another factor is the calendar itself, which has been winterized, resulting in an 18-month 2018/19 season featuring two Le Mans at each end of the season. While there’s a divided opinion in the paddock about having less races over a longer period of time, Mok is firmly in the camp that welcomes the change. “I love the new calendar, Silverstone coming on helped the decision more, as I wanted to back there and Spa. I like the way it’s spaced out, and if we can avoid putting containers on a plane it will help with the budget. “The chances are very high that we will be back next year, but I don’t want to make a decision until the end of the year.” DSC also understands that while the team was considering running two Ferrari 488 GTEs in the next WEC season, it is now unlikely to commit to a full season programme with two cars. However, running an extra car at Le Mans once again is still a possibility.Scotland's arts funding body has insisted that a controversial £15,000 grant for an artist who will not leave Glasgow for a year must go to her personally. Ellie Harrison, who is behind The Glasgow Effect which has provoked a storm on social media, had suggested the money would be paid to her employer, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design in Dundee. In return, the lecturer would be allowed paid research leave to complete the project. The college, part of the University of Dundee, also understood this to be the arrangement. However, Creative Scotland now says this was not allowed under its Open Funding rules. The university, which employs the artist on a part time basis, is now in discussions with the lecturer over how the situation can be resolved. A statement from Creative Scotland said: "The £15,000 funding that was awarded to Ellie Harrison for the project, originally titled Think Global, Act Local!, through Creative Scotland's Open Project Fund was to support the artist in her work on this project and the development of her creative practice. "The funds will not be paid to Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design to cover the costs of her teaching post. This complies with our criteria for funding through the Open Project Funding route which states that it can be used to support 'the time to research, develop or create work or content including artist’s bursaries to support practice development.'" A spokesman for the university said: "Our agreement with Ms Harrison to free her time for the project has been predicated on costs being provided to cover her teaching time at the University. "We are now in discussions with Ms Harrison in an effort to find a resolution." The Glasgow Effect, is a well known phrase for discussing the poor health and low life expectancy of the most deprived areas of the city. The project's Facebook page is illustrated with an image of chips, which people on social media said offended them. However she stressed the project, which was initially called Think Global Act Local, is not primarily about poverty or deprivation in the city. Ms Harrison said the bulk of her work in Glasgow will be setting up a "radical alternative" to existing funding systems, called the "Radical Renewable Art + Activism Fund." The artist, who has lived in Glasgow since 2008, also published the full text of her application to Creative Scotland online. She adds on her Facebook page: "The fact that this university (Duncan of Jordanstone), like most others in the UK, now requires its lecturing staff to be fundraisers and is willing to pay them to be absent from teaching as a result, should be the focus of this debate."Paul Singer, the billionaire founder of hedge fund firm Elliott Management, donated $2,700 to the Republican candidate, Karen Handel, filings show. Steve Marcus/Reuters Wall Streeters pumped money into the US' most expensive ever House race, with people tied to big-name firms donating mostly to the Republican candidate. The election, on Tuesday,
some of your group, especially the leader, may serve the government. All antigovernment groups, even the small ones, end up being controlled by the government. Another fake alien power is the use of tachyons to cause earthquakes. It is really done with explosives planted in the ground or underwater. Large hydrogen bombs release energy comparable to the energy of major earthquakes. To make the largest quakes, a line of bombs is used. Moment magnitude is different from the Richter scale, in that it depends on the length of the fault that moves, rather than the amplitude of the shaking. Because of the move to describing great quakes in terms of this new scale, an earthquake can be made arbitrarily great by lengthening its line of bombs. A mix of bomb sizes conceals the characteristic motion from a big bomb. To make an earthquake really memorable, it must have deadly consequences. A very damaging product of earthquakes is tsunamis. To make a tsunami, detonate one or more of your earthquake bombs in deep water. Governments have done underwater nuclear tests. Did you ever wonder why we were never shown the effects of such tests where the water was deep enough to contain the blast? To explain the dead fish it has been published that strong quakes sometimes kill fish. A geologically active area, near a populated shore, would be chosen. Targeting people who are rebellious would also be desired. It would happen in daylight to hide the flashes, and so government sympathizers could be called out of danger, with their families, on ordinary business. It appears that one of these artificial quakes produced the deadliest tsunami in history, at 0:58:53 UTC (7:00 am, local time), on 12/26/04. The fake aliens would have claimed that was one of the earthquakes that they had caused. They would say 18 Ceti had used a tachyon pulse to release forces building up in the earth’s crust. By releasing those forces early, they would say, they saved us from an even greater catastrophe later. They would say that the earth’s crust is most affected by tachyons moving perpendicular to the surface of the earth. The purpose for this claim would have been to use the position of 18 Ceti to substantiate their claim to be the source of the tachyons. On 12/26/04, 18 Ceti passed over the point on the earth opposite the site of the tsunami about an hour before the event. They would say their tachyon pulses needed to be applied at the time that 18 Ceti is at right angles to the sun. That way, the tachyons have a minimum risk of hitting the sun, or of altering our orbit with the ‘gravitons’ stimulated by the passing tachyons. The winter day for this orientation is December 26. They would also have claimed to utilize the tidal forces of the sun and moon to help release the fictitious tectonic energy, and make the tsunami at the lowest possible ocean tide. So they chose a year when the full moon fell on December 26, namely, 2004. Meanwhile the young members of the ‘Heaven’s Gate’ cult are there to witness everything and, later, tell us it was all true. It is said that land masses have shifted, but that is only detected with government satellites. Bombs would not make a shoreline rise, so the perpetrators have added pictures of raised shoreline to their evidence. Page 574 in volume 434 of Nature (3/31/05, a month after I first made this allegation) has a fine example. Kerry Sieh shows us hundreds of meters of curved shoreline 1.5 meters below a slender beach on the Southwest coast of Simeulue. He describes it as evidence of uplift. By now you probably think I would turn their own photographic evidence against them, so I will not disappoint you. That picture clearly shows 10-20 cm (4-8 in) high ridges extending from the land into the water. Those ridges, common to hard coral shores around the world, take many years to form, and prove the shoreline has not changed at that site. The 1.5 meter high slope between the water and the narrow beach looks as if it had had the sand swept off it with a fire hose. An inset picture shows coral heads left high and dry on a neighboring reef. Since we know the water level has not changed at that site, the explanation is clear; fraud. The meter high coral heads must have been placed there by people. This is not some petty fraud for more aid money, Mr. Sieh is a professor at the renowned ‘Cal. Tech.’, Nature is the world’s most prestigious scientific journal, and the ‘uplift’ did not appear to hurt anything. Mr. Sieh acknowledges to me that the present water level is the same as it previously was, but explains that the land had subsided for years and has now by extraordinary coincidence (transparent lie), sprung back up to the same level. Nature refused to print a retraction. Government voices may claim that the radioactive residue of these bombs would leave such a strong signature that it could not be hidden. Governments know, having detonated hundreds of these bombs, that ocean currents rapidly disperse entrained radioactive material. They also know that the most radioactive isotopes have a short half-life and have, by now, already decayed. They also know that virtually all Geiger counters on Sumatra are controlled by governments. They also know that the sea-bed in that area is not easy to sample, because it is thousands of feet from the surface. They can complain any time about ‘illegal dumping’ of radioactive waste there. I have learned personally that regardless of what kind of incriminating evidence is found, there is no one to report it to. No newspaper would publish it, and no broadcaster would broadcast it, even in California. For example, my proof of the existence of the pricker is absolute. In Indonesia that situation may be even worse. Just staying alive with such information can be nearly impossible. Another passenger on the fake alien ship is an imposter of Jesus of Nazareth. His knowledge of languages, people and things is enhanced by a radio transceiver implanted in his ear. If killed he is able to resurrect himself, with a little help from some identical twins, waiting in reserve. The ‘Heaven’s Gate’ cult members were to be presented as some of those who had experienced the ‘rapture’ of rising to meet Christ on his return to earth. The highly promoted pseudo prophetic Left Behind series of books were intended to explain the bad things we experienced here. Those bad things (including nuclear war with China, SARS, the tsunami, the Danube flood, Africa’s famine, America’s drought, forest fires, terrorist attacks, war with Iraq, West Nile virus, etcetera), were to make us rejoice that Jesus was here to make it all better. These aliens would have shown us a world where anything was possible. Any fantasy that the government wanted would have been achievable. Rather than fantasy terrorists, we could have been attacked by the ‘Borg (StarTrek cyborgs). By pitting ‘protective’ implants against ‘Borg implants, we could all end up with motivational implants. Whatever scenario they chose would have enabled a permanent and absolute enslavement of all people on this planet. Even the people planning to be in command would have become efficient, computer controlled things. That was the purpose of UFOs, area 51, Chariots of the Gods, string theory, wormholes, tachyons, alien abductions, the big bang and countless other lies for the last 60 years. It has been the purpose for millions of deaths by prickers, poisons, and natural, but curable diseases. This plot was a foremost consideration in the formation of the CIA. Governments around the world have cooperated in its development, and it appears that China and the US are still working together on it. In the last days of 2004, it appears to me, they murdered hundreds of thousands of unsuspecting men, women, and children, just to add a little more credibility to their lies. They must bring it to completion by 2007, because those strong hailing signals are coming from 18 Ceti, whether they like it or not. But now they can not complete it because someone has read about it in advance. That is you. You may say it is farfetched now, but when those hailing signals get here from 18 Ceti, there won’t be any doubt, and you will know it. Since 2/27/05, this publication may have destroyed this specific plot, but it has also destroyed government’s ability to acknowledge the truth about our sciences and diseases, without acknowledging their guilt in causing these things. The technology, bureaucracy, and intent to enslave and destroy us remains intact, and continues to grow stronger. Their capacity to strike us with terrorists or plagues like SARS or ‘avian flu’ is impaired for the moment, but we must press this advantage. Cloaks and Daggers: I have delivered The Pricker to the homes of people who subsequently died in ‘accidents’ which came to my attention. ‘Accidents’ are caused in a variety of ways, often through the deliberate actions of another vehicle operator. Among the mechanical ‘failures’ are the blowouts popularized by Firestone tires a few years ago. They are caused with an infrared laser. In rural areas, deer, moose, and cattle can be trained to run in front of a car. The ‘accident’ itself is often not lethal. It is used as an excuse to get the victim alone in an ambulance. Pure nitrogen, without oxygen, can cause coma or brain death. Breaking the skull completes the picture of an accidental injury. A controlled blow to the chest can damage the heart beyond repair. Injected clotting agent or air causes pulmonary embolism. This is often where strokes are induced (Chairman Aspin lived alone, so no ambulance was required in his case). Strokes are induced by injecting clotting agent into the internal carotid artery of a drugged victim. The needle wound is hidden in the pharynx, behind the posterior tonsillar pillar. Note that most natural strokes do not start by making the victim unconscious. All these things seem beyond suspicion because the ambulance attendant could not have caused the original event that brought the victim to them. The original event seems beyond suspicion because it could not have been reliably lethal. Accidents are chaotic unpredictable events. Drugged food can not cause a stroke. In all these cases the ambulance can deliver the victim alive. If you have a live broadcast on these matters, you can start by saying the word ‘pricker’, that way at least a few listeners will understand why you got cut off. Once a person is publicly associated with this keyword, doing anything to them would tend to draw attention to the keyword, which is the last thing the government wants. The 7/10/03 San Francisco Chronicle describes a huge fire at Duke Energy’s Moss Landing power plant, starting in the evening on 7/8/03 (p. A19). That fire would have made a fine excuse for turning off the electricity on the morning of 7/9/03. At my house the power was out for an hour and a half that morning but the power stayed on for Moss Landing. Anyway, a couple of pages further on, the Chronicle obituaries tell of the death of KPFA’s morning news anchor on the afternoon of 7/9/03. Chris Bruney was 44 years old, and died of an apparent heart attack in his car. A fake heart attack can be induced with an oral poison or, in Mr. Bruney’s case, by spraying a toxin in the victim’s face. The last time someone tried that with me, it was a sewer snake from a neighbor’s house up to my kitchen sink. Mr. Bruney graduated from El Modena High School, in the City of Orange where I had delivered hundreds of copies of The Pricker. KPFA is the San Francisco affiliate of the Pacifica Radio Network. On 8/14/03 the Northeast was struck by the largest blackout in US history. I found that Pacifica station WBAI in New York had a weekly program on ‘political prisoners and police oppression’. One of the hosts, Safiya Bukhari could not do the program on 8/14 because of the blackout. She could not do the program the next Thursday night because she was hospitalized. She could not do it the week after that because she was dead. Government operatives often team-up with radicals. Ms Bukhari’s co-host Sally O’Brien told me Safiya died of a prolonged illness (by which she meant natural ), but refused to specify the cause of death. After asking who I was, she declined to talk at all. Ms Bukhari’s sister said it was a heart attack. A heart attack is a plausible fit for an obese 53-year-old diabetic, but it wasn’t a ‘prolonged illness’ – Ms Bukhari was working on the day of the blackout. Although she was a Muslim her funeral was held at the church of, and attended by, the only person in New York City to whom I had confirmed delivery of The Pricker by reading out loud over the telephone. If you appear in person, you can address a large audience even in a blackout, if you have a backup power supply. The Righteous Brothers lived in Newport Beach where I had delivered thousands of copies of this document. Their song ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’’ is the most played single ever on American radio. On11/5/03 Bobby Hatfield was found dead in his hotel room, even as the crowd gathered for the first show of their latest tour. The medical examiner told me his cause of death was myocardial infarction, due to severe atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries. A month later I raised the possibility that he was assassinated with a toxin, in the 12/7/03 edition of The Pricker. If correct another autopsy might find clean coronary arteries in this 63-year-old victim. After a few more weeks, while it was still said the coronary arteries were in bad shape, the death certificate was amended to change the cause of death to ‘acute cocaine toxicity’. His friends said he didn’t use cocaine, none was found at the scene, and he ‘died in his sleep’. The medical examiner said she told Mrs. Hatfield about this at about the same time Mrs. Hatfield was hospitalized with a couple of stokes. On 12/8/04, thirty seconds after the heavy metal band ‘Damageplan’ came on stage, a gunman killed one of them. The victim, Darrell Abbott was a former member of ‘Pantera’. While he may have never heard of The Pricker, this kind of crime can be used to send a powerful message; ‘Even in America, even in front of a crowd of fans, you are vulnerable, keep quiet.’ Perhaps this story would interest an author like Gary Web. He’s the reporter who wrote about the CIA involvement in America ’s crack cocaine epidemic. He was found shot in the head on 12/10/04. A suicide note was on his door. His obituaries said his CIA story had been discredited but, by their own description, the ‘discredit’ consisted of failures to corroborate. That kind of ‘discredit’ might befall any true story. A famous counter-culture figure like Hunter Thompson might be interested. He was found shot in the mouth on 2/20/05. More care is taken to prepare the ‘suicide’ of a famous person like Mr. Thompson. He married a woman (after 2001), who could poison him to induce chronic pain, drug him for the ‘suicide’, and afterward say he planned it. She says he was awake at the time of his death – she talked to him on the phone. It is very unlikely that any recording of that conversation would exist (on an answering machine, for example), unless it was faked to corroborate her story. These shootings, usually with the victim’s own gun, look like suicide because anyone else present would disturb the spray of blood. They are done with special ‘RC’ ammunition. An empty shell casing is reloaded, without replacing the primer, bearing the impression of the firing pin. A radio controlled igniter is packed into the propellant charge. It is made of nitrocellulose and metal foil that is consumed with the propellant. RC rounds can also be used to make ‘accidents’ happen. In Mr. Thompson’s case, a video camera built into his home electronics would monitor him. That way his assassins could leave the house to wait for Mr. Thompson’s son to come and hear the shot, and witness no one else at the scene. I am not trying to prove anything with these deaths, or the many others I have noted. I haven’t yet been told these people have even seen my work, let alone planned to talk about it. I mention them to warn you, and help you to make sense of this situation. If you are one of the few people who ever address a large live audience, and have now read this, you will be subject to extraordinary surveillance to determine your intent. Surveillance technology is now much more invasive, and pervasive than most people realize. In order to help you keep your intentions secret, I outline some spy techniques: · It is said that the National Security Agency uses ‘radio telepathy’ to send thoughts, or eavesdrop on them. It is true. It is described in these outlandish terms in order to make it sound foolish and impossible. It sounds impossible because they don’t tell you what can be implanted in the target. An antenna of just the right length will selectively reflect radio waves of a given wavelength. That is how the security device at your library detects books which have not been detuned with a magnet. If the end of the antenna is contained in a conductive cavity, the capacitance of the cavity alters the frequency of the reflected radio waves. If sound waves change the shape of a part of the cavity, made of foil, then the capacitance of the cavity, and the frequency of the reflected radio waves, will be modulated by the sound waves. This type of listening device was widely publicized several years after one was found in the US embassy in Moscow, in 1952. It was called a ‘passive cavity transmitter’. In 1952 it had a 0.775 inch (20 mm) diameter cavity and a 9 inch (¼ meter) antenna, for use with 330 MHz (36 inch, 1 meter) radio waves (see CIA Special Weapons & Equipment, ©1993, H. Keith Melton, appendix). In order to trade the ¼ meter antenna for a ¼ centimeter (1/10 inch) one you simply have to shorten the radio wavelength from 1 meter to 1 centimeter (2/5 inch). The result is a device that is tiny enough for your dentist to implant in your mouth. That is close enough to pick up your most intimate whisper. There is no battery to change, so it will last forever. If you have ever had any position of influence, or any political, financial, scientific, or government interests, you can assume that you have one of these. They come in a variety of frequencies and are active only when energized by the incident beam, so interference from other passive cavities is not a big problem. Metal structures tend to block their connection. Until we can obtain a suitable political resolution of this problem, I suggest you be aware of what passes your lips. · The same type of device is also used as an implantable receiver. The original beam is modulated with the desired sound wave, which varies the electrostatic force in the cavity, which moves the foil, producing sound. The sound is tiny but audible if it is inside your ears. The devices are implanted with a needle. Even the lay public knows that hearing voices in your head is a symptom of schizophrenia. It is so well publicized because it is a lie. The voices may tell the victim that there is a microchip in their brain, or other nonsense, but the voices are real. A voice may claim to be God. It can clearly demonstrate a superior knowledge of, and control over events around the victim. Suitable victims can be trained to kill people like Darrell Abbott, Princess Dianna, John Lennon, or destroy the world trade center. This is how commands are sent to trained animals. · The same devices serve to track the victim when they are out of sight. They can also track money, guns, drugs, or other objects. This technology could even track wild flies if necessary – entomologists have published reports of doing exactly that. · Most telephones are manufactured in such a way as to allow line current to energize the microphone even when the hook switch is depressed. Different model telephones require different techniques to activate, but they are observable in the same way. When they are active, you can measure the voltage on the microphone. Modern telephones have good, sensitive microphones, suitable for room monitoring. · Telephones which work against you may not work for you. I am sorry you can not ‘cold call’ my telephone. I have had some blocked calls and one apparent impersonation. A friend told me that she called my house and spoke to my mother, who said dreadful things about me. Neither my mother, nor anyone else, has been in my house in years. This is an application of call forwarding – away from my house, or some other telephones where it is known I will call. ‘Harmless’ calls are routed back to me. · The flow of information in ordinary telephone traffic would be enough to overwhelm all the spies in the country if they had to sit and listen to it all. When the murmurs of passive cavities and unused telephones are added, how can it all be overheard? Microcomputers understand human speech, and recognize human speakers. They are cheap enough to have one for every phone line, or even every person, in the country. They do not sleep, or forget, or betray their masters. They can be distributed so the raw data doesn’t have to go too far. · Video cameras have been hidden in innocuous equipment for years. They are now small and cheap enough to be built into home electronics regularly in some models. The cost is so low that it doesn’t matter if many of them are not useful. Even the people on the assembly line don’t have to know what they are making. The transmissions are turned off most of the time. To avoid missing anything, but not clog the lines of communication, the first bit of analysis can be done at the camera. Nothing I can say will establish how common or rare these things are. If you are concerned, plug your TV into the electrical outlet controlled by the wall switch, that way the lamp on that circuit can serve to remind you that your TV is active. · Computers also see mail. The first person I mailed this to was a talk radio personality. When I called to ask him what he thought he seemed to think my ideas “about breast cancer” were foolish. He refused to consider that anyone would have substituted a forgery for this mail, but denied recognizing the word ‘pricker’ (my previous writing had been about cancers, but no prickers). Such tampering was fully enabled by the ‘terrorist’ anthrax mailings. It is easier to monitor and tamper with e-mail, so you may want to read a sample of this document out loud over the telephone if you want to assess its arrival, as sent. · Computers also see vehicle license plates. In the past, recording and recalling every vehicle passing a camera required tremendous data handling capacity. By today’s standards that much data is trivial. Most street cameras are not visible. · These technical advances have freed an army of government spies from their offices. They spend careers socializing and making false friendships. It has been said that in communist countries, such spies make up a significant fraction of the population. In the US, where the government is more capable of fielding such an army, the idea is dismissed as a paranoid delusion. Any honest person who has access to large, live audiences may be certain that such spies are close to them. · It has been reported that the KGB used short half-life radioisotopes to contaminate surveillance targets. A Geiger counter is then used to identify things the target has touched. The target may be handed something (like money) or have the isotope sprayed directly on them. I have been anointed in this special way by Americans – it gave me a burn. · Criminal law is a major tool in recruiting new spies, ensuring their loyalty, and generally increasing the power of governments. The more criminal activity there is the more power governments are justified in exerting. They recognize this, and secretly promote crime. Government’s first choice for getting a coercive hold on someone is to exploit the target’s own predilections and behaviors. If you can not be coaxed to do something illegal, they may try to frame you in such a way as to suggest you were caught by an honest mistake. Failing that, a frank, direct frame-up may be used. · Hospital operating rooms are used to torture unsuspecting victims. Amnesic drugs are used to keep the victim from remembering their torture. Surgery provides access to people who live and sleep with others. It also provides an excuse for the immediate killing, or crippling of the victim, depending on what the torture reveals. · Sensors placed on the head can detect electrochemical activity in the brain. There is a particular pattern of activity when the brain recognizes something it has encountered before. The production of that pattern is instantaneous, and involuntary. Recording this brain activity is called ‘brain fingerprinting’, and has been publicized as a crime-fighting tool. It can tell whether the target has read The Pricker. Given the kind of technical capabilities I describe in this document, it should be clear that any effective resistance in Iraq must have a government behind it. The government behind the Iraqi resistance must be known to US intelligence. The government behind the Iraqi resistance is the US Government. Just as the American puppet Ayatollah Khomeini helped American fascists to neutralize and oust President Carter, Islamic fundamentalists served as our fake enemies in the Taliban, and Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network serve as our enemies in the ‘war on terror’, we also face the American puppets of the Iraqi resistance. If they were real enemies they would draw attention to The Pricker and send the Americans home without a fight. But they are controlled by the US, and are primed to slaughter young Americans until you can think of nothing else. When clever Nazis run your country, a phrase like ‘support our troops’ translates to ‘sacrifice our soldiers’. Because people in Iraq are likely to show more interest in this than Americans, the army would attack and kill those who had heard of it. Those who surrendered would also be killed. Because soldiers sometimes talk about such things, they have to be discredited as ‘nuts’. 60 Minutes (2/27/05, CBS), and Frontline (3/1/05, PBS) have aired segments on ‘combat stress teams’ to publicize how insane our soldiers are. Frontline specifically described the case of a soldier (Jeff Lucey) who said he had been ordered to shoot prisoners. Mr. Lucey was subsequently found hanging by his neck. This kind of ‘insanity’ can be created by having wild women ply the target with crack cocaine, alcohol and (without his knowledge) steroids. He may then display emotional lability and break up with his girlfriend. Before and after all kinds of covert attacks, the victims are commonly drugged to induce various psychiatric conditions. A powerful hallucinatory or anxiety episode can undermine the victim’s credibility. We should not expect ‘the media’ to address these problems until many people have already heard about them. Most have done a fine job of ignoring these facts so far. When the story does catch on we can expect extreme distortion and ‘spin’. I have never seen or heard of any published or broadcast references to The Pricker. The internet is an excellent environment for disinformation. What people see there can be tailored for each viewer. Your service provider’s assurances of security are entirely empty where the government is concerned. My Google searches reveal no references to The Pricker, but I suspect other people can see it thoroughly debunked there. I can not respond to such hidden critics, except to point out that they haven’t put their criticisms any place where I can see them. If our media, and police, and courts, and special prosecutors were equal to the task of Watergate, then surely they would attack these much greater crimes, right? The problem with that idea is that we were deceived about Watergate. In Watergate, a trivial bit of political espionage was used to eject a president who had committed an unforgivable sin. President Nixon ordered the assassination of America ’s permanent bureaucratic ruler, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. No one wanted to drag that out in public, so something harmless was used to dump Nixon. Six weeks after Hoover ’s ‘heart attack’ the five burglars were arrested at the Watergate. In his book All the president’s men (©1974, Simon & Schuster), Bob Woodward tells us that at the first court appearance of burglar James McCord, he was asked his occupation, to which he responded “Security consultant”. The judge asked where. Rather than give the innocuous and correct answer, ‘McCord Associates’, McCord chose to shock everyone by saying he had recently retired from the CIA. This was something he was not asked, and did not have to say. McCord said that, because before the CIA, he was an FBI agent like his boss G. Gordon Liddy. They scrupulously chose to go to prison because their crimes were not sanctioned under Title 50. Bob Woodward, America ’s greatest hero of the free press has had a long and successful career of disinformation. That book repeatedly mentions the perception at the FBI, that his newspaper stories on Watergate had been written from FBI reports “almost verbatim”, or “90 percent”. He published that because he didn’t want people to hear it someplace else. He also serves to draw out whistle-blowers, so they can be identified and eliminated. [I distributed hundreds of preliminary draft copies, including the last three paragraphs, on 5/26 and 5/27/2005(including one to each apartment on Coriander, Caraway, Wintergreen, Cassia, Ginger and Mace streets in Costa Mesa). On 5/31/2005 Mr. Woodward confirmed that the identity of Deep Throat was FBI Assistant Director W. Mark Felt. That announcement was made to predate mine by saying it has been prepared (in secret) for years. Perhaps they will now try to present Mr. Woodward as a dupe of the FBI. In his position, he could not be a dupe. If you prefer to think of Mr. Woodward and his ilk as slack-jawed fools, rather than knowing collaborators, that still does not deflect the point that they have not done, and will not do, their duty.] In the same role on the radical left is Pacifica Radio’s Amy Goodman, whom I met on 3/10/2002. I gave her the written description of spousal cancers and 9/11 which I had at that time. A similar firebrand, who came to local Pacifica station KPFK after 2001, was Sonali Kolhatkar. She does the morning show Uprising and is very convincing. I handed her a copy of the 3rd edition of The Pricker on 9/8/2002. Later she told me that anyone could make some little device to induce unlimited disease and death, and it was therefore unimportant. This sounds highly irrational, only if you think she is honest. It is said that the things I have described could not happen because honest members of our media would expose them. I agree with this reasoning, and conclude that there are not many honest commentators on live broadcasts in our national media. I don’t expect police to do anything helpful; they stop me often but never to offer assistance. I have even been cited and convicted for “offering or providing information” – those were the words of the trial judge describing my ‘illegal’ behavior, in the settled statement on appeal. The court sought to obstruct and delay the appeal process indefinitely, in violation of the California Rules of Court, because there was no way to uphold that verdict. That conviction was eventually overturned. I would expect corruption to be worse in higher courts. There is an American citizen named Juan Padilla imprisoned without any observable cause. The administration has no way of justifying this in court. This situation has been painfully clear to everyone, but the Supreme Court has declined to hear the case. The support of four justices was all that was required to bring the case before the court. No honest justice could have avoided hearing the case. Therefore, we can see there are no more than three honest justices of the Supreme Court. When the reason for Mr. Padilla’s imprisonment, and the court’s refusal to hear the case, becomes known, at least six of the nine justices will have to resign. Those who have left the court since then have not helped the situation, because their replacements are being chosen by President Bush, a prime conspirator. I have delivered copies of The Pricker to staff in the offices of representatives Loretta Sanchez, Linda Sanchez, Christopher Cox, Edward Royce, Maxine Waters, Grace Napolitano, and Gary Miller, they have not responded. On 8/6/05 I revisited Dana Rohrabacher by handing him a copy of this. He is now Chairman of the International Relations Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation. Ordinarily, when you write to a legislator about anything, you can expect a response. I’ve never had any response from any legislator on any of these issues. That is because if they respond, they will have acknowledged receiving this information. If they acknowledged receiving this, they would have to act on it. While it is possible that some are actually unaware of my work, I think most simply don’t want to act. Their predecessors would not have passed a law repealing all other laws (50 USC 412) if they had not intended to wield unconstitutional power. I have heard speculation that the things I have described here are the actions of rogue elements within the FBI, CIA and administration. I think that is plausible only to the extent that you consider entire governments to be ‘rogue elements’. I have personally distributed 72,000 copies of The Pricker, mostly to single family homes, in one of this nation's wealthiest counties. So the leadership of every large intelligence, military, and law enforcement agency in the world is aware of it (earlier editions did not describe the alien spaceship plot). By now even the impoverished, isolated government of Iraq would have heard of it. That is one of the reasons it had to be destroyed, no matter how flimsy the excuse. Saddam Hussein had a penchant for publicizing American plots. You already know some of the reasons he was an enemy. The reason that attacking him became urgent was the 12,000 copies of The Pricker that I had distributed at that time. You now hold in your hands the ‘super weapon’ he was about to obtain – this little treatise. By the same reasoning, the leadership of large religious institutions, political parties, corporations and charitable organizations will have encountered this, but failed to do anything about it (nothing helpful, anyway). I have talked to people who recognize The Pricker, but deny ever having seen it. It’s been said this is because they are afraid. They wouldn’t be afraid if they thought none of these concerns were valid. So later, when it comes time for our biggest leaders to explain their silence now, what will they say? They didn’t know? You can’t prove their subordinates told them? They thought this was all a mistake, even though ordinary folks recognized valid concerns? They did not talk about this because nobody else was talking about it? Is it just too ugly? For a failure of this magnitude, and duration, I don’t think it will suffice to say ‘Oops, sorry’. Some of the most powerful servants of government have enslaved themselves willingly. If you want to rule over a major organization or government, and need the support of the US Government to do it, you should prove your irreversible loyalty ahead of time. One technique is to give the candidate a camcorder and a young woman, or child, in a locked room. He must then produce a recording of himself raping, torturing, and killing this defenseless victim. He must leave his DNA in the victim’s body. He can then be trusted in the most powerful positions, because he will always be vulnerable to the holder of that recording. He doesn’t even have to know who holds the recording. On the Texas/Mexico border, the city of Ciudad Juarez alone has had hundreds of these killings. They have helped our biggest super-criminals dominate every part of our lives. What’s Next: Without the media, or the internet, or politicians, or bureaucracies, or clergy, or corporations, or entertainers, or other ‘leaders’, where can we turn? It appears that the issues I had raised in earlier editions were insufficient to inspire the kind of universal rejection we have been led to expect for such things. I can see that there are a few people who will stand against serial murder, mass murder, and treason, but many of us say we can do nothing, and then actually do nothing. Let’s not fool ourselves; these are not small problems. They are dominant factors in populations around the world. This is the long term failure of democracy, and every other known form of government. Our social structures serve purposes diametrically opposed to their stated purposes. Rather than defend and uphold the Constitution, officers of government undermine and attack it. Rather than suppressing murder, it is inflicted on an industrial scale. Rather than preserve and disseminate information, disinformation is disseminated and information is suppressed. Rather than protect society, its destruction is sought. I have destroyed the alien spaceship plot, but there are more plots coming, more subtle and powerful motivational implants, robot weapons, biological weapons, and colossal deceptions. We all need to realize that if we do not get this situation under control (or out from under control), that our entire species will perish. At the end there will be only one of us left. One person who has enslaved or killed all others. All of the billions of people, with thousands of languages, cultures, and civilizations of history, with only one person left, very soon. That sounds like a description of the TV show Survivor. The resemblance may not be unintentional. That show presents an experiment in sociology in which all players are enemies who are dependant on those they seek to destroy. The show was produced to sell us the idea that this is how we live. It is how they think we should live, working cleverly for those who will destroy us. The twisted artificiality of that show is made to seem more real by calling it reality TV. In real reality, people trapped in a difficult situation consider themselves successful when everyone gets along, rather than when everyone destroys each other. I propose we seek that reality for ourselves rather than the
ofsky) Image: Wikipedia Commons 27. In Massachusetts, using a boom box without earphones in public can get you tossed in the clink for as much as 30 days (Crimes Against the Person, Section 265-42). (Belofsky) 28. In Manteno, Illinois, “No person shall drop, throw or place any used facial tissue or paper handkerchief upon any public way” (Manteno Village Code, Title 5, Ch. 1, Section 5-1-11). (Belofsky) 29. In West Virginia, it is a “crime against the government” to display or possess a red or black flag (West Virginia Code, Section 61-1.6). (Belofsky) 30. Millcreek Canyon, Utah has made it unlawful to “possess an unleashed dog on even-numbered days” (8.04.170). (Belofsky) 31. Little Rock, Arkansas, Municipal Code has made it illegal to honk your horn after 9:00 p.m. at any place where sandwiches or cold drinks are served (Section 18-53, Art. II, Subsection 18-54). (Belofsky) We here at The Reeves Law Group hope you’ve enjoyed this odyssey through some of the more peculiar U.S. laws that are still on the books. Are there any in your state that we’ve left off? Share them in the comments section!The Foreign Ministry staged a highly successful event in the 5th Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism, held in Jerusalem between May 12 and May 14. Delegates from around the world gathered to hear an impressive array of speakers, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The conference was intense. Even the lunches during the three days became platforms for keynote speakers including Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Confederation of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organization, Robert Wistrich, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro. The third day was taken up with numerous working groups, each delegated to address specific aspects of global anti-Semitism and come up with solutions and action plans to counter this ongoing plague.I joined the group discussing “Anti-Semitism in the Guise of Delegitimization and Anti-Zionism,” which was chaired by Mitchell Bard and Dr. Pascal Markowicz. We were presented by a screen listing the many challenges and questions faced by everyone affected by anti-Israel activism that morphs into expressions of Jew-hatred and Israel denial.It was clear, hearing the problems faced by students on campus to the problems that heads of Jewish communities are increasingly dealing with, that anti-Semitism posing as anti-Zionism is rampant worldwide. Participants from North and South America, Europe including the UK, South Africa and Australia, told of the challenges they are trying to counter in their countries.True to the title of our session, it became apparent that, although we discussed in depth the difficulties that Jews abroad and Israel in general have been suffering from in recent times, the big black cloud that shadows all our concerns is the anti-Semitism linked to all aspects of the Palestinian cause. As described in my book Fighting Hamas, BDS and Anti-Semitism, its fertile roots are deeply embedded in Gaza and Ramallah. Here is the spearhead of a wider Arab malevolence against Jews rooted in their faith and political systems.As the title of our working group suggests, this strain of anti-Semitism radiates from the Middle East into Western societies, fanned by far-left agitators, racist professors, lecturers and other voices who call and act for the delegitimization of Israel and an end to anti-Zionism. The excuse that “we don’t hate Jews, we only hate Israelis” won’t wash anymore.We in the know are now on the case, exposing this fraud, the lie that has replaced the older canard of “I can’t be an anti-Semite, some of my best friends are Jewish.” The evidence is clear and is now being documented. It’s time the name and shame the perpetrators, and call it for what it is.Anti-Semitism is an international crime. However, despite the efforts of major European Jewish organizations, the EU has been dodging the issue of coming up with a definition of anti-Semitism. We were witness to statements made at the Jerusalem conference by European representatives of an attempt of lumping any resolution or definition of anti-Semitism with other issues such as Islamophobia into a broader mix of “hate crimes.” We need to make the case that we deserve, especially in Europe, specific attention to our individual and collective predicament.One important outcome of the event was a wall-to-wall affirmation that only Jews have the right to define what is, or isn’t, anti-Semitism. As one person at the conference said, just as most Americans accept that African Americans are the ones to recognize anti-black racism, it is the Jews who instinctively know, from generations of bitter experience in every culture, what anti-Semitism is.If anti-Semitism is evil, and if the world desperately desires peace between Israel and the Palestinians, it is legitimate to demand that the United Nations, the European Union and the Arab League stop supporting the development of a national movement that has the words “Oh Muslim, there’s a Jew hiding behind me! Come out and kill him” as the cornerstone of its founding charter, as Hamas does.It is this, together with their declared admission that the Palestinian cause is an Islamic jihadist movement that must give every reasoning mind, let alone the political representatives of Western liberal democracies, pause.How is it possible that they invest hundreds of millions of dollars and euros in the advancement of a Palestine that will, inevitably, be a Jew-hating, Jew-denying entity? How can there be any doubt of this when Hamas’s hatred and the Palestinian Authority’s denial of the legitimacy of the Jewish state spills over into the manifestos and charters of the PLO (adopted by the PA) and the constitutional document of the Fatah Party? The aims and objectives of the Palestinian cause are blatantly defined. They are consolidated by the statements of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, he of the Holocaust denial doctorate, who denies 3,000 years of Jewish heritage and existence, rejects the Jewish state and the existence of Israel as the national home of the Jewish people as legitimated in the international treaties of the League of Nations and further enshrined in Article 80 of the United Nations Charter. In further anti-Semitic references, Abbas has declared that Palestine will be Jew-free and that any Arab selling land to a Jew will be executed.This is part of the Palestinian anti-Semitism that denies and delegitimizes Israel.A question that usually leaves European diplomats with a blank look in their eyes is what sort of Palestine they are trying so hard to create. Some mutter that they are working to develop institutes necessary to achieve a democratic Palestine living in peace with Israel. But they are stumped when asked what responsibility they take if Israel surrenders territory according to their demands and political pressure that results not in peaceful Palestine but a radical Hamastan? According to all Palestinian polls and elections, Hamas consistently gains the support of between 64%-78% of Palestinian society. That’s a majority every time. The latest evidence that Palestine will be Hamastan was the student elections at Bir Zeit University in April where Hamas won 26 seats compared to Fatah’s 19. It must be pointed out that Bir Zeit is not in the Gaza Strip but seven kilometers north of Ramallah, within easy reach of PA headquarters, and only 20 kilometers from Jerusalem. So a Hamas-controlled Palestine is not a possibility. It’s a certainty.This makes the US administration and European urging for the establishment of a Jew-hating, jihadist state standing on territory belonging to a liberal democracy highly disturbing.What is equally disturbing is the apparition of the fevered efforts of hundreds of dubious NGOs, supported politically, morally and financially by European governments. Some have politicians who are being exposed for their dislike of Jews.Those of us active in defense of Israel against the demonization and delegitimization campaigns that use thousands of eager young European volunteers regularly witness that their Palestinian lovefest comes with an equal, if not more passionate, Israeli hatefest which leaves us wondering if Jew-hatred is not at the heart of it.Therefore, we are entitled to ask why they adopt this aspect of Palestinian concern yet ignore the abuse of Palestinian rights at the hands of both Palestinian leaderships in Ramallah and Gaza. They also do or say nothing about Palestinians that are suffering in Arab lands. Their exaggeration of anti-Israel claims and insults is out of proportion to other world crisis points that apparently do not concern them. This obsessive behavior that targets the Jewish state points to anti-Semitism. In fact, colleagues can attest to fairly regular outbursts of anti-Jewish utterances from these NGO volunteers.And so we see the spread and growth of anti-Semitism in the guise of delegitimization and anti-Zionism. Once, and for far too long, they claimed victory with a slogan of “Zionism is Racism” which won favor in the United Nations for 16 years until, after a prolonged struggle, it was struck down in 1991. It was struck down, but didn’t die. It is still alive and killing.It is the anti-Zionists who are the racists. It is the Israel deniers who are the discriminators.It is essential to define anti-Semitism as including the denial of Jewish rights to freedom of expression, freedom of religion, and the denial of Jewish rights to self-determination as enshrined in internationally binding documents.The delegitimization of Israel and the attempt to deprive the Jews, and only the Jewish people, of the right to self-determination and nationhood is anti-Semitism.(These are the personal reflections of the author and not the official positions of the working group or the Israeli government.) The author is the consultant on delegitimization issues to the Strategic Dialogue Center at Netanya Academic College and the author of Fighting Hamas, BDS and Anti-Semitism. Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>The day after Lee disappeared last Wednesday, his wife, Sophie Choi Ka-ping, filed a police report to report him missing. But after the faxed letter surfaced, Ka-ping suddenly withdrew the report on Monday. She stated that she believes the letter is genuine, and that her husband was not pressured to write it, the South China Morning Post reported. "It might take a bit of time," the message said. "My current situation is very well. All is normal." "Due to some urgent matters that I need to handle and that aren't to be revealed to the public, I have made my own way back to the mainland in order to cooperate with the investigation by relevant parties," read the handwritten note purportedly sent by Lee. The message was published by Taiwan's government-affiliated Central News Agency late Monday. Lee Bo, 65, is one of five men linked to book publisher Mighty Current who have disappeared over the last three months. Lee is a major shareholder in Causeway Bay Books, a popular bookstore known for selling a range of titles banned on the Chinese mainland. The bookstore in run by Mighty Current, which has produced books critical of the Chinese government. The company was reportedly preparing about to launch a book about Chinese President Xi Jinping's love life, focusing on one of his former girlfriends. A Hong Kong bookseller who went missing last week has apparently faxed a vague letter to his wife telling her that "all is normal," a cryptic message that has deepened the mystery surrounding the man's disappearance. Read more A Hong Kong bookseller who went missing last week has apparently faxed a vague letter to his wife telling her that "all is normal," a cryptic message that has deepened the mystery surrounding the man's disappearance. Lee Bo, 65, is one of five men linked to book publisher Mighty Current who have disappeared over the last three months. Lee is a major shareholder in Causeway Bay Books, a popular bookstore known for selling a range of titles banned on the Chinese mainland. The bookstore in run by Mighty Current, which has produced books critical of the Chinese government. The company was reportedly preparing about to launch a book about Chinese President Xi Jinping's love life, focusing on one of his former girlfriends. "Due to some urgent matters that I need to handle and that aren't to be revealed to the public, I have made my own way back to the mainland in order to cooperate with the investigation by relevant parties," read the handwritten note purportedly sent by Lee. The message was published by Taiwan's government-affiliated Central News Agency late Monday. "It might take a bit of time," the message said. "My current situation is very well. All is normal." The day after Lee disappeared last Wednesday, his wife, Sophie Choi Ka-ping, filed a police report to report him missing. But after the faxed letter surfaced, Ka-ping suddenly withdrew the report on Monday. She stated that she believes the letter is genuine, and that her husband was not pressured to write it, the South China Morning Post reported. Related: Britain Ignores China's Troubling Human Rights Record with Royal Welcome for Leader, Activists Say She also reportedly received a phone call from her husband last Wednesday from a number that appeared to be from Shenzhen, the neighboring city that links Hong Kong with the mainland. According to AFP, Lee said at the time that he was "assisting in an investigation" and did not plan to return soon. AFP reported that Lee was last seen at a Hong Kong book warehouse. In October, four other men linked with Mighty Current also went missing under suspicious circumstances. Gui Minhai, a mainland-born Swedish national who co-owns the publishing company, disappeared while on holiday in Thailand on October 15. Lui Bo, Mighty Current's general manager, Cheung Jiping, the company's business manager, and Lam Wing-kei, who manages the bookstore, each disappeared separately in late October, after they visited Shenzhen. Watch the VICE News documentary The End of the Umbrella Revolution: Hong Kong Silenced: The disappearances have stoked fears of mainland Chinese authorities using shadowy tactics that erode the "one country, two systems" formula under which Hong Kong was returned to China after 150 years of British rule. Speaking about Lee's disappearance, Hong Kong lawmaker James To Kun-sun told the Morning Post that the bookseller "had resisted going to the mainland the whole time [in the past]. Why would he suddenly go to the mainland in his own way?" A colleague of Lam, the bookstore manager, reportedly said the missing man phoned his wife in Hong Kong in early November to say he was "alright," but that he would be staying for a while in an undisclosed location. The source, identified only by the name Lee, said he believed that Chinese authorities had detained the men. Related: China Arrested More Than 100 Lawyers to 'Smash a Major Criminal Gang' "I suspect all of them were detained. All four went missing at the same time," he told the Morning Post, adding that phone calls left for Lam went unanswered or the line went dead. On Tuesday, British authorities weighed in on the disappearances, saying it was "deeply concerned" over the possible detentions of the booksellers, one of whom is British. While the British embassy did not name which man held a British passport, local media speculated that it was Lee. "We are deeply concerned by reports about the disappearance and detention of individuals associated with the Causeway Bay Books bookstore in Hong Kong," read a statement from the British embassy in Beijing. "We encourage the Hong Kong SAR government to honor its commitment to protecting the freedom of the press, and we hope the Chinese authorities will continue to make every effort to ensure that the environment in which the media and publishers operate in the Hong Kong SAR supports full and frank reporting," the statement added. The remarks, referring to the "special administrative region" (SAR) of Hong Kong, came as British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond began his two-day visit to China and after China's Foreign Ministry warned that it would not tolerate outside interference in the affairs of Hong Kong. Reuters contributed to this report Follow VICE News on Twitter: @vicenewsI didn’t grow up in the South, so my first exposure to King Cake wasn’t until college. This yeast cake was a blast to make with from-scratch cashew cream cheese, though I didn’t add the traditional baby to our version... Ingredients: Dough: 1 C. raw cashew pieces 2 C. water 1 ½ T. nutritional yeast 1 t. salt Juice from one large lemon 3 ½ T. sugar 3 T. coconut oil or non-dairy butter 1 envelope active dry yeast (¼ oz.) 1 flax gel egg (3 ½ T.) 3 C. flour (GF option here) Filling: 2 T. non-dairy butter 4 T. sugar 1 t. ground cinnamon Glaze: 1 ½ C. powdered sugar 1 ½ C. coconut oil, melted 1 T. lemon juice ¼ t. vanilla extract 1-2 T. nutmilk Optional: purple, green and gold sugar sprinkles or turbinado sugar + green and purple food coloring Prep time: 2 hr Cook time: 15-20 min Yield: one cake, ~12 servings -Pour cashew pieces and 1 C. water into a bowl and microwave for ~5 min or until boiling. Remove from microwave and let cool before straining off water. -Transfer cashews to a food processor or immersion blender and combine with ½ C. water, the nutritional yeast, ½ t. salt and lemon juice until very smooth and creamy. This will function as your “sour cream.” -Measure out 1 C. of the sour cream (you may have a bit left over) into a saucepan and combine with 3 T. sugar, 2 T. coconut oil or non-dairy butter, and ½ t. salt. -Cook over medium heat until combined, stirring continuously with a spatula or small whisk to keep the sour cream from clotting. Remove from heat and set aside. -Combine the yeast with ½ T. sugar and ½ C. warm water and set aside to proof, ~5 min. -Beat the flax gel egg with a hand mixer or stand mixer on high for a minute to aerate, then add the sour cream mixture and yeast, and combine. -Add 1 C. flour and mix until smooth. If using a hand mixer, switch to a wooden spoon after this step; if using a stand mixer, continue with that. -Add the remaining flour, 1 C. at a time, until a soft dough has formed. -Transfer dough to a well-floured surface and knead for 5-8 min. I used ~⅓ C. of additional flour while kneading, adding more whenever the dough starting sticking to my hands. -When finished kneading, place in a bowl that has been oiled with 1 T. melted coconut oil or non-dairy butter. Roll the dough in the oil before covering the bowl with a towel and setting in a warm, draft-free area to rise for 1 hr. -When finished rising, punch down dough and roll out into a 12”x24” rectangle. -Spread the 2 T. of room temperature non-dairy butter evenly over the top of the dough, leaving a 1” border. -Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over the buttered area. -Roll the dough up from the long edge, so you end up with a 24” long roll. Place on a lightly-greased baking sheet and bring the ends of the roll together, making a circle. -Cover and let rise for another 30 min. -Preheat your oven to 375 F. -When the dough has risen a second time, place in oven and bake for 15-20 min or until golden brown. -Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack for ~10 min. -Combine the powdered sugar, melted coconut oil, lemon juice and vanilla in a bowl. Add 1 T. nutmilk and combine; if still too thick to stir, add ½ T. at a time until it is. It should be relatively thick at this point still, as the warm cake will melt it further when applied. -Transfer the cake to a large serving dish and spoon the glaze evenly along the top of it. The glaze should run down the cake and onto the tray, so just make sure your plate is large enough to accommodate. -Add the colored sprinkles or turbinado in alternating stripes (optional) and serve. Happy Fat Tuesday - just think, spring is almost here!Htin Kyaw, a close confidante of pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, was among the candidates nominated for the post of Myanmar president. The 70-year-old Oxford graduate, who was once Suu Kyi's driver, is widely expected to win as he has the approval of the Nobel peace laureate. Htin Kyaw, though not a member of the current parliament but only of Suu Kyi's National League of Democracy (NLD), will represent the lower house for the presidency. As per Myanmar's guidelines, three presidential candidates — one each from the lower house, the upper house and the military bloc — will be nominated. Henry Ben Htee You, who hails from an ethnic minority group, was nominated by the upper house. Two of the losing candidates will become vice presidents. "I urge all of you to give your support based on rational thoughts, to reach our goal peacefully before we fully implement your hopes," the NLD's chairwoman said in a statement after the presidential nomination. Despite being constitutionally barred from being the president, she had earlier made it clear she will function "above" the president. Incumbent leader Thein Sein's five-year term ends on 30 March. Following the complex voting system, the new president is likely to emerge in the middle of March. Htin Kyaw currently runs the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation — a charity named after Suu Kyi's mother. She founded the organisation to take care of people in the country's poorest areas. "It's a historic moment for our country. I can't find words to describe how I feel now. I am excited. We can see our future very clearly now but our excitement shouldn't blind us," said Kyaw Min, an NLD lawmaker in the lower house. Myanmar, formerly Burma, has been under military rule for six decades and the latest election in November 2015 was billed as the first free and fair democratic process in a quarter of a century.343 Industries is promising that Halo 5: Guardians’ multiplayer mode will not feel like a Call of Duty game. Halo 5 Guardian’s executive producer, Josh Holmes, was recently interviewed by Official Xbox magazine. He promises that the the game will not feel like a Call of Duty game. This is despite players from the beta claiming it to feel like a Call of Duty game. Holmes said: “The main difference between Halo and Call of Duty is that in Halo, when you are hit, you have a chance to turn around and fight. We want to give players the best ability to control an area, and this does not mean giving them more points of entry than they could reasonably control.” Halo 5: Guardians does feel a lot different than the previous games in the series. 343 Industries added a ton of new Spartan Abilities plus a sprint feature that every player can do. It’s a departure from the slower pace that the older games had. It wasn’t too long ago that it was mentioned the full version Halo 5: Guardians will feel slightly different from the beta. 343 Industries might be altering the control scheme slightly and changing the number of times you can use some abilities and more.Under the Radar Blog Archives Select Date… January, 2019 December, 2018 November, 2018 October, 2018 September, 2018 August, 2018 July, 2018 June, 2018 May, 2018 April, 2018 March, 2018 February, 2018 Some emails between Chelsea Clinton and her mother, Hillary Clinton, have already emerged. Citizens United sues for Chelsea Clinton emails The conservative group Citizens United filed a lawsuit Thursday demanding access to emails Chelsea Clinton exchanged with five top aides to her mother, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, while she served as secretary of state. The Freedom of Information Act suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, also seeks emails in State Department files from three other key figures in the Clinton orbit: Clinton Foundation foreign policy chief Amitabh Desai, longtime aide to President Bill Clinton Justin Cooper, and the manager of the Clintons' Chappaqua, New York, home, Oscar Flores. Citizens United President David Bossie said in an interview that the group wants Chelsea Clinton's emails as part of its investigation into links between the Clinton Foundation and activities of the State Department during Hillary Clinton's tenure as secretary. "The real interesting person here is, of course, Chelsea Clinton, who is the lead person. … We saw that pop up on the grid in all email we received over the past year," Bossie said, referring to other FOIA requests and suits brought by his group. "We want to see much more about what Chelsea Clinton was up to because she now has put herself out here on the campaign trail, along with Bill Clinton, as a lead surrogate." The new suit could reignite a debate about how much scrutiny Chelsea Clinton should be exposed to by the media and her mother's political opponents. During her father's presidency, Chelsea was a teenager and was rarely reported on by the mainstream media. Similar low-profile treatment of her continued through her mother's first presidential bid in 2007 and 2008, although the first daughter was by that time in her late 20s. Now, she's a 35-year-old mother of one as her mother mounts a second bid for the Democratic presidential nomination and the White House. Asked whether Chelsea Clinton should be off-limits in the current political debate, Bossie said emphatically: "Absolutely not." Chelsea "is somebody who has been a player, a senior adviser to her mother. … She is an officer, somebody with fiduciary responsibility at the Clinton Family Foundation." A spokesman for Hillary Clinton's presidential bid had no immediate comment on the suit. Some emails between Chelsea and her mother have already emerged during the release of tens of thousands of messages Hillary Clinton kept on a private server as secretary. One exchange featured prominently at a House hearing in October where Hillary Clinton testified about the lead-up and response to the deadly attacks on U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya. In those messages, Clinton told her daughter (who used the pseudonym "Diane Reynolds" when emailing State) that the attacks were carried out by "an Al Queda-like [sic] group." Committee Republicans said that statement was at odds with what Clinton and other administration officials were saying publicly at the time, namely that the assault was the product of spontaneous anger and protest over an anti-Muslim video posted on YouTube. At the hearing, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) did not refer to Chelsea Clinton by name, instead simply calling her a "family member." Bossie said his group is seeking the records for use in a documentary about Clinton that is a sequel to the group's 2008 film, "Hillary: The Movie." The organization's efforts to air that film on TV or cable in advance of Democratic presidential primaries that year led to the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling overturning a longtime ban on corporations and unions making so-called independent expenditures in federal political campaigns. The new lawsuit seeks emails that Chelsea Clinton, Desai, Cooper and Flores traded with Hillary Clinton's chief of staff Cheryl Mills, deputy chief of staff Huma Abedin, Director of Policy Planning Jake Sullivan, Special Representative for Global Partnerships Kris Balderston and Michael Fuchs, who served at the time on State's policy planning staff and is now a deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. A federal judge has already ordered the processing of all the emails Abedin handed over to the State Department from a private account last year. Those are due for monthly release beginning by March and concluding by April 2017. However, it's possible that a judge could order requests for a subset of those records to be fulfilled before the process of releasing the larger trove is complete. UPDATE (Thursday, 2:20 P.M.): This post has been updated to clarify Fuchs' positions at State.This week, listening to the Guardian science podcast, I had a treat. Caspar Melville, editor of New Humanist magazine, leader of something called the Rationalist Association, had been to see two films at the Cambridge film festival. One was a dreary creationist movie that famously misrepresented the biologists interviewed for it. This was obvious bad science, he explained. But the other was different: House of Numbers, a new film about Aids, really had something in it. I have now seen this film. It presents itself as a naive journey by one young film-maker to discover the science behind HIV. In reality, it's a dreary and pernicious piece of Aids denialist propaganda. All the usual ideas are there. It's antiretroviral drugs themselves that are the cause of symptoms called Aids. Or it's poverty. Or it's drug use. HIV doesn't cause Aids. Diagnostic tools don't work, Aids is simply a spurious basket diagnosis invented to sell antiretroviral medication for a wide range of unrelated problems – and the drugs don't work either. It would take two months of columns to address all the bogus claims of this film, and that blizzard, perhaps, is the point of making it, with all the classic rhetorical devices that have been honed by Aids denialists and creationists over decades. It engages, for example, in repeated overstatement of marginal internal disagreements about the details of HIV research, to the extent that 18 doctors and scientists interviewed for the film have issued a statement saying that the director was "deceptive" in his interactions with them, that it perpetuates pseudoscience and myths, and that they were selectively quoted to make it seem as if they are in disagreement and disarray, when in fact they agree on all the important facts. At one point there is an extended sequence explaining that you can't take a picture of the HIV virus: or maybe you can, but if you can, different scientists disagree on how, and whether their method is best. This is an infantile world view where stuff only exists when you can easily take a photograph of it, and where the internet, compound interest and magnetism don't exist either. There is a memorable skit on diagnostic tests, where the film-maker manages to find one woman working in a marquee in a shopping centre in Africa giving HIV tests, who accidentally misinforms him about why she is asking for information on his health risk behaviours. In the film, this becomes a dramatic expose: the HIV diagnosis is a tautology, they suggest, a basket diagnosis for sick people of any kind who engage in risk behaviours, the blood test is unreliable, a piece of theatre, and the diagnosis is only made because the tester has asked if you are gay or inject drugs. But people working on the frontline of HIV testing are often told to ask about risk behaviours during a test, because testing is also a great opportunity for education about prevention. Furthermore, as an interesting statistical aside, knowledge about your pre-test likelihood of having a condition also helps the tester to correctly interpret any diagnostic test. In any case, HIV tests are so reliable that in 2007 an HIV-negative woman won $2.5m in damages after she was treated for Aids without a proper diagnosis, because there was no excuse for the mistake that her doctor made. But am I protesting too much? As you read these words, is doubt creeping in? So tests aren't so good? So there is controversy? It's all so complicated. So many details. Maybe there's no smoke without fire. And so, maybe, I should ignore this film: but it's so profoundly misleading that you can't stop yourself. There is an interview with Christine Maggiore, who talks about her difficult decision to go against medical advice by declining to take Aids medication, and how much better she felt as a result. What the film doesn't tell you, as you shout at the screen, is that Christine Maggiore's daughter Eliza Jane died of Aids and PCP pneumonia three years ago, at the age of three, and, as I reported nine months ago, Christine Maggiore herself died two days after Christmas 2008 of pneumonia, aged 52 (the film finally acknowledges her death in the last 2 seconds of the film, at the end of the lengthy credits, in small letters). We see Neville Hodgkinson, the Sunday Times health correspondent who drove their denialist reporting in the 1990s. There is Peter Duesberg, who you will remember from a recent column, when academic publishers Elsevier forcibly withdrew an article by him in one of their journals. I could go on. Do you give idiots a wider audience when you respond to them? Are they marginal and irrelevant? I'd like to believe that they are. But the duping of Caspar Melville (who has since recanted from his uncritical response to the film, albeit only on his blog), and the attention-seeking smugness of Cambridge film festival in putting on such a moronic film, both suggest otherwise. I will never know the right way to deal with any of these people, and I will always welcome advice.What are the channels used to capture user feedback? For user feedback post-revenue, B2B can seem very straightforward because customers will clearly communicate what they need. Everyone who interacts with those customers is a channel of feedback to the product, especially Sales and Customer Success. Of course, good Product Managers know that you shouldn’t just build what customers request — you need to understand their problems, their pain points, and work with them to find a great solution. A key channel of feedback is coming from the sales team, which your potential and existing customers are directly giving them. Remember you don’t want to be reactive to what the customer is asking for. There is a term “sales-driven,” which your company should avoid. Enterprise companies have a bad habit of eventually letting that happen and can lose track of the long-term vision for short-term revenue. You also need other data points besides customer feedback, such as market research, competitive analysis, and encouraging a culture of creativity. How did you structure feedback from the sales team? The Sales team consolidated their requests, showed patterns in customer requests and helped us understand what people seemed to want. We were lucky to have a team that coordinated and communicated well with Product. They didn’t over-promise features or delivery dates to customers. They also understood that a company shouldn’t be 100% sales-driven, and considered long-term positioning along with near-term revenue opportunities. They knew at times that even if a great deal came along, if the demands were too one-off or not a fit with our business model, it was OK to move on. One of the most important pieces to Box’s growth strategy was the establishment of a Sales Engineering team, who could help interface between product and sales. Among the many responsibilities of Sales Engineers is is talking to customers, getting feedback and then identifying patterns and trends to surface to the product managers. Good Sales Engineers know how to identify customer problems and evaluate solutions, just as is needed in Product Managers. In Box’s early days, when there was a Sales team of less than 10, team members could talk to Product Managers and engineers directly. We needed to add structure as the company grew, requiring Sales to talk to Product rather than directly talking to Engineering, so that we could prioritize requirements and reduce distraction during development. Over time, the requests from individual sales members couldn’t keep up with the PM’s job, but Sales Engineering stepped in to help organize and prioritize the needs of Box’s customers. I commonly see companies interested in having a feature request form, so that anyone in the company can easily submit ideas to the Product team. While seemingly a good idea, in practice, I haven’t seen it used. People need to interact with co-workers more directly, so the process of sharing and listening to problems and ideas can’t be supplemented well with a form. How did you set guidelines for sales people on how to handle product requests from customers? We made some ground rules regarding this which were very important for the success of the company and product. These are issues that can cause friction between Sales and Product, as Sales aggressively pursues revenue, while Product is making sure the company is well positioned for the long-term. At Box, we were lucky to have a great Sales team and leadership that supported these principles. Two of the rules we had were: Don’t over promise — Don’t tell the customer that you can build anything to get the deal closed. Know what we have, know what we don’t have. Don’t immediately say no — On the other hand, when a customer is asking for a feature we aren’t yet ready to provide something we don’t have, the answer isn’t necessarily “no.” Rather, it was more common to say “let me get back to you on that,” check with the Product team, and see what we can do near-term and down-the road. In Box we had utilized the platform as a flexible solution to customers. So when a customer asked for something we haven’t officially built, we could make something work really well through the flexibility of our platform. Sometimes, in a matter of hours or days, we could come back with plans and a working prototype. Then, the customer could build, modify, maintain and update the custom solution with their own engineers.This way, we didn’t have to put all the work on our own engineering team for every customer need. How did you structure feedback from the customer support team? At different companies I’ve seen different responsibilities for the Sales team, Sales Engineering team, Support team, etc, but usually Sales bring knowledge of users who want to use your service, while customer service brings the knowledge of individual users as they work with your service. Experienced customer service reps can organize requests, and identify patterns and trends in customer requests.So I would actively reach out to the team for feedback, and as we got more organized, created a system where customer service could organize feedback and relay trends in customer needs. Product managers should always have access to Zendesk or whichever tool your support team uses so they can send you a ticket to review. How did you structure your communication with other teams? Communication is very important for product managers. How you structure communication depends on the size of the company. Once a company size crosses 20 employees, teams formalize and communication channels between these teams really need to be in place. When we had 1–3 sales engineers we could set up meetings casually. When it became a team we established a consistent meeting time to get their feedback and to evaluate the latest questions that were coming in from customers to discuss possible solutions. We would block 1–2 hours for that meeting. It’s very common for product managers to give out a vibe that they are not listening to people, often unknowingly and unintentionally. Invest as necessary to absolutely make sure this doesn’t happen. I’ve
/2017/05/06/penn-state-frat-hazing-death-fsc-orig-vstop.cnn”] Eight members of a Penn State fraternity were charged Friday with involuntary manslaughter in the death of a student after a night of heavy drinking, the local district attorney’s office said. Timothy J. Piazza, 19, of Lebanon, New Jersey, died February 4, two days after he was injured while pledging the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. The cause of death was traumatic brain injury that resulted from several falls, including a fall down a set of basement stairs, according to a 65-page statement issued by Centre County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller after a county grand jury investigation. A forensic pathologist calculated Piazza had a blood alcohol content between.26 and.36 percent at one point during the night — an amount that would render him “stuporous” and be “life-threatening,” the statement said. The fraternity, the grand jury said, “cultivated such a permissive atmosphere regarding excessive alcohol consumption that Timothy Piazza’s death was not simply an unfortunate accident, but was the direct result of encouraged reckless conduct that demonstrated a reckless disregard for human life, or a reckless indifference to the possible consequences of such conduct.” Penn State President Eric Barron called the series of events that led to the death “sickening and difficult to understand.” A night of heavy drinking Piazza and other pledges showed up at the frat house on “bid acceptance night,” when they were formally invited to join the fraternity, Miller’s statement said. They then ran “the gauntlet,” which a pledge described as going from station to station and drinking alcohol at different stops. “The purpose of the gauntlet is to get the pledges drunk in a very short amount of time,” the statement said. The night of February 2, the pledges consumed four to five drinks of wine, beer or liquor in a two-minute period, the statement said, quoting a police officer who questioned pledges. Security camera video in the frat house helped prosecutors describe what happened to Piazza. “He was injured and injuries were visible on his stomach. There were people that viewed injuries to his head. They let him lie on a couch. They hovered over him for a number of hours. And as the night progressed it appeared from video we have from the whole incident that his injuries worsened,” the district attorney said in a news conference. “Throughout the night, Timothy got up and fell more times. In the morning … this young man fell again down those stairs and he laid at the bottom of those stairs for a number of hours. And when they brought him up this last time, he was in dire … need of help.” The fraternity brothers appeared to be frightened and some searched on Google about what to do for a head injury. “They literally delayed getting him help. And when they finally did call for help they did not tell anyone that he had fallen,” Miller said. “When he arrived at the hospital it was too late.” Afterward, frat members tried to cover up what happened, authorities said. Pledges were instructed by frat leadership to clean up the house and get rid of any evidence of alcohol, the prosecutor’s statement said. Frat members communicated through the “GroupMe” application and discussed deleting online conversations before they talked to authorities. Online searches on one frat member’s phone included “hazing deaths,” “how many drinks are in a 1.75 liter bottle” and “how to calculate BAC, blood alcohol content,” the report said. Multiple charges The eight charged with involuntary manslaughter were among 18 fraternity members who were charged in connection with the case. Hundreds of charges were lodged, the largest number of counts against a fraternity in recent history. The fraternity president, Brendan Young, was one of the eight charged with involuntary manslaughter. All 18 are charged with a range of counts including hazing, reckless endangerment, tampering with evidence, and alcohol-related offenses. Young discussed what might happen in a GroupMe conversation with another frat member, the report said. “They could get us for giving him alcohol that contributed to his death,” he wrote. “Also the guys taking care of him didn’t call an ambulance right away, so they could get in trouble for negligence. I just don’t know what I’m liable for as president.” The fraternity organization was charged with involuntary manslaughter. Beta Theta Pi also was charged with 50 counts of hazing, 48 counts of providing alcohol to minor and 48 other alcohol-related counts. $1,179 in liquor Beta Theta Pi presented itself to the public as a “dry house,” the university president noted. The fraternity pledge manual said no alcohol could be consumed at the frat house, especially by pledges or minors, and that hazing was prohibited, according to the grand jury report. Drinking by pledges could result in expulsion from the frat, the pledge manual said. But one frat member told the grand jury that a slush fund was created to purchase alcohol, with members kicking in $250 so they could drink alcohol at fraternity social events. A police detective said he collected $1,179 in receipts for alcohol purchased by one frat brother in the eight days before the February 2 initiation. Included in the purchases were numerous cases of vodka and Natural Light beer, 15 cases of Four Loko malt liquor and multiple boxes of wine. Other fraternity members said they never checked IDs to see if anybody drinking was underage. “Culture of debauchery” A lawyer for the Piazza family, Tom Kline, issued a statement saying Penn State and fraternities have created a “culture of permissiveness.” Kline also referred to Jerry Sandusky, a former Penn State assistant football coach convicted of sexually abusing young boys over a period of at least 15 years. “As in the Sandusky matter, it is a national moment for every university to take stock of what’s going on in this culture of debauchery that occurs in the fraternities in American universities,” he said. The grand jury report also criticized the entire Penn State Greek community as a whole, saying it “nurtured an environment so permissive of excessive drinking and hazing that it emboldened its members to repeatedly act with reckless disregard to human life.” The Penn State Interfraternity Council issued a statement saying its “thoughts continue to lie with the Piazza family as the justice process moves forward.” It stressed the importance of leading change that would “prevent a senseless tragedy like this” again. Jud Horras, president and CEO of the North-American Interfraternity Conference, has been critical of Penn State’s leadership on this issue, and says the university has not taken the critical steps needed to solve this problem. Horras said he is meeting with the Penn State president next month. “We have known about concerns and challenges there (at Penn State) for quite some time. They’ve had alcohol concerns, hazing concerns, drug abuse. There have been a lot of concerns at Penn State,” he said. Beta Theta Pi International Fraternity described the “nature of those charges” as “incredibly disheartening as the organization and its membership continue to grieve Tim’s passing and the pain experienced by his family.” Penn State permanently banned the fraternity from operating a chapter on campus.Venezuela needs Japan's investment; Japan needs Venezuela's resources Japan and Venezuela have agreed to jointly pursue several oil and gas projects. The agreements were reached during the visit to Tokyo of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. They include plans to explore for new oil sources in Venezuela's Orinoco belt, develop a new natural gas field and fund the upgrading of refineries. Venezuela has some of the world's largest oil and gas reserves but the oil price drop has hit financing. Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso and Mr Chavez agreed to set up a working team to explore the possibility of the development of oil at Venezuela's Orinoco oil belt and liquefied natural gas, as well as funding for the operations, Japanese foreign ministry officials said. Energy allies The two countries aim to become "energy allies", with Venezuela hoping to eventually supply Japan with one million barrels of oil per day, Mr Chavez was quoted as saying by Venezuela's state-run Bolivarian News Agency, or ABN. The president said Japanese companies could also be involved in railway projects, housing and highway construction in Venezuela. State-affiliate Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, Inpex Corporation and Mitsubishi Corporation will pursue a joint feasibility study with Venezuela on the Orinoco oil belt in the next two years, Venezuela's Energy Secretary Rafael Ramirez said at a signing ceremony in Tokyo. Venezuela also agreed with four Japanese trading houses - Mitsubishi, Itochu, Mitsui & Co and Marubeni - to begin participating in the development of a gas field for liquefied natural gas, said Mr Ramirez, who is also the head of the state oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela SA. If realised, it could allow much of the LNG to be brought over to Japan beyond 2013, he said. Separately, Venezuela signed a memorandum of understanding with Japan Bank of International Cooperation, Mitsubishi and Itochu for loans totalling $1.5bn (£1bn) to finance the upgrade of two refineries. This follows a credit line of $3.5bn opened in 2007. The two nations have enjoyed diplomatic relations for 70 years. Mr Chavez last visited Japan in 1999, the year he took office. He and Mr Aso were reported to have discussed baseball before getting down to business. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable versionBY: Follow @HashtagGriswold The Washington Post‘s one-year retrospective of the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting omitted any mention of shooter Omar Mateen's motives and ideology. "I pledge allegiance to [Islamic State leader] Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi may God protect him, on behalf of the Islamic State," Mateen said in a 911 call referring to his assault that left 49 people dead. Mateen also left a Facebook post pledging his allegiance to ISIS. Despite the Post‘s piece clocking in at over a thousand words, the words "terrorism," "terror," "ISIS," "Islam," "Muslim," and "al-Baghdadi" never appeared once. The sole reference to "Islamic State" occurs in a photo caption, and never in the body of the piece. Mateen's motives are never given, and he is described simply as a "madman with a gun." In contrast, the New York Times‘ anniversary piece notes that "Omar Mateen, motivated by the Islamic State, randomly riddled clubgoers with bullets from an assault rifle and a pistol." Although the Post piece ignored the terrorism angle entirely, it did manage to tie the attack to another contentious political issue: guns. "By the end of the night, more than 1,000 people had gathered to remember what happened last June, when Orlando became the first U.S. city of the summer—before Falcon Heights, Minn., and Baton Rouge and Dallas—to be upended by gun violence," the Post reported.Roxon's anger over Winfield's kangaroo logo Updated Attorney-General Nicola Roxon has hit out at British American Tobacco (BAT) for using iconic Australian images to promote cigarettes in Europe. The Winfield cigarette packets on sale in France have a picture of a kangaroo on the front, with a map of Australia on the back, along with the words "An Australian Favourite". Ms Roxon says it is shameful behaviour. "I think many Australians are going to be outraged that a big tobacco company all the way round the world is using Australia's healthy lifestyle to market their deadly products," she said. "What I think it's really showing is the sneaky levels that tobacco companies will go to to encourage people to buy their products." In December last year BAT launched a constitutional challenge in the High Court against the Federal Government's plain packaging laws for cigarettes. BAT is arguing the legislation is unconstitutional and invalid because the Government is attempting to acquire valuable intellectual property used to identify tobacco brands without compensation. The month before, Philip Morris also flagged it would take legal action, saying it would seek a suspension on the plain packaging laws as well as compensation for the loss of trademarks. Federal Parliament passed the legislation on November 21. The laws are due to come into effect in December this year. They ban the use of company logos and require all cigarette packets to be a dark green colour. Pictures of diseased body parts, sickly babies and dying people will cover 75 per cent of each packet, and tobacco industry logos, brand imagery, colours and promotional text will be banned. This morning a British American Tobacco Australia (BATA) spokesman dismissed Ms Roxon's attack. "British American Tobacco Australia does not market or manufacture Winfield in France. Another company within the BAT group does," he said. "We understand that the Attorney-General has made comments in relation to the Winfield brand. Winfield tobacco branding is the subject of High Court proceedings which will take place in April involving BATA and three other international tobacco companies. "Unfortunately BATA cannot discuss matters that are currently before the High Court and we are concerned the Attorney-General has not respected the same High Court protocol by commenting in the manner she has." Topics: smoking, federal-government, australia, united-states, european-union First postedThe Draper point is the approximate temperature above which almost all solid materials visibly glow as a result of blackbody radiation. It was established at 977 °F (525 °C, 798 K) by John William Draper in 1847.[1][2][3] Bodies at temperatures just below the Draper point radiate primarily in the infrared range and emit negligible visible light. The value of the Draper point can be calculated using Wien's displacement law: the peak frequency ν peak {\displaystyle u _{\text{peak}}} (in hertz) emitted by a blackbody relates to temperature as follows:[4] ν peak = 2.821 k T h, {\displaystyle u _{\text{peak}}=2.821{\frac {kT}{h}},} where k is Boltzmann's constant, h is Planck's constant, T is temperature (in kelvins). Substituting the Draper point into this equation produces a frequency of 83 THz, or a wavelength of 3.6 µm, which is well into the infrared and completely invisible to the human eye. However, the leading edge of the blackbody radiation curve extends, at a small fraction of peak intensity, to the near-infrared and far-red (approximately the range 0.7–1 µm), which are weakly visible as a dull red.[5] According to the Stefan–Boltzmann law, a black body at the Draper point emits 23 kilowatts of radiation per square metre, almost exclusively infrared. See also [ edit ]Mirroring the style of the bestselling The Art of How to Train Your Dragon, this outstanding insider’s guide introduces fans to the creative process behind the film, from the story and the characters to the visual development art and animation, to the rigging, surfacing, and lighting. The Art of How to Train Your Dragon 2 includes more than 300 concept sketches, preliminary drawings, architectural plans, and digital artwork that reveal how teams of artists bring the Dragon and Viking worlds to life with modern cinematic energy. Starring the voice talent of the original cast—Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrara, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T. J. Miller, Kristin Wiig—along with Cate Blanchett, Kit Harington, and Djimon Hounsou, this action packed comedy adventure continues the story of Hiccup and Toothless five years after they have successfully united dragons and Vikings on the Island of Berk. While Astrid, Snoutlout and the rest of the gang are challenging each other to dragon races (the island’s new favorite contact sport), the now inseparable pair journey through the skies, charting unmapped territories and exploring new worlds. When one of their adventures leads to the discovery of a secret ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the peace. Now, Hiccup and Toothless must unite to stand up for what they believe while recognizing that only together do they have the power to change the future of both men and dragons. The Art of How to Train Your Dragon 2 on Amazon. The book's scheduled for 6 May 2014 while the movie release date is 13 June 2014. Filled with more than 300 images, the official illustrated tie-in to the second chapter of the DreamWorks Animation critically acclaimed Academy Award® nominated How to Train Your Dragon trilogy is based on the characters in Cressida Cowell’s bestselling series and features an introduction by the voice of Stoick the Vast, Gerard Butler.One of Android’s best features is the ability to fully customize almost every aspect of your phone or tablet. The best place to see this customization in action is the home screen. Users have a plethora of icon packs, launchers, widgets, and wallpapers to choose from. All of these choices can lead to some amazingly beautiful (and amazingly awful) set-ups. With all of these options you’d think home screens would be a giant mess of random configurations. That’s only partially true. We went through several “Share your home screen!” threads on Android Forums and found that most people set up their home screen in one of five ways. Even you, the person reading this right now. Don’t believe us? These are the five types of Android users and how they set up their home screen. The Stock Jock Who: The Stock Jock is someone who doesn’t do much to personalize their home screen. They could be new to Android and not know how to change things up, or maybe they just really like the way Samsung or Google do things. Whatever the reason may be, they are still rocking the original configuration and doing just fine. You can accomplish so much more when you aren’t changing your launcher every other day. Wait, what’s a launcher? Item they order at McDonald’s: Happy Meal Favorite beverage: Orange Hi-C The Themer Who: The Themer is someone who likes to get their hands dirty and make sure their phone looks like their phone. Maybe they stumbled upon Android Forums one day and discovered the world of Android modding. It starts with a simple icon pack. Harmless, right? Next thing you know they’re elbow deep in code trying to extract that perfect launcher. But now the wallpaper isn’t right! I’m so close to the perfect set-up! Item they order at McDonald’s: Premium Crispy Chicken Ranch BLT Sandwich Favorite beverage: Mountain Dew Code Red The Minimalist Who: The Minimalist has been through the Themer phase. They’ve seen it all, and now it’s time to take things slow. Keep it simple. They have a keen eye for design, or at least that’s what they will tell you. The Minimalist is also a tad OCD about how things are set up. Every app and widget is meticulously themed and organized. Man, I would love to download this new app, but I just can’t make that icon work. Item they order at McDonald’s: Hamburger Favorite beverage: Water The Hot Chick Who: The Hot Chick is the dude (or bro) that always has some random chick plastered on his home screen. This guy loves looking at beautiful women. He loves it so much that he decided he needed to see one every time he turns on his phone. Most people would feel too creepy or shy about putting scantily clad women on their home screen, but not The Hot Chick. Hey, have you seen that new pic of Emma Watson? It’s pretty great. Item they order at McDonald’s: Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese Favorite beverage: Surge The Ugly Duckling Who: The power of Android customization can sometimes fall in the wrong hands. Occasionally you will glance over at someone’s phone and see a glorious disaster of a home screen. The Ugly Duckling tried really hard to get the home screen looking just the way they want. Like the story of the ugly duckling, there is beauty in even the ugly things in life. You just have to wait long enough to see it. In the case of these home screens you only have to wait for the screen to turn off. Item they order at McDonald’s: McRib Favorite beverage: Crystal Pepsi — The great thing about Android is that all of these people can exist on the same OS. Which one of these people are you? How do you like to set-up your home screen? Have you ever come across The Ugly Duckling? Let us know below!I know a lot of you are always on the go and a question I get asked the most is how to look chic on the go. This can vary on so many levels depending on your personal style and lifestyle. I’m listing below some general tips for how to create a stylish outfit in 10 minutes so you can look put together even when short on time. Leave me a comment if you’d like me to do more of these or have your own style question you’d like answered. Outfit Details Sweater by Asos \| Jeans by H&M\| Heels by Jessica Simpson\| Bag by Gucci How to create a stylish outfit in 10 minutes 1. Identify your foundation items The key to anything in life is a good foundation. The same holds true for your closet. If you’re typically short on time, you need pieces that can be versatile and give your outfits structure. These are going to be pieces like deep washed denim, a structured blazer or a white v neck shirt that you are able to build an outfit around. Foundation item: my H&M denim 2. Choose a subtle statement piece These are the items that are going to add some depth and interest. These are also the pieces that will let your personal style show through. A subtle statement piece is my Asos sweater because it has these really gorgeous bell shaped sleeves in a beautiful rustic red. It grabs your attention without being overpowering which is perfect for an everyday look. Subtle Statement Piece: Asos Sweater 3. Frame your face This is probably my favorite tip because it’s a small tweak that can make such a huge difference. When short on time I suggest throwing on earrings. It’s an easy way to accessorize and helps to frame your face. Framing your face with earrings or a hairstyle immediately makes you look more put together and stylish. I went for a simple pair of gold hoop earrings that really complement my hair and skin tone. Framing Face Item: Gold Hoop Earrings I hope you all found this helpful! I guarantee if you practice you’ll be able to be stylish in your sleep or at least 10 minutes. XoxoTelevision \| Subscribe Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 14, 2008 in Cinema It’s 007 season again and countless fanboy hours will be wasted debating the merits of who was the best James Bond of all time — a sad process of sorting out the pecking order of a sad line up that started with Sean Connery and ends with Daniel Craig. And while I have my favorites in the role, the best James Bond of all time for my money is Patrick McGoohan. In 1962 the first of the Bond films hit the screen with Sean Connery in the leading role as 007, and I have to admit (in terms of film history as we know it) Connery brought a real sense of magic to the role. However Ian Fleming’s choice for the role was David Niven who was much more high brow than Connery. In 1967 Niven did get his chance to play Bond in Casino Royale, but being a comedy it would be unfair to judge him on the role. But the key thing here is that Connery shouldn’t be thought of as the primordial secret agent by any means. Which brings us back to Patrick McGoohan: He was not only offered the role of 007 (which he turned down) but he was also offered the role of The Saint (which he also turned down). However in spite of never being 007 it can be said that McGoohan’s work on Danger Man and later The Prisoner put him in a class above anyone who has played a secret agent on the small or large screen for all time. The first thing that puts McGoohan a cut above the rest is that he started his career as a stage actor — so he’s able to bring a bit more dimension and ambiguity to playing a secret agent. When you’re watching McGoohan on the screen he’s never a flat cartoon character but instead a complex character with a past. Connery has the sex appeal and brute strength, but McGoohan is more than a pretty boy or a jock — you get the feeling that the wheels are turning upstairs and that he’s seen a bit of the world. Another thing that places McGoohan above the rest was his insistence to reinvent the cliches of the secret agent. Upon returning to his role in Danger Man he insisted that the character always use his brains before using a gun and that there be no kissing. Can you imagine the likes of anyone who has ever played James Bond being able to pull off a secret agent role with those limitations? Not only that but with those limitations McGoohan makes his role even more believable. And then of course there’s The Prisoner itself: The concept wasn’t his, but not only did he star in the show but he produced and wrote for it. The show itself might not only represent the best of the spy genre, but may be one of the best television series of all time (and at the very least would belong in anyone’s top ten list). While you can say that Ian Fleming put secret agents on the silver screen, with his creative input Patrick McGoohan made it into an art form that has yet to be topped.On a road trip across Germany earlier this year, my wife and I made a four-hour detour to visit Miniatur Wunderland. It's Hamburg's most popular tourist attraction and it was, without question, worth the trip. Miniatur Wunderland is the Guinness Book of World Records-certified largest model railroad in the world, with more than 150 staff. Its 9.5 miles of track covers 14,000 square feet of layout. But it's not the trains that really take your breath away — it's all the scenery. Individual sections covering Germany, Austria, America, Scandinavia, Switzerland, the fictional German city of Knuffigen, as well as Wunderland's home city of Hamburg are spread across several floors. Work on an Italian section has been underway for three years. The airport was a multi-million dollar project that could be a museum. When you're actually there, the backdrop and all the people fade away and you're sucked into the world that they've created. The level of detail is so astonishing that it would take several days to really see everything — and even then, you'd miss some little details. Wunderland's promotional video is worth a watch, too. Miniatur Wunderland is open daily, though hours can vary depending on the season. Admission is 13 euro for adults and 6.50 euro for children.New Delhi: Every unsolicited commercial call by a telemarketer may invite a penalty of Rs 20,000 as DoT in its comments on proposed Right to Privacy Bill is likely to suggest such a steep fine. The Department of Personnel and Training has sought comments on the Right to Privacy bill from DoT which feels in case of unsolicited commercial communication through telephone calls, the caller shall be punished with a penalty of Rs 20,000 in each case, sources said. In its recommendations on the proposed bill, DoT may also suggest that interception of phone calls be allowed as without interception it cannot be established whether a call made to phone subscriber was unsolicited or not. DoT also feels that that government should increase penalty for unauthorised or illegal phone interception to Rs 2 crore from Rs 1 core charged at present. Under Trai regulation on pesky calls and SMSes, a penalty of Rs 25,000 has to be deducted from deposit of registered telemarketers on first violation. The penalty increases step by step and goes up to Rs 2.5 lakh at sixth violation. However, the menace of pesky calls and SMSes has been more from unregistered telemarketers. According to a new clause of Trai regulation, both registered and unregistered telemarketers would be blacklisted for making unsolicited calls and SMSes. The blacklisted ones will lose telecom connection and will not get new number for two years. PTI Firstpost is now on WhatsApp. For the latest analysis, commentary and news updates, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Firstpost.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button.For the past year, SpaceX has been trying to gently land its Falcon 9 rocket after launching it into space. The goal is for a large portion of the Falcon 9 to touchdown on a floating barge at sea post-launch, but the two times SpaceX has tried it after a return from space, the rocket was unable to stick the landing. A recovery of the rocket would be a major step toward making a fully reusable rocket — something that’s never been done before. Then this morning, Jeff Bezos-backed spaceflight company Blue Origin blindsided everyone. The company revealed it had accomplished a rocket landing of its own. After launching the New Shepard rocket to the edge of space, the vehicle gently touched down on the ground at Blue Origin’s test facility. Is it fair to compare the two companies? Not exactly The feat was immediately compared to what SpaceX has been trying to do all year. It seemed that Bezos had beaten Musk in the race to reusability. SpaceX has had successful tests of its rocket’s landing capabilities, although those test flights didn’t go into space first. Still, the comparison struck a nerve with Musk, who issued a few tweets downplaying the historicalness of the event. @JeffBezos Not quite "rarest". SpaceX Grasshopper rocket did 6 suborbital flights 3 years ago & is still around. pic.twitter.com/6j9ERKCNZl — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 24, 2015 Musk has a point, though. Is it fair to compare the two companies and the types of landings they're trying to achieve for their vehicles? Not exactly. SpaceX versus Blue Origin The New Shepard and the Falcon 9 have very different designs, which stem from their very different mission goals. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is meant to launch payloads — such as satellites and cargo — into orbit around Earth and beyond. It's why the rocket's shape is so thin and tall; it creates less drag on the vehicle, allowing it to break free from the atmosphere more easily and go deeper into space. But such a shape also makes it much harder for the rocket to land upright back on Earth. The engines on the bottom of the rocket help to orient it vertically during descent, but it's almost like dropping a lead pipe from the roof and having it land on its end. The rocket is prone to tilt and fall over. The New Shepard and the Falcon 9 have very different designs The New Shepard isn't meant to go as far up as the Falcon 9, however, which is echoed in the rocket's shape. The vehicle is only designed to take people to sub-orbital space for about four minutes. An object at this height isn't going fast enough to make a full rotation around Earth, so it hasn't quite broken free of the bonds of the planet's gravity and will eventually be pulled back down to the surface. Because New Shepard doesn't need go to the same heights as the Falcon 9, its shape doesn't need to be as tall and thin. Blue Origin's rocket sports a thicker and shorter structure, making it a tad easier to land vertically — albeit a still challenging task. To be fair, the part of the Falcon 9 that SpaceX is trying to recover doesn't actually reach orbit, either. The company is only looking to land the first stage of the vehicle — the long rocket body that houses the main engines and most of the fuel. This section breaks apart from the rest of the rocket in sub-orbital space before falling back to Earth. Yet it reaches an ultimate height of 124 miles, twice the height of the 62-mile height at which New Shepard starts falling. And since the Falcon 9's ultimate goal is to achieve orbit, the first stage is traveling at a much greater speed than New Shepard when it begins its descent to the ground. New Shepard reaches a maximum velocity of Mach 3 during its trip, whereas the Falcon 9's first stage reaches between Mach 5.5 and Mach 7.5 before falling. The Falcon 9 also has a lot more thrust and energy behind it when it's going into space, too. A whopping 1.5 million pounds of thrust lift the vehicle off the ground, compared to the maximum thrust of 100,000 pounds that New Shepard achieves. That means the Falcon 9 has a lot more force behind it as it starts its final descent. If these differences weren't enough, the Falcon 9 is also oriented completely different at the time of descent. It's at a horizontal configuration compared to Earth, meaning the company must do a complicated flip maneuver to get the Falcon 9 in position for landing. The New Shepard remains mostly vertical for the entirety of its flight. Overall, comparing sub-orbital spaceflight to orbital spaceflight is pretty controversial. It's almost like comparing mountain climbing at the gym with climbing Mount Denali. The types of landing techniques involved can hardly be viewed on the same playing field, since New Shepard and Falcon 9 are drastically different vehicles. Comparing sub-orbital spaceflight to orbital spaceflight is pretty controversial "Blue Origin has designed their rocket to be reusable from day one. Elon is trying to take the first stage of his rocket, which was expendable, make some tweaks to it, and then make it reusable," said Charles Miller, president of NexGen Space LLC. "These are very interesting differences between how Musk and Bezos are approaching their rockets." A first? Depends on your definition Blue Origin's achievement has been lauded as the first landing of a commercial sub-orbital rocket, but it's only a "first" depending how you actually define the word "rocket." These days, the term is typically used to describe the cylindrical, vertical take-off vehicles that transport objects into space — like the Falcon 9 or the United Launch Alliance's Atlas V. If that's how you use the term rocket, then yes, this is the first time a rocket has reached sub-orbital space and then landed vertically on the ground afterward. It's only a "first" depending how you actually define the word "rocket" However, "rocket" has been used to describe any vehicle with a rocket engine. If that's your definition, then Blue Origin isn't the first commercial company to build and successfully test a reusable sub-orbital rocket. Scaled Composites had them beat on that with its SpaceShipOne spaceplane, which won the Ansari X Prize in 2004. That vehicle didn't launch vertically, though. It was transported to a high altitude by a carrier aircraft, where it then launched into sub-orbital space. Predating them all is the North American X-15, an experimental rocket-powered aircraft used by the US Air Force in the 1960s. Like SpaceShipTwo, the X-15 was also designed to be carried to a predetermined height and then launch into sub-orbital space, which it did twice. Regardless of what the word rocket means to you, Blue Origin's achievement is still impressive. Landing a rocket vertically after it reaches the edges of space is an incredible challenge that no one has quite mastered before. The feat belongs in the record books, though it's unclear the exact record that Blue Origin now holds. Update November 25th 8:40 am: The article was updated to clarify what constitutes sub-orbital spaceflight. Correction: SpaceShipOne is one of the few commercial vehicles to have made the trip to sub-orbital space, not SpaceShipTwo.No chief executives at Fortune 100 companies have donated to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign through August, according to a new report. According to a Wall Street Journal analysis of campaign donations, this is a drastic difference compared to the 2012 election, when the Journal reports that nearly a third of Fortune 100 CEOs supported the then Republican nominee Mitt Romney. What’s more, 19 of the nation’s largest 100 companies gave to the other Republican candidates, including Go. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio, during this year’s primaries. But since Trump became the GOP’s nominee, a whopping 89 out of the 100 top CEOs have not supported either presidential candidate. The remaining 11 have backed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, the Journal reports. Elite Bundlers Raise More Than $113 Million for Hillary Clinton In comparison, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has received twice as many donations from Fortune 100 execs than President Obama did in 2012, according to the Journal. Just last month, Clinton received checks for $2,700 from Apple’s (aapl) Tim Cook, American Airlines’ (aal) Doug Parker, and Nike’s (nke) Mark Parker. Individuals are capped at donating $5,400 to a candidate The Journal reports that the 11 CEOs that back Clinton have donated more than $30,000 to her campaign. The financial loss for Trump’s campaign is modest, but garnering support from top executives is often a goal for candidates, as it gives off the impression to voters that the candidate is competent, especially on economic issues, according to the Journal. But top execs aren’t showing Trump that desired support, and some CEOs like Meg Whitman, CEO of Hewlett Packard, have publicly criticized him. The Journal reports that she called Trump “reckless and uninformed” in a Facebook post last month, and urged for other Republicans to not support him. Whitman reportedly donated $100,000 to a super PAC that was backing Romney in 2012. Susan Wojcicki is one of a Boatload of CEOs Who Just Endorsed Clinton The CEO of General Electric, Jeffrey Immelt, called Trump’s comments about Mexicans and Muslims “unacceptable” in an interview with Vanity Fair last month, the Journal reports. Immelt donated to Sen. Lindsey Graham during the GOP primary. Trump’s controversial campaign is the main reason he has not gained support from top execs. GOP strategists told the Journal that CEOs are likely not supporting his campaign out of “concern for public criticism.” That concern is apparently quite valid as Oculus Rift co-founder Palmer Luckey responds to backlash after donating to the pro-Trump organization Nimble America. “Any contribution would cause pushback from employees and customers. When you contribute, you own that candidate’s positions and persona,” Ed Rogers, a Republican lobbyist and consultant, told the Journal.It was 1514 when the first rumour of a possible annulment in Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Ar
couldn’t be happier for the support she’s received. Speaking with ET at the Critics’ Choice Awards on Sunday, where the 26-year-old Nashville star was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, Panettiere got candid about the outpouring of positive feedback she’s received since entering treatment in October. WATCH: Hayden Panettiere Seeking Treatment for Postpartum Depression “I’ve gotten an incredible amount of support and I was actually really surprised cause I feel like I grew up in this industry that, in my mind, was very judgmental,” explained Panettiere, who welcomed her first child, Kaya Evdokia Klitschko, in December 2014 with husband Wladimir Klitschko. “I didn’t even look at social media,” added Panettiere, who said that she used to feel as if people were “waiting” for her to fail. “Then, when I looked, people were like, ‘Oh my gosh, good for you,’ and I am so proud to be a spokesperson and a woman that people can look to and to know that they’re not alone and they’re not weak if they go and they seek help.” RELATED: Hayden Panettiere Says Motherhood Has Been an ‘Out of Body’ Experience Panettiere, who took a leave of absence from filming Nashville when she sought treatment for depression, also opened up about what it was like making the transition back into active production. “To be honest it was kind of a rocky start for me and especially emotionally,” Panettiere shared. “The first scene that I did the other day when I saw certain people that I haven’t seen in a while and I felt really comfortable – I just lost it and I couldn’t keep it together. So, it held us up for a second but we got it at the end.” WATCH: Hayden Panettiere Looks Radiant in First Appearance Since Entering Treatment for Postpartum Depression For more on Panettiere’s decision to seek help for her postpartum depression, check out the video below. Related ArticlesAs tensions between the US and North Korea continued on Sunday, Donald Trump said the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, was “a pretty smart cookie” for managing to hold on to power after taking over at a young age. Pope urges North Korea-US mediation as Trump hedges on military action Read more “People are saying, ‘Is he sane?’” Trump said, in a wide-ranging interview on CBS’s Face the Nation, held to mark his 100th day in the White House. “I have no idea.” Trump’s remarks echoed those made controversially to Reuters earlier in the week, when he said: “He’s 27 years old, his father dies, took over a regime, so say what you want but that’s not easy, especially at that age.” The president was speaking after Pope Francis made an appeal for third-party moderation to avoid “a widespread war [that] would destroy … a good part of humanity”. Pyongyang is widely thought to be seeking a viable missile delivery system for a nuclear weapon, prompting military and diplomatic pressure from Washington. On Friday night it launched its ninth missile test in 100 days of the Trump administration. Like others, the test failed. “Perhaps they’re just not very good missiles,” Trump said. “But eventually, he’ll have good missiles.” Asked about the chance of a US strike, Trump left the possibility open. “We shouldn’t be announcing all our moves,” he said. “It is a chess game. I just don’t want people to know what my thinking is. So eventually, he will have a better delivery system. And if that happens, we can’t allow it to happen.” The US national security adviser, HR McMaster, told Fox News Sunday that though the missile launches represented a “grave threat” to the US, its Asian allies and China, North Korea’s chief backer, “what we prefer to do is to work with others, China included, to resolve this situation short of military action”. That meant enforcing United Nations sanctions and perhaps “ratcheting up those sanctions even further”, McMaster said. “And it also means being prepared for military operations if necessary.” Trump praised his own diplomatic contact with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, who visited the president’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida this month. “The relationship I have with China,” Trump said, “it’s been already acclaimed as being something very special, something very different than we’ve ever had. But again, you know, we’ll find out whether or not President Xi is able to effect change.” The White House also faced criticism over a related diplomatic effort, a Saturday call between Trump and Rodrigo Duterte, president of the Philippines. Duterte is accused by human rights group of overseeing a brutal anti-drugs campaign in which as many as 7,000 people may have been killed by police and vigilante groups. The White House readout of the “very friendly” call said Trump praised Duterte’s efforts against the drugs trade and invited him to visit the White House. Pressed on Duterte’s human rights record on ABC’s This Week, the White House chief of staff, Reince Priebus, said: “The purpose of this call, is all about North Korea.” He added: “It doesn’t mean that human rights don’t matter, but what it does mean is that the issues facing us developing out of North Korea are so serious that we need cooperation at some level with as many partners in the area as we can get to make sure we have our ducks in a row.” Priebus added that Trump would speak with leaders of Singapore and Thailand on Sunday, prompted by the “potential for nuclear and massive destruction in Asia”. Later, an official speaking on condition of anonymity told Reuters the conversations concerned “ways to maintain diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea”. 'We are a target': South Korean village wakes up on frontline with North Read more Separately, South Korea said McMaster had confirmed the US would not be seeking payment for the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system (Thaad) that is being installed in the south of the country. Trump said last week that he would make South Korea, an ally, pay $1bn. The South Korean defense ministry has said that under an agreement reached during the Obama administration, South Korea offers the land and facilities for Thaad but does not cover the cost of operations. On Sunday, Thaad sites in South Korea saw protests from local residents, concerned North Korea might target such sites if war breaks out. In an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press, Vice-President Mike Pence said Trump would “continue to call on the prosperous nations that the United States provides security and protection for to do more in their own defense”. On CNN’s State of the Union, Senator John McCain was asked about McMaster’s apparent correction of his president on such a sensitive issue. Trump, McCain said, had “surrounded himself with an outstanding national security team”. “I can’t guarantee to world leaders that he will always listen to [that team] but he has so far,” he said, adding: “Sometimes it’s important to watch what the president does rather than what he says.”Will Netflix go completely hog-wild and spend upwards of $20 million per hour of content for an original TV series? CFO David Wells, noting that the internet video subscription now has 104 million customers worldwide, said that the economics of Netflix’s model could support such unheard-of production budgets given its global audience base in perhaps five years from now. “If you have the numbers of people watching it, we certainly can support that level of quality in terms of TV,” said Wells, speaking Tuesday at Goldman Sachs’ Communacopia conference in New York City. He noted the “secular shift to global internet entertainment that is becoming increasingly a foregone conclusion… that’s helping drive the momentum for Netflix.” Wells, it should be pointed out, was speaking entirely hypothetically. But he said as Netflix looks to capture potentially billions of global customers, such sky-high TV productions are in the realm of possibility. “Content is becoming more global,” he said. “People are becoming more connected through these stories that we tell, so we’re going to have more and more content, we’re going to have more and global subscribers.” For 2016, Netflix has said it expects to spend about $6 billion on content (including original productions), with that rising to about $7 billion next year. Much of that spending has been funded by debt and is accounted for in future payment obligations, which Netflix amortizes over a multiyear period. Wells acknowledged that at some point, spending on content will hit “diminishing returns,” once Netflix has built up a sizable library of original content or if it’s in danger of over-saturating the service with original programming. But, he said, “if we’re able to continue to grow into increasingly a global provider with that global addressable market then you should expect [Netflix] to continue to make content investments that sort of follow that,” with an eye on the efficiency of that spending on content based on viewing. In citing the $20-million-per-hour figure, Wells was referring to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings’ past musings on the topic. At the New Yorker’s TechFest conference last fall, Hastings cited $150 million budgets for blockbuster Hollywood films, or about $100 million per hour of content, and compared that with TV shows like HBO’s “Game of Thrones” or Netflix’s “The Crown,” in the neighborhood of about $10 million per hour in production budget. “What we’re all interested in is, how do we expand… and figure out what $20 million-an-hour television looks like,” Hastings said at the time. Asked at the Communacopia conference whether Netflix’s recent deal with Shonda Rhimes, who previously had a long-term deal at ABC Studios, was somehow retaliation for Disney pulling its movie-output deal from Netflix starting with 2019 releases, Wells said that wasn’t the case at all. “Business is business,” he said. “Disney continues to be a great partner.” With Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and others jockeying with TV networks in the marketplace, competition for top television projects has gotten intense. Wells compared the situation to sports teams engaged in bidding wars for pro athletes — for the very top stars, prices have gone through the roof. But, he said, for TV shows outside the upper echelons, “you might have price stagnation or you might even have price reductions at the lower tier.” Netflix, relative to traditional TV networks, has an advantage in attracting talent because it offers a truly global platform — letting creators reach a worldwide stage, Wells said. “The benefits of having the conversation about a particular piece of content are quite large on a platform like Netlfix,” he said. “And so I think artists are starting to increasingly appreciate that.” However, for all its content-spending plans, Netflix isn’t interested in reinventing the TV bundle. At the Communacopia conference, Wells reiterated that the company doesn’t have any interest in pursuing rights for live sports — a question that comes up regularly from investors and analysts. “I don’t think we have to have sports,” Wells said in answering a question from a conference attendee.Will Economy Push Washington To Make A Deal? Enlarge this image toggle caption Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images The Obama administration is searching for a "sweet spot" in economic policy: measures that could increase job growth right now without worsening the federal deficit. That task gained new urgency this month when the Labor Department reported a sharp slowdown in job growth in May. The challenge could force the president to try to revive his "grand bargain" with Republicans. For the first couple of months this year, the sun shone on the U.S. job market, which seemed to be recovering without much help from Washington. Storm clouds began to gather in the past three months, though. Former White House economic adviser Larry Summers says the outlook now is a lot less rosy. "It was reasonable to hope several months ago that the economy was finally going to reach escape velocity," Summers says. "I don't think one can continue to have those judgments today." The one silver lining, Summers says, is the remarkably low interest rates at which the U.S. government can still borrow money. That creates an opportunity for the government to give the economy a temporary lift — by spending money on public works projects and other investments that will only cost more down the road. "You're going to have to restore Kennedy Airport sometime. Why not do it now when construction unemployment is so high and interest rates are so low?" he says. An End To 'Stimulus In Isolation'? The jobs bill President Obama proposed to Congress last year did include modest investments in public works, as well as money to help local governments keep teachers on the payroll. Alan Krueger, who chairs the president's Council of Economic Advisers, says that if Congress had approved those measures, the May jobs report might not have been so gloomy. "We lost 28,000 construction jobs, 8,000 education jobs. Had the president's proposal passed, which he reiterated and included in his budget, we would be in a better situation for workers in those two sectors," Krueger says. With unemployment climbing to 8.2 percent last month, some economists now see a need for more aggressive federal action. But the president is constrained by anti-spending Republicans in Congress and a ballooning federal deficit. Fiscal watchdog Maya MacGuineas, who heads the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, sees no chance for a big new round of spending — one that would simply add to the government's red ink. "I think the days of stimulus in isolation are over," she says. "I don't think they could pass Congress and I don't think they would work." But MacGuineas says the story might be different if the short-term stimulus were part of a larger package that also included long-term deficit reduction. From 'Inconceivable To Inevitable'? There's already pressure in Washington to make such a deal to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff at the end of this year. That's when all of the Bush-era tax cuts are set to expire, and when automatic spending cuts are set to go into effect. The combination would be a major shock to the fragile economy. "The only real option to avoid these bad scenarios is if we come together and compromise on replacing the fiscal cliff on some kind of comprehensive debt deal that's phased in more gradually and is more consistent with economic growth," MacGuineas says. Republicans — and some Democrats — say they're determined to prevent the tax cuts from expiring in December, though the Congressional Budget Office warned this week that further extensions will mean even wider deficits. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, argues the threat of higher taxes is one reason employers aren't hiring. "The American people have had it with big government and high taxes and a regulatory system that knows no bounds," he says. "And they want elected officials to take control of the situation so that American job creators can go back to doing what they do best: creating jobs." Congressional Republicans and the president seem no closer to a "grand bargain" now than they were when talks fell apart last summer. But Summers hasn't given up hope for an economic shot in the arm. "If you certainly look at the vexed climate, it's easy to be pessimistic," he says. "On the other hand, I've observed over time that in the face of events, particularly in the face of difficult events, the transition from inconceivable to inevitable can sometimes be relatively rapid." The looming tax deadline will put pressure on Republicans, while another month of sluggish job growth would do the same for Obama.International research team links heavy drinking to increased rate of nicotine metabolism. For smokers who are addicted to alcohol, chronic alcohol abuse may increase the rate of nicotine metabolism and contribute to poor smoking cessation rates. When smokers stop drinking the nicotine metabolism rates decline significantly, according to a study conducted by an international research team led by Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI). The research was a collaboration of scientists from Roswell Park, the University of California, San Francisco, and the Medical University of Silesia and Center of Addiction Treatment in Poland. The information, published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, may inform future smoking cessation interventions among heavy alcohol users. "Our study showed that chronic heavy alcohol consumption may lead to an increase in the rate of nicotine metabolism, which could be one contributing factor to the poor smoking cessation rates in smokers addicted to alcohol," says senior author, Maciej Goniewicz, PhD, PharmD, Assistant Professor of Oncology in the Department of Health Behavior at Roswell Park. "It is an important finding since a faster rate of nicotine metabolism was previously found to be associated with smoking more cigarettes per day, greater nicotine withdrawal symptoms and decreased efficacy of nicotine replacement therapy for smoking cessation. Importantly, we also found that when smokers stopped drinking, their nicotine metabolism slowed down." The study was conducted from September 2011 to May 2012 at the Center for Addiction Treatment, an inpatient program providing treatment for alcohol dependence in Parzymiechy, Poland. A total of 318 participants were screened for eligibility, and 270 consented to participate in the study. Nicotine biomarkers were assessed in 22 participants selected randomly among male smokers from that group. The data collection occurred after cessation of alcohol consumption at three time points: baseline, week four and week seven. The results suggest that a normalization of nicotine metabolism occurred by week four of abstinence from alcohol. "Understanding changes in nicotine metabolism associated with chronic alcohol abuse and recovery during alcohol abstinence could have important implications for understanding smoking behavior and improving smoking cessation interventions for current and former heavy alcohol drinkers," adds paper co-author Neal Benowitz, MD, Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. "This could have implications for the timing or choice of smoking cessation treatments in recovering alcoholics." This research was funded by grants from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Poland (award no. N404 145539), National Institute on Drug Abuse (project nos. R01DA002277 and P30DA012393) and National Cancer Institute (project no. R25CA113710). The study, "Cessation of alcohol consumption decreases rate of nicotine metabolism in male alcohol-dependent smokers," is available online. One of the study's authors, Andrzej Sobczak of the Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland, received personal fees from the Smoking Institute in Poznan, Poland, and nonfinancial support from Chic Group LTD, outside of this submitted work. Dr. Goniewicz received a research grant from Pfizer Inc., and Dr. Benowitz serves as a paid consultant to pharmaceutical companies that market or are developing smoking cessation medications. He also has been a paid expert witness in litigation against tobacco companies. All other authors have nothing to disclose. Cessation of alcohol consumption decreases rate of nicotine metabolism in male alcohol-dependent smokers. Noah R. Gubner, Aleksandra Kozar-Konieczna, Izabela Szoltysek-Boldys, Ewa Slodczyk-Mankowska, Jerzy Goniewicz, Andrzej Sobczak, Peyton Jacob III, Neal L. Benowitz, Maciej L. Goniewicz. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. DOI:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2016.04.006. Published online April 14, 2016.Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday demanded that the Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award, be conferred on the late revolutionary and freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. "We all are together in demanding (Bharat Ratna for Savarkar) and some leaders of opposition (in Maharashtra) also want the highest honour for Savarkar. We should now act to make this a reality," Uddhav said. The Sena chief was speaking at the closing function of a three-day long convention on Savarkar's writings. Uddhav also demanded that a replica of prison cell at the Cellular jail in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands where Savarkar had been kept by the British should be built in Mumbai. The youth and citizens should be educated about Savarkar's contribution towards the Hindu Rashtra and the freedom struggle, the Sena chief added. ALSO READ \| Amit Shah inaugurates Savakar Literature Festival in Thane ALSO READ \| Shiv Sena slams BJP over Amit Shah's panchayat to Parliament remark ALSO WATCH \| Union Budget 2017: Uddhav Thackeray slams Centre, says common man still sufferingPolice in Germany said Wednesday they are investigating whether a string of sexual assaults and thefts during New Year's celebrations in Cologne is linked to a known criminal network in the nearby city of Duesseldorf. The assaults last week have prompted outrage in Germany and a fresh debate about immigration, after police said the perpetrators appeared to be of "Arab or North African origin." A more nuanced picture of what happened in the New Year's Eve chaos outside the Cologne train station emerged Wednesday. Police said about 1,000 men gathered there and that smaller groups surrounded individual women, harassed them and stole their belongings. Police do not believe all 1,000 men were involved in the attacks. The interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia state, where Cologne and Duesseldorf are located, told news agency dpa that police have identified three suspects but have not yet arrested anyone. About 90 people filed criminal complaints, though police have not said how many of them were women who were sexually assaulted. At least one woman said she was raped. Women hold up placards that read 'Mrs. Merkel: Where are you? What are you saying? This worries us!' during a protest in front of the Cologne Cathedral. About 90 people have reported being robbed, threatened or sexually molested during New Year's celebrations in the German city. (Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters) Police said some of the assaults in Cologne appeared similar to incidents that have been reported over the past two years in Duesseldorf, where men have groped women to distract them before stealing their belongings. The two cities are 40 kilometres apart. Markus Niesczeri, a spokesman for Duesseldorf police, said that since the start of 2014, officers there have identified more than 2,000 suspects of North African origin in connection with organized thefts, though he did not say how many. He declined to say whether there have been any arrests in those cases. Duesseldorf police were working closely with their counterparts in Cologne to determine whether crimes in the two cities might be connected, Niesczeri said. Authorities have cautioned that the nationality and residency status of the Cologne suspects is still unknown, since no one has been arrested. Germany registered nearly 1.1 million people as asylum seekers last year, according to Interior Ministry figures released Wednesday, and politicians who have called for limits on migration have seized on the incident in Cologne to bolster their position. Germany's top security official stressed that those involved must be punished regardless of where they come from. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said that "you cannot draw a general suspicion against refugees from the indications that they were perhaps people who looked North African." He added that "a bit of patience is necessary to clear up as completely as possible the structure of the perpetrators and the organizational structures there might have been," including whether there was any link to similar, smaller-scale incidents on New Year's Eve in Hamburg. De Maiziere noted that, under German law, criminal behavior has a direct effect on a person's asylum proceedings if he or she is sentenced to at least three years in prison. He said that "we will have to talk about whether that needs to be changed." In any case, "anyone who commits serious crimes, whatever status he is in, must reckon with being deported from Germany," de Maiziere said.Hillary Clinton’s lead has narrowed dramatically from the last Monmouth Iowa poll in December. \| AP Photo Poll: Clinton leads Sanders by 5 points in Iowa Hillary Clinton leads Bernie Sanders in Iowa — but not by much, according to a new survey of likely Democratic caucus-goers. According to the latest Monmouth University Poll, the former secretary of state has the support of 47 percent of the likely Iowa electorate, with the Vermont senator behind her by 5 percentage points at 42 percent. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley trails with 6 percent. Story Continued Below Clinton’s lead has shrunk dramatically from the Monmouth Iowa poll in December. At that time, she held a commanding 22-point advantage, 55 percent to 33 percent. O'Malley's share remains unchanged. Women in the latest sample preferred Clinton to Sanders, 50 percent to 38 percent. But Sanders did better among men, 46 percent of whom said they choose him over Clinton, with 43 percent. Age also seemed to be a factor: Clinton led Sanders among those 50 and older, 54 percent to 34 percent, while Sanders had the upper hand with those younger than 50 — 59 percent to Clinton's 31 percent. The standings have solidified since December as 55 percent of those surveyed said they are “completely decided” — up from 41 percent in December — and 30 percent indicated a “strong preference.” Just 8 percent were undecided. The RealClearPolitics average of Iowa polls has Clinton ahead by a nose, leading Sanders by two-tenths of a percentage point. (The gold standard of Iowa horse-race surveys, the Des Moines Register poll, comes out on Saturday evening, two days before Iowa caucuses begin.) Monmouth's telephone poll of 504 likely Democratic caucus-goers was conducted Jan. 23-26 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.MIT professor Noam Chomsky on Monday decried the use of drones against suspected terrorists, saying that it was murder and violated due process. “If Bush, the Bush Administration, didn’t like somebody, they’d kidnap them and send them to torture chambers,” he said on Democracy Now. “If the Obama Administration decides they don’t like somebody, they murder them, so you don’t have to have torture chambers all over.” In late April, White House counter-terrorism advisor John Brennan gave a detailed justification and description of U.S. drone strikes against Taliban and al Qaeda militants. The Obama Administration had been notably silent on using drones to target suspected terrorists until then. “You know, this American cleric in Yemen who was killed by drones,” Chomsky said in reference to Anwar al-Awlaki, a leader in al Qaeda’s outpost in Yemen. “He was killed. The guy next to him was killed. Shortly after, his son was killed. Now, there was a little talk about the fact that he was an American citizen: you shouldn’t just murder American citizens.” “But, you know, the New York Times headline, for example, when he was killed, said something like ‘West celebrates death of radical cleric,'” he continued. “First of all, it wasn’t death, it was murder. And the West celebrates the murder of a suspect. He’s a suspect, after all. There was something done almost 800 years ago called the Magna Carta, which is the foundation of Anglo-American law, that says that no one shall be subjected to a violation of rights without due process of law and a fair and speedy trial. It doesn’t say, if you think somebody’s a suspect, you should kill them.” Watch video, courtesy of Democracy Now, below:Nothing in life is free — not even pillows. The Better Business Bureau has revoked the accreditation of the MyPillow, a popular “As Seen On TV” product, and downgraded its rating to an “F” after receiving a slew of complaints about false advertising. The consumer watchdog group reported this week that the Minnesota-based company had been taking advantage of customers with their ongoing “buy one, get one free” discount. Instead of offering shoppers a pair of standard, queen-size MyPillows for $49.98 — which is the listed price for just one at checkout — the company is currently offering two of the pillows for $89.97. “Continuous BOGO offers, which can then be constructed as an item’s regular, everyday price, violate not only BBB’s code of Advertising — which all BBB Accredited Businesses agree to abide by — but also other state and national organizations’ rules,” Dana Badgerow, president and CEO of BBB of Minnesota and North Dakota, told local NBC affiliate KARE. In addition to the “BOGO” promotion, the BBB flagged several other issues that had come to their attention — including how “as seen on TV” claims are sometimes listed on the MyPillow boxes, even though the content isn’t what was seen on the commercial. “We are hopeful that MyPillow will modify their advertising and eliminate discount offers, since the pillows need to be sold at a ‘regular price’ for the majority of the time,” Badgerow said. In his own statement, MyPillow owner and CEO Mike Lindell — the mustachioed pitchman in all the commercials — said he was currently unable to stop the “BOGO” deals, but would consider making changes in 2017. “MyPillow was built on our dedication to our customers’ satisfaction,” he said. “We run sales and specials for our customers, so that we can give as many people as possible the chance to have a great night’s sleep. Naturally, I am terribly disappointed by the BBB’s decision.” In October, customers filed a class-action suit against MyPillow, claiming they were led to believe that the second pillow was being gifted to them, free of charge. “The My Pillow, Inc. BOGO Promotions are false and deceptive because My Pillow, Inc. is not providing one pillow for ‘free.’ Instead, it is inflating the regular price of the pillow being purchased as part of the promotion, resulting in the buyer purchasing two pillows at or near the combined regular prices for two pillows,” the suit read. “In other words, the pillow that is being sold as part of the BOGO Promotion can be purchased for a substantially lower price without inclusion of the ‘free’ pillow.” In November, MyPillow was forced to cough up $1 million in civil penalties after it claimed its products could help cure and prevent certain medical conditions.Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob sat down for an interview with sfgate.com to ostensibly talk about the turning of the leaf in Golden State and how good things are happening with his organization. This is likely all true, and the Warriors record this year stands on it's own. They are a good team. However, Lacob likely let slip something he never intended to get out. Answering a question about how he managed to talk Andre Iguodala (former Nuggets and 76ers player) into coming to the Warriors, even though they (the Dubs) were capped out. Apparently, Iguodala didn't have to be convinced: "It’s interesting, during one of the playoff games in Denver, I was sitting on the floor. It turned out per chance, that one of his cousins was sitting behind us. We introduced and got to know him during the first game. When we came back for the second game, he made it pretty clear that Andre liked the Warriors, liked the organization. Obviously, I couldn’t talk about that at the time, but when he did become a free agent, I didn’t have to sell a lot. He was pretty sold. He sees how we do things, and the word gets out among the players. We get approached all of the time by agents with really big names who say, ‘Hey, when my guy’s contract is up, we’d really like to consider playing for the Warriors, because you’re building something the right way.’ We can’t talk to them, because it’s illegal, but you can see that we’re building something for the future, and people can sense that." If Lacob had it to do over again, I'm sure he would have answered this question in a more politically correct way. Essentially he's saying that Iggy's cousin solicited Lacob for Iguodala, in a round about way. And when time came it was an easy sell. This is fine. Hell, if I was Lacob I would be jumping for joy. Yet, there is something extremely unseemly with Iguodala's acolytes soliciting the owner of the team he is playing against in the playoffs about free agency. That's Alex Rodriguez territory. Couple this with the circumstantial evidence that Iggy was "The Mole" that Mark Jackson was referring to for "targeting" Stephen Curry in game five. Plus Iguodala's cavorting and going to prayer meetings, again DURING the playoffs with the Warriors... well, you can't blame Nuggets fans for feeling a bit of righteous indignation toward Iguodala. It's one thing to leave as a free agent. Everyone get's that. Double dealing with the opposing team during the playoffs? That's dirty pool. Considering he is in the catbird seat with the Warriors at the moment and the Nuggets are going through a painful adjustment to Brian Shaw, it makes things that much worse.ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chaired a National Action Plan (NAP) meeting on Wednesday where he was informed that 251 people have been arrested across the country for propagating hate speech. It was revealed that FIRs had been registered against 341 people involved in hate speech, out of which 251 had been formally arrested while 41 shops disseminating hate material had been shut down. Those in attendance were further informed that action has been taken against nearly 1,100 people on the misuse of loudspeakers. In his briefing, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan reported that 180 miscreants had been picked up so far from various parts of Islamabad, while 48 of them had been formally arrested. "Similarly in Punjab 14,000 suspects have been picked up out of whom 780 formally arrested and are under investigation," Nisar said. The meeting was told that madrassas are also being closely monitored so that the spread of radical ideology could be checked. They were also informed that 95 proscribed organisations have been identified in Punjab which are still engaged in spreading terrorism and extremism. The PM asked the FBR to ensure that funding to the proscribed organisations was immediately stopped. The Ministry of Information and Technology was also directed to take steps for blocking websites and social media platforms being used by terrorist organisations. It was also decided that a state-of-the-art rapid response force would be set up to meet the challenges posed by terrorism and extremism. This properly equipped force would be trained on modern lines and given a better pay package. The PM also called a meeting of chief ministers next week in Islamabad to comprehensively review progress made on implementation of the NAP. All the provincial governments were directed to take proactive measures for ensuring speedy and effective implementation of the plan. The NAP had been formulated in the wake of the Peshawar school attack to chalk out a comprehensive strategy to combat terrorism. The 20-point plan was agreed upon by all political parties. NAP committees Umbrella committee: An umbrella committee, headed by the PM himself, will supervise the overall implementation of the plan and include the federal ministers for interior, finance, planning, information, defence, Safron, the KP governor and the PM’s adviser on foreign affairs. Militias: The interior minister heads this committee, formed to deal with the issue of eliminating armed militias from the country. This committee has DG ISI Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar, DG IB Aftab Sultan, DG MO Maj Gen Aamer Riaz, all provincial home secretaries including Fata, GB and AJK; as well as the Nacta national coordinator and the interior secretary. Hate speech: Chaudhry Nisar will also steer a second committee that will make recommendations on how to counter hate speech and extremist material. This committee includes the ministers for religious affairs, planning, information as well as the MD PTV, DG ISI, DG IB, all provincial home and Auqaf department secretaries, the Nacta coordinator and interior secretary. Proscribed organisations: The committee tasked with stopping the re-emergence of proscribed organisations will also be led by the interior minister and will have the DG ISI, DG IB, all home secretaries and interior secretary as members. Counter terrorism: To ensure the deployment of a dedicated counter-terrorism force by May 31, 2015, the interior minister will also lead efforts alongside the ministers for finance and defence, the DG MO, the secretaries of finance, interior and the NACTA coordinator. Religious persecution: Another sub-committee was tasked report within three days on steps against religious persecution. Headed by the interior minister, the committee consists of the minister and secretary for religious affairs, the interior secretary, all provincial police chiefs and the IGs of GB, AJK and ICT, as well as all home and Auqaf department secretaries and the Nacta coordinator. Madressahs: A committee on the registration and regulation of madressahs, also led by the interior minister, will hold meetings with various organisations that oversee the affairs of over 30,000 and will have consist of the minister and secretary for religious affairs, State Minister for Education Balighur Rehman, all home and Auqaf department secretaries. Terror on the internet: The interior minister will also supervise discussion to recommend steps for dismantling terrorists’ communication networks and suggest tangible measures against the abuse of internet and social media for terrorism. This is the only committee whose composition was not mentioned in the official press release. Karachi: The committee tasked with dealing with the Karachi law and order situation includes the interior minister. He will be supported by Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, the Rangers DG and other senior officials. Punjab: To check militancy in some parts of Punjab, Mr Khan will formulate strategy with input from the DG ISI, DG IB, home secretary and provincial police chiefs. Sectarianism: The committee tasked with presenting recommendations on the subject dealing with sectarian terrorism, within a week, will be headed by the interior minister and consist of the DG IB, all provincial police officers, home secretaries and heads of counter terrorism departments as well as the interior secretary and Nacta coordinator. Afghan refugees: The interior minister will make policy guidelines to deal with Afghan refugees with the help of the KP governor, Safron minister, Nadra chairman and other senior officials. Terror financing: Under the supervision of finance minister, a committee has tasked to submit within three days recommendations on choking terrorists’ financial networks and terrorist organizations. This committee includes State Governor Bank Ashraf Mehmood Wathra, the DG ISI, interior secretary, FBR Chairman Tariq Bajwa, FIA DG Akbar Hoti and finance secretary. Media curbs: Another committee, chaired by Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid and including the ministers for interior and planning and development, Irfan Siddiqui, Barrister Zafarullah Khan and the information secretary, will furnish recommendations on banning the glorification of terrorism and terrorist organisations through print and electronic media. FATA reforms & IDPs’ return: Sardar Mehtab Khan has been given the convenership
-right” political activists who occupy a loyal segment of Trump’s political base. Several senators from his own Republican Party had harsh words for him. Some 48 hours into the biggest domestic challenge of his young presidency, Trump tried to correct course. “Racism is evil, and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans,” the president said in a statement to reporters at the White House on Monday. “We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence,” he said. A 20-year-old man said to have harbored Nazi sympathies was arrested on charges of plowing his car into protesters opposing the white nationalists, killing 32-year-old paralegal Heather Heyer and injuring 19 people. The accused, James Fields, was denied bail at a court hearing on Monday. Several others were arrested in connection with street brawls during the day that left another 15 people injured. And two airborne state troopers involved in crowd control were killed when their helicopter crashed. Related Coverage Scaramucci says Trump must own his initial failure to condemn neo-Nazis Saturday’s disturbances erupted after white nationalists converged in Charlottesville, home of the University of Virginia’s flagship campus, to protest plans for removing a statue of General Robert E. Lee, commander of the pro-slavery Confederate army of the U.S. Civil War. Trump’s belated denunciation of white supremacists by name was welcomed by Heyer’s mother, Susan Bro, who thanked the president for what she called “those words of comfort and for denouncing those who promote violence and hatred.” But not everyone was mollified. “I wish that he would have said those same words on Saturday,” responded Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia on MSNBC. “I’m disappointed it took him a couple of days.” A group of community leaders meeting in Charlottesville likewise said they were unimpressed by Trump’s latest message. “Why did it take criticism from his Republican buddies to move him... to adjust the moral compass that he does not possess?” said Don Gathers, who serves as chairman for the city’s commission on monuments and memorials. Trump lashed out at his critics late on Monday on Twitter: “Made additional remarks on Charlottesville and realize once again that the #Fake News Media will never be satisfied...truly bad people!” REBUKES FROM BUSINESS Trump’s revised statement on Charlottesville, following a day of silence despite a rising chorus of outrage over the violence, came after the chief executive of Merck & Co Inc (MRK.N) delivered one of the more noteworthy rebukes of the president. Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier, who is black, resigned from Trump’s American Manufacturing Council, saying expressions of hatred and bigotry must be rejected. U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a statement on the deadly protests in Charlottesville, at the White House in Washington, U.S. August 14, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Trump quickly hit back on Twitter, but made no reference to Frazier’s reasons for quitting the panel, instead revisiting a longstanding gripe about expensive medicines. Frazier would have more time to focus on lowering “ripoff” drug prices, Trump tweeted. Frazier’s resignation was followed hours later by two other members of the business panel quitting in protest, Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank and Intel chief Brian Krzanich. “I resigned to call attention to the serious harm our divided political climate is causing to critical issues, including the serious need to address the decline of American manufacturing,” Krzanich wrote in a blog post. The AFL-CIO organized labor federation that represents 12.5 million workers said it, too, was considering pulling its representative from the committee. The jarring images of violence from Charlottesville and the heated public debate over racism resonated around the world, particularly in Europe where leaders are contending with a wave of xenophobia. German Chancellor Angela Merkel told broadcaster Phoenix on Monday that clear and forceful action must be taken to counter right-wing extremism, and that “we have quite a lot to do at home ourselves.” About 130 people demonstrated outside the U.S. Embassy in London, some with placards reading “Fascism is not to be debated, it is to be smashed,” and “I am an ashamed American.” The United Nations said there must be no place in today’s societies for the violent racism, anti-Semitism, xenophobia and discrimination on display in Charlottesville. About 500 protesters assembled in front of the White House for a “Reject White Supremacy” rally, then marched to Trump’s hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue nearby. In Manhattan, thousands of demonstrators stood outside Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue shouting “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA.” In Durham, North Carolina, a crowd of demonstrators stormed the site of a Confederate monument outside a court and toppled the bronze statue from its base. Television news footage showed protesters taking turns stomping and kicking the fallen statue as dozens cheered. Hundreds of miles to the north, a Holocaust memorial in Boston was vandalized, but police said they quickly arrested a 17-year-old boy who was grabbed by onlookers who saw him shatter one of the monument’s glass panels with a rock. Slideshow (21 Images) Asked on Monday whether one side was more responsible for the violence than another in Charlottesville, Police Chief Al Thomas said: “This was an alt-right rally” - using the term that has become a banner for various far-right ideologies that includes neo-Nazis, white supremacists and anti-Semites. Fields appeared in a Charlottesville court on Monday by video link from the jail where he was being held on a second-degree murder charge, three counts of malicious wounding and a single count of leaving the scene of a fatal accident. His next court date was set for Aug. 25. Several students who attended high school with Fields in Kentucky described him as an angry young man who passionately espoused white supremacist ideology. The U.S. Justice Department was pressing its own federal investigation of the incident as a hate crime.A new report looking at lifetime prevalence of arrests in U.S. citizens found that 50 percent of black males under 23 years old have been arrested at least once. Meanwhile, 40 percent of white males under 23 have been arrested. The study from the journal Crime and Delinquency analyzed national survey data from 1997 to 2008 of teenagers and young adults and their arrest records. Study authors stress that key findings include how arrest prevalence aligns with race. By the age of just 18, 30 percent of black males, 26 percent of Hispanic males and 22 percent of white males have been arrested. Advertisement: "A problem is that many males – especially black males – are navigating the transition from youth to adulthood with the baggage and difficulties from contact with the criminal justice system," said the report's lead author, Robert Brame, a criminology professor at the University of South Carolina. Brame noted in a statement, "The negative impacts can be great. States vary on the age that adolescents are considered adults in the eyes of the criminal law, some as young as age 16 and 17," he says. Criminal records that show up in searches can impede employment, reduce access to housing, thwart admission to and financing for higher education and affect civic and volunteer activities such as voting or adoption. They also can damage personal and family relationships." The report also found arrest prevalence in young people to fall along gender lines. In the case of young women's arrests, race appeared to be less of a factor: By age 23, arrest rates were 20 percent for white females and 18 percent and 16 percent for Hispanic and black females.The cool summer breeze tickled Hope’s cheeks, contrasting sharply with the pair of full, warm lips that moved slowly against hers. She felt a large, rough hand reach up, entwining its fingers in her long brown hair as it pulled her closer. The kiss was amazing – clearly this guy knew what he was doing. But all Hope could think of in that moment was Zayne. It sent an unpleasant twisting sensation through her stomach. What am I doing?! “Cut! That was perfect, guys!” Hope eagerly broke away from the man’s embrace the moment the director’s cry reached her ears. They’d done four takes of the kiss already, and Hope prayed that this time when he said ‘perfect’, he meant it. “Let’s take ten and we’ll start on the last scene.” He continued. “Hope, I think that’s a wrap for you, sweetheart. You were amazing!” Thank God. “Hey, are you okay?” Garrett asked softly as the blinding lights shining on their faces finally turned off. Hope shrugged slightly at her colleague’s question. “Yeah… Why?” “I dunno… I guess you didn’t seem super into it… And I mean, I get it. Trust me.” He let out a small laugh. “My trick is to think of my boyfriend.” He confessed, smiling. “No offense.” Yeah, that’s the problem. Hope wanted to say. All she’d been able to think about was Zayne the entire shoot. She forced a smile. “I promise, I’m fine. Nice job today.” “You too! See you backstage tomorrow?” The other model asked kindly. The girl nodded. “See you then!” Hope headed straight for the dressing room, eager to change back into her own clothes, stop thinking about Zayne, and start focusing on tomorrow’s fashion show. That was the real reason she was in San Myshuno anyway – Francisco San Martín had requested that she walk in the debut of his new line. She’d booked that job weeks ago. The commercial, on the other hand, was something of a lucky coincidence. According to Louis, there’d been some sort of scheduling conflict, and the model set to be in this perfume commercial was no longer able to do the job. It just so happened to be shooting the same weekend she’d be in the city for the fashion show, and the job was up for grabs. The moment she learned the nature of the shoot, Hope had eagerly accepted. She knew how petty it was, but she’d really taken the job as something of a “screw you” to Zayne more than anything else. If he wants to be jealous, I’ll give him something to be jealous of. She’d told herself at the time. But Hope found herself regretting her decision almost the moment she’d arrived at the shoot. No matter how hard she tried, all she could think of was Zayne sitting back home in Windenburg, completely unaware that she was halfway across the world making out with another guy. A gay guy, yes… But somehow that didn’t help her feel much better. What’s he going to think of me when he sees this? The girl wondered as she finished putting her street clothes back on. God, we haven’t even broken up yet, and I’m already – Hope’s entire body froze. Yet. Had she really thought that? Yet? Almost without warning, Hope felt the hot wetness of tears on her cheeks. Oh my God. Had she really made her mind up so soon? Could she really throw away everything they had without giving him a second chance? But I’ve already given him so many of those. She reminded herself. The thought did nothing but make her feel worse. Hope headed back toward her hotel on foot, hoping the fresh air would help clear her head. It felt like all the doubt, worry, and regret she’d been battling for the past two weeks had come rushing back at her all at once. Had she been too hard on him? Pushed too much? What could she have done differently? Hope did her best to chase the thoughts away just as quickly as they’d come. There was no use dwelling. There was nothing she or Zayne could do to change the past now. But what about the future? We could start over, couldn’t we? Do things differently this time around? Hope slowed her pace a bit as she continued down the sidewalk, savoring the sights and sounds of the city around her, and hoping they’d do something to lift her spirits. She’d always loved San Myshuno, and even after all these years, it still managed to feel like home. She’d been trying to stay close to Windenburg and take as many local jobs as she could… But lately it was becoming harder and harder to turn down all the amazing opportunities the city had to offer. And the more time she’d been spending there, the more she realized just how much she missed it. Y’know, I probably would have already moved back here by now, Hope realized. If it weren’t for… The uncomfortable twisting in her stomach slowly began creeping its way back. And, try as she might, she could not will the feeling away. Maybe there was more to their problems than she’d thought… Had Zayne really been holding her back? And what if she’d been holding him back too…? God damn it. Stop thinking shit like that! She needed to give him another chance, didn’t she? Zayne was everything to her. Her best friend. Her lover. Her confidant. The person she dreamed of spending the rest of her life with. I love him. Hope reminded herself firmly. More than anything. But was that enough? By the time she made it back to her hotel, she’d made up her mind. AdvertisementsThe movement to end the Surveillance State is finally getting serious. With the failure by Congress to rein in the NSA – although the heroic Rep. Justin Amash nearly succeeded in doing so – activists on the state level are mounting a campaign that promises to hit Big Brother where it really hurts – by cutting off the NSA’s water supply at its Bluffdale, Utah, Data Center. A bill introduced in the Utah legislature by state representative Marc Roberts (R-Santaquin) would cut off the water supply to the NSA’s massive facility which will gobble up 1.7 million gallons of water per day – in a state already hit hard by a region-wide drought. What do they need all that water for? To cool the mega-computers housing the NSA’s huge store of intercepted data – virtually all the emails transmitted in the country and beyond, including phone calls and our all-important "meta data." The heavily fortified Data Center will store all this purloined information in four halls, each 25,000 square feet, with an additional 900,000 square feet for bureaucratic high mucka-mucks and their administrative and technical peons. The electricity bill alone is estimated at $40 million annually. The people of Utah, however, are having second thoughts about having this monster in their midst. "If you want to spy on the whole world and American citizens, great, but we’re not going to help you," says Roberts. The Roberts bill is part of a nationwide "Nullify the NSA" campaign spearheaded by the OffNow Coalition, a politically diverse group – including Antiwar.com, one of the founding members – that is pushing model legislation already introduced in fifteen states and counting: if passed, these bills would not only forbid local publicly owned water utilities from servicing the NSA, but would also stop any sort of cooperation and/or subsidies from going to the spy agency – including in the educational sphere. The University of Utah, which is publicly funded, has been sucking up to the NSA in order to qualify for grants and has even recently inaugurated a new course on "data management" at the NSA’s suggestion. But the University of Utah chapter of Young Americans for Liberty is on their case, along with Roberts – and a good number of state legislators of both parties. Former Utah governor and Republican squish Jon Huntsman, whose laughable presidential campaign garnered most if not all its support from the media, apparently cut a deal with the NSA to exempt the Data Center from taxes on their usage of resources such as water and electricity. State lawmakers, however, aren’t buying it. A bill introduced by Republican state senator Jerry Stevenson, SB 45, which would exempt a number of federal projects – including NSA facilities – from state resource taxes is running into vocal opposition. "This property is already getting a great deal on water, and creates very few jobs on a choice piece of land," averred Democrat Jim Dabkis, of Salt Lake City, during debate. "Why do we want to give up that utility tax and have the rate payers from the state have to make up for what is really very little contribution from the rest of the federal government?" Good question, to which supporters of the bill answer: Huntsman made a deal with the feds and we have to stick by it. But there isn’t much sentiment to abide by an agreement that was apparently made in secret. Says Dabkis: "I’ve asked, and I have not been able to be provided with it, any piece of paper that says as part of this agreement to bring this very low-job development… That here is commitment that the State of Utah makes [to the federal government] that you don’t have to pay the utility taxes." In reply, Stevenson bleated that "there is a great deal of institutional memory that puts this agreement in place." But that memory is apparently too ephemeral to have been written down in black and white, as Stevenson sheepishly admitted. Stevenson’s fellow Republicans aren’t too hot on the NSA either. Interrogated by state senator Wayne Harper as to why Stevenson refused to delete the most controversial section of his bill – the part shielding the NSA Data Center – the Taylorsville Republican said: "I don’t remember that I made any commitments to giving tax subsidies to a spy center." State senator Margaret Dayton (R-Orem) doesn’t recall that either, nor does she remember repealing state laws mandating local control over tax waivers: "[The data center is] not creating jobs, it is creating a lot of consternation in my area…[this was] not something discussed with the legislature as far as I am aware of." "Creating a lot of consternation" – this is the key to beating the NSA and its neocon and "progressive" defenders. This is what we have to do in every locality, but especially in Utah – the Achilles heel of the Surveillance State. Utah state legislators are clearly getting a lot of flak from the voters, and are quite nervous about the Data Center being in their state, but you’d never know that from the national and international coverage of the issue. Spencer Ackerman, writing in The Guardian, deemed the anti-NSA effort "quixotic," without quite saying why, and the Washington Post, the voice of our political class, contends state legislators are sending "mixed messages" when it comes to the NSA. This is pure spin. One imagines an enormous amount of pressure is now being exerted on these recalcitrant state legislators to go along with the program and allow their state to become world-renown as the NSA’s Mount Doom, but will those ferociously independent Westerners knuckle under? Somehow, I doubt it. Just in case they need a little persuading, however, I would suggest that the threat of an international boycott of the state of Utah hanging over their heads might push them in the right direction. That may not be necessary, however, because it looks to me like the local political dynamics are moving in the right direction. If the effort looks like it’s going to succeed, you can expect both the neocon right and the "progressive" left to come down hard on the Beehive State. While the former will denounce the nullification movement as an assault on our "national security," the "progressive" argument, as enunciated by the Center for American Progress’s Zack Beauchamp, is that this will lead to the reintroduction of slavery, racial segregation, and secessionism! Yes, really. It’s a pathetic argument, and one I dealt with here. However, let us stop and pay tribute to the sheer demagogy of Beauchamp & Co., whose "thinktank" is fat with big donations from military contractors and Obama administration insiders. Their answer to the libertarian and authentic left critique of the NSA is pure race-baiting – the Joan Walsh argument, which characterizes each and every proposal to scale back our overweening federal government as a conspiracy to impose White Supremacy. As ready-made as this cheap "argument" is for the McCarthyite atmosphere bubbling over in Washington, it isn’t going to enjoy much traction in Utah – or, indeed, anywhere outside of the offices of the Center for American Progress. To say that the entire post-New Deal apparatus of the welfare state is going to suddenly collapse because the people of Utah decided not to countenance a spy facility in their midst is beyond absurd. Notice the similarity of this "progressive" argument to the fear-mongering of the neocons, who hold up the specter of another 9/11 to justify our emerging police state: if we let the locals kick out the NSA Data Center, says Beauchamp, something terrible is going to happen – the blowing apart of the American nation-state. What is really going on here is that the residents of Official Washington, who are sitting on a gold mine of government money – and inflated real estate values – while the rest of the country is in the poorhouse, are jealous of their assumed prerogatives. Beauchamp and his fellow Beltway "progressives" don’t think those hicks out in the cornfields should have a say about what uses their resources are put to. That’s a decision for Washington bureaucrats – Beauchamp’s buddies – to make. Well I have news for Beauchamp: this burgeoning nationwide movement to liberate us from the NSA’s unwanted embrace isn’t going to be stopped by some harebrained conspiracy theory. The American people, no matter what their politics, have had enough, not only of the NSA but of an intellectually bankrupt "progressive" movement that has sold its soul to James Clapper. As I am writing this, I’ve just learned that Iowa state senator Jake Chapman (R-Adel) has introduced the Fourth Amendment Protection Act, which directs state agencies and subdivisions to not "provide material support for participation with or assistance to, in any form, any federal agency which claims the power, or which purports due to any federal law, regulation, or order, to authorize the collection of electronic data or metadata of any person pursuant to any action not based on a warrant that particularly describes the person, place or thing to be searched or seized." Says Chapman: "When I took the oath of office, I swore to support the Constitution of the United States of America and the Constitution of the great State of Iowa. This federal agency has usurped our Constitutional rights. My bill affirms our Constitutional rights and protects the citizens of Iowa. We have learned in recent months through investigations and through the media, the NSA is collecting and storing nearly 30 percent of all Americans’ call records, they collect and store over 200 million text messages daily, and they are tracking American’s through social media, including GPS tracking. We must not trade freedom for security. My bill may not protect all Americans, but it will certainly protect Iowans." Forget dealing with this in Washington – the corrupt capital of a world empire that has no regard for the Constitution or the opinions of those they supposedly represent. The only way to dismantle the monstrous Panopticon built in secret by our wise rulers is to subvert it at the local level. We’re through with supplication – now let’s move to resistance. Let the battle cry go up: Turn it off! Resources for local activism: I’m so busy with this #NullifytheNSA campaign – Antiwar.com is a member of the OffNow Coalition – that I barely had time to note that, yes, our fundraising campaign is still waaaay behind – and to remind you that we can’t continue this kind of activist journalism until and unless we make our fundraising goal. So please – if you support our campaign to nullify the NSA and want to make sure it not only continues but succeeds, then now is the time to make your donation to Antiwar.com. Because, guess what – this local movement to bypass Washington and nullify the NSA looks like it could really succeed. NOTES IN THE MARGIN You can check out my Twitter feed by going here. But please note that my tweets are sometimes deliberately provocative, often made in jest, and largely consist of me thinking out loud. I’ve written a couple of books, which you might want to peruse. Here is the link for buying the second edition of my 1993 book, Reclaiming the American Right: The Lost Legacy of the Conservative Movement, with an Introduction by Prof. George W. Carey, a Foreword by Patrick J. Buchanan, and critical essays by Scott Richert and David Gordon (ISI Books, 2008). You can buy An Enemy of the State: The Life of Murray N. Rothbard (Prometheus Books, 2000), my biography of the great libertarian thinker, here. Read more by Justin RaimondoCampaigners issue Jehovah's Witnesses abuse warning BelfastTelegraph.co.uk Victims of child abuse within the Jehovah's Witnesses may never see the perpetrators brought to justice unless the Government closes a loophole allowing criminals to evade justice, campaigners have warned. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/campaigners-issue-jehovahs-witnesses-abuse-warning-31582436.html https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/article31582435.ece/9f034/AUTOCROP/h342/PANews%20BT_P-7d784410-5d84-4533-9930-db3f1688be1e_I1.jpg Email Victims of child abuse within the Jehovah's Witnesses may never see the perpetrators brought to justice unless the Government closes a loophole allowing criminals to evade justice, campaigners have warned. The Government has been asked to introduce mandatory reporting to police whenever an allegation of child sex abuse is made within the faith group. Currently, the so-called "two-witness rule" means Jehovah's Witnesses deal with allegations of "sins" internally and only investigate themselves if the claim is corroborated by a second testimony - something lawyers say is unlikely given that many victims are abused on their own, in private. Concern over the number of "hidden" victims has prompted campaigners to hand a letter to Downing Street calling on the government to take action. Victim Nick French, 43, who was abused by his stepfather Gary Moscrop from the ages of seven to 13, said introducing mandatory reporting would reduce the risk of paedophiles offending. The salesman, originally from Glasgow but who was raised in Brighton, claimed: "When there are institutions that have rules that protect paedophiles, then something really needs to be done about that. "When it's one word against another, they can get away with it. Certainly in my case, it just allowed him (my abuser) to become worse and worse in his criminal activities. "What a faith group like the Jehovah's Witnesses would say about child abuse is they still view it as a sin, rather than a crime. "In this day and age, as soon as a crime is reported it needs to go to the people who are qualified to deal with such a crime. It shouldn't be kept within the confines of society." Mr French, a father-of-two, waived his right to anonymity when Moscrop was jailed for ten years in January this year. He said: "What we want to do is highlight this and really petition government to make sure that faith groups - when they're aware of cases such as child abuse - contact authorities such as social services." The call comes after a landmark case in which a woman abused as a child by a Jehovah's Witness minister won £275,000 damages at the high court. Kathleen Hallisey, senior solicitor with London-based AO Advocates who represented the woman in court, said the Royal Commission investigation into institutional child sexual abuse in Australia revealed thousands of victims - and said she expected there to be hundreds of "silent" victims within the church in the UK due to the two-witness rule. She said: "I think it's a very difficult situation for government to intervene in private religious matters. "The way around that is to introduce mandatory reporting that in essence would mean the moment an accusation is made within the Jehovah's Witnesses, that would immediately be turned over to the authorities. "If there hadn't been the two-witness rule and the Jehovah's Witnesses had reported the allegation of child sexual abuse to the police, the great likelihood is that my client and many others would not have been abused by that same person." In a statement, a Jehovah's Witness spokesman said child abuse was a crime that occurred "in all sectors of society". He said: "Anyone who commits the sin of child abuse faces expulsion from the congregation. If such a person is serving in a position of responsibility, he is removed. "Any suggestion that Jehovah's Witnesses cover up child abuse is absolutely false. "We are committed to doing all we can to prevent child abuse and to provide spiritual comfort to any who have suffered from this terrible sin and crime."If confirmed, one of the many benefits of Andrew Puzder taking the reins at the U.S. Department of Labor next year is that American workers and businesses will finally see a light at the end of a more than eight-year tunnel of excess regulation. As chief executive officer of CKE Restaurants, Puzder knows firsthand the struggles faced by businesses each and every day as a result of too many rules and regulations. But, more importantly than that, he knows what must change. For the better part of a decade, American businesses have been burdened by excessive regulation and have been strained by expenses including fighting frivolous litigation or paying for mandated healthcare. With Puzder at the helm of the Labor Department, the situation will improve. He will restore the agency’s role to help workers by removing unnecessary regulatory obstacles that only add costs and challenges to businesses, reduce employment and suppress wages. ADVERTISEMENT Take healthcare, for instance. Contrary to what his critics have claimed, Puzder is a proponent of employer-sponsored healthcare. He offered his employees healthcare plans well before being mandated to do so by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as ObamaCare. He has loudly objected to ObamaCare as it kills jobs by overburdening and constraining employers, particularly small businesses. This is something that franchisees know all too painfully. Obamacare requires employers to offer health insurance to those who work over 30 hours per week or face paying an up to $3,000 penalty per employee. However, because there is no obligation for employees working under 30 hours, there have been unintended consequences such as making full-time employment much more expensive and resulting in the conversion of full-time jobs to part-time jobs. Health insurance has essentially been priced out as a benefit for many franchise businesses, despite it being something employers across industries see as valuable and want to provide for employees. Puzder has the experience and the perspective to steer us toward a bipartisan market-based solution that would provide access to lower-cost insurance for those who need it without compromising jobs or wages. Finally, there’s the expanded definition of joint employer by the National Labor Relations Board. I have seen how the ACA has negatively impacted franchise businesses in recent years. My experience as a franchise executive has exposed me to the very real and very direct threat the new definition of joint employer poses to the franchise business model and the thousands of local franchise business owners across the country who will effectively be demoted to middle managers instead of owning their own business. This rule amounts to a corporate takeover of Main Street and threatens the very existence of the franchise business model in America, a model that is responsible for the creation of numerous small businesses, thousands of jobs and overall economic growth. In addition to supporting more than 7.6 million direct jobs nationwide and contributing $674.3 billion in economic output, franchising offers opportunity. Puzder understands this, beginning with his own personal experience starting out by scooping ice cream at Baskin Robbins for minimum wage. He has a career-long appreciation for the nuances of franchise businesses, how they work and how they fuel communities across the country. And he realizes franchisors and their franchises are not joint employers, and that this designation will reduce the desire to develop new franchise units (thus slowing job creation) and a negative evolution of American small business into middle management. Puzder can reverse this and inspire modifications necessary for the U.S. economy to continue to grow. It doesn’t stop with these two issues of course. There are countless areas of improvement thanks to the excessive regulation seen in the last eight years. But, with Andrew Puzder as Labor secretary, American workers and employers, such as franchise brand companies and local franchise owners in nearly every community, will be in a much better position to prosper in today’s economy. Shelly Sun is a certified franchise executive and chair of the International Franchise Association’s board of directors. She is the chief executive officer and co-founder of BrightStar Care, a premium in-home healthcare and medical staffing franchise. The views of Contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.The return of the Nokia name in the smartphone world when the Nokia 6 was announced by HMD Global wasn't really a surprise. In December 2016, HMD Global announced that they would be releasing multiple Android products under the Nokia brand starting in early 2017. It appears that HMD Global, a company that includes several ex-Nokia/Microsoft execs, was created to produce these new Nokia phones. The actual manufacturing will be handled by Foxconn subsidiary FIH Mobile — which also acquired Microsoft's feature phone division in early 2016 — but the design and software come from HMD using the Nokia brand. It's a little confusing. But in the end, we had ex-Nokia people who wanted to keep the name alive after the Microsoft acquisition and sale. That would be pretty cool because Nokia made some incredible phones. An N9 or Lumia 1020 running Android would be really interesting, and inside I think that's about what most people looking forward to an Android-powered Nokia phone were expecting. And these aren't even the first Nokia phones to run Android. Those had a little of that Nokia mojo in the design and construction. You can see some of that Old Time Nokia in there, but the N6 also looks a lot like almost any other phone running Android. The big curves and substantial body are toned down, and seeing it in black makes me wish it also came in green or orange like a "proper" Nokia phone. But mostly I'm excited to see what they can do with a thin black slab of aluminum to make me like it enough to remember who made it. That's the goal of every design team. I'll dismiss all the comments from people who have never seen or held it when they tell me it's boring. I'll decide after I take it out of the box. I've been waiting for this. The Nokia 6 is a phone made specifically for the Chinese market. Dual-SIM, low price, no Google applications or the Play Store. We can't automatically say that anything they might release in the west will be similar. The specifications will certainly be higher (so will the price) and the interface and application suite will be different once it's fine-tuned for the western audience. But I'm pretty sure the design of these unannounced phones will be similar to the Nokia 6. The new Nokia is going to be judged at every turn by people who loved the old Nokia. And look for Nokia/HMD to be modest and not try to compete with the mega-priced flagship phones of 2017. The phone(s) we see in Europe and the Americas will be positioned as the best phone you can buy under $600. That's a market slot that has huge potential, and companies like OnePlus and ZTE have set a high bar here. I can't wait to see how Nokia plans to compete. A $245 phone shipping with Android 7 is a great start. One thing that's for sure is that Nokia has a huge fanbase around the world who will look twice at anything the company releases. When HMD Global announced that they would be building Nokia phones exclusively in December 2016, CEO Arto Nummela had this to say: Today marks a happy and important day for HMD. Nokia has been one of the most iconic and recognisable phone brands globally for decades. The excitement of re-introducing this much-loved, well-known and trusted brand to smartphone consumers is a responsibility and an ambition that everyone at HMD shares. We see this as a brilliant opportunity to solve real life consumer problems and to deliver on the quality and designs that the Nokia brand has been always known for. Our talented and passionate team is uniquely placed in this modern setup to deliver our promise of reliable, beautifully crafted and fun Nokia phones for consumers across the globe.Go to www.opencorporates.com for this listing of his corporate holdings. He is VP of Kidzworld Media at 475 Howe Sr. Vancouver. The site has 2 m illion monthly visitors. It is supposedly a social media for kids. It gets page views from 200 countries. Huge. His LLC's include: - Big Cheese LLC 5037 Connecticut Ave. NW Washington DC. Trading Name = Comet Pizza. He is governor and CEO. Incorporated 9/6/05 - Christopher Achilles LLC 5037 Connecticuit Ave. NW Washinton DC. Incorporated 5/26/05. He is governor - Big Bucks DC Incorporated on 8/1/03. He is governor and CEO - He is also ceo of Cheese LLC in DC (sepapate from "Big" cheese Llc above. Inc. date 6/05 - He is governor of Achilles LLC in DC incorporated on 8/6/14 - He is governor of Castellum Achilles incorporated on 6/16/14 (does this refer to Achilles' 'castle'? I don't know. - He is the agent for HereComesYourMan. Incorporated on5/27/14 There were some international listings that came up on this website www.opencorporates.com when I searched his name. but I'm not sure of his connection to them.,so I will not name them. Go up to this site and see for yourself. More people need to research these corporations associated with him, especially Kidzworld Media where he is the vice president to see what they are all about.The bright lights, the sounds, the chance to strike it rich -- it's hard for a lot of us to avoid the allure of the slot machines. A Valley couple gave into temptation, and they've got about $944,000 reasons to celebrate right now! The couple won a whopping $944,337 on the Willy Wonka machine at Harrah's Casino in Las Vegas -- and this was just a penny slot! That got us wondering - who gets to keep the winnings, let's say if you're playing with a friend, playing with a group, or playing with a significant other you're not married to. We spoke to a Valley attorney who says the casino decides, so we took the question to Harrah's Arizona and they told us - whoever pushes the button or pulls that lever is the winner. Playing with someone else's money? It doesn't matter, according to Harrah's. And if there's ever a dispute, Harrah's and many other casinos have surveillance cameras anywhere, just in case proof is needed.
targeted for commercial use at higher price points as well as extending beyond 3D printing to wearable devices, robotics and more. "XYZprinting has been assertive in breaking down the technology barriers in the consumer 3D printing market, by introducing easy-to-use devices that deliver innovative experiences to consumers at cost-effective prices," said Simon Shen, CEO of XYZprinting and New Kinpo Group. "At this year's CES, we are making an aggressive push in the B2B market by introducing new products and devices to our product ecosystem within and beyond the 3D printing ideology, while continuing the successes we've experienced with our accessible 3D printers." New Leading 3D Printing Products in 2016: Consumer3D Printing solutions: da Vinci Mini : This ultra small device will be XYZprinting's most affordable 3D printer yet with an expected MSRP of $269, perfect for the general public. The small, but versatile 3D printer comes with Wi-Fi capabilities and also includes USB ports. Thirty percent smaller than the 2015 da Vinci Junior, this printer maintains the same build size of 5.9"x 5.9"x5.9". It is the ultimate, light-weight desktop 3D printer for those that value desk space, simplicity and portability. : This ultra small device will be XYZprinting's most affordable 3D printer yet with an expected MSRP of, perfect for the general public. The small, but versatile 3D printer comes with Wi-Fi capabilities and also includes USB ports. Thirty percent smaller than the 2015 da, this printer maintains the same build size of 5.9"x 5.9"x5.9". It is the ultimate, light-weight desktop 3D printer for those that value desk space, simplicity and portability. da Vinci Junior 1.0 3-in-1 : Accessible to a broad range of consumers, educators and hobbyists, the compact da Vinci Junior 1.0 3-in-1 printer, with an expected MSRP of $549, features scanning capabilities and Wi-Fi connectivity. A laser engraving module is also available to consumers as an add-on accessory. By simply pressing a button, its auto-calibration feature allows users to move the da Vinci Junior 3-in-1 extruder around the print bed, while also determining the correct distances between the extruder nozzle and the print bed. This process ensures that each print comes out in the best quality possible. : Accessible to a broad range of consumers, educators and hobbyists, the compact da 1.0 3-in-1 printer, with an expected MSRP of, features scanning capabilities and Wi-Fi connectivity. A laser engraving module is also available to consumers as an add-on accessory. By simply pressing a button, its auto-calibration feature allows users to move the da 3-in-1 extruder around the print bed, while also determining the correct distances between the extruder nozzle and the print bed. This process ensures that each print comes out in the best quality possible. da Vinci Junior 2.0 Mix: Bringing more color to life, the da Vinci Junior 2.0 Mix is capable of blending two colors by using a brand new, dual-extruding single nozzle that combines two filaments to create a print that gradually changes color. The da Vinci Junior 2.0 Mix has an expected MSRP of $499. Professional 3D Printing Solutions: XYZprinting Nobel 1.0 Advanced (1.0 A) : As the most cost-effective stereolithography (SL Laser) 3D printer on the market, with an expected MSRP of $1,699, the Nobel 1.0 Advanced uses a laser to cure the photosensitive resin, producing higher resolution print objects with more complex geometry. The device features an X/Y-axis print resolution of 0.13mm and a Z-axis resolution up to 0.025mm, allowing users to achieve print results with astounding detail. This simple and easy to operate printer is perfect for designers wanting to achieve superior print results at an affordable cost. : As the most cost-effective stereolithography (SL Laser) 3D printer on the market, with an expected MSRP of, the Nobel 1.0 Advanced uses a laser to cure the photosensitive resin, producing higher resolution print objects with more complex geometry. The device features an X/Y-axis print resolution of 0.13mm and a Z-axis resolution up to 0.025mm, allowing users to achieve print results with astounding detail. This simple and easy to operate printer is perfect for designers wanting to achieve superior print results at an affordable cost. da Vinci 1.0 Pro 3-in-1: Perfect for designers, engineers, architects, and anyone looking for a user-friendly 3D printer that can print objects at a high volume, the da Vinci 1.0 Pro 3-in-1 printer, with an expected MSRP of $899, features scanning capabilities and Wi-Fi connectivity. Compatible with non-proprietary filament, users can print with any PLA or ABS thermoplastic filaments of their choice. The extruder can be switched out with the optional laser engraver add-on that allows users to engrave their designs on materials such as wood, leather, cardboard and others. Commercial 3D Printing Solutions: XYZprinting Nobel DLP : With the latest DLP technology embedded, the compact Nobel DLP is XYZprinting's fastest and most precise 3D printer, ideal for the application of jewelry, and comes at an enticing price point of $1,999 expected MSRP compared to other high-tech devices on the market. Unlike Fused Filament Fabrication printers, the Nobel DLP uses Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology that prints castable resin and standard resin, thus resulting in outstanding print quality. Attributed to the DLP technology, the resolutions are amazing, achieving an X/Y-axis resolution of 50 microns (0.05mm) with a layer thickness (Z-axis resolution) reaching up to 25 microns (0.025mm). For comparative purposes, a human hair is on average 75 microns! : With the latest DLP technology embedded, the compact Nobel DLP is XYZprinting's fastest and most precise 3D printer, ideal for the application of jewelry, and comes at an enticing price point of expected MSRP compared to other high-tech devices on the market. Unlike Fused Filament Fabrication printers, the Nobel DLP uses Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology that prints castable resin and standard resin, thus resulting in outstanding print quality. Attributed to the DLP technology, the resolutions are amazing, achieving an X/Y-axis resolution of 50 microns (0.05mm) with a layer thickness (Z-axis resolution) reaching up to 25 microns (0.025mm). For comparative purposes, a human hair is on average 75 microns! XYZprinting 3D JET: As one of XYZprinting's most competitive products for 2016, the 3D JET is capable of printing small, but precise objects. The commercial printer has a dedicated print head to print support material, which makes it ideal to print movable parts or for one-print assembly projects. Using a photopolymer resin through an inkjet, similar to a standard printer, the 3D JET produces extremely high-quality prints and interlinking parts for large and small projects. The 3D JET is aimed at engineers, toy makers, entrepreneurs, project designers, and other prosumers that need a 3D printing machine that can build prototypes in great quality. With its large size printing (300mm x 150mm), the 3D JET supports high-hardness/rigidity and high-stress resin, making the 3D printer a great asset for engineering prototypes. 3D Printing Education Solutions: XYZ STEAM : An online curriculum exchange program suited for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics educators to incorporate 3D printing seamlessly into the classroom. XYZprinting will offer education curriculums, discounted XYZprinting 3D printers, as well as tools to engage students in practical, real-life applications of 3D printing. Curricula consist of downloadable 3D printing models, assembly instructions, photos, videos and operation instructions that stimulate learning. Join XYZ STEAM at http://us.xyzprinting.com/steam. : An online curriculum exchange program suited for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics educators to incorporate 3D printing seamlessly into the classroom. XYZprinting will offer education curriculums, discounted XYZprinting 3D printers, as well as tools to engage students in practical, real-life applications of 3D printing. Curricula consist of downloadable 3D printing models, assembly instructions, photos, videos and operation instructions that stimulate learning. Join XYZ STEAM at http://us.xyzprinting.com/steam. XYZmaker: A 3D modeling app, compatible on Windows OS, with Android and iOS versions available in the second half of 2016, is perfect for young designers to edit projects intuitively in the classroom. The XYZmaker app is aimed at making 3D printing technology more accessible and providing a solution and service to expedite the process from design to print. It will be available for download at XYZprtinting.com in Q1 2016. 3D Printing Accessories: XYZprinting 3D Pen : XYZprinting's first 3D printing pen with an expected MSRP of $49 is great for DIY craft projects. This exciting new product has no restrictions on print size and doesn't require a computer or software to use. : XYZprinting's first 3D printing pen with an expected MSRP of is great for DIY craft projects. This exciting new product has no restrictions on print size and doesn't require a computer or software to use. XYZprinting Nobel Post Curing Machine: A quick-hardening and energy efficient UV chamber to work in tandem with products printed on the Nobel photosensitive, resin-based printing line. The LED lamp cycles around the printed object every 30 seconds to create a consistent stereolithography. The XYZprinting Nobel Post Curing Machine has an expected MSRP of $299. As an added bonus, XYZprinting will feature new products from its XYZlife and XYZrobot lines. The XYZlife product line will feature the BC1, a long-term, continuous ECG monitor that integrates into consumers' clothing or as a wireless patch. The BC1 system provides users with seamless and accessible information to their body's data without time or place limitations. In addition, XYZprinting will unveil its new Humanoid Robot Line, Bolide, and its new smart life concept, the Smart Service Robot. Bolide is a unique DIY engineering learning kit designed to teach STEAM education in an engaging and entertaining fashion. XYZrobot's Smart Service Robot, with auto-navigation, mapping and surveillance, allows people to interact with others wirelessly and is accessible via Android systems to guide people from phones or tablets. Consumers purchasing a XYZprinting 3D printer will have the benefit and insurance of XYZprinting's one-year free warranty, upon online product registration. Useful tutorials available via YouTube, online and phone customer service, and free design galleries and 3D models for download at XYZprinting.com also provide a cohesive, consumer-friendly experience from purchase to print. Backed by its award-winning 3D printing product ecosystem, the XYZprinting brand has focused on widespread, cost-effective, and easy-to-use 3D printing adoption in the marketplace for 2015. XYZprinting products require no assembly or equipment adjustments, and provide a straightforward user experience. In the past year, XYZprinting has been recognized as the leader in the 3D printing industry, having been honored with awards such as TWICE's "Best Pick" award, Digital Trends' "Top Tech of CES" award, Reviewed.com's "CES Editor's Choice" award, PC Mag's "Best of CES" award, COMPUTEX Taipei 2015 "Best Choice" award and Tech & Learning Magazine's "Best of ISTE 2015" award. Its 3D printers have received widespread attention and reviews from the top media influencers in business and technology, including TechCrunch, Forbes, CNET, and VentureBeat. To learn more about XYZprinting at CES 2016 or to schedule a demo at the show, visit booth #72326 in the Sands Expo Convention Center, Halls A-C, in Las Vegas, January 6-9, 2016. About XYZprinting XYZprinting, a New Kinpo Group company, is dedicated to bringing cost-effective 3D printing to educators and classrooms, consumers and artists, small-to-midsized businesses, and households around the world. With proven industry expertise, XYZprinting has broken down the barriers of 3D printer ownership by providing an easy-to-use device that delivers an outstanding user experience, connected to a computer or via mobile. Its printers have won numerous other accolades within the 3D printing industry, at major industry events and with top publications. XYZprinting currently has offices in China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, the United States and Europe. To learn more, please visit http://us.xyzprinting.com. Contact: [email protected] About New Kinpo Group (NKG) New Kinpo Group, a corporation of several subsidiaries including Cal-Comp, XYZprinting, Kinpo Electronics and AcBel, is a global electronic manufacturing services (EMS) and original design manufacturing (ODM) company that offers its customers lower costs, faster delivery times and world-class product quality. The company's EMS business spans multiple product lines, including storage, printers, network-attached storage (NAS), wireless and broadband, digital home, consumer electronics, wearables, 3D printing, robotics, power management and smart grid, industrial, automotive, security, medical/healthcare and emerging technologies. New Kinpo Group's network of strategically located manufacturing sites have the added benefit of allowing customers to manufacture products closer to their end customers, resulting in dramatically reduced shipping costs, lower tariffs and more cost-effective inventory management. For more information, visit http://en.newkinpogroup.com/ SOURCE XYZprinting Related Links http://us.xyzprinting.comDoesn’t Rails generate gzipped assets on running rake assets:precompile? It did so, until Rails 4.2. What changed? Rails uses sprockets gem, for compiling and serving web assets. Before Sprockets 3 was introduced, rake assets:precompile generated.gz versions for all the assets. This change, seems backward, for several reasons Gzipping should always be enabled for static assets. It’s super charges serving of static content. Assets should be gzip’ed beforehand as part of the build process, rather than letting the webserver do it on the fly, saving on CPU cycles. Also, Nginx has the ability to serve static.gz files directly, by using the gzip_static on; directive. The reason for dropping this, was its incompatibility with Apache. Since Sprockets 3 dropped this feature, it means Rails had to loose it too. The Rails team, plans to bring it back as an opt-in. Nevertheless, what does one do in the meantime? Here are the options to generate Gzipped Assets with Rails namespace :assets do desc "Create.gz versions of assets" task :gzip => :environment do zip_types = /\.(?:css\|html\|js\|otf\|svg\|txt\|xml)$/ public_assets = File.join( Rails.root, "public", Rails.application.config.assets.prefix) Dir["#{public_assets}/*/"].each do \|f\| next unless f =~ zip_types mtime = File.mtime(f) gz_file = "#{f}.gz" next if File.exist?(gz_file) && File.mtime(gz_file) >= mtime File.open(gz_file, "wb") do \|dest\| gz = Zlib::GzipWriter.new(dest, Zlib::BEST_COMPRESSION) gz.mtime = mtime.to_i IO.copy_stream(open(f), gz) gz.close end File.utime(mtime, mtime, gz_file) end end # Hook into existing assets:precompile task Rake::Task["assets:precompile"].enhance do Rake::Task["assets:gzip"].invoke end end AdvertisementsIn his famous essay Keep Your Identity Small, Paul Graham argues that the reason arguments about religion, politics, and programming languages get so heated is that they’re parts of a person’s identity. It isn’t just about the merits of this or that policy or this or that programming language, it’s about who you are as a person. Therefore, he suggests, to be less stupid, avoid identifying as anything: be “a person who uses Lisp sometimes” rather than “a Lisp programmer.” I disagree. The problem is that, as Sarah Constantin writes: Dasein [identity] is what you do when you assert what it means to be human, what it means to be you, what it means to be a member of your community. Dasein is self-definition. And, in particular, self-definition with respect to a social context. Where do I fit in society? Who is my tribe? Who am I relative to other people? What’s my type? These are really basic psychological needs for a lot of people. As Sarah writes later, identity is about self-expression, self-definition, self-assertion. Of course, not everyone shares these needs: not everyone needs to know who they are and where they fit into the social fabric. There are a lot of different kinds of minds. But having a self-model, a sense of yourself, is a legitimate need for many people. Of course, if you have that need, and you try to eliminate your sense of identity, your brain isn’t just going to let you go about not having a basic psychological need filled. Probably you’re going to have an identity anyway, you’re just not going to be consciously aware that you have it. And that means you can’t take any steps to compensate for the ways your identity might be biasing you. You can’t take a step back and say “hey, I know I get emotional about programming languages because I identify as a Lisp programmer, so I should take a step back and deliberately notice the good parts of this other heathen programming language.” Instead, you just say “Lisp is the best language for all purposes! You should believe me because I don’t have an identity as a Lisp programmer so I’m objective!” It is always dangerous to have a self-image as being objective, because all too often one acquires the self-image before one acquires the objectivity. Of course, the criticisms Graham says still apply: if people’s identities are getting wrapped up in an argument, it’s really hard to have the argument in a remotely civil and enlightening way. So how do we minimize the harm of having an identity while still getting the benefits? Identify as things that aren’t based on empirical claims. If you identify as a libertarian, then you’re signing on to a bunch of empirical claims, like “the minimum wage is bad for poor people” and “environmental regulations cause more harm than good” and “police officers abuse people’s civil liberties.” If it turns out that actually police officers are totally nice to black people everywhere, this might be a threat to your identity as a libertarian, and then you’re going to have flamewars about the subject. Compare this to an identity as a baker. I am really having a hard time thinking of empirical claims related to being a baker. “Bread is yummy”? “It is a good use of one’s time to knead things”? “Being paleo is maybe a bad idea and maybe a reason for creativity in the use of gluten-free flours”? But “baker” serves all the same purposes of self-definition (you are a person who can make really delicious cakes) and understanding oneself within a social context (you are a person who feeds people such as Ozy delicious cake). A baker self-identity is free epistemically. Identify as things you want to preserve. Many effective altruists are concerned about values drift. They start out valuing altruism, become an investment banker so they can donate more money, and wind up valuing $300 sushi dinners and designer ties. Fortunately, identity tends to keep things fixed. That’s awful for facts– you want to be convinced by new evidence– but great for values– you want to keep your own values and not other people’s. Therefore, it can be useful to identify as an altruist, or an artist, or a family man, or an ambitious person, or a hedonist, or some other value you wish to preserve. There’s a failure mode here. It’s very easy to have an identity as a good person, and then when people threaten your identity as a good person you lash out at them in the same way that Lisp programmers lash out when people suggest Lisp isn’t the best programming language. This can lead to results even more disastrous than bad arguments about politics. So if you’re going to identify as a good person, it’s really really important that your definition of “good person” isn’t “a person who always does the right thing” but “a person who notices their mistakes and tries to fix them.” A similar concern applies to artists, family men, and so on: it’s important to make sure that your definition of artist is not “a person who makes great art” but “a person who values their art and puts a lot of effort into it.” Keep your identity large. Don’t just identify as a Lisp programmer. Identify as a poet, a mother, a Communist, a Jew, a weightlifter, an altruist, and a Lisp programmer. If the only identity you have is Lisp programmer, then it’s terrifying to think about not being a Lisp programmer. How will you know who you are? How can you relate to other people? On the other hand, if you have a lot of identities, you have something to fall back on. Even if you have to switch programming languages, your children still exist, you can still benchpress twice your body weight, you still light Shabbat candles, and you still spend an absurd amount of time explaining that your preferred economic system wouldn’t have any gulags at all not even a little bit and capitalism has killed more people than socialism anyway. Your sense of self in a social context remains secure. You can admit the flaws in Lisp or that prices are an elegant means of solving coordination problems, without threatening who you are as a person– because who you are as a person isn’t grounded in just one thing. AdvertisementsOliver Sachgau's medication for juvenile arthritis costs $1,800 a month. (Darren Calabrese for The Globe and Mail) A few minutes into my first high school gym class, my teacher pulled me aside to ask me if wanted to sit this one out. Earlier that year at age 14, I had been diagnosed with juvenile arthritis. I walked like I had two broken ankles. Every movement with my swollen joints was accompanied by pain, and, though I tried to hide it, twitches in my face gave away how I felt. I persisted, but by the time most of the kids had run the full 100 metres warm-up, I was still on my first 10. When I finally made it back, the other boys averted their eyes from the boy limping across the field. Nine years later, I can walk normally. I can even run. I might even be faster than you. The reason is a box of needles I keep in my fridge. The drug they contain, called Enbrel, effectively keeps my arthritis symptom-free. It also costs $1,800 a month. Until recently, I was covered under my family’s insurance plan. But now I’m struggling to get my drugs covered in any way. I’m not a unique case. Enbrel is part of a class of medication called biologics. For those who take them, biologics can perform miracles. But their high cost, which is rarely mitigated by medical coverage, has created a unique situation for thousands of Canadians who want, but can’t have, their life-altering medication. It’s affecting health plans, too. The most popular class of biologics, TNF-alpha drugs, which Enbrel falls into, are the most expensive drug class in all provinces and territories in Canada, except for Ontario, where they’re the second-most expensive. They cost Canada’s public health plans more than half a billion dollars in 2013, for about 30,000 beneficiaries. To compare, one class of cholesterol-reducing drugs, which rank in the top three for cost consistently across provinces, cost public-health plans just more than $300-million for about 2.2 million beneficiaries. That’s $200-million less, for about 73 times the number of beneficiaries. And while provincial governments, struggling to balance health care budgets, try to wrap their heads around how to cover these drugs, as well as cheaper quasi-generic versions on the horizon, people like me are left trying to figure out a system in flux, with our health tied to the outcome. The cost to develop a biologic can exceed $1-billion. (Darren Calabrese for The Globe and Mail) What are biologics? Biologics are a unique class of drugs. While most drugs are chemicals that are created using standard procedures – think test tubes, centrifuges and Bunsen burners – biologics are produced by bacteria or cells that have been reprogrammed to do our bidding. According to Leigh Revers, a senior lecturer in biotechnology at the University of Toronto, most drugs are chemically synthesized, meaning anybody with the right ingredients and equipment could make them, in theory. “You and I could go off, and we could literally start making aspirin in our backyard. We could make the same stuff … that you can find in a pill … very much like Breaking Bad,” he said. Because the drugs are simple molecules, we understand the process for creating those molecules, he said. Biologics, on the other hand, are not simple molecules. They have to be produced by living organisms, Revers said. A good example is insulin, considered to be the first biologic. It’s made by bacteria, implanted with a human gene. The bacteria effectively become little factories, churning out the insulin protein diabetics can use. Enbrel is part of a class of biologics called tumour necrosis factor alpha inhibitors. In simple terms, Enbrel is a human-made antibody. Just like we can make bacteria produce insulin, we can make them produce antibodies we’ve designed, Revers said. “You can introduce genetic information into certain cells, and those cells are then told how to make antibodies,” he said. These antibodies don’t exist in nature. They’re designed by scientists, like a kid building an imaginary creature out of Lego blocks. In my case, my body’s immune system is a little too eager, and it overproduces a signalling molecule called tumour necrosis factor alpha, or TNF-alpha. Enbrel contains a human-made antibody that connects to the TNF-alpha molecules and removes them. The inflammation goes away and I can walk again. It’s an elegant solution for a complicated disease and it exists for more diseases than arthritis. Biologics have uses in inflammatory bowel disease, skin conditions and breast cancer. The drugs have radically expanded treatment options for doctors, according to Dr. Edward Keystone, a professor for medicine at U of T, senior consultant of rheumatology at Mt. Sinai hospital. “It has revolutionized the treatment of these diseases,” he said. Arthritis is one of the diseases that has seen the largest impact by the introduction of biologics. Before they were introduced into the market, about 15 years ago, Keystone said there were about four conventional drugs to treat arthritis. If they didn’t help a patient, which Keystone estimates happened in about half of cases, there were very few treatment options left. Many of these patients were hospitalized frequently. “That’s a disaster, when you think about it,” he said. Hospitals would have beds dedicated to arthritis patients. When Keystone was a resident, the hospital he worked at had 40 of those beds. Today, he estimates there are, at most, six left in the entire city of Toronto. Oliver Sachgau was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis at age 14. The cost of a revolution The drugs aren’t cheap. Four doses of Enbrel, enough for a month, cost more than $23,000 a year. Remicade, another popular biologic, can cost anywhere from $1,300 to $2,500 for a single dose. The drugs are this expensive because they’re extraordinarily hard to create, says Dan Martinusen, a clinical pharmacy specialist at the Vancouver Island Health Authority. A non-biologic generic drug, for example a chemical clone of Advil, costs $1-million to develop. A biologic can cost more than $1-billion. This affects health plans. A report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information found that while public drug spending declined in many of the top drug classes in 2013, those savings were offset by increased spending on biologics. TNF-alpha inhibitors, such as Enbrel, accounted for the highest proportion of spending of all drug classes, with a fraction of the beneficiaries of other drugs. Ontario public health plans spent $201-million on TNF-alpha drugs in 2013, for about 10,700 beneficiaries. By comparison, the next-most-expensive drug class, HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, a type of cholesterol-lowering drug, had total spending of $179-million, for more than 1 million beneficiaries. The situation repeats itself in all Canadian provinces. In British Columbia, TNF-alpha drugs cost public health plans $130-million in 2013, with about 7,800 active beneficiaries. The next-most-expensive class of drugs, commonly used to treat schizophrenia, cost $41-million, with 87,000 beneficiaries. The report also estimated 22 per cent of drug spending was being done out of pocket. That’s the situation I might find myself in. When I graduated university and stopped being covered under my family’s health plan, I registered for the Ontario Trillium Drug Program. It covers the cost of drugs relative to household income. But for a drug to be covered, it needs to be listed in the Ontario Drug benefit formulary, where Enbrel is only approved for severe psoriasis. In a case such as mine, I can apply for exceptional access through my doctor. I did. I got turned down. Around mid-July of this year, I got a call from Enliven Services, a patient support program by Amgen, the company that makes Enbrel. They had just been informed that Trillium was not going to make an exception and cover my Enbrel. The reason Trillium gave was that I hadn’t exhausted all my treatment options. Though I had taken a drug called methotrexate before with no effect except for violent nausea, Trillium wanted me to try it again, this time in conjunction with another drug. If that didn’t work, I could re-apply for the exception. Since my Enbrel wouldn’t be covered, Amgen wanted to figure out my next steps. That I had been turned down at all was news to me. I hadn’t received a letter in the mail, or a call from my doctor. Until Enliven called me, I was under the impression my application was still making its way through the bureaucratic circles. I told Enliven I couldn’t afford the drug out of pocket. After paying for rent, student loan payments, food and living costs, I’m lucky if I can put a bit into savings. I could never come close to finding an extra $1,800 a month. Almost a decade after Sachgau's diagnosis, he found the drug – Enbrel, a biologic – that let him walk, even run, once again. A not quite generic alternative There is another possibility. The patents on many biologics have recently expired, or are about to. This means other companies can start creating generic versions that will presumably be cheaper, and more likely to be covered by health plans. These drugs are called biosimilars or subsequent entry biologics (SEB) and they’re starting a boom in the biologics pharmaceutical industry. Companies are springing up, especially in the United States, hoping to create cheaper versions of biologics already on the market. Even Amgen is reportedly getting into the biologic business, Revers said. There’s an important caveat here. SEBs are not called generics, because when it comes to biologics, there’s no such thing, Revers said. Replicating a biologic is not as simple as making aspirin. If you wanted to create an SEB for Enbrel, you would have to replicate the process Amgen uses, or find another one that produces identical results, which means implanting a gene into cells that will produce antibodies. The process is important here. If you wanted to make an exact copy, everything, especially the cells producing your drug, would have to be identical. “The cell lines that they use are doing the work, and we’re a lot less confident about people having the exact same cell lines,” Revers said. Even then, you would get something close, but not exactly identical to Enbrel. “Just because you have a bunch of grapes doesn’t mean you can make Château Lafite,” he said. For that reason, switching over a patient from a biologic to an SEB is not as easy as switching someone from Tylenol to a generic version, Keystone said. Because relatively few clinical studies have been done, there are still questions of whether human bodies might respond differently to SEBs. Until recently, Sachgau's drugs were covered under his family’s insurance plan. But now he's struggling to get them covered in any way. How do you regulate an SEB? This creates a problem for regulatory approval. If SEBs were generic, Health Canada can issue a certificate of equivalence, and the drug can be used in the same way as the original. But how do you approve something that’s kind of, but not exactly, generic? For a biosimilar to be used in Canada, the patent for the biologic has to first expire. That’s happened in one case in Canada, for the biologic called Remicade. Its SEB is called Infliximab, though Remicade has also been referred to under that name. The SEB then has to get approval from Health Canada, which has a new regulatory pathway dedicated to these drugs. In the pathway, Health Canada says SEBs are not generic from a regulatory standpoint, and can’t be switched with their biologic counterparts. Health Canada can also choose to approve SEBs differently from their original biologics, effectively treating them like new drugs altogether. Infliximab, for example, has not been approved for all the same conditions as Remicade. But these rules are still being figured out and might change. Revers said the rules might say no switching for now, but that arrangement will become “more casual” in the future. “The world is going to get complicated,” he said. But even if SEBs are prescribed to only those people who have never tried a biologic before, it might still bring down the price of all biologics, simply by having a more competitive playing field. But Martinusen said he expects the savings to be slim, in the range of 15 to 30 per cent. That’s not insignificant, but it still makes the drugs prohibitively expensive. On the other hand, health plans may start only covering the cost of the SEB, even if the biologic is the prescribed drug, Martinusen said. “You could see for many patients, that would press them to use the [SEB],” he said. A creeping deadline For me, what matters right now is getting access to my medication in the short-term. A week after I learned my Enbrel had been turned down for the Trillium Drug Benefit, my advisor at Enliven told me I had qualified for long-term bridging. That means because I’m young and had high prospects for full-time employment with benefits (I didn’t tell them how rare that is in journalism), Amgen will give me Enbrel for free for six months. After that, they’ll re-evaluate my employment situation. That’s where I’m at right now. My long-term bridging might get extended, but not indefinitely. If I want Trillium coverage, I’ll have to stop my Enbrel and experiment with two other medications first. Because I’ve already taken one of the two with no effect, the chances of them working are low. Even so, I’ll have to take them long enough to prove to the government they don’t work, which could take up to a year. In the meantime, provincial governments will keep figuring this out at a slow pace. But I know how painful a slow pace can be.The number of babies born addicted to the class of drugs that includes prescription painkillers has nearly tripled in the past decade, according to the first national study of its kind. About 3.4 of every 1,000 infants born in a hospital in 2009 suffered from a type of drug withdrawal commonly seen in the babies of pregnant women who abuse narcotic pain medications, the study says. It's published today in The Journal of the American Medical Association. That's about 13,539 infants a year, or one drug-addicted baby born every hour, says the study's lead author, Stephen Patrick, a fellow in neonatal-perinatal medicine at the University of Michigan. Treating drug-addicted newborns, most of whom are covered by the publicly financed Medicaid program, cost $720 million in 2009, the study says. The country has an obligation to help these newborns, who "have made no choices around drug abuse and addiction" and are "the most vulnerable and the most blameless" members of society, says Marie Hayes, a psychology professor at the University of Maine who was not involved in the study. Unlike in the 1980s and 1990s, when hospitals saw a surge in babies born addicted to crack cocaine, many newborns today arrive hooked on powerful prescription painkillers, such as Vicodin and Oxycontin, Patrick says. The type of withdrawal Patrick studied, called neonatal abstinence syndrome, produces different symptoms from those caused by cocaine. The syndrome also can be caused by illegal opiates, such as heroin, Patrick says, but this surge in addicted babies probably is explained by the national "epidemic" of prescription-drug abuse. The number of pregnant women who used or abused any kind of opiate increased fivefold from 2000 to 2009, his study found. These mothers now account for 5.6 out of 1,000 hospital births a year, the study found. The findings also were presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in Boston. "The prevalence of drug use among pregnant women hasn't changed since the early 2000s, but the types of drugs that women are using" are changing, says Andreea Creanga, a researcher with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Creanga noted that about 4.5% of pregnant women use illegal drugs. The CDC has flagged prescription-painkiller abuse
isele and Ronnie Walter Cunningham. The mission was a success, but none of the three astronauts ever flew again—reportedly as retaliation for some shenanigans during the flight (mission commander Schirra was suffering a head cold during the mission, and irritability from that coupled with stress over the importance of completing the mission safely led to some friction between Schirra and NASA management). Lunar Module Pilot Walt Cunningham moved on to a management role at NASA himself, overseeing the Skylab section of the Flight Crew Directorate. Cunningham was a major interviewee for "The Greatest Leap," our Apollo retrospective, and his insight and commentary on the program in general and the Apollo 1 fire in particular were invaluable to the project. We are proud to present his unredacted interview, chock-full of stories and space stuff that didn't quite make it into the main documentary. Listing image by NASAKorn members Brian “Head” Welch and James “Munky” Shaffer recently did a live interview with AP and revealed that they want to tour with “younger bands” like A Day To Remember and Of Mice & Men in the coming years. “I think rock music is evolving, but it’s hurting in some ways too,” said Welch. “So when some band comes out that’s exciting, everyone [gravitates to them]. So we try to keep up with [heavy music] like that.” Read more: President Barack Obama confirmed he is not the lead singer of Korn, in case you were wondering Both Welch and Shaffer go on to speak directly about Bring Me The Horizon, claiming that if their latest album came out 10 years ago, it would’ve been certified 5x Platinum by now. You can watch the entire interview below, with the talk of A Day To Remember, Of Mice & Men and Bring Me The Horizon around the 6:18 mark. Would you like to see Korn tour with any of those groups? Leave us a comment with your thoughts! Watch more: “Korn never went away”—Brian “Head” Welch talks new albumOnly 16 races into his first year with JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series, Elliott Sadler felt as if his No. 1 Chevrolet team already was meeting every expectation. “If you had a list of boxes you had to check for a season, especially for your sponsor, we feel like we have checked every box,” said Sadler, who is ranked second in points with 13 top 10s and a playoff-securing victory at Talladega Superspeedway. “It’s been a great season. We’ve won. We’ve been a part of the championship chase. We’re running good enough to be on TV and in contention to make something good happen every week. So from a competitive standpoint, it’s been awesome.” From a business standpoint, though, the news wasn’t so good. The night before the July 1 race at Daytona International Speedway, Sadler received a call that longtime primary sponsor OneMain wouldn’t return for 2017. For the Emporia, Virginia, driver, whose cars have carried the company’s colors for more than five years, the news came as a shocking blow – particularly given his results this season and JRM’s reputation as an Xfinity Series mainstay known for its innovative approach to digital platforms, such as its podcasting network. OneMain was sold last year by Citigroup to Springleaf Holdings, and it isn’t unusual for companies to abandon NASCAR sponsorships after management changes. Dollar General, which named a new CEO last year, announced earlier this season it would be leaving the Joe Gibbs Racing Sprint Cup ride of Matt Kenseth because of a shift in marketing priorities. OneMain didn’t respond immediately to a request for comment. “I think they want to go in a different direction than what racing is,” Sadler said. “They didn’t share a lot with me other than that part of it.” His team’s focus now shifts toward trying to win the inaugural Xfinity Series’ inaugural Chase for the Championship, which will begin in late September with Sadler firmly in the 12-driver field for the seven-race playoff. Sadler, who has been friends with JRM co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. for over two decades, dating back to their days of racing Late Models together, hopes a championship would shore up his prospects for staying put. The 41-year-old, who made his first Xfinity start in 1995, believes this season has shown he is competitive enough to keep racing. “The future is 100 percent uncertain with all this happening, but if I could get a blank sheet of paper and write down a wish list, it’d be to still race with JR Motorsports moving forward,” Sadler said. “It’s a great company, and off the track, they offer stuff no other team has with social media and digital consumption. Dale and I have been friends since we were teenagers, and that has made the season so special. “We kind of looked each other in the eyes last year and said, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to win races with each other?’ We’ve done that. That’s what made the phone call so hard to take, but I’ve got to look at the flip side of it. There’s so many positives going on with this year, it was definitely sad to get that phone call, but man, we’ve got unfinished business. We’ve got to do a lot of little things to get where we need to win the championship. But we’re close where we need to be.” In a statement, JR Motorsports co-owner Kelley Earnhardt Miller said the team wants to maintain three Chevys again next season. JRM also fields the No. 7 for Justin Allgaier and a No. 88 that is split between several drivers. “Obviously we were disappointed to hear that OneMain will end its longtime NASCAR presence but understand their reasons and respect their decision,” she said. “We’ve enjoyed their partnership – they’ve been nothing but class – and will continue to work hard to win a championship with our No. 1 team and Elliott Sadler. “As for JR Motorsports, our goal for 2017 is to continue to run three full-time teams in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Hopefully we can do that. This is a business, and sponsorship drives the business. We’re already working hard to secure the funding we need to race three teams. I like what JR Motorsports has to offer. We’re as competitive as we’ve ever been, and we deliver value far beyond the track.” That also has been a plus for Sadler, an affable driver whose knack as a corporate spokesman attuned to keeping sponsors satisfied has helped him race full-time in Xfinity since 2011 after a 1999-2010 stint in Sprint Cup. CitiFinancial initially backed an Xfinity car for Sadler at Robert Yates Racing in 2005, beginning a relationship that grew into his current sponsorship deal. OneMain has followed Sadler to five teams in the past six seasons. He held the sponsorship with Kevin Harvick Inc. in 2011, Richard Childress Racing in 2012, Joe Gibbs Racing in 2013-14 and Roush Fenway Racing last season. “It’s the way of the world sometimes,” Sadler said about the sponsor’s departure. “I’ve got so many calls and text messages from friends I’ve made over the years with OneMain that it’s pretty special to hear from everybody. But it was definitely hard when I was told of the news.” With Xfinity drivers increasingly needing to have sponsor ties in order to land rides, Sadler said there is urgency to post results that will attract new business partners. “The business model has definitely changed in our sport,” he said. “The drivers with the sponsors have a better chance of getting a full-time ride. We understand that. That’s what makes it so key to me these last 17 races. We have to run good and try to win races and end everything as good as we possibly can end it. We’ve got to go with a full head of steam here to November. “We want to win that championship. The news coming out to me kind of put it in perspective. We’ve got to show up ready to race each week to keep our name in the middle of it, so we’re going to do it.”Outside a middle school auditorium in Hudson, New Hampshire, Friday night several people stood together in the cold, focused intently on a cellphone video held by a young woman with a blue-and-white ‘Sanders 2016’ button pinned to her parka. They were looking at a commercial for their candidate, a 74-year-old socialist from Vermont, Bernie Sanders. And they were smiling because they felt the 60-second ad was about them. About people working, eating, worrying, gathering, smiling, simply living their lives in a land where change has come quickly and often with unsettling results. The commercial appeals to the heart and soul of who we really are, a people moved more by hope than hate. A nation where fear of the future is simply foreign to the fiber of the country but has now become part of our politics because we are told over and over by most running for president to be very afraid each day before we ever take to the street. A Simon and Garfunkel song is heard in the commercial. The song is ‘America’ and as they watched it on the woman’s cellphone they smiled, leaned forward, closer to the phone’s screen and began nodding their heads to the tune as a couple of them hummed along with the music. “Let us be lovers, we’ll marry our fortunes together “I’ve got some real estate here in my bag “Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike “They’ve all come to look for America “All come to look for America “All come to look for America “All come to look for America “All come to look for America Then the young woman put the phone in her parka pocket. A middle-aged man next to her said, “That makes me wanna’ cry.” “Me too,” a woman added. “I want to be happy about us again. I’m tired of the anger everybody has.” Inside the auditorium, Bernie Sanders was speaking to a standing-room-only crowd of several hundred. The political pros and many of the pundits claim that Sanders’s lead in New Hampshire comes from a home field advantage because he is from Vermont. Of course, they are wrong. Sanders’s has never wavered from his core beliefs across four decades. Now, the cross-currents of culture, politics, endless war, anxiety, frustration, a 2008 economic collapse of markets and confidence have swirled together to present Hillary Clinton with a ghost of 2008: a man, another man, whose time may have simply arrived…for the moment. Hudson, New Hampshire, is less than an hour’s drive from Boston. It straddles the border with Massachusetts and driving there takes you past Lowell, where a huge concrete building sits at the intersection of Routes 495 and 3. A little more than a decade ago—a snap of the finger when measured by history’s clock—Lowell was world headquarters of Wang Labs, one of the leading manufacturers of word processors. And a huge local employer too. It’s now a distant memory, out of business for nearly two decades. It represents the loss of one small item, one company, in the hollowing out of the American middle class. That phrase—middle class—can’t even be accurately defined today by most of those running for president. Today we seem to measure progress and promise by the emergence, popularity, and reliance on the Internet for almost everything. It saves time, increases production, cuts costs, increases access to information. We have Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Google, My Space, Pinterest, Facebook, SnapChat and oh so much more. We also have growing numbers of families living paycheck to paycheck. Corporations placing a higher priority on shareholders than workers. Layoffs, buyouts, and dismissals occurring in order to get a bump in the company’s stock price. All of this in a country where in at least one major city, Flint, Michigan, the government can’t even provide its citizens with one of the most basic elements of all: a glass of clean drinking water. And that, Flint, is an old story, a tale of demographics, of class, race, and people with no clout whose phone calls are ignored when the complaint is about schools, drugs on the corner, no Little League field, minimal trash collection, gunfire on the block or, pathetically, poisoned drinking water. These are people who have no PAC and exist in a political system where money is swallowed whole by candidates at every level making the poor and the marginalized seem invisible. Hillary Clinton is a determined, focused, competent candidate of intelligence and accomplishment. But there is a wariness people seem to have about her and an emotional distance she creates, no doubt unintentionally, between her and the voters she needs to get where she’s always wanted to go. So it’s Bernie Sanders, at 74, voice carrying just an edge of anger, hands used as an exclamation point on sentences he’s been streaming for years, who is attracting crowds filled with energy and emotion. There is very little curiosity among those who were in the auditorium Friday night, only commitment to a cause. That’s not an endorsement—merely eyesight and observation. And when the rally ended, people pushed out into the cold night, some holding hands, some others holding children, all of them holding a stake in what happens in New Hampshire in two weeks. Then they were off in the night, counting the cars on the Everett Turnpike after they came to look for America and saw Bernie Sanders.Babies can be a drag. Their utter helplessness and disappointing lack of communication skills often leave new parents sleep-deprived and playing frantic guessing games amid ear-piercing cries (mostly from the baby). Such exhausting pains of parenthood should be enough to deter any unprepared teen from getting frisky too early—or so the makers of an infant simulator called “Baby Think It Over” seemed to think. But those makers may have their own reconsidering to do. The life-like dolls are needy and a bit creepy to boot, but completely lousy at deterring teens from getting pregnant, according to the first randomized, controlled trial on the popular sex education tool. In fact, the study, involving more than 2,800 Australian girls between the ages of 13 and 15, actually hinted that the dolls may increase the risk of teen pregnancy. Of the 1,267 teens that had to care for, burp, change, and feed the robot babies over a weekend, 17 percent (or 210 girls) had at least one pregnancy by the age of 20. That’s a slight jump from the pregnancy rate of the 1,567 girls in the control group who received a standard school curriculum on sex education and parenting. Their pregnancy rate was just 11 percent (or 168 girls). Whether that increased pregnancy rate would bear out in larger trials is unclear, but one thing is pretty plain: the bot babies certainly didn’t lower teen pregnancies, as maker RealityWorks, based in Wisconsin, suggests. The study results should prompt a rethink by educators and health professional because the droid infants are currently used widely in schools, churches, and community groups in 89 nations—mostly high-income ones, but also low- and middle-income. RealityWorks claims that 67 percent of US school districts use the high-tech dolls. “Despite the theoretical rationale for possible effectiveness, the claims of the company, and benefits cited in descriptive studies, our results suggest that the use of infant simulators in schools does not have the desired long-term effect of reducing teenage pregnancy, and is likely to be an ineffective use of public resources aimed at pregnancy prevention,” the study authors, led by researchers at the University of Western Australia, concluded. They reported their data and analysis August 25 in The Lancet. Their study isn’t the first to suggest that the robots may not be effective at curbing teen pregnancy. Several smaller-scale studies also failed to find positive effects. One that looked at short-term outcomes in just 109 girls found that some teenagers enjoyed taking care of the newborn simulators and the experience increased their interest in becoming a teen parent. The wireless robots are programmed to have the same needs as a 6-week-old infant, requiring frequent feedings, changing, and comforting at all hours. They cry loudly when they need something and coo when content. The simulators also track the quality of their care, such as if they were left in their car seats too long or shaken violently. Some teens tried to mute the babies or switch them off, while others had fun. Critics worry that the crash course in raising a droid may actually teach coping skills to teens already at risk of becoming early parents. In yet another small study, some girls said they expected that caring for a real infant would be easier than caring for their robot because human babies are much cuter and eventually interact with their caretakers. The Lancet, 2016. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(16)30384-1 (About DOIs).What is picoCTF? picoCTF is a free computer security game targeted at middle and high school students. The game consists of a series of challenges centered around a unique storyline where participants must reverse engineer, break, hack, decrypt, or do whatever it takes to solve the challenge. The challenges are all set up with the intent of being hacked, making it an excellent, legal way to get hands-on experience. The 2018 competition was held between September 28, 2018 and October 12, 2018. Winners will be determined soon, pending verification of eligibility per the competition rules. Please wait for our announcement. Though the competition has ended for 2018, anyone 13 and older can play year-round for fun or learning. If you are a teacher or employer, help us spread the word about picoCTF to more people.As the Ottawa Senators reach the quarter mark of the season, there is plenty of work to be done. For the most part, Professor Guy Boucher is receiving strong efforts from his pupils. While several sport impressive grades, many leave plenty of room for improvement. Let's see who's making the grade. Overall Team C+ Who are the real Senators? The team that went 5-1-4 in their first ten outings or the one currently mired in a four-game winless streak, 3-5-2 in their past ten starts. Top-ten league-wide power play and penalty kill units through October are now 22nd and 20th-ranked respectively. Slightly over a week ago, the Senators were among the NHL's five highest scoring teams. Five goals in the past four games have seen them fall to tenth and their record drop to 8-6-6 overall. In the midst of playing 10 of 11 games away from home, the Senators will have to right the ship in short order. Coach B- Guy Boucher is one of the hardest working and studious coaches in the league. However, whatever buttons the Senators coach pushed in the first ten games no longer worked as well in the past ten. Injuries caused Boucher to put his lines in a blender. But the preference of icing a roster of 11 forwards and seven defenseman on many nights removed flow from the lines and back end. It doesn't help that Boucher's power play and penalty kill units are both slumping. The Senators are 0 for 14 on the PP the past four games, while the PK has allowed 10 goals on their opposition's last 29 opportunities. The Senators went through two four-game and one five-game winless droughts last season, and are going through their first losing streak in the 2017-18 campaign. Boucher's first order should be to find a way to get his special teams back on track. General Manager A Since being named GM April 10, 2016, Pierre Dorion made it a priority to acquire a top-six forward. It took longer than most fans wished. However, Dorion held up his end of the bargain by winning the Matt Duchene Sweepstakes after it became clear potential UFA Kyle Turris wasn't going to re-sign on the GM's terms. So Dorion made his best play possible. The off-season free agent signing of Nate Thompson is also paying dividends. The centre is one of the Senators top penalty killers and is one of the NHL's best faceoff men. Forwards Mark Stone A+ Awarded a letter in the preseason, Stone has a near perfect mark. The 25-year old ranks fourth league-wide in goals (13), all at even strength. His plus/minus rating of plus-13 is tied for sixth in the NHL. Stone is currently streaking, picking up eight goals and four assists in the Senators' past nine games. A restricted free agent at season's end, the Selke Trophy candidate is in line for a large raise. Derick Brassard A Brassard had a hard time transitioning from New York City last season. Six weeks into his second year with the Sens, the Ottawa resident already has six goals and 16 points. Bear in mind, Brassard didn't net his sixth marker until his 32nd game in 2016-17, and is almost halfway to his 39-point total. The 30-year old may be the Senators' most improved performer. Mike Hoffman A- Hoffman is averaging one point-per-game through his past 12 outings, (4 goals, 8 assists}. He leads all Senators with 71 shots on goal, and could have more than seven goals, if it were for any luck. The winger has a penchant for hitting goal posts. Jean-Gabriel Pageau B Despite recording 31 shots in 20 games, Pageau has only two goals to show for his effort. However, the 25-year old centre is often called upon to line up against the opposition's top line. This he does well. Pageau's 22.45 average shift total per game ranks third among his Senators' peers. Bobby Ryan B- Ryan is still finding his way after missing eight games with a broken right finger. Since returning to the team four games ago, the 30-year old is playing alongside newcomer Matt Duchene. While goals haven't come, it's not for lack of effort. However, without a goal on the season, Ryan's confidence level may start to wane. Nate Thompson B- GM Pierre Dorion brought Thompson to Ottawa from Anaheim upon Boucher's recommendation. The 33-year old is one of the team's best penalty killers. Thompson's 60 per cent success rate on faceoffs is second league-wide when shorthanded. Ryan Dzingel C+ Signed in the off-season to a two-year deal, Dzingel is on pace for 20-plus goals. With injuries to Ryan and, presently Zack Smith, the 25-year old filled in capably among top-six forwards Tom Pyatt C+ With three goals, 10 points, Pyatt is on pace to surpass career highs this season. Never one to shy away, the second-year Senator is tied for no.1 among NHL forwards, averaging 1.4 blocked shots per game. Alex Burrows C - The 36-year old reached the 200-goal and 400-point plateau early this season. While Burrows hasn't played the agitator role that fans were accustomed to with the Canucks, the left winger has become a mentor for younger players. Zack Smith C- Smith's season is difficult to grade. The winger missed eight games and counting with two separate injuries, and will be out at least one more week. While Smith hasn't scored in 25 games dating back to last season, he is the ultimate complimentary player, more than capable of filling any role tasked to him. Matt Duchene - Incomplete Duchene has nary a point since being acquired from the Avalanche. It's more bad luck than anything. The centre has 24 shots on goal in six games with the Senators. It's only a matter of time before the Haliburton, ON resident heats up. Nick Paul - Incomplete Paul hoped to open the campaign with the Senators. However, he suffered an injury during fitness testing on the first day of training camp. The rangy winger is getting a look-see at the moment. It's unknown where Paul goes from here. Defense Erik Karlsson A The team captain missed the Senators' first five games recovering from off-season foot surgery and didn't skip a beat upon his return. Despite playing only 15 games, Karlsson is currently tied for tops among NHL defenseman in assists (16). The 27-year old already recorded six multi-point games early in the season. While Karlsson trailblazes offensively, defensively he's not playing at quite the levels fans are used to seeing. However, with more reps and treatment through the season, the two-time Norris Trophy winner should return to all-star form on the defensive side of his game. Dion Phaneuf B- The former Maple Leafs captain continues to be a class act with the Senators, especially off the ice. The soft-spoken 32-year old acts as a mentor to his fellow d-men and is looked upon as a key leader within the room. With nine points, (3 goals, 6 assists) in 20 games, Phaneuf still adds a touch of offense and has a heavy shot. Boucher recognizes Phaneuf is more valuable when playing slightly fewer minutes. The coach reduced the veteran's ice time from 23 minutes per game last season to a more user-friendly 20 this season. Mark Borowiecki B- Signed to a two-year contract extension earlier this season, the rugged d-man is currently out of the lineup after suffering a concussion Sunday in New York. The 28-year old's contributions do not show up in point totals, although his two goals are a career high. "Boro" is a heart and soul player who will literally skate through a wall for his teammates. Fredrik Claesson B- Claesson never looks out of place wherever he's slotted among defenseman pairings. A modicum of consistency, the Swede scored a goal in front of family and friends in Stockholm, his off-season home. Chris Wideman C+ Averaging 11:13 time-on-ice per game, the defenseman's positive 53 per cent Corsi rating five-on-five is second only to Karlsson. However, the blue-liner's season has likely come to a sudden end after tearing his right hamstring a week ago versus the Penguins. With a glut of young blue-liners in the system, the pending UFA may have played his final game in a Senators uniform. Cody Ceci C The young defenseman recently played his 300th game. Ceci's 22 minutes time-on-ice per game is second on the Senators. Turning 24 December 21, the Ottawa native is still attempting to find his way in the NHL. A restricted free agent in the off-season, Ceci's contract status will be an interesting situation to follow. Johnny Oduya C Two of Oduya's four points came on the Senators recent Stockholm trip. The veteran of 815 NHL games is on the down-slope of his career. The 36-year old is averaging a career low of 17:31 ice-time per game. Thomas Chabot - Incomplete The 20 year-old was recalled for his second go-round this season after Borowiecki's injury. Chabot played 15:36 in Wednesday's loss to the Capitals, the most in his five-game NHL career. The youngster has three assists in his four games this season. Expect Chabot to quarterback the power play with Karlsson for many years to come. Goaltending Craig Anderson B- Despite allowing four or more goals in seven of 15 starts, Anderson holds a 7-6-3 record. His 2.93 Goals Against Average and.896 Save Percentage are below norms for the Senators No.1 goalie. Good news, Anderson is quite capable of reaching a higher grade sooner than later. Mike Condon - C With only five starts this season, Condon is yet to find his groove and showed some rink rust at crucial times. The second-year Senator's 1-0-3 record includes two shootout losses.Oklahoma scientists using drones to help improve tornado warning times Updated Sorry, this video has expired Video: US scientists testing drones to help predict severe weather events (ABC News) The sight and sound of a three-kilometre wide tornado bearing down on him is something James Grimsley will never forget. "It is almost mesmerising... the amount of energy that it possesses is incredible," he said. "It is an evil sound... just an evil sound like a shriek." He survived the tornado, but his ute ended up mangled in a tree. Residents of Oklahoma and other states in America's tornado alley currently have warning times of about 10 minutes to prepare their escape or to take shelter. Dr Grimsley, from the University of Oklahoma, hopes drones can increase that warning time substantially. "There are still things we do not fully understand but we are getting better in our ability to track where [tornadoes] go," he said. "The biggest problem we have now is there are lots of parts of the atmosphere we do not understand, atmospheric phenomena that we are unable to measure. "A lot of times it is dangerous to use manned aircraft. We do not want to put a helicopter in a certain situation... we do not want them too close to the tornado because it is too dangerous or not practical. "At some point we want to use small unmanned aerial vehicles that are expendable, to get into regions of the atmosphere to look at these phenomena." Dr Grimsley, along with colleagues from Oklahoma State University as well as the US National Weather Centre, is working with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at a dedicated drone field near Stillwater, Oklahoma. The "off the shelf" drones are inexpensive, foam, radio-controlled airplanes that are flown using laptop operated autopilots. From the air, the drones can send back images from front and wingtip mounted cameras as well as infrared vision and other monitoring. When the ABC visited, the airfield was fogged in and the temperature was around freezing. The wings of the drone were icing over and the front camera was getting too wet to provide clear vision. It was "perfect weather" for experimenting with their equipment. "We have not got this data point yet," said a grinning Professor Jamey Jacobs from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Oklahoma State University. In this part of the world they call bushfires wildfires and these scientists want to make a drone that a volunteer fire fighter in rural Oklahoma can put in the sky and monitor with a mobile phone or tablet. "We do not know how these vehicles will operate, how well they communicate with the ground control station, how well the pilot in command will be able to control it under all these different scenarios," Professor Jacobs said. "So one of the things we are studying is how the vehicles and the crew react under different conditions." And the drones have to be cheap to build and operate. "The idea is to try to find something that is relatively inexpensive. Most of our fire departments are volunteer," Professor Jacobs said. "They do not have the money to spend on $100,000 worth of equipment, so they need something relatively inexpensive that is still going to be very robust." While the bushfire season is some time away, Oklahoma's tornado season begins in a few weeks and this team of scientists hope to have as many of their drones in the skies as they can. ABC News Online international correspondent Mark Corcoran leads an ABC research project on news-gathering applications of drone technology. In this introductory report, he examined the concept of media deploying drones to cover conflict, civil unrest and disasters: Topics: phenomena, weather, science-and-technology, united-states First postedFour years ago, I became an anarchist, and I’ve never looked back. My political philosophy now runs through my veins. But this wasn’t always the case. I used to be a young, apathetic conservative. Then, I was introduced to libertarianism, which slowly turned me into an anarchist. This might sound crazy, but I assure you, it’s quite reasonable, and many people share my same story. It all started in 2007. I was casually aware of politics at the time. My parents were conservative, so I was conservative. Youtube was still relatively new, and I remember one day stumbling across a video of Ron Paul. I was immediately intrigued. Here was this funny old man saying the opposite of his fellow Republicans on stage, and he called himself a “Constitutional conservative”. This sounded appealing. He would say all these fascinating things I’d never heard before, and the more videos I watched, the more excited I became. After only a few weeks, I was fully on-board with the platform of this Ron Paul guy. Little did I know this resonance with a political philosophy would change my life. If you know anything about Ron Paul, you know he’s an exception to the rule. He was a politician, yes, but only in title. Politicians are (rightly) known as slimy, spineless, unprincipled folk whose political ambition overrules any shred of integrity they possess. Ron is the opposite. He defies the oxymoron “principled politician”. He’s been called the one exception to the gang of 535. And it shows when he talks. He doesn’t appeal to rhetorical flourishes or woo the crowd with empty platitudes. He really believes what he says and speaks out of conviction, something nonexistent among politicians. But to me, ultimately, Ron Paul is a charming, principled nerd. He’s an extremely well-educated man in every area of political thought, especially Economics. He puts philosophic ideas above politics or elections. In fact, he used his presidential campaigns as educational platforms. Ron didn’t think he could win, but he knew more people would discover the power of free-market ideas if he ran for president. But as he would tell you, Ron Paul’s ideas are more important than his person. Millions of people were swayed by the philosophy of freedom, not just his charming personality. The core principles of limited government resonated through all political upbringings, whether you identified as a liberal, conservative, or were apathetic. Given my conservative ideology, I knew that lots of people gave lip service to the Constitution, but rarely did they defend it consistently. They supported military intervention overseas, but balked at the idea of requiring Congress to formally declare war. They complained about the Department of Education, but would only support gentle budget cuts, at most. Ron said what conservatives were too afraid to say: get the government out of education altogether. We don’t need a 10% budget reduction; we need to abolish the whole department! Conservatives say they support individual responsibility and don’t want a nanny-state. Then how can they support the War on Drugs? If an adult decides to peacefully smoke pot in his basement, and not hurt anybody, we don’t need a nanny-state micro-manage his life and throw him in jail. Conservatives supposedly want you to be free to make bad decisions, as long as you pay the consequences for them. Probably the most controversial position Ron held was on the US military. He thought, as old-school conservatives did, that we should be extremely cautious before intervening in foreign affairs. He also thought the Pentagon wasn’t infallible; they are prone to the same egregious waste and mismanagement as the Department of Education. This ruffled a lot of feathers. It shouldn’t have. Ron simply applied the same principles across the whole spectrum of government. He was consistent, and he kept coming back to the following principle: what is the proper role of government? Before we argue about cutting 10% of the Department of Education’s budget, shouldn’t we discuss whether or not it should exist in the first place? Is it appropriate, or even Constitutional, for the Executive Branch to send troops into foreign counties for an extended amount of time without Congressional declaration? Before we nibble around the edges of government spending, we need to talk about what government should do in the first place. To me, he was precisely correct, but it revealed an unsavory truth: Republicans and Democrats aren’t so different from each other. One party might want to raise spending 5%; the other might want to cut spending 5%, but both favor the status quo and support big government in their respective areas. Liberals and conservatives are like two sides of the same coin. Constitutional conservatism, I thought, represented a real alternative. But my journey didn’t stop there, because Ron implanted a little seed in my head. When he spoke, he often mentioned the “Austrian School of Economics”. I never heard of it, but eventually, I decided to Google around. What I discovered changed my life. I came across the Mises Institute, which had a number of free books and lectures online about Austrian Economics. I was immediately enamored. The explanatory power of Economics was breathtaking. After diving into the literature, I didn’t simply believe government was inefficient, I understood why. This had an enormous impact on my political philosophy, and it started my transition to radical libertarianism. I now believe it’s impossible to have a clear understanding about how the world works without Economics. The coordination of prices, profits, and losses in a market is awe-inspiring. No exaggeration – it is almost miraculous. I will write extensively about this at a later time. But suffice to say, Economics became a pillar around which I would develop my other political beliefs. The further I learned – the further I went down the rabbit hole of Austrian Economics – the more “radical” I became. Not only was government inefficient at delivering mail, but they were inefficient everywhere they intervened. The same economic principles apply to the Post Office as apply to the Patent Office. Of course, this wasn’t radicalism for the sake of radicalism, it was just consistency. And if you apply economic principles consistently across the board, you are left with a very grim perspective of government. However, I was no anarchist. I firmly believed in small-government libertarianism. Markets could handle everything except a few core services: the courts, military, and police. Of course, this would be considered wildly limited government compared to today’s standards. My first interaction with an anarchist, ironically enough, was as an intern in Ron Paul’s congressional office. I was given the opportunity to be his intern in DC for a semester, and one of his staffers considered himself an anarchist. He was a nice guy, but I didn’t take his ideas too seriously. But that changed in the summer of 2010. I was fortunate enough to attend a conference for students at the Mises Institute – the organization I held in such high regard. The conference was called “Mises University”, and it would be a week long, focusing solely on Austrian Economics. I was elated, and it turned out to be one of the most intellectually stimulating weeks of my life. I was surrounded with the smartest peers I’ve ever met. A few lectures hinted at the possibility of complete statelessness – the idea that private entrepreneurs could better provide all the services of government, including courts, military, and police. Supposedly, for the same reasons we don’t want government to monopolize the production of
Nye the Science Guy, but I'm looking at you.) We say goodbye to Titanic, Unbreakable, Driving Miss Daisy, The Fifth Element, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, and more, and in their place, we get The Hurt Locker, Reading Rainbow volume 1, and Girl Meets World season 1. That's not a random selection of three new additions; those are the best new things not made by Netflix that will be added to the service this month. With hundreds of films quietly being removed at random, Netflix's selection of streaming content is losing its shimmer. Perhaps licensing and serving content is no longer the company's main focus. This week, the episodic prequel to Wet Hot American Summer will be available on Netflix, and Narcos will release in late August. Both are produced by Netflix for Netflix. Take a look: the company's production slate is in fast-forward. Here's the full list of arrivals and departures: Available August 1st Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein (1999) Asylum (2005) Back in Time/ Cong Cong Na Nian (2014) Beneath the Helmet (2014) Breakup Buddies/ Xin Hau Lu Fang (2014) Bride and Prejudice (2004) Casting By (2012) Dancing on the Edge: Season 1 Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood: Season 2 Dear Frankie (2004) Dogs on the Inside (2014) Electric Slide (2014) Enemy at the Gates (2001) Flex is Kings (2013) Lost and Love/ Shi Gu (2015) Masha and the Bear: Season 1 November Rule (2015) Odd Squad: Season 1 Outcast (2014) Pants on Fire (2014) Reading Rainbow: Volume 1 Russell Brand: End the Drugs War (2014) Russell Brand: From Addiction to Recovery (2012) Somewhere Only We Know/You yi ge di fang zhi you wo men zhi dao (2015) Sorority Row (2009) The Code: Season 1 The Golden Era/Huang Jin Shi Dai (2014) The Hurt Locker (2008) The Living (2014) The Mind of a Chef: Season 3 Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns (2008) Utopia: Season 1. Vexed: Season 1-2 War (2007) Wing Commander (1999) Available Aug. 3 Chronic-Con, Episode 420: A New Dope (2015) Available August 4th Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead (2015) Available August 5th Yellowbird (2014) Available August 6th Kill Me Three Times (2014) My Amityville Horror (2012) The Look of Love (2013) Welcome to Me (2014) Available August 7th Club de Cuervos: Season 1 Motivation 2: The Chris Cole Story (2015) Project Mc2 (2015) Transporter: The Series: Season 2 Available August 8th Doctor Who: Season 8 Available August 11th Fred: The Movie (2010) Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred (2011) Fred 3: Camp Fred (2012) Two Days, One Night (2014) Available August 12th For a Good Time, Call... (2012) Leap Year (2010) The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death (2014) Available Aug. 14 DinoTrux Ever After High Way too Wonderland (Season 3) Ship of Theseus (2012) Available August 15th Alex of Venice (2014) Available August 16th Being Flynn (2012) Pariah (2011) Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012) Available August 17th Lord of War (2005) Available August 19th Jerk Theory (2009) Real Husbands of Hollywood: Season 3 Available August 20th 30 for 30: Angry Sky (2015) As Cool As I Am (2013) Strange Empire: Season 1 Available August 21st Grantham & Rose (2014) Transcend (2014) Available Aug. 23 Girl Meets World: Season 1 Available August 27th Byzantium (2012) White God (2014) Available August 28th Inspector Gadget: Season 2 Narcos: Season 1 Once Upon a Time: Season 4 Revenge: Season 4 Available August 29th Ride (2015) Available August 30th Muffin Top: A Love Story (2014) And here are the currently-available movies and series leaving soon: Leaving August 1st Bad Girl Island (2007) Barbershop (2002) Beauty Shop (2005) Bulletproof (1996) Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) Digimon Adventure: Season 1-3 Driving Miss Daisy (1989) Face/Off (1997) Fools Rush In (1997) Gangsters: Faces of the Underworld: Season 1 Hawking (2013) Hot Pursuit (1987) Houseboat (1958) Inside Fendi Joe Dirt (2001) Kiss the Girls (1997) Pumping Iron (1977) The Pitch: Season 1 Shooter (2007) The Fifth Element (1997) The Longest Day (1962) Titanic (1997) Unbreakable (2000) Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961) We're No Angels (1989) Leaving August 6th The Raven (2012) Leaving August 8th Albert Nobbs (2011) Explorers: Adventures of the Century: Season 1 & 2 Leaving August 15th Family Ties: Season 1-7 Immortalized: Season 1 The Forsyte Saga: Series 1-2 Leaving August 23rd Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011) Leaving August 24th My Fair Wedding: Season 5 Leaving August 25th Petunia (2012) Leaving August 27th LEGO Atlantis (2010) LEGO: Hero Factory: Breakout (2012) LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu: King of Shadows (2011) LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu: Way of the Ninja (2011) The Moth Diaries (2011) Leaving August 31st Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends: Season 1-3As deaths from powerful painkillers continue to rise, Canada is pursuing unprecedented measures to curb their use, including requiring cigarette-style warning stickers on every prescription, Health Minister Jane Philpott told Reuters. Next month Health Canada plans to publish a detailed proposal for the stickers, which Philpott said would warn that opioid painkillers can cause addiction and overdose. In March, an advisory panel is set to consider a second measure, revising the official label definition of how opioids should - and should not - be used, officials said. Any revision would affect marketing efforts by manufacturers, including privately held Purdue Pharma and Pharmascience, as well as publicly traded Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries, Mallinckrodt Plc, Novartis's Sandoz and Johnson & Johnson's Janssen Pharma. Warning stickers would be a first and could serve as an example. The measures would follow other strategies that failed to stem addiction and death involving prescription opioids, such as OxyContin and Hydromorph Contin, as well as illicit ones, including heroin and powerful fentanyl smuggled from China. Fatal overdoses have increased across Canada, mirroring the much larger epidemic in the United States. In Ontario, the most populous province, prescription opioid deaths rose 40 percent in six years; in the western province of Saskatchewan, they more than doubled since 2010. An influx of illicit variations of fentanyl fueled an 80 percent increase in deaths last year in British Columbia to a record 914. Philpott has called the opioid epidemic the nation's greatest public health crisis and pledged to use every tool at her disposal to fix it. "We're concerned when opioid prescriptions are on the increase," she told Reuters. "We need to understand what's behind that and make wise recommendations." Drug companies have said they support measures to increase patient safety. Several companies and industry groups declined to comment until the government lays the new proposals. Some doctors and public health experts who have long clamored for safeguards said the new measures may be too little, too late. "Stickers may have been helpful in 2006, 2007," said Edmonton, Alberta, addiction doctor Hakique Virani. "But when we've created this huge demand for opioids that is now being met by powder from China, and you can traffic a million doses of that stuff in a 10-gram greeting card envelope, I'm sorry, but stickers on pill bottles is not going to solve this problem." Philpott said she recognizes the challenge. "You don't want to drive people to use even more harmful street drugs and illicit substances," Philpott said. "So it needs to be done with a tremendous amount of wisdom and thoughtfulness, and we are certainly consulting widely to make sure we don't have any unintended consequences from our actions." "RE-CENTERING THE PENDULUM" Officials declined to provide a timetable. Health Canada plans to put the warning sticker proposal to focus groups and gather public comment before Philpott makes a decision. Philpott envisions stickers similar to those pharmacists put on pill bottles reminding patients to take a medication with food. In addition to warning of the risks, she said, they would advise patients where to get more information and help if needed. Rewriting label definitions of evidence-supported opioid use would change how drug companies sell opioids in Canada, an $881-million-a-year market. Doctors are allowed to prescribe "off-label," tailoring prescriptions to patients' individual needs. But pharmaceutical companies must follow the labels' language in all marketing, including advertisements and sales calls on physicians. In an email, spokesman Grant Perry said OxyContin and Hydromorph Contin maker Purdue "supports providing the most relevant and up to date information" to doctors and patients, as well as evidence-based updates. Representatives for Mallinckrodt, Teva and Sandoz did not respond to Reuters' queries. Pharmascience representatives did not return calls or emails. Spokeswoman Jennifer McCormack said in an email Janssen would "continue to work with Health Canada to help ensure the safe and appropriate use" of prescription opioids and it was "important to carefully balance anti-abuse efforts" with patient needs. In an effort to address Canada's drug problem, health officials made it more difficult to obtain OxyContin after Purdue introduced a tamper-resistant formulation of the drug in 2012. But physicians and addicts switched to different drugs. Illegal fentanyl flooded Canada's streets, and doctors began prescribing more Hydromorph Contin, which has eclipsed oxycodone and fentanyl as the most commonly prescribed opioid in Ontario, B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Quebec. Canadian and U.S. public health advocates have campaigned unsuccessfully to restrict the long-term use of any opioid for non-cancer pain. "The best available evidence does not support their use for treatment of chronic pain," said David Juurlink, an addiction specialist at Toronto's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released non-binding guidelines last year cautioning against the use of long-acting opioids as first-line treatment for chronic pain and urging low initial doses and discontinuation as soon as possible. Supriya Sharma, Chief Medical Advisor at Health Canada, said it's too soon to say whether the agency's changes would be that sweeping. "They can be that specific, and they can be much broader," she said in an interview. With prescriptions and deaths rising, Sharma said, "We're trying to re-center that pendulum."Mumbai: Mumbai police is mulling over a proposal sent by the office of RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani to set up a police chowki at his sprawling residential building 'Antilia' in Altamount Road in Mumbai. The proposal comes in the wake of a letter purportedly by terrorist outfit Indian Mujahideen in February this year threatening to harm Ambani and damage his residence Antilia for "supporting Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and investing heavily in that state". "We have received a letter from the office of Mukesh Ambani and are thinking over it. However, there would be few formalities to be complied with and we are mulling over the issue," said Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone II Nisar Tamboli. The police would also have to seek permission from the civic body to set up a police chowki at the 27-storeyed building in South Mumbai. If enough FSI is not available, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation would have to give additional FSI for this purpose, sources said. Police have already approached the BMC for permission to set up the chowki. Sources in the Civic body confirmed that the police chief had written a letter to them seeking approval for the station at Antilia. According to police, the proposed chowki would be for the entire area encompassing Altamount Road and not just Ambani's residence. Police bandobast has already been provided at that place but there is no room to house the policemen. During rains, policemen have no roof where they can seek shelter and also they have to go to nearby areas to go use a washroom. These difficulties would be overcome with the setting up of the chowki, sources said. Following the threat letter received by Ambani's office, police security in and around Antilia has been tightened. The letter was not on IM letter head and was also not signed by any IM office bearer. Crime branch probe is still on to find out who had sent the letter. PTI Firstpost is now on WhatsApp. For the latest analysis, commentary and news updates, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Firstpost.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button.Story Highlights Barack Obama averaged 41.5% approval during his 23 rd quarter. quarter. Obama has had only two lower quarterly averages. His 23rd qtr. ranks among the lowest for post-WWII presidents WASHINGTON, D.C. -- President Barack Obama's job approval rating averaged 41.5% during his 23rd quarter in office, which began on July 20 and ended on Oct. 19. That ranks as one of his lowest quarterly approval ratings to date. The only two that were lower were the 41.2% in his 20th quarter -- after the troubled launch of the health insurance exchanges last fall -- and the 41.0% in his 11th quarter during the negotiations to raise the federal debt limit and its fallout on the U.S. economy. Obama's first quarter in office, when his approval rating averaged 63.0%, still ranks as his best. Since his first year, his average quarterly approval ratings have all been below 50%, with one important exception -- in the fall and early winter of 2012, the quarter in which he won re-election. Obama's job approval rating has averaged 48% throughout his nearly six full years in office. During his 23rd quarter, Obama's Gallup Daily tracking job approval ratings fell to as low as 38% in early September, tying his personal low. That came after the Islamic militant group ISIS beheaded two American journalists. His approval rating did rise to 45% in Sept. 19-21 polling, shortly after he announced an expanded U.S. program of military airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Obama 23rd Quarterly Average Among Lowest Five post-World War II presidents have been elected to office twice and served a full 23rd quarter in office. Among these, George W. Bush has the lowest 23rd quarter average approval rating at 39.1%, just slightly lower than Obama's. In contrast, Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton were much more popular at this stage in their presidencies, with average 23rd quarter approval ratings of 56% or better. The importance of a president's 23rd quarter average cannot be understated, as it signifies his political standing heading into the second midterm election of his presidency. Typically the president's party's fortunes in the midterms are heavily tied to his popularity. For example, the Republicans suffered heavy losses in the 2006 midterm elections under Bush, losing majority control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Republicans also performed poorly in the 1974 midterms, just after what would have been Richard Nixon's 23rd quarter in office. He resigned in August just after his 23rd quarter began, with his only job approval rating measured during that quarter at 24%. In contrast, presidents who were relatively popular in their 23rd quarters -- including Reagan and Clinton -- saw their parties perform better in the midterms. In fact, in 1998, Democrats gained seats in the House in 1998 under Clinton, a rare occurrence for the president's party in midterm elections. Implications Obama's job approval rating continues to languish near his personal lows, creating a strong headwind for Democratic candidates in next month's midterm elections. Based on the historical record, it would not be surprising if Obama's approval ratings decline further over the next three months. Although there are only four twice-elected presidents who have served 24 quarters in office since Gallup began polling on presidential approval, in three out of four cases their 24th quarter average was lower than their 23rd quarter average. Clinton was the exception, as his approval rating went up, which may have been the result of a strong economy and a rally in support in reaction to Republicans' attempts to impeach him and remove him from office -- which Americans opposed. By contrast, Reagan's 24th quarter approval rating took a nosedive of 10 percentage points as the Iran-Contra scandal exploded. Bush and Eisenhower saw more modest declines. This limited historical pattern suggest the odds are against Obama's approval ratings improving in the next quarter. And if Democrats have a poor showing on Election Day, Nov. 4 -- including possibly losing their Senate majority -- Obama will likely be politically weakened. If his job approval rating declines as a result, he may end the next quarter with his lowest quarterly average. Survey Methods Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted July 20-Oct. 19, 2014, on the Gallup U.S. Daily survey, with a random sample of 45,640 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is ±1 percentage point at the 95% confidence level. Each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 50% cellphone respondents and 50% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas by time zone within region. Landline and cellular telephone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods. Learn more about how the Gallup U.S. Daily works.Image caption Spain has repeatedly challenged British sovereignty in Gibraltar's waters The UK is to protest to the Spanish government "at a high level" after an armed stand-off in Gibraltarian territorial waters. The Ministry of Defence has accused a Guardia Civil patrol boat of "manoeuvring in a provocative and dangerous manner in the vicinity of Royal Navy vessels". No shots were fired in the incident. But there was a minor collision between the Spanish vessel and a Gibraltar Defence Police boat. The incident happened on Wednesday while the Gibraltar Squadron was providing force protection to a Royal Navy Fleet Auxiliary tanker in Gibraltarian territorial waters. According to the Gibraltar Chronicle, the Spanish patrol boat Rio Tormes sailed too close to a Royal Navy vessel after breaching a security cordon off the British territory. Armed crew members on HMS Scimitar ordered the Spanish vessel to leave the area but the Guardia Civil vessel reportedly ignored the warning, resulting in a stand-off. Speaking in the House of Lords on Thursday, Conservative peer Baroness Hooper said "guns were pointed at each other" during Wednesday's incident. Asked to confirm this, a Foreign Office spokesman said the Royal Navy crew had followed "appropriate operational procedures". The spokesman confirmed that "there was an incident" and that it would be "raised at a high level with the Spanish government". Business minister Lord Ahmad told Lady Hooper he would write to her with the "full facts" about the incident.Hamas have been gradually tightening restrictions enforcing Islamic codes The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas has said it is to ban male hairdressers from working in salons where women get their hair styled. The announcement is part of a campaign by Hamas to introduce more Islamic customs to the Gaza Strip. The Interior Ministry have said there will be legal consequences for anyone who disobeys the new rule, but they have not specified what they might be. In Islamic tradition women cannot show their hair to men not in their family. Since the Islamist movement took over the Gaza Strip in 2007, they have introduced a number of rules that move toward tightening customary Islamic restrictions on the way men and women interact. But they have been patchily enforced and are not statutory laws. Pressure These include banning women's underwear from display, demands that men dress modestly when swimming in the sea and that girls wear long dresses for school. The BBC's Jon Donnison in the Gaza Strip reports that human rights groups there are complaining that people's freedom is being restricted. Hamas is coming under internal pressure to show their commitment to Islamic customs, it has been reported.A French citizen has been kidnapped in southwest Mali, bringing the total number of French nationals held by force in the West African country to seven. Jules Leal, a 61-year-old Portuguese-born French man, was abducted on Wednesday during a stop at a cafe on a road between Mali and neighbouring Mauritania, according to a police official. "This was the safest road in Mali, but unfortunately today no place in Mali is safe," the official said. The kidnapping caused fears that armed groups, which took control over the country's north in April and claimed responsibility for previous kidnappings of foreigners, are extending their reach. Francois Hollande, the French president, suggested that the kidnapping could be a pressure tactic to try to thwart the planned military intervention to take back the north. France has been a driving force behind an initiative seeking to pave the way for military intervention by Mali's army, backed by other African troops, to remove the fighters from power. "I confirm that there was a kidnapping of a French citizen in southwest Mali, not in the part where there is the most danger,'' Hollande said at a news conference, without elaborating. "To capture a hostage is a means to put pressure, a means that won't work." There was some confusion over the exact location of the kidnapping. Laurent Fabius, France's foreign minister, said it took place in Nioro, a town just across the border from Mauritania. However, a Malian police official said armed men kidnapped the Frenchman in the town of Diema, about 100km to the south, on the way to Bamako, the Malian capital. Fabius reiterated a warning to French people not to travel to the region and said that Paris, along with Bamako, were exerting their utmost efforts to free the latest hostage.Apple just killed Spotify's business on iOS. Spotify may keep its current 20 million users around, and it'll have room to grow on Android, but on the iPhone? Forget it. Here's the first reason why. If you have an iPhone or iPad, and you update it to the latest version of iOS, you will see this new icon in place of the old orange and white music icon: Business Insider When you click on it, you will be presented with this option: Business Insider Assuming you've bought anything from Apple recently — an app, a song, a TV show, whatever — you will be able to sign up for the trial without entering your name, a credit card, or any other information. All you need is your Apple ID and password. That's it. Spotify and other services are easy to start using. But they still require you to download the app and enter information about yourself. If you were ever the least bit hesitant about paying $10 a month for music, that process gives you lots of time to reconsider it and think about how else you might like to spend that money. Of course, once Apple gets you, they have to keep you past the three-month trial period. But I've been using Apple Music since yesterday, and I think this will be easy. Why Apple Music is great Before we go any further, I have a confession. If you're not all that into music, you can probably stop reading this post here and just take my word for it that Apple Music is great. Because I'm way beyond a music nut. I'm a music bore. Boxes of records from the last time I moved in 2010. Matt Rosoff I was a DJ in college. I played in bands for years. I have about 700 records (which is actually small in collectors' circles). I took 40 CDs and a Discman with me on a six-month backpacking trip in 1999. A couple weeks ago, a colleague and I discovered we had similar tastes, and a quick hallway conversation turned into an half-hour discourse on Led Zeppelin setlists from the 1970s. More to the point, I covered digital music from 2004 through 2010. I tried every music service that was out there, including Spotify when it was confined to Europe (there was a VPN-based log-in for US reviewers), and the ill-fated Microsoft Zune Pass, which was actually a great service but only worked with a device nobody bought. None of them stuck. I buy records all the time. My music collection is already pretty huge. It just seemed wasteful to spend another $10 a month just so I could occasionally scratch an itch to hear some song that was stuck in my head. If I really wanted the song, I'd just pay $1 and buy it. So I was fully prepared to dismiss Apple Music, especially after reading reviews that complained it was kind of complicated and hard to use. There seemed to be way too much emphasis on the Beats 1 radio station, which I figured would play a bunch of British electronically tinged hipster music that I wasn't going to like. I was totally wrong. Because Apple Music's approach of curated song lists is amazing. It starts by asking you what types of music and which artists you like: screenshot And then it starts offering you choices. The choices are way too accurate to be defined just by that first music selection process — I suspect Apple is also looking at my personal collection and ratings and making some good guesses based on that. Like this playlist of Modest Mouse influences: screenshot Like Lisa Eadicicco wrote yesterday, it felt like Apple Music really knew me after only a couple hours. But here's what really got me. This morning I drove, as I always do, over the hill from my house to the train station. Normally, I don't bother plugging my phone into the stereo because the drive is only about five minutes long, and I've already heard all my songs so many times that I can't imagine which one I'd want to listen to again. But today, I figured I'd give Apple Music a chance to play me a great song by one of my favorite old bands, the Kinks. screenshot The song it picked? "Victoria." Which happens to be my favorite Kinks song that I don't own. ("Waterloo Sunset" is a close second, and probably a better song, but "Victoria" is an earworm and gets stuck in my head a lot for some reason.) It was exactly the right song for my five-minute drive. I have no idea if Spotify has something like this because I've never taken the trouble to set up a Spotify account on my phone, and I haven't tried the web version since about 2012, when it was free on Facebook for a while. But Apple Music got me in and then it hooked me. More important — and this is probably why Apple spent so much effort getting Apple Music right — I'm excited to listen to music on my phone for the first time in years. I'm looking forward to getting my car the next time so I can see what new music outside my collection Apple Music picks for me. That's worth $10 a month.NEW DELHI: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India's auditors claim to have made significant breakthrough in their audit of Delhi discoms, according to sources who said a report on Delhi's power distribution companies could be out as early as this summer vindicating the Aam Aadmi Party's suspicion of possible irregularities.During his 49-day government, Arvind Kejriwal had recommended audit of the three power distribution companies in January 2014. AAP has alleged nexus between the discoms and Congress and BJP and blamed it for the high electricity charges in Delhi.According to sources, the auditors have found that several high value customers of most of the discoms were paying their bills in cash, which is against rules. These customers had bills of lakhs of rupees every month, one source said.The second major finding of the CAG audit is anomalies in the way the Delhi government extended a few hundred crore rupees worth of assistance to the discoms. It is not clear if the questions are over the Rs 3450 crore that the government provided to cover losses of distribution companies between 2002-03 and 2006-07.One source said the auditors have "significant findings" that would validate many of the concerns raised by AAP. At least an interim report could be ready by early this summer, he indicated.The three power discoms-- Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd, and Reliance Power subsidiaries BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd and BSES Yamuna Power Ltd-- had challenged the CAG's right to audit their books after the then AAP government ordered the audit in January 2014.But the Delhi High Court refused to stay the Delhi government order, asking the three discoms to give their accounts for auditing by CAG. It ordered the three companies to cooperate with CAG and asked the auditor not to submit its report to the state government until March 19 this year, the date for next hearing.Indications are that the CAG could be ready with an interim report by then, and once the court gives its go ahead it would only take a few weeks for it to be submitted to the Delhi government.If the report vindicates AAP's stand, it would strengthen its arguments for closer scrutiny of discoms, and the possibility of providing electricity at cheaper rates.Maybe you shouldn’t judge a university by its looks, but you sure can appreciate these ones for the creative and inspiring way they have transformed their space into stunning arboretums and gardens. Whether you are interested in hands-on environmental programs that emphasize conservation and sustainability, or you just love a good magnolia tree, this list of universities has everything from well-manicured gardens with stone fountains to breathtaking waterfalls. The impressive greenhouses and natural landscapes are great spaces for research, recreation, or simply marveling at their brilliant nature designs. 50. Memorial University of Newfoundland Botanical Garden (St. John’s, Canada) Image Source Near the colorful entrance to the Memorial University of Newfoundland Botanical Garden is where you can find the main flower gardens. University students are responsible for much of the garden maintenance, and they practice soil stewardship by not using pesticides on any of the gardens. Following the theme of sustainability, the beautiful hiking trails include a compost demonstration area with different kinds of compost bin setups as an educational tool. Five nature trails guide the way through 100 acres of scenic natural land. 49. University of South Florida Botanical Garden (Tampa, Florida) Image Source Impressive gardens are incorporated throughout the grounds at the University of South Florida Botanical Garden. Including both both planned and maintained gardens and 9 acres of natural greenbelt, the garden’s well-designed trail leads through varied gardens and habitats, past Lake Behnke, and to the conservatory that offers plant information and education. The distinct gardens include Florida native plants, fruit trees, palms, and more than 3,000 taxa of plants. 48. University of Bristol Botanical Gardens (Bristol, England) Image Source A walk through the immersive University of Bristol Botanical Gardens will carry you along the path of plant history. In the Evolution of Land Plants display, the greenery moves through geological history from ancient aquatic algae to contemporary flowering plants. The collections contains unique greenery such as the Wollemi Pine, which was known from fossils dating back 200 million years and was thought extinct until specimens were discovered in the 1990’s. The garden’s 1.5 mile Avon Gorge with the Avon River running through the center is home to many local and rare native species. 47. Chester M Alter Arboretum at the University of Denver (Denver, Colorado) Image Source Among the more than 2,000 trees at the Chester M Alter Arboretum at the University of Denver, there are ten champion and notable trees. These include unique trees from around the world and some of the largest trees of their species within Colorado state. The arboretum’s champion collection includes a Giant Weeping Sequoia Tree, a Horsechestnut Tree, and two Crabapple trees that bloom a brilliant pink in the spring. The trees are impressively catalogued in an online database and labeled across the grounds for visitors to learn an enjoy. 46. University of Tennessee Gardens (Knoxville, Tennessee) Image Source Recognized as the official state botanical gardens of Tennessee, the University of Tennessee Gardens have locations in Knoxville, Crossville, and Jackson. The test gardens are particularly important for maintaining and monitoring plant life in a climate of hot, humid summers and variable winters. They are one of only thirty-four official All-American test sites in the United States. In addition to creating beautiful gardens, the research from these sites is used for evaluating and selecting commercial plants and seeds. 45. University of Rhode Island Botanical Gardens (Kingston, Rhode Island) Image Source The Ericaceous Garden at the University of Rhode Island Botanical Gardens is a particular treasure. Tucked around a grassy knoll, it is filled with mountain laurel, azaleas, and rhododendron plants and outlined with a dwarf conifer display. Another highlight is the White Garden that contains only plants that bloom white flowers. In addition to shrubs and perennials, this garden includes white-barked Paper Birch. The flora surrounds a low circle wall that visitors and students use as a charming learning space. 44. University of Chicago Botanic Garden (Chicago, Illinois) Image Source The University of Chicago Botanic Garden is an oasis nestled in the middle of a big city. A collection of oak trees that are older than the university flourish in the main quadrangle gardens. It is one of the few gardens where the botanical gardens are incorporated directly into the campus itself rather than in separate or additional land. The original layout design is largely influenced by the ideas of Frederick Law Olmsted, who has been called the most influential landscape architect in United States history. 43. University of Central Florida Arboretum (Orlando, Florida) Image Source The University of Central Florida Arboretum is an expansive space with over 320 acres of managed uplands and wetlands, and an additional 200 acres of natural land with long-term preservation plans. Wetland areas and a network of stormwater ponds cover a significant potion of campus grounds. The arboretum has wooden platforms that lead through its cypress domes in the wetlands, creating attractive canopied walkways. 42. University of Arizona Arboretum (Tucson, Arizona) Image Source The University of Arizona Arboretum is the only Land Grant institute within the Sonoran Desert. It reflects this role with its heritage tree collection containing specimens that cannot be found anywhere else in Tucson and some of the oldest trees in the state. The campus has an expansive cactus garden that includes several Boojum trees, some of the strangest-looking plants in the world that originate further west in the Sonoran Desert. 41. Wellesley College Botanic Gardens (Wellesley, Massachusetts) Image Source The Wellesley College Botanic Gardens are home to several 300-year-old white oak trees that are older than the college. The variety of notable trees surround a winding brook that ends in Paramecium Pond, creating the perfect setting for watching the seasons change. The innovating campus gardens include a Kitchen Garden for growing edibles and a Green Roof Garden where researchers plant and evaluate a wide range of plants for use on green roofs. 40. South Carolina Botanical Garden at Clemson University (Clemson, South Carolina) Image Source The South Carolina Botanical Garden at Clemson University contains one of the largest collections of nature-based sculptures and visual art in the United States. The sculpture pictured above–The Crucible by artist Herb Parker–is one of many pieces that are designed onsite by international artists using entirely natural elements. They are built by students and volunteers, and then left untouched to become part of the natural setting in fascinating ways. 39. Botanic Garden of the University of Valencia (Valencia, Spain) Image Source The Botanic Garden of the University of Valencia has cultivated a collection of over 4,200 plant species within twenty lovely gardens. With a history of growing medicinal plants that dates back to the sixteenth century, there is still a large ethnobotanical portion of the gardens that includes medicinal plants and industrially used plants like legumes, soy, cotton, and sugar cane. The School of Botany comprises the largest and oldest portion of the garden with plants grouped and labeled by classification and ordered to display the evolution of various plants. 38. University of California, Davis Arboretum (Davis, California) Image Source Located in California’s Central Valley where weather extremes are the norm, The University of California, Davis Arboretum serves as a central source of horticultural information for the non-coastal areas of the state. The university focuses on sustainable means of horticulture. They practice and teach environmentally-friendly techniques that lower energy and water use while bolstering natural pollinators and insects. The Arboretum’s All-Star program offers the public a practical list of 100 plants that are hardy and easy to grow for the average garden in similar climates. 37. University of Uppsala Botanical Garden (Uppsala, Sweden) Image Source The grounds of the University of Uppsala Botanical Garden contain a 200-year-old orangery that was built in the 18th century style for housing plants during the winter. It is one of the few that continues to be used for its original purposes. There is also
firms to be majority-owned by black Zimbabweans. (In practice, this has often meant Zanu-PF bigwigs.) Several of the ministers keenest on this law were in Mrs Mugabe’s camp. As an early gesture to embattled business people, Mr Mnangagwa offered a three-month amnesty to those who have illegally siphoned dollars out of the country, if they bring them back. One of the new president’s biggest tasks will be to deal with the vexed question of land. Nearly all of Zimbabwe’s 4,000-plus commercial farmers (who were mostly white) had their lands confiscated by Mr Mugabe since 2000, prompting the collapse of the country’s entire agriculture-driven economy. Farmers’ representatives expect Mr Mnangagwa to undo some of the damage. “There’s a real opportunity to change this country’s direction,” says Charles Taffs, a former head of the Commercial Farmers’ Union, who sits on a compensation steering committee that has previously had discussions with people close to Mr Mnangagwa. “He’s a strong, intelligent pragmatist who knows what needs to be done to put this country on the road to recovery.” Compensation for land previously confiscated, says Mr Taffs, a coffee farmer who has had land nabbed, “is the elephant in the room”. The figures have already been nailed down, he says. The Valuation Consortium, formed of eight local companies, has made detailed assessments in 153 zones across the country, valuing the grabbed land at $3bn-3.5bn and improvements (including equipment and so forth) at $5bn-5.5bn. Beyond compensation, the key is to re-establish security of land tenure for commercial farmers of any colour—and to reassure business people that property rights in general will be respected under a post-Mugabe regime. Otherwise the banks will not lend. But this will be politically tricky. Even the supposed pragmatists in Zanu-PF have argued that land should be owned by the state and leased out. Yet if land is to reacquire real value and be tradable on the open market, farmers must be granted freehold. “Land needs to be bankable,” says John Robertson, a veteran economist in Harare. “You should be able to go to an estate agent, not to a minister, to sell to anyone.” Leasehold, he says, will always be vulnerable to the interference of corrupt ministers. In the past, Mr Mnangagwa has promoted a so-called “command agriculture model”. The very name suggests state control. Only 50 or so white farmers are reckoned to have remained unscathed as active owners. Another 200-odd may still operate on diminished acreages, often in co-operation with black farmers who have been dished out chunks of their land. But in the past year or so, several hundred more whites have returned to the land, says Mr Taffs, often as managers or leaseholders, sometimes overseeing the acquisitions of well-connected blacks. If compensation is settled and property rights respected anew, Zimbabwe’s agriculture could recover fast. For sure, the destruction will take years to reverse. For instance, the national dairy herd is down to a third of its previous capacity. And no one expects very many of the white farmers to come back. Still, enough could do so in various guises to make a vital difference. If there is a chance of Mr Mnangagwa reversing some of Mr Mugabe’s most disastrous economic policies, few expect him to soften Zimbabwe’s brutal politics. A few non-party technocrats and even members of the opposition may make it into his cabinet. “He may slightly widen the political space,” says Sam Monroe of Magamba Network, a civic-rights organisation. He notes that one of his colleagues, an American woman, who was remanded in jail for a week just before Mr Mnangagwa’s flight abroad, still faces a criminal charge of insulting the president—ie, Mr Mugabe. After all, the new man was the old one’s most forceful security minister and election-rigger. At his inauguration he promised a fair election by the middle of 2018, as the constitution requires. International lenders and Western governments will press him to meet a string of political conditions as the price of crucial economic aid. Among other things, this would include a revamped election commission; the removal of the coup-making army from politics; proper international election observers; voting rights for Zimbabwe’s vast diaspora; proper protection for the media; and the repeal of a host of repressive laws. The test of the ballot But would Mr Mnangagwa ever permit an election he might lose? Unless he undergoes a Damascene conversion (he is said to be a born-again Christian), few would expect it. But the opposition is weak and fractious. Most Zimbabweans, however sceptical, want to give the Crocodile, as Mr Mnangagwa is known, a chance. If he really began to rescue the economy, he might even win an election without rigging it.Signup to receive a daily roundup of the top LGBT+ news stories from around the world A primary school headmistress has said she will not apologise to “homophobic” parents, after they condemned her for staging a “gay play”, that one parent said “borders on paedophilia”. Carrie Morrow, who is in charge of Sacred Heart Primary School, had arranged a workshop to educate children on the importance of diversity. As part of the day, a theatre company performed a fairytale that saw two princes fall in love. However following the show, a number of parents took to Facebook to hit out at the school and Ms Morrow’s decision to feature the play. The teacher who has worked at the school – which is based in Atherton, near Wigan – for 13 years, told parents she had done the right thing and would not back down or apologise. “We are very proud of what we have done,” she said. “I know that for some schools it is not an easy aspect of the curriculum to teach, but our pupils handled it with maturity and sensitivity. “We have been quite bold and it has not been without some negativity from the community. “We are not intimidated as we know such homophobic attitudes are in the minority.” One parent, known only as Mr Marsh, said all the school was doing was “social engineering”. He said: “I think people who promote PC sex to kids below 11 border on paedophilia and are depraved. “It has nothing to do with gay sex that upset us but the lack of parental consent, a bit like finding the school had decided it has the right to vaccinate your kids for you and did it without your consent because it knows best.” Following the incident, locals reported two men had been questioned by police over their comments. Greater Manchester Police confirmed it had received a complaint. A spokesman for the force, said: “Shortly after 10:25pm on Sunday 28 February 2016, police were called to reports that a number of homophobic comments had been made on Facebook. “This was investigated as a hate incident but it was determined that the comments did not amount to a criminal offence. “Local resolution officers spoke to all parties involved and advised two men of their future conduct on social media.”West Ham United have agreed an £8 million fee with Southampton for unsettled defender Jose Fonte, sources close to the Hammers have told ESPN FC. Fonte's future has been the subject of intense speculation all month after he handed in a transfer request at Southampton after failing to agree a new deal at St Mary's. Fonte, who has made 288 appearances for Southampton, was in the final 18 months of his contract and sources said Saints have reluctantly agreed to let him move on during this month's transfer window. A number of clubs had expressed an interest in the Portugal international, but West Ham, after seeing an initial offer for Fonte rejected earlier this month, have returned with an £8m bid which has been accepted. The 33-year-old and his representatives are now set to hold talks with West Ham and sources said the London club are hopeful of finalising a move for Fonte in the next 24 hours. West Ham boss Slaven Bilic is keen to bolster his defensive options with Angelo Ogbonna, Winston Reid and James Collins his only recognised central defenders at the club, and he sees Fonte as being a key addition to his plans. Jose Fonte is set to move to West Ham after a fee was agreed with Southampton, sources say. Asked on Thursday about reports of Puel joining West Ham, Southampton boss Claude Puel said: "Jose has different possibilities. He has the solution and the opportunity to see this, and we will see what the situation is in a few days." "[Fonte] was in training [on Thursday] morning with the players and he works normally with good spirit, and like a professional. "We will see after the situation of Jose. We tried Jack against Norwich. It's important to see possibilities for different players and opportunities for the players. "Perhaps we will stay with the same squad. We will see this when we reflect." Puel also said the transfer market has made it difficult for him to prepared to host Leicester in the Premier League on Sunday. "This situation with Jose is difficult for the squad," Puel said. "It's difficult for him also. It's not just about this market; it's been since the beginning of the season. "It's been a difficult situation for Jose because he's always in discussions with the club, about contracts, or no contracts. "I took a decision at the beginning of this window to keep Jose out the team, to study different possibilities and to protect the team from all this speculation about Jose. "With this many games it's important to keep focused about our game, not just on the situation of Jose. It's difficult, but the squad can take the responsibilities." Information from Press Association Sport was used in this report.JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Peyton Manning insists he hasn't thought much about the NFL draft. Now that the Indianapolis Colts have the top pick, he might be welcoming Andrew Luck in four months. The Colts locked up the No. 1 pick in April's draft Sunday, setting the stage to select the Stanford quarterback. They fell to 2-14 when Maurice Jones-Drew ran for a season-high 169 yards -- clinching the NFL rushing title and breaking the franchise's single-season record -- and led the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 19-13 victory. "Like I said all along, the Colts are going to do what they have to do," Manning said. "The draft is something the personnel department will address. They'll deal with that as they see fit. As far as can I coexist with anybody? I think I can coexist with any player I've ever played with. I think I've always been a good teammate in that way. To speculate on how we're going to draft, that's more for other people to do, not the players. "I can play with anybody. It's all going to shake out." The Jaguars (5-11) became the first AFC South opponent to sweep Indianapolis since 2002 and gave outgoing owner Wayne Weaver a victory in his final game. "It was special," Weaver said after players presented him with the game ball in the locker room. "A little overwhelming, but it was special. It was kind of emotional at times to realize that this really is it. There's no turning back now." The Colts may have been the big winners, though. Indy would have dropped to the No. 2 spot in the draft with a victory in Jacksonville. Instead, owner Jim Irsay will have the choice to draft Luck to join four-time MVP Manning. Manning was on the sideline all season after neck surgery. On Sunday, he had a front-row spot for the Jones-Drew Show. Jones-Drew started the day with a comfortable lead in the rushing race. And when Philadelphia's LeSean McCoy and Houston's Arian Foster were inactive, it pretty much locked up the rushing title for Jacksonville's stocky star. But Jones-Drew wanted more. He talked earlier in the week about how special it would be to break Fred Taylor's franchise mark of 1,572 yards set in 2003. He did it in style, taking a third-quarter handoff around the left side, breaking a tackle near the line of scrimmage and picking up 56 yards. It was his longest run in more than two years. Teammates patted him on the helmet and shoulder pads. Two plays later, fans gave him a standing ovation as his achievement was announced over the public address system. "As long as Mo stays healthy, he'll break every single record I ever set," Taylor said in a text message to The Associated Press. "He's a special talent with great work habits and deserves to be rewarded as such." Jones-Drew also sealed the victory by picking up two first downs in the closing minutes, sending many of the 60,000 on hand to the exits on New Year's Day. He finished the season with 1,606 yards on the ground and 1,980 yards from scrimmage -- the lone bright spot in an otherwise dismal season for the NFL's worst offense. "It's easy to take all of the credit, but those guys did a heck of a job blocking two or three guys, running down the field to get extra blocks and making it easier on me," Jones-Drew said. The biggest applause of the day was for the Weavers. Wayne and his wife, Delores, were recognized at halftime. Wayne Weaver almost singlehandedly brought the team to Jacksonville in 1993. After 18 years, 352 games and six playoff appearances, he is walking away from an exclusive club. Weaver sold the team to Illinois businessman Shahid Khan last month for $770 million. The team honored Weaver and his wife with a video montage, gold-plated helmets and a spot in the Pride of the Jaguars, the team's Hall of Fame. They joined left tackle Tony Boselli as the only ones in the Pride. Khan officially takes over Wednesday. His biggest task is hiring a new coach. The Colts could be in for changes, too. Irsay must decide whether to pay Manning a $28 million bonus, let him become a free agent or work out a new deal with the franchise quarterback. Irsay has said that if Manning recovers from neck issues, he will be back in Indy, no matter the cost. Questions also surround coach Jim Caldwell, team vice chairman Bill Polian and general manager Chris Polian. "This should be a fun time for the city of Indianapolis during the offseason," said receiver Reggie Wayne, one of several free agents. "Despite the year we had, there are things to look forward to. So it should be exciting." Game notes Colts TE Justin Snow (concussion) and CB Chris Rucker (back) were injured during the game..... Jones-Drew is the first player in franchise history to lead the NFL rushing. Taylor never finished better than sixth.... Jaguars LB Paul Posluszny (shoulder) left the game and did not return.... Jaguars coaches, none of them under contract beyond this season, have until Friday to clean out their stuff.Story highlights Standoff started Thursday when three armed attackers stormed beach restaurant At least 20 people have been rescued, official says (CNN) Gunmen raided a beach restaurant in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, killing 10 people and seizing hostages amid fierce battles with security forces, authorities said. The standoff started Thursday when attackers detonated a car bomb outside the restaurant, according to Bishar Abshir Ghedi, the Mogadishu police commissioner. Attackers then stormed into the restaurant with their weapons and clashed with security forces stationed around the building. Somali elite forces killed two attackers and wounded one, the police official said. At least 20 people were rescued, he added. Al-Shabaab's military spokesman claimed responsibility for the attack in a message on the terror group's radio station. He said the restaurant was targeted because it is frequented by Somali government officials and foreigners. Read MoreSeptember 29, 2014 Koyama Press Makes Official Its Spring 2015 Schedule This morning the beloved boutique publisher It looks like a strong seasons to me. They'd previously announced the Degen book Wowee Zonk anthologies; Blobby Boys book. It's interesting to see Koyama kind of develop a roster of cartoonists with whom they can continue a relationship of a long period of time. I think that makes for a stronger presence in the market, and it makes for healthier cartoonists even if they want to take certain kinds of projects elsewhere. The line-up is: ***** * Mighty Star And The Castle of The Cancatervater, A. Degen, 9781927668160, $15, 172 pages, $15, April 2015. Koyama Press Description: Sci-fi superheroes eschew Gotham and Metropolis in favor of nightmarish neoclassical ruins in this surreal strip. A. Degen has taken the superhero myth and put it in a baroque blender; the result is the cerebral, sensuous and uncanny Mighty Star and the Castle of the Cancatervater. Equal parts Dali and Astro Boy, Degen's mostly silent narrative is both metaphysical and mighty. A. Degen was born in Brooklyn, New York. After a time in Tokyo, he now lives and works Connecticut. He is the author of the books Area CC (Snakebomb, 2011) and Soft X-Ray/Mindhunters (Astroplus/Futureshock, 2013), and his work has appeared in a number of anthologies. "A. Degen is one of the smartest and funniest cartoonists in the game. Every page in the book is filled with about two dozen triumphs and upsets in humor, design, pacing... A real pleasure to pore over." -- Michael DeForge, author of A Body Beneath (Koyama Press, 2014), Ant Colony (Drawn and Quarterly, 2013), and many more. ***** * Blobby Boys 2, Alex Schubert, 9781927668207, 52 pages, $10, May 2015. Koyama Press Description: Imagine the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as pot-smoking punks. The Blobby Boys are back and they've got acid tongues and acid on their tongues. The salacious and slimy Saturday Morning cast-offs haven't lost an iota of edge. In fact, the only thing sharper than the comedy in this book just might be the boys' switchblades. ALEX SCHUBERT was born in Mascoutah, IL and is based In Los Angeles, CA where he works in illustration and animation. In 2014, the first collection of Blobby Boys was awarded a Silver Medal in the Long Form and Comic Strip category of The Society of Illustrators first Comic and Cartoon Art Annual. "Alex Schubert's collection of bold, bizarre comics is short, sharp and shocking -- not unlike a quick stabbing." -- Jake Austen, Chicago Tribune ***** * Confetti, Ginette LaPalme, 9781927668153, 200 pages, $20, May 2015. Koyama Press Description: A colorful celebration of cartoons, creativity and the culture of cute. Confetti, like its namesake, is a fun and explosive mix of color from the fertile mind of multidisciplinary artist Ginette Lapalme. In comics, paintings, prints, sculpture, and jewelry, Lapalme uses cartoons and junk culture as raw material to make "cute" subversive and "pretty' punk. Ginette LaPalme is a Toronto-based illustrator and artist. Lapalme is a graduate of the storied OCADU Illustration program, and is one third of Wowee Zonk, a Toronto-based illustrator collective and contemporary comic book anthology. "It is a goal of mine to live alone in a big house surrounded by the work of Ginette Lapalme, kind of like a cat lady, but with drawings of cats instead of real cats... Utterly delightful but never too cute, the world Lapalme has created leaves me more attuned to the perverse beauty of the one around us." -- Tavi Gevinson, founder and editor of Rookie ***** * Diary Comics, Dustin Harbin, 9781927668177, 236 pages, $15, May 2015. Koyama Press Description: Comic and tragicomic, heartfelt and heartbreaking; these are the panels that make up a life. Since 2010, Dustin Harbin has been sporadically documenting the ups and downs and sideways of his life in comic form. From their humble beginnings as a sketchbook exercise documenting the quotidian, oftentimes with hilarious results, Harbin's Diary Comics have grown into quirky existential examinations of life and living. Dustin Harbin is a cartoonist and illustrator who lives and works in North Carolina. He's best known for his autobiographical comics, as well as many, many illustrations of people and animals, often mixed and matched. "Dustin's willingness to push himself in these comics makes them special, opening his mind and life to the audience he's meant to connect to, taking what is at times the character of himself and revealing the man. That's always the best part of autobio comics, an ability to confront something true." â Kate Beaton, author of Hark! A Vagrant *** Sounds like an excellent build on this year's very good pair of seasons and a particularly rich TCAF are in store for Koyama next year. * * posted 8:15 am PST \| Permalink Daily Blog Archives February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 Full Archives This morning the beloved boutique publisher Koyama Press made available to some of the comics news web sites its Spring 2015 schedule. I'll run covers below this opening barrage of graphs along with their descriptions book to book, artist to artist.It looks like a strong seasons to me. They'd previously announced the Degen book here, but the other three have at least escape my attention. They're all from artists with whom the publisher has worked before: Ginette LaPalme, with whom they did one of theanthologies; Dustin Harbin, with whom they've done previous iterations of the diary work; and Alex Schubert, with whom they did the firstbook.It's interesting to see Koyama kind of develop a roster of cartoonists with whom they can continue a relationship of a long period of time. I think that makes for a stronger presence in the market, and it makes for healthier cartoonists even if they want to take certain kinds of projects elsewhere. The line-up is:*, A. Degen, 9781927668160, $15, 172 pages, $15, April 2015.Koyama Press Description:*, Alex Schubert, 9781927668207, 52 pages, $10, May 2015.Koyama Press Description:*, Ginette LaPalme, 9781927668153, 200 pages, $20, May 2015.Koyama Press Description:*, Dustin Harbin, 9781927668177, 236 pages, $15, May 2015.Koyama Press Description:*Sounds like an excellent build on this year's very good pair of seasons and a particularly rich TCAF are in store for Koyama next year.********INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Andrew Bogut has been ruled out for the rest of the regular season plus the playoffs because of his fractured left tibia, the Cleveland Cavaliers announced Wednesday. Bogut, who signed with Cleveland last week, played just 58 seconds in his debut with Cleveland on Monday before colliding with the Miami Heat's Okaro White and suffering the injury. Bogut will not undergo surgery on his leg, but rather undergo "an extended period of immobilization and healing stimulation," according to the team. He is expected to be fully healthy by the start of training camp for the 2017-18 season. Andrew Bogut's injury occurred just 58 seconds after he entered Monday night's game. He is now out for the regular season and the playoffs. Gregory Shamus/Getty Images Cleveland plans to waive Bogut in order to free up a roster spot to replace the big man who was brought in for his rim-protecting and play-making abilities, a team source told ESPN. Bogut plans to rehabilitate back in his native Australia with his family. The Cavs could waive an additional player -- DeAndre Liggins would be the most likely candidate -- to mitigate the cost hit it would require to replace Bogut, the source told ESPN. Bogut cost the Cavs nearly $1 million in salary tax and luxury tax fees. Bringing in another player would cost an additional $1 million. If Liggins was waived and another team picked up the defensive specialist before he cleared waivers, the Cavs would receive some cap relief as Liggins' new team would be on the hook for his salary for the rest of the season. The Cavs plan to make their roster adjustment following their upcoming three-game road trip through Detroit, Orlando and Houston, a source told ESPN. They are more likely to target a free agent and make an offer than to hold an audition-type workout as they have done already with Mario Chalmers, Lance Stephenson, Kirk Hinrich, Jordan Farmar and Larry Sanders without tendering any offers. The Cavs also announced that J.R. Smith returned to practice Wednesday for his first full session since fracturing the thumb on his right (shooting) hand in December. He is considered questionable for Thursday's road game against the Detroit Pistons. Smith is medically cleared to play. He said his final hurdle is the mental barrier of full-tilt competition for the first time since Dec. 20. "Mentally I just [am thinking about] going in there, swiping at the ball," Smith said. "Diving for loose balls. That plays a factor and you never really want to go into any type of game or whatever you're doing second guessing yourself. So, if I got to second guess myself, I won't play. If I feel like I'm not going to, then I'll play." Smith's initial timeline for recovery was 12-14 weeks. Should he return on this upcoming road trip, he will beat that estimate by about two weeks, as ESPN reported he was in line to do last month. Cavs assistant coach Larry Drew filled in for head coach Tyronn Lue on Wednesday and was impressed by Smith's showing. "He didn't shoot it rusty," Drew said. "He's still shooting the ball extremely well, but it's a totally different story once you start getting up and down the floor. We understand that, but it's really good to have him back." While Smith is on the comeback trail, Cleveland will be without Kyle Korver on Thursday, who was ruled to receive treatment on his sore left foot. Lue continues to recover from a sinus infection that caused him to miss Monday's 106-98 loss to the Heat. He did not attend Wednesday's practice but is expected to join the team Thursday and coach in Detroit. Smith said the Cavs' biggest challenge between now and the playoffs will be integrating his game back into a team that now features Korver, Deron Williams and Derrick Williams, while also factoring Kevin Love into the mix when he returns from knee surgery later this month, not to mention whatever piece Cleveland brings in for Bogut. "It will be difficult," Smith said, "but being down 3-1 [in the NBA Finals] is difficult."Ten months on from a death that stunned the world, David Bowie remains as much an object of public fascination, and as much of an enigma, as ever. But one thing everyone agrees on is that the essence of Bowie’s creativity lay in its restless, mercurial diversity. And this quality is as apparent in his activities as an art collector as in every other aspect of his life. Indeed, walking around this display of 400-odd artefacts prior to their sale in three auctions at Sotheby’s on November 10 and 11, you encounter elements of diversity that illuminate aspects of Bowie you already know about, and others that seem to come out of nowhere, and which leave you, initially at least, scratching your head. The first thing you encounter is Bowie’s wonderful retro-futurist Italian record player from 1965 (virtually the only thing here that has anything to do with music), surrounded by an intriguing array of top- quality modern paintings: one of Patrick Caulfield’s cool quasi-pop interiors, a Damien Hirst swirl painting (created with Bowie’s involvement) and the most expensive work in the sale, Air Power byA report from the U.S. State Department has some alarming news about support for terrorist groups in Latin America. The State Department’s report, published Wednesday, states, “Many countries in Latin America have porous borders, limited law enforcement capabilities, and established smuggling routes.” “These vulnerabilities offered opportunities to local and international terrorist groups and posed challenges to governments in the region. Canada and the Caribbean – particularly Trinidad and Tobago – were sources of foreign terrorist fighters in 2016; the return of these trained foreign terrorist fighters is of great concern,” the report reads. Most alarmingly, the report reads that the terrorist Sunni group ISIS, as well as the Shiite militant group Hezbollah, both have a foothold in Latin America. “Terrorist groups based in the Middle East find some support in Latin America despite the geographic distance. The call to fight in Iraq or Syria drew limited numbers of recruits from Latin America and parts of the Caribbean, which offered areas of financial and ideological support for ISIS and other terrorist groups in the Middle East and South Asia,” the report notes. “In addition, in 2016 Hizballah maintained some financial supporters, facilitators, and sympathizers in the region that it could tap for support in building and expanding its activities there,” the report adds. There was also the admission that Mexico saw an increase in support for terror groups on social media in the last year. However, Mexico, does not have any reported Islamic terror affiliates in their country at this time. The country that causes the most alarm is Trinidad and Tobago, a Caribbean nation that is about 5 percent Muslim. Of that nation, the State Department writes, “Trinidad’s government reported in 2015 that more than 100 Trinidadian nationals, including women and minors, had traveled to Syria and Iraq,” adding that some have returned to the island country. However, the State Department also reported that Canada is a bigger terror threat than Mexico, likely due to Muslim immigration to Canada. President Trump ran on a platform of suspending immigration from nations compromised by terrorism and protecting the border from illegal immigration. (RELATED: Looking Back At Trump’s Convention Speech One Year Later) Follow Justin on Twitter19th February, 2015 This has been read 9,283 times Natalie Berry - UKC19th February, 2015 10 year-old Josh Ibbertson has redpointed his first 8a sport climb - Innuendo at Raco de les Espadelles, Margalef in Spain, becoming the youngest Brit ever to climb this grade by a two year margin! Josh Ibbotson becoming the youngest Brit to climb 8a © James Ibbotson Josh's father James commented: "The main objective was for Josh to try an 8a. He tried it briefly on the last day of our trip at Christmas and got very close but ran out of daylight! So we're back! He worked the moves yesterday and had a couple of good redpoint attempts: falling at then after the crux. He got it today after a few (3?) more tries. He's very happy as it's his first 8a." Other significant ascents by young British climbers include Randy Roby (UKC Report), just 13 -Raindogs, Peter Dawson, 12 and a half - The Cider Soak, Aiden Dunne, just 12, also with Raindogs and Jim Pope, 13 on Hot Fun Closing (UKC Report). Kitty Wallace became the youngest British female to climb 8a aged 14 in 2008, with an ascent of Daniboy on Kalymnos (UKC Report), followed by Emily Allen climbing Aberration in 2013, also aged 14 (UKC Report). Josh Ibbotson (10) climbing Innuendo 8a, Marglef © James Ibbotson What's next for young Josh? Watch this space... Josh is sponsored by: BorealCoach confident, but Thorpe isn't Australia's head swimming coach, Leigh Nugent, has tipped Ian Thorpe, who ended his four-year retirement last February, to cause a shock at the national trials in Adelaide by qualifying for the Games despite a string of poor performances since his comeback in Singapore in November. Thorpe, whose five gold medals make him Australia's most successful Olympian, will begin his bid on Thursday and has entered the 100m and 200m freestyle. While he is not confident about his own chances, Nugent remains optimistic. "With someone like Ian, the history he's got and knowing his competitive capabilities, you could never write him out of the equation," he said. "I've been around a long time. I've had a lot to do with Ian and with swimming at this level for almost two-and-a-half decades and with him, you've got to expect for him to pull something out of the bag. He just has that sort of ability." Despite Nugent's praise, the 29-year-old's best chance appears to be in the relay, with a top-six finish in the 200m making him a contender for a place in the 4x200m team – yet even that could be beyond him, given that his best time in the 200m since his return is 1min 50.79sec at the Victoria state championships in January, a time that would have left him 12th in last year's national titles. In the 100m, Australia's world champion, James Magnussen, Matt Targett, Matt Abood, James Roberts and Cameron McEvoy are all in better form than him. "The most realistic outcome of this is that I will most likely fail," says Thorpe. "All of the expectation, that desire to see me do well, it exists for me in a way that it doesn't exist for other people. It will probably be the last time I will be able to do this so I want to be able to make the most of it. I'll probably swim for at least a year or two after the Games." Setbacks in Belgrade Despite sending seven competitors to the European Wrestling Championships, Great Britain were left disappointed in Belgrade. The main British hope was the Commonwealth bronze medallist, Leon Rattigan, who was competing in freestyle wrestling's 96kg class, but he lost 2-0, 0-1, 0-1 to Bulgaria, while in the 66kg class Oleksandr Madyarchyk lost 0-3, 0-5 to Azerbaijan. Britain's hopes took a further blow when it emerged that Ukrainians Yana Stadnik and Olga Butkevych had failed in their attempts to get British passports in time for the Games. It is a major setback as the pair were set to be the only two females in the British team, but it now seems unlikely they will be allowed to compete.Last week when I laid out seven misconceptions about energy shared by the public and policymakers, the pushback I received had little to do with the actual data I used to demonstrate my point. This is probably because the data are from official public sources and available to anyone with an Internet connection to inspect and verify. Most of the pushback bore the sentiment, "Well, you are right about the data. But, just you wait. There are big things that are going to happen in the future with (fill in your favorite fossil fuel) because of (fill in your favorite technology and/or name of supposedly large fossil fuel deposit)." This is what I refer to as the "wonders-yet-to-come argument." It's an argument that ought to be familiar (and tiresome) to most everyone. It's been used frequently since the oil price hit a long-term low of $10.72 a barrel in December 1998. Even as prices rose ten-fold and supplies advanced only at a snail's pace from 2005 onward, we were treated to frequent pronouncements about how the wonders of technology would deliver cheap, abundant oil soon. Though technology has failed to provide cheap oil, the wonders-yet-to-come argument is still being used to great effect on unsuspecting minds. We've actually had a good test of this argument since 1998 in the oil markets. Around that time it was deepwater drilling that was going to keep the world awash in cheap oil for decades to come. Check out how many times both the International Energy Outlook 2000 produced by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) and the World Energy Outlook 2000 produced by the International Energy Agency (IEA) mentioned the key role deepwater oil development was expected to play in raising world production and keeping prices low. That didn't quite work out. In the decade that followed, during which deepwater drilling was going to conquer the world and the oil markets, oil prices embarked on a sustained upward trajectory hitting an all-time record of $147 a barrel in 2008. After dipping in the face of the financial meltdown in the second half of that year, the oil price has stabilized at the highest average daily price ever over the last three years. But, we are now supposedly in for a second wave of wonders-yet-to-come with regard to oil, that is, the use of high-volume, slickwater hydraulic fracturing combined with horizontal drilling to extract previously inaccessible oil from deep shale deposits. This wonder--currently centered in the United States--is supposed to glut the world with oil and drive down the price; and this time, the wonder-workers proclaim, it'll work. Well, the record so far is not compelling. And, even government and international agencies that had been cheerleaders during the boom are seeing the writing on the wall. The IEA has curbed its previous enthusiasm and now says in its latest World Energy Outlook that, while fracking and deepwater exploration have been successful in extracting previously inaccessible oil deposits, "this does not mean that the world is on the cusp of a new era of oil abundance." The EIA nows believes that U.S. crude oil production will peak in 2016 and then begin to decline after 2020. So much for America leading the charge to a new long-term era of cheap, abundant oil. As Steve Andrews recently wrote, this forecast implies negligible supply from what has until now been touted as America's largest deposit of frackable tight oil, Calfornia's Monterey Formation. It seems that the most fracking can do for now is to keep worldwide oil production from sagging--which would have happened without the fracking boom. So, the results are palpable, but less than wondrous. This particular wonder
s), labeled as Blairites, has pledged to call a membership vote in order to maintain his position. An article published over the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on the split within the Labor Party, by political correspondent Chris Mason says: “Here is the row for Labor over the next few days: The rules for leadership elections. And here is the row for Labor after that: What does its future look like? Crucially, one could determine the other, but there are no easy answers whatever happens. If Jeremy Corbyn wins again, what do the 80% of Labor MPs who think he is a loser do? If Mr. Corbyn is beaten, or not able to stand, tens if not hundreds of thousands of Labor supporters will feel cheated, even robbed. That is why there is now open talk of Labor splitting in two: A party whose history can be traced back to the dawn of the 20th Century, ceasing to exist as we have long known it to.” (July 10) Adding to the tensions within the Labor Party, Corbyn’s challenger Angela Eagle had her office vandalized. Corbyn in a public statement called for calm. Eagle suggested that Corbyn should restrain his supporters implying that they were involved in the breaking of her office window. Corbyn’s statement stressed in regard to the “attack on Eagle’s office, ‘It is extremely concerning that Angela Eagle has been the victim of a threatening act and that other MPs are receiving abuse and threats. As someone who has also received death threats this week and previously, I am calling on all Labor Party members and supporters to act with calm and treat each other with respect and dignity, even where there is disagreement. I utterly condemn any violence or threats, which undermine the democracy within our party and have no place in our politics.’” In specific reference to the role of the EU in the forward going plans of NATO this same press release notes that “In the margins of the meeting, the Secretary General signed a Joint Declaration with the Presidents of the European Council and the European Commission, taking partnership between NATO and the European Union to an ambitious new level. The Declaration sets out areas where NATO and the EU will step up cooperation – including maritime security and countering hybrid threats.” The Use of “International Law” to Rationalize Imperialist Expansion in Asia-Pacific Beyond the provocations and military encirclement of the Russian Federation, the Pentagon and State Department “pivot to Asia” is a major aspect of imperialist foreign policy. The July 11 decision by an International Tribunal in Holland at The Hague, which rejected all claims by the People’s Republic of China to sovereignty over the South Seas, provides a pseudo-legal cover for further military intervention in the Asia-Pacific region. This purported impartial court system has always been biased in favor of the United States and its imperialist and neo-colonialist allies around the world. The Chinese leadership responded immediately to the decision saying that it was not bound by this court. Although the imperialist system claims the decision is legally binding, there is no mechanism for enforcing it, and Beijing, which declined to participate in the tribunal’s proceedings, said again on July 12 that it would refuse to abide by its arbitrary claims. New York Times coverage of the Netherlands decision and China’s position, notes that Beijing’s leader “Speaking at a meeting with European leaders, President Xi Jinping was defiant, reasserting China’s claim to sovereignty over the South China Sea ‘since ancient times,’ the state-run People’s Daily reported. His remarks echoed a statement from the Foreign Ministry. The tribunal’s decision ‘is invalid and has no binding force,’ the ministry said. ‘China does not accept or recognize it.’” Beijing also said in the full statement:Updated September 12th Fathers of Football is a forthcoming film, officially described by director Bradley Beesley as a “documentary that follows the triumphs and struggles of life in a small town, where football is not only the brightest stage but also the best ticket out.” Through September 14th Beesley is running a Kickstarter campaign to fund completion of editing the film, color correction, licensing and mixing the sound, other legal fees and the creation of its original soundtrack. Not just any soundtrack. Beesley writes on the Kickstarter page that The Flaming Lips will “be key collaborators, creating a uniquely Oklahoma soundtrack for the film,” adding to a score by Marcus Thorne Bagala – an accomplished TV/film composer and This American Life contributor (see his credits on his website and IMBD). Beesley explained to The Future Heart what the Lips and Bagala will add to the film: “I was talking to Wayne Coyne recently and I asked if he wanted to contribute to the film and he said that he’d love to so there’s a couple of scenes that I’m saving for the Lips. Marcus is going to do the more atmospheric arrangements and the Lips will be working on the more bombastic scenes.” https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1009808804/fathers-of-football If you’re thinking, “but I could care less about football…” keep in mind this is a film by Brad Beasley, he who has mastered bringing oddball Americana to life on the screen. Safe to presume, premise aside, it will not be a “football movie.” Which is to say it will be a “football movie,” but also much more than just that. Plus – new Lips music! Note that Kickstarter pledges of $15 or $50 include a download of the Lips and Marcus’ music for the film. The Flaming Lips involvement is no surprise given their long history working with Bradley. Most of the Lips classic music videos from 1992’s “Frogs” through 2006’s “Mr. Ambulance Driver” were directed by Bradley (or co-directed, with Wayne), including all the Transmissions from the Satellite Heart and Soft Bulletin videos, “Christmas at the Zoo,” “Bad Days,” “When You Smile,” “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots,” “Fight Test” and others. Beesley (and Coyne) also co-directed The Flaming Lips’ sci-fi-holiday full-length flick Christmas on Mars and the Lips’ concert film UFOs at the Zoo. Likewise The Flaming Lips provided the soundtrack for quintessential Beesley documentaries Okie Noodling (about fishermen that catch catfish with their bare hands) and Summercamp! (about children at a Wisconsin nature camp). Most recently the Lips appeared in Calls to Okies: The Park Grubbs Story (about early ’80s prank callers that gained infamy in Oklahoma), and Lips musical mastermind Steven Drozd scored it with Chainsaw Kittens frontman Tyson Meade. Perhaps most famous of all, Beesley directed Flaming Lips biopic The Fearless Freaks – its title a reference to the amateur football Wayne Coyne and his brothers played as kids. “It’s only fitting to be working with Wayne and the band again,” Bradley says of collaborating on Fathers of Football, “considering their well-documented backyard football brawls as the Fearless Freaks! Finally, because any excuse to share fun photos is The Future Heart way, below are two photos that are not related to film (but do involve both football and The Flaming Lips). The first shows Mark Coyne. About a year after this photo was taken Mark and his brothers began playing music together. These sessions developed into a trio (with Mark singing, brother Wayne on guitar and their friend Dave Kostka on drums) that after the addition of Michael Ivins (on bass) in 1982 morphed into The Flaming Lips (with Mark as their initial frontman). In the second photo (by photographer Josh Welch) Wayne and Steven play football circa 2012 with coaching legend Barry Switzer and then Thunder star Desmond Mason. (Sidenote – in an unforeseen twist, Josh has recently become a reality TV star on Bravo’s Sweet Home Oklahoma). So there we have it. Help fund Fathers of Football’s Kickstarter campaign and get fab gifts like the music from the film (or Okie Noodling), a movie poster, deleted scenes, an autographed Beesley DVD box set, tickets to games and more. In related news, the 3rd annual Austin Music Video Festival will host video screenings, live concerts, workshops, panels, after-parties, and an interactive video lounge at a variety of Austin venues on September 12th through 17th. Bradley’s Flaming Lips music videos will be screened at the Alamo Ritz on September 13th as one of six featured video showcases at this year’s festival (the others being: Legendary Director Spike Jonze, CHRISTEENE with intimate performance and Q&A, Walker Lukens with karaoke and performance, Holodeck Records world premiere and after-party, and Golden Dawn Arkestra “Space Baptism” world premiere). Presented by KUTX, The Flaming Lips Video Freak Out will be preceded by a “Keepin’ It Weird” video showcase (read the full list of “Keepin it Weird” videos here) and followed by a Q&A with Bradley Beesley and a virtual Wayne Coyne. According to the festival’s’ website “this is your chance to freak out to the Lips’ insane video collection on the big screen, including a costume contest, sing-a-long, and convo with Wayne Coyne (virtual) and longtime Lips director Bradley Beesley (in the house).” Fever Dream Interactive and Weird Destiny Productions are teaming up to provide lasers, a coloring area, and other freaky surprises. The two best-dressed attendees as chosen by Coyne will win tickets to the Lips sold out show October 1st at ACL Live – where they’ll get to meet the band! Visit the screening’s eventbrite page for more information and check out its official poster below: .Dish Network has dropped all Fox Sports Networks according to FSN representatives as well as, I suppose, your Dish channel guide. In a repeat of Directv's Versus fiasco from last year the two parties are locked in a dispute over tiers and payment that neither side seems willing to bend on. According to a press release from Brett Hanson, FSN Arizona's Director of Public Relations and Marketing: "Fox has been trying for months to reach a fair agreement, but Dish refuses to play ball," said Brett Hansen, FOX Sports Arizona spokesman. "Our programming is among the most valuable Dish offers, and we're simply looking for a fair deal." No matter the deal their looking for it's once again the customers that are caught in the middle. Locked into some terrible contract with Dish if this drags on plenty of sports fans and not just Coyotes fans will be left in the dark unless they pay some exorbitant cancellation fee. UPDATE: DISH is now dropping FX, National Geographic and is considering dropping some local affiliates up for renewal including Fox 10 in Phoenix. Unfortunately this doesn't seem to effect Fox News :PVictoria opens home schedule on Friday, September 26th versus Kamloops! For Immediate Release Wednesday, June 25, 2014 Victoria, BC – The Victoria Royals are pleased to announce the team’s schedule for the 2014-15 Western Hockey League (WHL) regular season. The Royals will open their fourth WHL season with a game in Kamloops against the Blazers on Friday, September 20th, before travelling to Vancouver on Saturday, September 21st for a date with the Giants. Victoria’s home opener is set for Friday, September 26th against the Kamloops Blazers. Puck drop at the Royals’ home opener is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre. The Royals’ longest homestand will come after the Christmas break when the club hosts seven consecutive games between Saturday, December 27th and Saturday, January 10th. During that span, the team will host the Prince George Cougars, Spokane Chiefs and Medicine Hat Tigers. Victoria will embark on their longest road trip of the year early in the season when they swing through the Central Division for six October games in nine days. Starting on Friday, October 10th against the Calgary Hitmen, the Royals will also visit the Medicine Hat Tigers, Red Deer Rebels, Edmonton Oil Kings and Lethbridge Hurricanes before wrapping up the trip on Saturday, October 18th versus the Kootenay Ice. 2014-15 Schedule Facts: By Team: Brandon: 1 home + 0 road = 1 game Calgary: 0 home + 2 road = 2 games Edmonton: 1 home + 2 road = 3 games Everett: 2 home + 2 road = 4 games Kamloops: 4 home + 4 road = 8 games Kelowna: 4 home + 4 road = 8 games Kootenay: 0 home + 1 road = 1 game Lethbridge: 0 home + 1 road = 1 game Medicine Hat: 1 home + 1 road = 2 games Moose Jaw: 1 home + 0 road = 1 game Portland: 2 home + 2 road = 4 games Prince Albert: 1 home + 0 road = 1 game Prince George: 4 home + 4 road = 8 games Regina: 1 home + 0 road = 1 game Red Deer: 1 home + 2 road = 3 games Saskatoon: 1 home + 0 road = 1 game Seattle: 2 home + 2 road = 4 games Spokane: 2 home + 2 road = 4 games Swift Current: 1 home + 0 road = 1 game Tri-City: 2 home + 2 road = 4 games Vancouver: 5 home + 5 road = 10 games By Division: B.C. Division: 17 home + 17 road = 34 games U.S. Division: 10 home + 10 road = 20 games Central Division: 3 home + 9 road = 12 games East Division: 6 home + 0 road = 6 games By Month: September: 2 home + 3 road = 5 games October: 5 home + 6 road = 11 games November: 6 home +8 road = 14 games December: 6 home + 3 road= 9 games January: 7 home + 6 road = 13 games February: 5 home + 5 road = 10 games March: 5 home + 5 home = 10 games By Day: Sunday: 3 home + 3 road = 6 games Monday: 3 home + 0 road = 3 games Tuesday: 6 home + 3 road = 9 games Wednesday: 2 home + 7 road = 9 games Thursday: 0 home + 0 road = 0 games Friday: 10 home + 11 road = 21 games Saturday: 12 home + 12 road = 24 games Season ticket packages for the 2014-15 season are on sale now! Call 250-220-7889, visit www.selectyourtickets.com, or head down to the Victoria Royals ticketing office at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre for more information. -30-Chicago's 'L' system covers much of the city, but yet, it doesn't connect many neighborhoods to one another nor does it connect the city's two airports together. However, the Active Transportation Alliance believes that having a light rail line that connects O'Hare and Midway airports could be a boon to travelers. If you had to make that journey today, you'd be traveling towards the Loop and then back out, and you'd have to transfer rail lines. With a single line that connects the two, the entire trip could be done in less than 40 minutes. In addition to connecting the two airports, Active Transportation Alliance believes that such a line would connect west side neighborhoods with one another and make it easier for residents to get to job hubs. Other Transit Future 'L' expansion ideas include a near west side line that connects the Brown, Blue, Pink, Orange and Green lines together as well as multiple South Side lines. ·Airport Connector would benefit more than just air travelers [Active Transportation Alliance] ·Is This What The Future of Chicago's Public Transit Looks Like? [Curbed Chicago] ·Fun with Urban Planning archives [Curbed Chicago]This is an excerpt from Karate: Technique and Spirit by Tadaki Nakamura. Mei Kyo Shi Sui (A bright mirror calmly reflects the world but is not changed by it. We should always keep ourselves bright, shiny and spotless, like a new mirror. This is not an easy thing to do; we may shine a mirror very carefully and find that we have missed a spot; or, we find that, within a few hours, dust and dirt have undone our work. Under pressure of work and our families, we may neglect to keep ourselves bright and clean. Obviously, this is what we should always do in respect to our bodies and our physical appearance, but I am now talking in spiritual terms. The Japanese word Kokoro means mind, soul, spirit or inner being. We must keep our Kokoro like a shiny mirror. When we train in karate we are training our spirit. It is easy to deceive ourselves into thinking, “Oh, I’m terrifically hard and strong.” We may become physically strong, but as long as the spirit is weak, the person is weak, no matter how great the power of the body. In these talks, I often come back to the same themes, which may sound simple, but it is my experience that students must be constantly reminded of them. Look at little things: how we stand in class, how we pay attention, how well do we do little tasks like cleaning the dojo. If we maintain a joyous attitude, we will do little things well. If we do not keep our spirits bright, then we cloud and cover our spirits with our problems, our worries and our fears. Then, when we come to the dojo, this will be written on our faces and reflected in many little things, such as how we stand. As we cloak and cloud our spirits in anger, fear and frustration, we can isolate ourselves from other people. I can see some of my students literally shrinking under the self-imposed weights they put on their spirits. People will shrink from us if we have walk around with a tightly drawn, angry face. Soon, a person’s training will not be enjoyable, and the dojo will not be a special place for him or her. On the other hand, if we keep our spirits like a shiny mirror, then, even if we have troubles and problems — as we all do — we can still smile and be calm and enjoy our training. If people learn that we had problems at one time and gave no hint of them and maintained a strong, calm spirit, they will admire us and gravitate toward us. Karate is for training the spirit. We are not here just to learn techniques or to become physically strong. I know that all my students will achieve those two objectives by the process of coming to class over a period of time. As I look around the room today, everyone looks strong and healthy. We are here today for one overriding objective: to train the spirit to become calm and strong. Shi sui — stil water. Even if the calm of a pond is disturbed by someone throwing a stone into the water, the stone sinks and disappears; the stone sends out waves that disturb the surface, but these are soon dissipated and there is no trace of the disturbance. A strong spirit handles adversity like this. We must strive to develop equanimity and steadiness. I want my students to approach life’s challenges in a certain way. When you are confronted with a problem, or a challenge, or an important decision, first of all, be calm like the still water. As yourself, “What is the problem here?” “What can I do about it?” Be realistic and do not give yourself impossible tasks. Do one small thinking toward solving your problem. Proceed one step at a time. Be consistent, and always move forward, even if it’s very slowly. Soon, the challenge will be over, and your spirit will have prevailed. This is the spirit of karate which I want all of my students to achieve.” ~ Tadashi Nakamura The ultimate goal of karate is the inner development of the whole person. Developing all aspects of ourselves, our mind, our body and our spirit are essential to achieving our potential as people. Often we focus a great deal of attention on developing our bodies and our minds but often neglect our spirit. But peace and happiness come through the spirit. A three-legged stool cannot stand and be steady if one of the legs is shorter than the other. And so it is with ourselves as well. If we neglect any of the legs of the stool we will always be trying to regain our balance. 29.601841 -98.533912 Advertisements"Gryphons continued to encounter an unknown intelligent civilization, bearing banners marked with sun and moon. As their awareness of the power these creatures posses, with situations ending in grave disaster, the Gryphon high command sees no other option then to approach the conduits of all Gryphon kind. Entities of the old worlds, wielding great knowledge and mind, standing above all. They however do not take on a leader position, acting more as guides, prophets, gurus. Many of them are spread across the lands, living in desolation for they are not fit to walk amongst those lesser. It has only been in the most dire times and desperate needs that the Gryphon leaders ruling the banners and lands have chosen to approach the Conduits for a greater cause. One that extents across all Gryphon lands. The threat of assimilation or even extinction by the Equine Empire is not one they take lightly. Threatening all that their kind has build, the pride and honour in the blood of all. Thus they seek guidance with the only creatures that might wield words to unite them under one wing, to fight for survival not as one, but as Gryphons." The legends of the Gryphon lands. Ancient creatures, preserving all that which is Gryphon kind.Finally this piece finished hah! Fun, although I wouldn't have mind if it did take even longer.Wanted to do a high detailed piece again for a while. I guess I succeeded, although still a lot of it is just on the Condor. Exploring my alternative MLP world "First Contact War"Depicting a desperate move, deemed necessary to preserve Gryphon kind in their encounter with the Equine Empire. They carry marks of the Equines (which are easily gather-able ones) as proof for the conduits about their existence, and threat.I imagine the Gryphon species being divided into individual lands. Proud to be a Gryphon, but not willing to succumb to the word of others. That is, with the exception of the Conduits. The only ones who's words hold more power for them than anything else.Eventually I do want something equivalent in the Equestria Equine Empire in terms of major characters. They already have Celestia and Luna to fill the same role the Conduits have.I've been thinking about all the different bird species there are and combining them into the traditional Gryphon/Griffon formula. From Old world birds, to Owls, to maybe even smaller species. Imagine a tiny Sparrow Gryphon.On the other side there's plenty of Felines to go with as well from all sizes.Went with a mountain lion/Cougar/Puma/Panther/Catamount idea for this one. Although slightly white, perhaps they're just old hehe.Let’s say your cousin took seven years to graduate college, bounced in and out of rehab a few times, married someone to keep her in the country (and then she stole money from him and disappeared), borrowed $50,000 to start a frozen-yogurt business that bankrupted him, spent three years living in Mexico “doing odd jobs” and now, he lives 20 minutes away, he’s been sober for six months, he proposed to a shockingly normal woman, and he just remembered buying Apple stock in 1997 that’s now worth $50 million. He hired a financial adviser. He bought a killer house in a wonderful neighborhood. He’s saying all the right things. Everything seems fine. “I’ve never felt this good,” he tells you. “I finally turned my life around.” Do you believe him? How much baggage is too much baggage? When does the past stop mattering? Welcome to Clipper Nation, a place where baggage never stops piling up. It’s almost like the NBA’s version of Hoarders. We were just breaking apart the guest bedroom and, my God! I think that’s Keith Closs Jr.!!! Actually, Keith showed up for Game 4 of the Clippers-Grizzlies series on Monday night, wearing his old jersey (no, really) and cheering on his old team as they pulled out a thrilling overtime victory. Supposedly, fans took pictures with him, high-fived him and didn’t find this goofy at all. It’s just part of the Clippers experience. For Lakers playoff games, you might see legends like Magic, Big Game James, Elgin and the Logo in the house. For Clippers playoff games, you see Keith Closs Jr. Ever since they trumped the Lakers in the Chris Paul Sweepstakes (with a massive assist from David Stern), the Clippers have been juggling identities like a rejected superhero from The Avengers. There’s the exciting contender that features two All-Star Game starters, dominates YouTube, has a recognizable hook (“Lob City”) and keeps pulling out close games because of Paul’s incomparable brilliance; and there’s the laughingstock of a franchise that’s been owned/mutilated by the aggressively incompetent Donald Sterling, made just four playoff appearances in the past 35 years (before this season) and piled up so many injuries, bad breaks and idiotic decisions that I could barely cram them into this 2009 column. Which identity would prevail? The Clippers started out 19-9, then unhinged after blowing an impressive victory over San Antonio in the most unlikely way: As Paul fetched an inbounds pass to dribble out the clock, he lost his balance and improbably threw the ball right to San Antonio’s Gary Neal who even more improbably sank the game-tying 3 in a sports-movie ending that any producer would have rejected. San Antonio’s overtime victory spawned a textbook Clippers free fall: They won just seven of their next 18, making headlines in mid-March by not firing Vinny Del Negro, then pretending five solid days of internal teetering about the coach’s future never happened. It happened. If you remember, Sterling hired Del Negro for a decidedly Clipperish reason: The Bulls were covering half of Del Negro’s salary last season, which meant Sterling only had to pay for half a coach. You get what you pay for, whether it’s a recycled coach, a hooker or a slum building and reportedly, Sterling has paid for all three. But that’s beside the point. Del Negro survived March for a decidedly Clipperish reason: It was simply too late to find a decent replacement. This didn’t matter on Monday night, not with Dr. Paul performing yet another crunch-time surgery on Memphis. You know the recipe by now: Paul setting up everyone else for 44 minutes, then going into Isiah 2.0 mode and taking command down the stretch. The Clippers lead Memphis 3-1 in the series; all three wins came down to the final minute; all three wins happened because Paul controls the final minutes of tight games better than anyone. He’s incredible. That’s the only word that applies. It’s not just the plays themselves, or his innate ability to make the correct decision nearly every time, but the way he carries himself as it happens. There was a remarkable moment in Game 4 — last play of regulation, tie game, Chris looking for the winning shot against Tony Allen (one of the league’s best defenders) — when everyone stood and cheered and expected Chris to take care of business, only he waited a second too long, rushed his hesitation move, got throttled by Allen and ran out of time. I was there — the fans were genuinely stunned that Chris failed. It was like watching Dom Toretto lose a street race or something. We watched him saunter back to the huddle, furious at himself, nodding to his teammates as if to say, “Don’t worry, I got this.” Full disclosure: I attended just enough Clippers games this season to know when Paul gets “The Look.” It’s not rocket science. The Look usually happens in close games — and only because Chris has more self-confidence than anyone except Kobe — but it might surface other times, like if a clumsy center elbows him in the head, or someone sets a violent pick that Chris doesn’t appreciate. When Chris gets The Look, it’s all over. Somebody has to pay. He starts doing his old-man walk — when he sticks his ass out and stomps around violently, almost like he’s annoyed that someone pushed him to this place — and starts yelling at teammates and directing people around like an angry traffic cop. I swear this is true — even the officials fall in line when Chris has The Look. They suck up to him. When he yells at them about a missed call, they react the same way Obama’s staff would react if the POTUS was pissed off. I’m sorry, Mr. Paul. You’re right, I DID miss the call. You’re making some great points. I’ll try to do better, I promise. After blowing that final play in Game 4, Chris had The Look heading into overtime. Memphis didn’t have a chance. Look, Clippers fans have been appropriately scarred over the years. They fully expected that stupid Kia to cripple Blake in the Slam Dunk Contest, just like they wouldn’t be shocked if the video scoreboard fell on Chris right as he was dribbling out the clock in Game 7 of the Finals. But that 27-point comeback in Game 1 was a seminal moment for a profoundly messed-up franchise. If they can erase a 27-point lead and guarantee themselves a spot on NBA TV Hardwood Classics for the rest of eternity, what else can happen? Has their historically low ceiling been removed? These last two home games, I found myself mildly frightened by their unwavering optimism — almost like watching a buddy fall a little too hard for a stripper or something. They wore matching red T-shirts, cheered loudly from start to finish, jumped to their feet after every big play, started unprovoked “Let’s Go Clippers” chants and basically acted like college kids. Like three decades of frustration had boiled over and turned into something else. Remember, the Clippers have always been “The Team That Sold Season Tickets to People Who Couldn’t Get Lakers Tickets and/or Just Wanted to See the Other Teams.” A superior playoff atmosphere paid immediate dividends — in particular, Griffin flew around in 19th gear in Game 3 (to his own detriment), then found the right energy/intensity calibration for Game 4 and played one of his better games. It’s been an unlikely three-way match: an unexpectedly rambunctious playoff crowd, the best player in the series and the Los Angeles Clippers. At halftime on Monday, a friend of mine (a Lakers fan) said to me, “I didn’t know Clippers fans had it in them.” It was a backhanded compliment. He didn’t mean it that way. Or maybe he did. A quick story about how optimistic Clippers fans were heading into this season: I sit in a section of “Eighty-Four” accounts, the sales staff’s nickname for any season-ticket holder since the 1984-85 season (when the Clippers moved to L.A. from San Diego). These fans have seen everything — they’re like an emotionally scarred cross between the camp counselors at Crystal Lake and the police department in Haddonfield. At halftime of the team’s only preseason game, just a few days before Christmas, a nice lady from the Eighty-Fours asked me to join their annual wins pool — throw in a dollar, then guess the team’s total wins for that year. I gave her a dollar and guessed high: 41 wins. She laughed. “You’re not the first one who picked 41,” she said. Uh-oh. You never want the words “high expectations” and “Clippers” in the same sentence. After acquiring Paul and splurging on $67 million in starters (DeAndre Jordan and Caron Butler), Clippers fans were thinking big. If the Los Angeles basketball scene was ever flipping, couldn’t it only happen after a seminal, double franchise-altering moment like “The Veto?” Lob City debuted on December 30 in front of an enthusiastic sellout crowd. Somebody sang the anthem who wasn’t nearly famous enough. The visiting Bulls were introduced to cheers (from the Chicago transplants and residue MJ fans in the house) and boos (from the Clippers fans who were pissed off that they can’t attend a big game without 20 percent of the building rooting for the other team). The lights went dark as the fans started buzzing happily, sounding like giddy Springsteen fans in those moments right before the Boss strolls out onstage. You couldn’t screw this moment up. It was impossible. Well, unless you’re the Clippers. As cheerleaders scampered onto the court and waited for a cue that never came, there was a pause and it kept going and it kept going. The mammoth video screen tried to play something, failed miserably, then started skipping that clip without sound. It didn’t just last for one or two seconds it kept skipping and skipping. And wouldn’t end. So much for the giddy Springsteen buzz. As fans alternately grumbled and giggled in disbelief, just then, the video stopped. Now we were standing in the dark again. And I swear, right then, I fully expected Donald Sterling to turn into a fiery centaur and murder everyone inside the arena. After all, if that ever happens — and don’t rule it out — wouldn’t that have been the perfect moment? Instead, another 10 seconds passed before the video mercifully started again. And, of course, it couldn’t have been more dreadful. Instead of crafting a so-easy-my-young-son-could-have-edited-it highlight video called “Welcome to Lob City, Population 18,000” — just Blake and DeAndre slamming home alley-oops with a happy hip-hop song blaring — the Clippers went for a graphic-heavy, artistic think piece that was apparently directed by Tommy Wiseau. We watched players and coaches CGI’ed in front of different buildings, with some dunks thrown in, and I have to be honest, I don’t know what the hell was going on. By the time that visual carbuncle ended, the life had been completely beaten out of the crowd. So much for the Opening Night buzz. Somebody had the bright idea that every single 2012 Clipper should jog out, one at a time, from underneath the bowels of the Staples Center. That would have been fine, except three of the first four Clippers introduced (Billups, Eric Bledsoe and Reggie Evans) were injured and wearing streetclothes. Instead of running, they slowly ambled out like broken-down senior citizens, killing any and all remaining momentum. By the time they rolled out the Clippers’ starting five, it was 11:30 at night. Or, it just felt that way. And just when we thought it couldn’t get any more awkward, the rattled announcer introduced Mo Williams as “Chauncey Billlllllllllllllllllllups!!!!!!!” What else could go wrong? Would they finish things off by having Penny Marshall run Blake Griffin over in a Kia? When the lights finally (and mercifully) went back on, everyone was laughing and shaking their heads — the same way you’d laugh when that same aforementioned black-sheep cousin makes an inappropriate joke at Christmas dinner, and nobody even gets pissed off because he’s your idiot black-sheep cousin and he’s been doing those things for his entire life. You laugh, shake your head and move on. That’s what you’re conditioned to do. As a friend e-mailed me a few seconds later, “Biggest home moment in history and they couldn’t even get that right. I love the Clippers.” Exactly. That’s why a certain group of Los Angeles natives were patiently waiting for the Clippers to revert to being the Clippers again. Before the season, these people sneered at Chris’s MVP odds dropping to 5-to-1 and his team fetching 8-to-1 title odds. They pooh-poohed any notion of a local basketball rivalry, refusing to acknowledge that the young-and-hungry Clips could ever supplant the old-and-satiated Lakers. They did an inordinate amount of scoffing and guffawing. They never wavered. They were Lakers fans. They were the hammer, and the Clippers were the nail. That’s the way it would always be. Or so they believed. Chris Paul believed differently. From day one, he said the right things, adopted everyone else’s deep-seated contempt of the Lakers, even signed off on Blake being introduced last for home games — a bigger deal than you’d think because it’s like getting the biggest piece of chicken at dinner (copyright: Chris Rock). Chris expected the Clippers to contend for an NBA title because he was Chris Paul, one of the best eight players on the planet, someone fundamentally wired to make a shitty team mediocre, a mediocre team good and a good team great. His swagger, talent and intelligence would trump decades of baggage. That’s what he expected. Less than three months later, his bravado seemed a little foolish. The Clippers were bumbling their way out of the playoffs. At the time, I made the mistake of mentioning that to Jimmy Kimmel (a Lakers fan). Here’s what he e-mailed back. “I don’t know why you keep falling into this trap. The Clippers are the Wile E. Coyote of basketball. They can’t win. If they win, everything is ruined.” You might not remember this; you may have blocked it out of your mind. I know Clippers fans have. But during another hopeless season last year, the Clippers dumped Baron Davis’s contract on Cleveland for Mo Williams and stupidly gave the Cavs an unprotected first-round pick for their troubles. Had this been any other team, the word “unprotected” wouldn’t have come back to haunt it. But it was the Clippers, so naturally, that pick ended up winning Cleveland the lottery. Clippers fans spent the summer consoling themselves by saying, “Well, at least it was a lousy draft” and “maybe Kyrie Irving will be a total bust.” Then the season started and, of course, Irving turned out to be an absolute stud, one of the league’s best young players. In an alternate universe where the trade didn’t happen (think Lost), a nucleus of Irving, Griffin and Eric Gordon would have rivaled any under-27 nucleus in basketball except for Oklahoma City. And if you think Clippers fans weren’t obsessing over this fact in mid-March, you’re crazy.
Despite their hitting successes, poor pitching continued to plague the team. Halladay was an exception, winning his first Cy Young Award, going 22–7, with a 3.25 ERA. In July, Shannon Stewart was traded to the Minnesota Twins for Bobby Kielty, another outfielder with a much lower batting average than Stewart's. Although the Jays finished in third place in their division, Delgado was second in the voting for the American League MVP Award. In the off-season, Kielty was traded to the Oakland Athletics for starter Ted Lilly. Team record 2003: 86 wins–76 losses, W%- 0.531, 15 games behind division leader, third in division 2004 season [ edit ] The 2004 season was a disappointing year for the Blue Jays right from the beginning. They started the season 0–8 at SkyDome and never started a lengthy winning streak. Much of that was due to injuries to All-Stars Carlos Delgado, Vernon Wells and Roy Halladay among others. Although the additions of starting pitchers Ted Lilly and Miguel Batista and reliever Justin Speier were relatively successful, veteran Pat Hentgen faltered throughout the season and retired on July 24. Rookies and minor league callups David Bush, Jason Frasor, Josh Towers and others filled the void in the rotation and the bullpen; however, inconsistent performances were evident. With the team struggling in last place and mired in a five-game losing streak, manager Carlos Tosca was fired on August 8, 2004, and was replaced by first base coach John Gibbons. Long-time first baseman Carlos Delgado became a free agent in the off-season. Nevertheless, prospects Russ Adams, Gabe Gross, and Alex Ríos provided excitement for the fans. Rookie pitchers David Bush, Gustavo Chacín and Jason Frasor also showed promise for the club's future. The Blue Jays' lone MLB All-Star Game representative was Lilly. Team record 2004: 67 wins–94 losses, W%- 0.416, 33.5 games behind division leader, fifth in division 2005 season [ edit ] After the 2004 season, FieldTurf replaced AstroTurf as the Rogers Centre's playing surface. The Blue Jays had a good start to the 2005 season. They led the AL East from early to mid-April and held their record around.500 until late August. The Jays were hit with the injury bug when third baseman Corey Koskie broke his finger, taking him out of the lineup, but the club was pleasantly surprised with the performance of rookie call-up Aaron Hill in his stead. On July 8, just prior to the All-Star break, Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay was struck on the shin by a line drive, resulting in a fractured leg. Though Halladay's injury was hoped to be minor, the recovery process was met with constant delays, and eventually, he was out for the rest of the season. Prior to his injury, the Blue Jays were in serious wild card contention, but soon fell out of the playoff race. The team received glimpses of the future from September call-ups Guillermo Quiróz, John-Ford Griffin, and Shaun Marcum. Marcum made himself noteworthy by posting an ERA of 0.00 over 5 relief appearances and 8 innings in September. Josh Towers also stepped up, showing largely unseen potential by going 7–5 with a 2.91 ERA in the second half of the season. Team record 2005: 80 wins–82 losses, W%- 0.494, 15 games behind division leader, third in division 2006 season [ edit ] In 2006, the team experienced its most successful season in years. On July 2, Troy Glaus, Vernon Wells, Roy Halladay, B. J. Ryan, and Alex Ríos were picked to represent the Blue Jays at the All-Star Game.[21] It was the largest number of Blue Jay All-Stars selected for the game since 1993. The team played well in the critical month of September, going 18–10. This, combined with the slumping of the Boston Red Sox, enabled the Blue Jays to take sole possession of second place in the American League East by the end of the season. This marked the first time that the Jays had finished above third place in their division since their World Championship season of 1993, and with the most wins since the 1998 season. On December 18, the Blue Jays announced that they had re-signed centre fielder Wells to a seven-year contract worth $126 million, which came into effect after the 2007 season. Team record 2006: 87 wins–75 losses, W%- 0.537, 10 games behind division leader, second in division 2007 season [ edit ] Banner at Rogers Centre, showing Frank Thomas' home run count. The 2007 season was blighted by persistent injuries, with 12 Blue Jays landing on the disabled list. The most serious injury was that of B. J. Ryan, who was out for the entire season having had Tommy John surgery. Prior to the season, the team signed starting pitchers John Thomson, Tomo Ohka, and Víctor Zambrano; each of them was released before the end of the season. However, young starters Shaun Marcum and Dustin McGowan had breakout years, with 12 wins each. On June 24, McGowan pitched a complete game one-hitter. On June 28, Frank Thomas became the 21st major league player to hit 500 career home runs. Aaron Hill also had a breakout year, setting a team record for second basemen with 47 doubles. Team record 2007: 83 wins – 79 losses, W% – 0.512, 13 games behind division leader, third in division 2008 season [ edit ] The Blue Jays' 2008 season featured a strong pitching staff, which led the major leagues with a 3.49 ERA. For much of the season, however, the team struggled to hit home runs and drive in runs. On May 24, starter Jesse Litsch set a team record, with 38 consecutive innings without giving up a walk. On June 20, following a five-game losing streak and with the Jays in last place in the AL East, management fired John Gibbons and several members of his coaching staff, and re-hired Cito Gaston. Meanwhile, Alex Ríos had 32 stolen bases, making him the first Blue Jay with 30 since 2001. On September 5, Roy Halladay earned his 129th career win, moving him into second spot on Toronto's all-time wins list. Halladay also came second in the voting for the Cy Young Award, after posting a 20–11 record and 2.78 ERA. From August 30 to September 9, the team had a 10-game winning streak. Team record 2008: 86 wins–76 losses, W%- 0.531, 11 games behind division leader, fourth in division 2009 season [ edit ] The 2009 season saw the addition of two new patches on the Blue Jays' uniforms: on the right arm, a bright red maple leaf (part of the Canadian flag), and on the left arm, a small black band with "TED" written on it, in reference to team owner Ted Rogers, who died in the off-season. On opening day at the Rogers Centre, the Jays, led by Roy Halladay, beat the Detroit Tigers 12–5.[22] On June 9, with the 20th pick in the MLB draft, the Jays selected RHP Chad Jenkins, a power pitcher that has drawn comparisons to David Wells and Gustavo Chacín[23] (passing over Mike Trout who was picked 25th by the Angels). Aaron Hill and Roy Halladay both had excellent years and represented the Blue Jays at the 2009 All-Star Game in St. Louis. In mid-August, J. P. Ricciardi allowed the Chicago White Sox to claim Alex Ríos off waivers. Despite a hot start, the Jays quickly fell, including a 9-game losing streak, after starting with a 27–14 record. With two games remaining in what was a disappointing season, Ricciardi was fired on October 3. He was replaced by assistant general manager Alex Anthopoulos.[24][25] Despite a 75-win season, the Jays saw the strong return of Aaron Hill, who won the American League Comeback Player of the Year Award and the Silver Slugger for second base. Adam Lind, who also had a strong season, earned the Silver Slugger for designated hitter. Shortstop Marco Scutaro also broke out for career highs in batting average (.282), slugging percentage (.379), at bats (574), and total bases (235). Team record 2009: 75 wins–87 losses, W%- 0.463, 28 games behind division leader, fourth in division 2010–2015: The Alex Anthopoulos era [ edit ] 2010 season [ edit ] 2010 was Alex Anthopoulos'first full season as General Manager of the Jays. In the off-season, the Jays' ace Roy Halladay was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for Kyle Drabek, Travis d'Arnaud, and Michael Taylor; Taylor was immediately traded to the Oakland Athletics for Brett Wallace. The team's significant free agent signings were that of catcher John Buck and shortstop Álex González.[26] The 2010 season was a 10-win improvement over the previous season. It was a career year for José Bautista, who hit 54 home runs, breaking George Bell's franchise record. In doing so, he became the 26th player to reach 50 home runs and the first since Alex Rodriguez and Prince Fielder achieved the feat in 2007. The Blue Jays also set a franchise record for the most home runs in a single season as they hit 257, 13 more than their previous record of 244 set by the 2000 Blue Jays. The Blue Jays tied the 1996 Baltimore Orioles for the third most home runs by a team in a single season. Seven players (José Bautista, Vernon Wells, Aaron Hill, Adam Lind, Lyle Overbay, John Buck, and Edwin Encarnación) hit 20 home runs or more throughout the season, tying an MLB record previously set by four teams, including the 2000 Blue Jays. On August 7, catching prospect J. P. Arencibia made his major league debut. He went 4-for-5 with 2 home runs, including a home run hit on the first pitch he saw. The next day, starting pitcher Brandon Morrow came within one out of a no-hitter, finishing with 17 strikeouts in a complete game one-hitter. Team record 2010: 85 wins – 77 losses, W%- 0.525, 11 games behind division leader, fourth in division 2011 season [ edit ] Led by new manager John Farrell, the Blue Jays' 2011 season was up-and-down for the most part, as the team finished with a.500 record. After signing a five-year $64 million contract extension,[27] José Bautista followed up his record-setting 2010 season with a Major League-leading 43 home runs, along with 103 RBI, 132 walks, and a.302 average. Rookie J. P. Arencibia set a Blue Jays' single-season record with 23 home runs by a catcher. In August, third base prospect Brett Lawrie made his Major League debut and hit.293 with 9 home runs, 4 triples, and 25 RBI, in 43 games. Starting pitcher and ace Ricky Romero led the team with 15 wins and a 2.92 ERA. He also became an All-Star for the first time in his career. The other starting pitchers were inconsistent[clarification needed] throughout the season. Jon Rauch and Frank Francisco, both acquired in the off-season, shared the closer role.[28] They both struggled[clarification needed] through the first half of the season, though Francisco improved in the last two months of the season, and had six saves in September. On July 31, the Blue Jays retired their first number, Roberto Alomar's #12. Team record 2011: 81 wins – 81 losses, W%- 0.500, 16 games behind division leader, fourth in division 2012 season [ edit ] The 2012 season was an injury-plagued year for the Blue Jays, having used 31 total pitchers, which set a franchise record.[29] In June, three starting pitchers (Brandon Morrow, Kyle Drabek, and Drew Hutchison) were lost to injury in a span of four days, two of whom required Tommy John surgery.[29] In the second half of the season, some key players in Toronto's lineup, including All-Star José Bautista, missed a significant amount[clarification needed] of playing time due to injury, sending the team into a freefall and culminating in a 73–89 record. Despite the underachievements[clarification needed] of Ricky Romero and Adam Lind, Casey Janssen established himself as a reliable closer (22 SV, 2.52 ERA) and Edwin Encarnación developed into one of the league's best power hitters (.280 AVG, 42 HR, 110 RBI). The team opened on the road in Cleveland, where they beat the Indians, 7–4, in 16 full innings, setting a new record for the longest opening-day game in major league history. The previous record of 15 innings had been set by the Washington Senators and Philadelphia Athletics on April 13, 1926, and was tied by the Detroit Tigers and the Indians on April 19, 1960.[30] On April 20, the Jays turned a triple play against the Kansas City Royals in a 4–3 win. It was the first triple play they turned since September 21, 1979.[31] Team record 2012: 73 wins – 89 losses, W%- 0.451, 22 games behind division leader, fourth in division 2013 season [ edit ] During the off-season the Blue Jays announced multiple trades and free agent signings. One such trade acquired Mark Buehrle, José Reyes and Josh Johnson among others from the Miami Marlins and another was with the Mets for R.A. Dickey. Melky Cabrera was signed as a free agent around the same time.[32] Despite fans and analysts high expectations,[33] the 2013 team did not live up to the preseason predictions. Most of the regulars battled injury (Reyes broke his ankle during a steal attempt 10 games into the season and a benign tumor was removed from Cabrera's spine after the season ended) and generally underperformed.[34] One of the few bright spots[clarification needed] was the promotion of fan favorite Munenori Kawasaki to replace Reyes. The Blue Jays also tied a franchise record with an eleven-game winning streak from June 11–23. Edwin Encarnación finished the season on the DL with a wrist injury but had great[clarification needed] numbers (.272 AVG, 36 HR and 104 RBI) to follow up his break-out 2012 season. Team record 2013: 74 wins – 88 losses, win % – 0.457, 23 games behind division leader, last in division 2014 season [ edit ] Pitcher Roy Halladay signed a one-day contract with the Blue Jays before retiring from baseball, citing injuries. The Jays had a nine-game win streak from May 20 to 28, as well as wins in 18 of 21 between May 15 and June 6. On August 10, the Blue Jays played the longest game in franchise history by both time and innings, winning 6–5 in 19 innings and playing 6 hours, 37 minutes against the visiting Detroit Tigers.[35] Team record 2014: 83 wins–79 losses, W%-.512, 13 games behind division leader, third in division, 5 games behind AL wild card cutoff, sixth in AL wild card 2015: Return to the playoffs, AL East champions [ edit ] The Blue Jays celebrate after clinching the American League East in 2015; they went as far as the ALCS, only to lose against the eventual World Series -winning Kansas City Royals. During the off-season, the Jays signed Toronto-born catcher Russell Martin[36] through free agency. The Jays acquired Marco Estrada,[37] Devon Travis,[38] All-Star third baseman Josh Donaldson,[39] and Michael Saunders[40] in trades. The Jays claimed Justin Smoak,[41] Andy Dirks,[42] and Chris Colabello off waivers.[43] However, Dirks, along with John Mayberry Jr., were eventually non–tendered; the Jays later signed Dirks to a minor league contract.[44] Melky Cabrera[45] and Brandon Morrow[46] left through free agency and Juan Francisco was claimed off waivers by the Boston Red Sox.[47] The Jays later traded José Reyes and pitching prospects Miguel Castro, Jeff Hoffman, and Jesus Tinoco to the Colorado Rockies for All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and reliever LaTroy Hawkins. Two days later, they acquired All-Star pitcher David Price from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for pitching prospects Daniel Norris, Matt Boyd, and Jairo Labourt. The Jays had two 11-game winning streaks during this season. On September 25, the Blue Jays clinched a playoff berth, ending the longest active playoff drought in North American professional sports (see List of Major League Baseball franchise postseason droughts).[48] They subsequently claimed the AL East division title on September 30, after defeating the Baltimore Orioles 15–2 in the first game of a doubleheader.[49] The Blue Jays faced the Texas Rangers in the ALDS. After losing back-to-back home games, they won the next three games in a row to take the five-game series, advancing to the ALCS; a three-game comeback series victory had not been accomplished since 2012 by the San Francisco Giants.[50] During game five of the series in Toronto, Blue Jays' right fielder José Bautista executed what Andrew Keh of The New York Times described as possibly "the most ostentatious bat flip in MLB history" after hitting a go-ahead, three-run home run off Rangers relief pitcher Sam Dyson, capping off a controversy-laden seventh inning that lasted almost an hour.[51] Bautista wrote an article about the bat flip published in November 2015 in The Players' Tribune.[52] The Blue Jays then faced the Kansas City Royals in the ALCS, losing the series 4–2 in Kansas City; the Royals eventually won the World Series.[53] After the playoffs, Donaldson was named AL MVP, becoming the first Blue Jay to win the award since George Bell in 1987. Team record 2015: 93 wins–69 losses, W%-.574BOSTON (CBS) — The Patriots will have a new team doctor for the 2014 season. The team announced Thursday that Dr. Thomas Gill will be stepping down as the chief of sports medicine at Mass General Hospital Sports Medicine to “focus on his private practice.” The Patriots said they “always” have Mass General’s chief of sports medicine serve as the team’s medical director, so Gill’s move will end his tenure with the team. Dr. Matt Provencher will take over as MGH’s chief of sports medicine. “We greatly appreciate the many years of dedicated service and innovation that Dr. Gill provided our team and wish him well in the future,” the Patriots said in a release. “We will continue to work with MGH Sports Medicine to provide our medical services and look forward to receiving the level of care and expertise that MGH has been providing the New England Patriots since our team’s inception.” Previously, Gill served as the Red Sox’ team medical director from 2005-12, with ESPN reporting that Gill was in the middle of team-wide friction regarding the medical staff. There were reportedly disagreements between Rob Gronkowski’s family and Gill regarding the tight end’s care following his injuries in 2012, a disagreement that spilled into the 2013 season. The team believed Gronkowski would be able to return to the field within the first few weeks of the season, but he did not make his season debut until Week 7. The NFLPA also filed a grievance against against the Patriots, which asked Gill to step down, last July. That request was made after the team tried to recoup money after signing Jonathan Fanene, who never played a down for New England and reportedly failed to disclose a medical condition before signing his contract. MORE PATRIOTS COVERAGE FROM CBS BOSTONThe Frenchman will leave the Lotus team at the end of the season to head the American squad's line-up when it joins the grid at the start of 2016. However, 1997 world champion Villeneuve fears Grosjean may be too "cranky" to help build a new team from scratch. "Does Grosjean have the mettle to build up a team? He seems to get cranky quite easily, which is not good when you're trying to build a team, as there will be frustration," Villeneuve told Motorsport.com. "I guess the last couple of years at Lotus have been good to temper him down a little bit, so that's good training. "It's good when you start a new project to come with the baggage of victories – it helps to get the credibility within the team." Haas facing tough time The Canadian also believes Haas could find life more difficult than expected when it makes its debut next year. Villeneuve was involved in the birth of British American Racing in 1999, which didn't win a race until being purchased by Honda in 2006, and eventually left the team after five difficult seasons. "It generally is quite hard, because generally people who come into F1 don't realise how difficult it is," Villeneuve said. "It seems to be a proper set-up, but until they are on the track, let's just wait and see. "A lot of people have tried and been shocked at what it actually meant. But they seem to have the right approach."Are ice sheet losses overestimated? Posted on 15 November 2010 by robert way There has been a significant degree of commentary on various blogs and across the scientific community regarding uncertainties in measuring ice sheet changes in Greenland and Antarctica. The majority of this discussion has been ongoing within the field for years but a recent paper (1Wu et al. 2010, Nature Geoscience) has invigorated the debate amongst not only those within the subfield of glaciology, but also among the general public. Several prominent skeptic websites have already featured stories on Wu et al’s (2010) results, using them as ‘supposed’ confirmation that ice sheet losses are significantly less than previous estimates have concluded. Background Wu et al (2010) use a new approach for correcting for glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) when using data from NASA’s Gravity Recovery (GRACE) twin satellite system over the period of 2002 to 2008. GRACE is a pair of satellites which together measure the changes in mass on the earth’s surface. GRACE has been prominently featured in many recent papers 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 detailing extensive ice losses along coastal Greenland with moderate gains occurring at high altitudes in the interior. GRACE data is extremely sensitive to GIA which is essentially deep solid earth glacial isostatic mantle motions (the earth rebounds after heavy ice has been removed from it) making it necessary for estimations of its magnitude to be made in order to determine regional scale mass balance. Wu et al (2010) use a new method for simultaneously solving for GIA and exchanges of mass globally. They use ocean information from altimetry and tide gauges to constrain oceanic mass changes, GPS data for crustal movements in tectonically sensitive regions and GRACE for direct inferences pertaining to total mass movements. Previous studies have corrected for GIA first and then calculated the mass exchanges but this study does this process at the same time using a least squares minimization approach including both GRACE and GPS datasets. This method is viewed by the authors as being a step forward in correcting for GIA but it has been acknowledged that this approach is very new and will require further GPS data to better constrain the GIA signal. So is this the final word on ice sheet mass balance status? A new paper (10Bamber and Riva 2010) uses sea level fingerprints and mass loss estimates from previous studies to outline the sea level fingerprint of global ice losses. During the review stage of that paper, Bamber and Riva were asked why they did not include Wu et al (2010) estimate for Greenland but instead used 11Van den Broeke et al (2009) (166 Gt/year). They responded, “…the values we use are, we believe, the most appropriate to use and are sufficiently reliable to make key points and conclusions that we make… Because a paper is the most recent does not, necessarily, make it the most reliable or “best” estimate. Different approaches have different advantages and disadvantages… The study by Wu et al is an exciting and novel approach to simultaneously solving for GIA and mass exchange (what they call PDMT). We consider this paper to be an interesting proof of concept for the approach but certainly not the “last word” on the topic… The solution has not been tuned for any one location and the quality of the solution will depend on the quality and spatial density of the data sets that went into it… In Greenland, there are very few GPS sites with sufficiently long record (just 3) that could be used and none in the interior of either Antarctica or Greenland. In the future the GPS networks set up within IPY for both ice sheets will greatly help with solving for GIA in these areas.” The take home message from what Dr. Bamber and Dr. Riva had in their response was that Wu et al (2010) is an interesting paper that provides a new method of correcting for GIA, however the limitations of the GPS datasets in Antarctica and Greenland should make us view this estimate as a first attempt but not THE definitive answer for ice changes. Their response emphasizes that with the high degree of uncertainty in GRACE data and gravimetry as a whole, there will undoubtedly be further revisions of estimates in the future as GIA is better constrained. Their use of Van Den Broeke et al (2009) as an estimate for Greenland is likely because it uses BOTH grace and ice discharge/surface mass balance estimates to make their inferences rather than just one dataset. To try and further understand the accuracy of Wu et al’s estimate, I contacted coauthor Dr. Erik Ivins from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Dr. Ivins pointed out that the reason Wu et al’s estimate for Greenland was lower than other estimates is that his inverse method for dealing with GIA gave a large counterbalance signature in central Greenland which showed downward mantle motions that lowered his ice loss estimate (Figure 1). Dr. Ivins also noted that the actual existence of this counterbalance signature is still uncertain and that the novelty of the technique is an important consideration when evaluating the results. He also made it clear that this study does not use the more traditional data sources for estimations of ice sheets such as: (1) in situ ice sheet information (2) altimetric elevation changes (3) ice flux (velocity) measurements (4) ice calving/basal melt estimates or (5) inferences of snow accumulation. Dr. Ivins ends the email saying “Considering both the novelty and globality of the methods used by Wu… I’d be hard pressed to say that his result supports the so-called prominent skeptics.” Figure 1: Ice mass changes in Greenland according to Wu et al. 2010, the counterbalance signature is denoted by the red square. Another even newer study has also been published since Wu et al (2010) which also make ice loss estimates for Greenland. This study (12Sorensen et al. 2010) uses Icesat laser altimeter data from 2003 to 2008 to estimate the mass balance of the Greenland ice sheet to be significantly negative losing 237 ± 25 GT yr-1 over that period. This estimate is over double the estimate of Wu et al (2010) (104 ± 23 GT yr-1) and is also very interesting as they also use a novel approach and test 4 different methods of estimating the mass balance of Greenland from Icesat data. Their estimate of 237 GT yr-1 is using what they felt to be the most accurate method but even the approach that showed the least amount of ice loss (147 Gt yr-1) still showed ice losses significantly greater than Wu et al (2010). The analysis like any other analysis' has its issues but that is why it is important to try and reaffirm these trends using multiple measurement techniques (Figure 4). This question of the “large counterbalance signature in central Greenland” is one which I find puzzling (see Figure 1) as it is not evident in Sorensen et al’s (2010) paper (Figure 2). Figure 2: Elevation changes across the Greenland ice sheet based upon Icesat laser altimetry elevation differencing from Sorensen et al. 2010. Laser altimetry is also sensitive to GIA (though less than Gravimetry) so it is indeed possible that Sorensen et al (2010) perhaps missed this large signature while correcting for GIA, but how can we be sure? One way is to look at data that does not require extensive GIA correction such as Van Den Broeke’s (2009) ice discharge (D) and surface mass balance (SMB) estimates (Figure 3). This analysis compares the incoming precipitation to the outgoing runoff and uses ice velocity measurements across 90% of Greenland to determine if changes in discharge have occurred. Figure 3: Basin level surface mass balance (SMB) and discharge (D) estimates for the Greenland ice sheet based upon Van Den Broeke et al. 2009 over the period of 2003-2008. The picture we get from Van Den Broeke’s analysis is that we do not see the dominant accumulation of ice in the center of Greenland that is seen in Wu et al. This is not to say that it is an impossible that this counterbalance signal exists, but it does invoke questions of whether the signal is as strong as in the Wu et al (2010) analysis if other studies’ do not find the same signal using direct measurements of the region rather than a global mass solution. Wu et al (in context) It is important to note that the final word in glaciology should be dependent on agreement among different methods as is the crux of any scientific endeavour (Figure 4). Wu et al (2010) does not agree as well with many of the recent mass balance estimates using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), Surface Mass Balance (SMB), Laser Altimetry (Icesat) and Gravimetry (GRACE) results5, 7, 11, 12, 13 but does seem to agree better with estimates using radar altimetry (according to the authors)14, 15, 16. The agreement with radar altimetry data does, however, bring forward questions as it has been shown that previous radar altimetry surveys have significantly underestimated losses in Greenland due to their coarse resolution17. Figure 4: Sea-level rise contributions from Greenland estimated by: Cazenave et al. 2009 (CZ; dark blue), Lemke et al. 2007 (I for IPCC; light blue), Rignot et al. 2008 (R; red), Shepherd and Wingham 2007 (S, light blue), Wouters et al. 2008 (W; dark blue), Box et al. 2006 (B; orange), Hanna et al. 2005 (H; brown), Thomas et al. 2006 (T; dark green), Zwally et al. 2005 (Z; Violet), Rignot and Kanagaratnam 2006 (red dashed), Ramillien et al. 2006 (RL; dark blue), Velicogna and Wahr 2005 (W; dark blue), Luthcke et al. 2006 (L; dark blue), Chen et al. 2006 (C; dark blue), Velicogna 2009 (G, Maroon) and Baur et al. 2009 (U; maroon). Wu et al. 2010 is highlighted in light red. Adapted from Alley et al. 2010. Forgotten in all this is that Wu et al (2010) still find extensive ice losses for Greenland that are at the absolute upper end of IPCC predictions (Figure 5). Wu et al (2010) also does not cover 2009 or 2010 making their estimates likely lower than we would expect now as Greenland's ice losses have been accelerating since 2006 5, 8. Wu et al (2010) represent another single estimate which can be added to the plethora of other studies (Figure 4) which show extensive ice losses from Greenland that are accelerating. A single estimate cannot be “the best” estimate with the degree of uncertainty which exists among the measurement techniques today, but what we can say is that all methods do agree that Greenland is losing ice extensively, and that these losses are accelerating18. Figure 5: Wu et al (2010) estimate of sea level rise contribution for Greenland compared with IPCC AR4 predictions. Some more context According to the Arctic Report Card’s update for 2010 (Richter-Menge, J., and J.E. Overland, Eds., 2010: Arctic Report Card 2010, http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/reportcard ) Greenland experienced the highest recorded melt rate since monitoring began in 1958 with a melt area that was also the highest on record since monitoring begin in 1978. The rate of area loss in marine-terminating glaciers was also calculated to be the greatest on record with 417 km2 of glacier ice being lost. Another interesting caveat to make note of is that some of the same skeptics who trot out this study as evidence of underestimated ice losses, are the same individuals who made claims that its too cold in East Antarctica to lose ice, yet this study finds an ice loss of 23 Gt/year from East Antarctica. Another example of the many skeptic contradictions. [1] Wu et al. 2010 [2] Chen et al. 2006 [3] Wouters et al. 2008 [4] Van den Broeke 2009 [5] Velicogna 2009 [6] Cazenave et al. 2009 [7] Chen et al. 2009 [8] Khan et al. 2010 [9] Sorensen and Forsberg 2010 [10] Bamber and Riva 2010 [11] Van den Broeke et al. 2009 [12] Sorensen et al. 2010 [13] Rignot et al. 2008 [14] Zwally et al. 2005 [15] Thomas et al. 2006 [16] Wingham et al. 2006 [17] Thomas et al. 2008 [18] Allison et al 2009 0 0 Printable Version \| Link to this pageAll eyes are on Montana as voters head to the polls Thursday to decide a pivotal House special election. The race was already getting plenty of attention, but a physical altercation between GOP candidate Greg Gianforte and a reporter covering him has put it at the top of newscasts nationwide, worrying Republicans and giving more hope to Democrats for an upset. The confrontation between Gianforte and Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs left both sides telling different stories. Jacobs and other witnesses said Gianforte lost his composure under questioning about the GOP healthcare bill, and that the reporter ended up on the ground with his glasses broken. Gianforte's side blamed Jacbos. Police charged Gianforte with misdemeanor assault, which is hardly the headline he and Republicans wanted for the day of the election. Before the episode, Republicans and Democrats already had been pouring money into the race between Gianforte and Democrat Rob Quist to replace Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke in the state’s sole House seat. Both parties are watching the race closely for evidence of a mounting wave against President Trump Donald John TrumpHouse committee believes it has evidence Trump requested putting ally in charge of Cohen probe: report Vietnamese airline takes steps to open flights to US on sidelines of Trump-Kim summit Manafort's attorneys say he should get less than 10 years in prison MORE. ADVERTISEMENT Here are five things to watch. Can Gianforte repeat Trump’s success in key counties? Montana is a tricky state to predict. Pre-election polling is notoriously unreliable both because of the state’s size and the independent nature of its electorate. Last year’s presidential election is proof of the state’s purple leanings. While Trump blew Democrat Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonSanders: 'I fully expect' fair treatment by DNC in 2020 after 'not quite even handed' 2016 primary Sanders: 'Damn right' I'll make the large corporations pay 'fair share of taxes' Former Sanders campaign spokesman: Clinton staff are 'biggest a--holes in American politics' MORE out in the state by a 22-point margin, Gianforte lost his gubernatorial bid to Democrat Steve Bullock by 4 points. Republicans are leaning on President Trump’s popularity in the state to win votes for Gianforte. Vice President Pence and Donald Trump Jr. both campaigned for him, while Trump and Pence appeared in robocalls days before the election. As Thursday’s results come in, look to two big counties that voted for Trump but not Gianforte in 2016: Cascade and Lewis and Clark. Trump outperformed Gianforte’s gubernatorial margin in Cascade by 33 percentage points and in Lewis and Clark by 30 points. Both are home to cities where Democrats need to perform well: Great Falls and Helena, respectively. So if the electoral map looks more like the presidential one, Gianforte is in the clear. But if it starts to look like the one that lost him the governor’s race, he’ll obviously be in trouble. One other tip, pointed out by ABC’s Ryan Struyk: Tiny Lake County in northwestern Montana has been an almost perfect bellwether county in Montana for two decades. What will turnout look like? Analysts always point to turnout as the key to every election. But with the vote scheduled for the Thursday before the
MATT TAIBBI Rolling Stone February 19, 2010 A d v e r t i s e m e n t {openx:49} On January 21st, Lloyd Blankfein left a peculiar voicemail message on the work phones of his employees at Goldman Sachs. Fast becoming America’s pre-eminent Marvel Comics supervillain, the CEO used the call to deploy his secret weapon: a pair of giant, nuclear-powered testicles. In his message, Blankfein addressed his plan to pay out gigantic year-end bonuses amid widespread controversy over Goldman’s role in precipitating the global financial crisis. The bank had already set aside a tidy $16.2 billion for salaries and bonuses — meaning that Goldman employees were each set to take home an average of $498,246, a number roughly commensurate with what they received during the bubble years. Still, the troops were worried: There were rumors that Dr. Ballsachs, bowing to political pressure, might be forced to scale the number back. After all, the country was broke, 14.8 million Americans were stranded on the unemployment line, and Barack Obama and the Democrats were trying to recover the populist high ground after their bitch-whipping in Massachusetts by calling for a “bailout tax” on banks. Maybe this wasn’t the right time for Goldman to be throwing its annual Roman bonus orgy. Read entire articleFerdinand Piech – the 78-year-old chief of the Volkswagen Group – has been effectively shunned by the VW Executive Committee of the Supervisory Board, which has recommended that CEO Martin Winterkorn (pictured left) be offered a new extensive and long-term contract from 2016 onward. This comes after Piech was believed to be orchestrating the removal of his former favourite from the company, and an emergency meeting was called last week to resolve the internal power struggle. Piech will have to relinquish his role as chairman of the VW Executive Committee of the Supervisory Board in 2017. The boardroom shift could see plans set in motion for a new decision making processes that could see the VW Group restructure its motorsport programme in the coming 18 months. Winterkorn took over as CEO of VW Group from Bernd Pischetsrieder in 2007. Prior to that, he had worked as Chairman of the Board at Audi AG, and was a big supporter of its racing projects in sportscars and the DTM. Winterkorn has overseen the expansion and growth of VW Group in recent years to further enhance its status as the leader of EU automakers. Piech, a member of the Porsche family who strategically moved the ailing brand upmarket from its 1990s doldrums, recently criticized Winterkorn for VW's poor performance in the USA. VW is made up of several shareholders, with Porsche Holdings SE owning the leading percentage. The rest of the board is made up of unknown and private shareholders: Qatar Holding LLC, led by Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, plus the State of Lower Saxony and other German industrial investors. Why F1 move is on the radar The VW Group has long been rumoured to be looking at a Formula 1 entry with one of its brands. Audi is widely understood to be the most likely to undertake an F1 programme, but Motorsport.com understands that Suzuki and Bugatti have also undertaken feasibility studies in recent years. Audi last year employed three key ex-F1 staff members. They were ex-Ferrari F1 team team principal Stefano Domenicali, former BMW and Williams engineer Jorg Zander and Gabriele Delicolli, who is a former Ferrari simulator specialist. In 2011 Wolfgang Durheimer, director Bentley and Bugatti, told German magazine Auto Motor Und Sport that “if [the VW group] is at the forefront of the auto industry, I can imagine us competing in Formula 1 in 2018. We have enough brands to pull it off.” An end to VW's 'personality issue' The main stumbling block to this previously has been the fact that Piech did not like F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, and despite the two having only met on fleeting formal occasions there appears to be a mutual dislike between the two on a personal basis. However, Ecclestone said during the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend that he would step down if Audi demanded it as a condition to enter F1. The VW Group currently structures its racing successfully around the thriving World Endurance Championship (Audi and Porsche), the World Rally Championship, Rallycross and F3 (VW) and GT racing (Bentley and Lamborghini). It produces road cars under the brands Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, SEAT, Skoda and VW. VW also owns the Bundesliga team VF Wolfsburg, where the company is based and was a sponsor of the 2014 Winter Olympics.Data, data everywhere and companies sucking it up at breakneck speed, sometimes without rhyme or reason, just feeding the big data collection machine. A few years ago in an interview with Forbes, Tim O’Reilly famously said, “The Guy With The Most Data Wins.” It seems his statement was prescient, or perhaps organizations took it a bit too seriously and have been collecting as much data as they can ever since. Yet all of this data gathering comes with a host of ethical, moral and legal issues around ownership and proper collection and usage. Just because we have developed the technology to accumulate all of this information, doesn’t mean we are prepared to deal with the problems it poses, suggests Susan Etlinger from Altimeter Group, who helped author a recent report called The Trust Imperative, A Framework for Ethical Data Use. “A lot of major technology shifts tend to get out ahead of our ability to understand and apply them. Sometimes that’s alright and we catch up and sometimes it’s problematic,” she said. Over the last several months there has been a growing body of evidence from organizations like Pew, Annenberg School for Communication and the Altimeter Group that people are actually much more interested and concerned about consent, collection and analysis related to all of this data, then we have been led to believe. That suggests that businesses need to take data privacy much more seriously, and begin putting customers at the center of every data decision they make. Users Actually Don’t Accept Quid Pro Quo Data Policy There is a prevailing belief that we are OK with companies using our data because we get these services for free in exchange, but recent data suggests that may not be the case and companies may be taking a risk by playing fast and loose with our data. A report by the Annenberg School for Communication (.pdf) published last month found that this notion that consumers are willing to make a trade-off of data for discounts or services is in fact overstated. “By misrepresenting the American people and championing the trade-off argument, marketers give policymakers false justifications for allowing the collection and use of all kinds of consumer data often in ways that the public find objectionable,” the report stated. In fact, the study, which asked 1506 adults over 18 about their online privacy concerns found, “91% disagree (77% of them strongly) that ‘If companies give me a discount, it is a fair exchange for them to collect information about me without my knowing.'” By misrepresenting the American people and championing the trade-off argument, marketers give policymakers false justifications for allowing the collection and use of all kinds of consumer data often in ways that the public find objectionable Annenberg School for Communication The Altimeter Group’s report found a direct correlation between trust and business gains. Consider that 80 percent of respondents said that in the last 12 months, they bought products from trusted companies, 68 percent recommended the company to a friend and 54 percent paid more for a trusted company’s products. That kind of data suggests that CEOs need to start directing their companies to rethink their assumptions about data privacy and the impact it could be having on their relationships with customers and even their bottom line. Users Need More Control Over Privacy If the current system is broken, how can we make it easier to help consumers understand and control the data they are sharing freely now? We have certain industries such as healthcare, which can’t use our data freely because of HIPAA regulations strictly controlling its use. If companies are careful with medical information, why can’t we do better in controlling all types of data? Etlinger says companies need to establish clear guidelines around how they use data and always keep the customer first when making these decisions. In fact her report offers clear advice on how to build a customer-centered data policy. We are putting the smartest people in the world not to cure cancer, but to find better ways to serve ads. Steve Wilson, Constellation Research Etlinger suggests that maybe it’s time we put as much creativity into context-based privacy notifications as we put into sales and ads. “We are very good at sales in context. Why [can’t we do better with] privacy to make the customer experience more trustworthy,” she wondered. Steve Wilson, an analyst at Constellation Research was even more blunt in a presentation last month, “We are putting the smartest people in the world not to cure cancer, but to find better ways to serve ads,” he said. It can be done, Etlinger says. She points to Pinterest as an example, which introduced a new buy button and sent users an email recently with a two paragraph explanation in clear language about what it meant. It was respectful of users and clearly written. She wonders why more companies aren’t doing this. If Business Doesn’t Lead, Government Will If business doesn’t start to build more sensible privacy policies and take the lead on this, Etlinger and Tim Walters, who studies privacy issues for Digital Clarity Group, believe the government will, and that lawmakers tend to use blunt force when they get involved. “If market participants won’t help themselves (or stop harming others), the government will step in. The government is inevitably ignorant of the technical issues and far out of date in their understanding of the real benefits and threats. They therefore create crude, broadbrush solutions that typically make life worse for both sides of the debate,” Walters said. If market participants won’t help themselves (or stop harming others), the government will step in. Tim Walters, Digital Clarity Group Walters believes companies have to lead on this issue, be direct and help their customers understand what they are doing in terms of privacy. Data collection in itself isn’t inherently evil, but companies have to be more forthright about what they are doing because customers are watching. “Many people are tuned in, and if a company takes a stand — like [Apple CEO Tim] Cook, or in whatever way makes sense given the business model — many will at least pay attention. This does not mean swearing off data collection altogether. It makes more sense to announce some kind of opt-in program, with clear incentives and benefits for the consumer,” he said. Etlinger believes this is a pure business issue and there is increasing evidence that this is a trust issue for consumers. “I think that one reason I wrote that report was because it’s in business’ best interest to be privacy safe. We are at the very beginning of this data universe we live in,” she said. There is no silver-bullet solution to these issues, or one-size-fits-all privacy policy. There needs to be more organizational experimentation and accountability, and it needs to be something that spans the entire organization. Companies who aren’t thinking about this are putting the business at great risk, Etlinger said.Regulators in China have reportedly made up their mind to crack down on initial coin offerings (ICOs), the nascent funding mechanism through which blockchain projects have now raised more than $1.8 billion. According to a report from Caixin, although the official statements have not been published yet, regulators have deemed ICOs to be violating fundraising laws, a determination that could lead to harsh regulations on the blockchain use case. On the news, a conference devoted to ICOs in Beijing, scheduled on September 2, has been cancelled. The decision is notable as it comes at a time when global regulators are considering their position on ICOs, and the People’s Bank of China, the country’s central bank and financial regulator, has been chief among this group. Quoting an anonymous source, Caixin reported that researchers in PBoC have been studying ICOs and have reached a conclusion that many are covers for illicit activity. The report states: “More than 90% ICO projects could be violating illegal fundraising or fund fraud laws. The percent of project that is actually raising funds for investments is less than 1%.” Adding to that, the source pointed out that authorities and legal experts reached a conclusion that many ICOs are just “wearing a vest of legitimacy,” while in essence, they are illegal fundraising. Notably, even if the ICOs are cleared of suspicion on illegal fundraising, the source says, they could be violating fraud laws. However, the report is inconclusive on whether regulators see value in using cryptographic tokens for startup funding, though the source suggested possible distinctions and carve-outs could be made. “Cracking down ICOs helps to target the leading sheep of a flock, meanwhile, there will be some exemptions for people who are just following the flock,” the source said. CoinDesk will continue to monitor this developing story. People’s Bank of China image via Shutterstock"Organizer of the forces of chaos." Charm: “You're out of compliance.” (smile) “You're out of compliance.” (smile) Adaptability: Needs development Needs development Planning: Jaw-dropping Jaw-dropping Survival Preparations: Jaw-dropping Jaw-dropping Wealth: Top 10% Top 10% Weapons Skill: Samurai Samurai Intelligence: Logistical Logistical Warm Fuzzies: Irrelevant to doing one's job Irrelevant to doing one's job Leadership: High High Mutation: Wyrm Survivors at work Like all the Guardians, ISTJ Sentinels will hunker down in bunkers when the world ends. Their bunkers are small and neat, and the ISTJ will only invite in a chosen handful of family and friends. They will also insist that the radio be turned off occasionally so that they can recharge their introvert batteries. ISTJs like their bunkers peaceful, quiet, and well ordered. That way they can get work done. Since you do not know how long it will take until order is restored, you would be wise to bring some work down into your bunker with you. Cowering in a radiation shelter can be a good opportunity to catch up on old projects; straighten your filing cabinets; answer old e-mails; conduct performance reviews; balance the budget; conduct a fiscal audit; or even catch up on the mystery novel you got for Christmas three years ago. Naturally the ISTJs who choose to work from home will stick to their 8 to 5 schedule. That goes without saying. Nor will they permit themselves to take sick leave for mere radiation poisoning. Their boss would expect nothing less of them, and there's simply too much work to be done to justify the time off. If zombies attack and the ISTJ is forced to halt work until they can drive the creatures off, they will feel guilty about it and put in extra time at the end of the day to make up for it. Some ISTJs will even work unpaid overtime to finish projects out of the fear that their boss would otherwise assume that they were goofing off while working from home. Unfortunately, the ISTJ's mate (an ESFP Daredevil) will begin to feel neglected by the workaholic tendencies of their spouse, and may take to doing hilarious impersonations of the boss while sitting on the ISTJ's lap, making it hard to concentrate. The poor ESFP spouse will suffer almost painful boredom in the bunker, and will amuse themselves by clambering up the walls, bouncing around like a ping pong ball, and intermittently hurling themselves against the locked door with pitiful howls. It will be necessary to restrain them to prevent them from hurting themselves. No matter how much they plead and wheedle, do not set them loose; it is for their own good. You will have to take many such tough measures in the days to come. For starters, you will have to decide what to do when the radioactive dustfall ends. Do you sign up to go live in an underground city (see the Guardian Survival Overview), or do you stick it out on the surface? Once You’re Out A surprising number of ISTJs (~18%, the highest of any Guardian type) will choose to stick it out on the surface. They will reason, “Why should I leave my home, hearth, job and roots just because it has become a mutant-infested desert? I was born here and I will die here.” (A prophecy that may be swiftly fulfilled.) The ISTJ will set to work on creating law and order in their little patch of terra firma. Nature has equipped the ISTJs well for the task of restoring order, for this type makes natural soldiers. The core of the ISTJ is self discipline. By honing their fears and passions into iron resolve, they achieve unbreakable inner strength. The silent, stoic ISTJ warrior lives by a strict code of the honor. They do their duty and refuse to give an inch to chaos. Their determination the stuff of legend. Though ISTJs work effectively alone, they prefer to organize into well-regulated armies with clear chains of command. The term “army” should be interpreted loosely—the army may be as large as a division, or as small as small as a lady’s church group. Either way, the ISTJs will ensure that the army is as organized, trained and disciplined as possible under the circumstances. Since total zombie extermination is considered impossible, many people will learn to live with a less than adequate solution to the undeath problem. “It’s not any worse than rabies, really,” they’ll say, chuckling uneasily as they force a smile. This approach is intolerable to the perfectionistic ISTJs. They will eliminate all zombies in their area with the same obsessive compulsive fervor with which they attack the one cent deficit in their checkbooks or the stubborn stain on the saucepan. Vast “zombies beats” will be organized, where soldiers walk step by step over vast stretches of ground, ensuring total cleansing. The engineer corp with follow behind, raising tremendous cement walls around the cleared areas. These modern Great Walls will hold the zombies hordes at bay more effectively than any army. (As a bonus, the Walls also keeps out bandits, mutations and those damn hippies.) Anyone wanting to enter the Clear Zone will have to pass through an extensive quarantine and character check. …Except that one guy who comes over the wall on a dark night, a festering zombie bite on his flower-tattooed arm. The Clear Zones will need periodic reclearing. The ISTJ armies will not necessarily disband when the threat—zombies, bandits, etc—is done away with. Many will find that they enjoy their work and will decide to become full time mercenaries. These dedicated warriors will serve in the elite armies hired by post-apocalyptic city states. Since many of these mercenary groups are derived from the various clubs and institutions to which the ISTJs belonged, they will often have names like “The Fairgreen Golfing Club” or “The Big Lake Homeowners Association” or “The Ladies’ Tuesday Bible Study Group.” (It’s really humiliating to be crushed by an army called the Ladies’ Tuesday Bible Study Group.) ISTJ mercenary armies are different from (say) ESTP mercenary armies because they will actually obey orders and do not treacherously turn on their employers at the drop of a hat. For this reason, their services are greatly prized by ESTJ Underlords and ENTJ Warlords. But the price for the ISTJs’ professional services is high. Furthermore, if not paid promptly and in full, the army will collect the debt themselves by sacking their dishonest employer’s city. If there is interest due, they will collect that too, down to the last penny. They will not take any more or less than is due them. When the ISTJ army silently retreats from the shattered city, their bags full of duly assessed loot, those who would dare to abuse the system will take heed. ISTJs do not tolerate cheats and liars. Unfortunately, so many ISTJs have gone into underground cities that there simply are not enough of them to clear every square inch of planet Earth. Resources will have to be allocated, and some areas will be designed “Unclearable at present time.” But what if an ISTJ happens to live in such an area? Abandoned to their own resources, these ISTJs will fight a one man/woman war against zombies, mutations, bandits, and hippies. They will live on their stockpile of supplies as they grimly attempt to clear out their own personal clean zone. Some will succeed, others will die, but they will never give up. However, matrimonial problems are on the horizon. The ESFP Daredevil spouse will be thrilled at the opportunity to live in a scarred hell filled with monsters, and will take to going out on all-night mutant hunting parties. Meanwhile, their long-suffering ISTJ mate will sit in the ruins of the house, waiting up till dawn for them to return. Arguments will develop over the ESFP's fun loving opportunism vs. the ISTJ's dutiful responsibility, and the qualities which once fascinated each partner will begin to drive them apart. If the ISTJ is a male, the problems may be exacerbated by the fact that their ESFP spouse will initially be catching the mutant rodents for the dinner table. Artisans are natural hunters and gatherers, but the ISTJ will not appreciate this trait because all he will see is his own inability to kill rodents, marking him as a failure who cannot provide for his family. As a result, the ISTJ may become bitter and lose much of his self esteem. His ESFP wife will instinctively shun his gloomy visage and hunt even more frequently as a means of escape. Feeling abandoned and unloved, the ISTJ will sleep uneasily, listening with one ear to the horrific noises that can be heard outside the crumbling house. On these dark, lonely nights, the ISTJ will begin to question the wisdom of his decision not to join an underground city, but alas, the cities will already have been sealed up by now. The ISTJ's next move may be to gather up his family, join a party, and try to make it a factory enclave. Many will go this route and become the party leader's trustworthy lieutenants, making sure that the party's gear is maintained in satisfactory condition and that food, water, and radiation pills are distributed equitably. However, most ISTJs will just keep sticking it out in the skeletal remains of their house, come what may. Slowly conditions will improve. The backyard garden will be expanded into a proper farm, and the male ISTJs will tend it industriously. Fences will be built and the undead will be held back. The ISTJ will feel relieved when the first harvest comes in, and will perceive himself to be fulfilling his duties as head of the household again. This will cause him to lighten up, and his wife will stop avoiding him. By this time the glow will have worn off of mutant hunting, and the ESFP will stay home at night. Of course, there will still be the perennial Judger/Perceiver arguments about the state of the house: ISTJ: “I notice you left empty shotgun shells all over the kitchen floor again. Clean them up, please.” ESFP: “But honey, I was trying to hold off a zombie attack.” ISTJ: “Then you should have picked them up after you were done. I have to live in this house too, you know.” ESFP: “Fine, I'll just sweep them into this giant crack in the floor. How's that?” ISTJ: “Put them away where they belong. Company will be coming over tomorrow and I want the house to look nice.” ESFP: “But the entire world has been devastated. No one will care if it's clean or not.” ISTJ: “Well, I will.” The ESFP will grumble, but do as they're told. It's as if they think that just because the world is over, they can get lax about these things. But you know how important it is to keep up appearances. It wouldn't do to have your neighbors think you can't take care of your property. ISTJs in the Caves But what of the ISTJs who join the massive Guardian migration to the underground cities? When the castes and guilds are laid out, the brave ISTJ settlers of Caves 1 - 20 will become the new warriors and manufacturers. As a member of the Warrior/Manufacturing caste, you will be entrusted with the important duties of defending your home and making tools for your new society. Warriors It’s a good thing too, because no sooner will the caves cities be sealed off then mutant earthworms ("wyrms") as thick as water towers will erupt from the walls. Mutant vampire bats ("dragonbats") will shriek down from the cave ceiling and carry screaming citizens off into the night. The dread wums will crawl out of their crevasses and pull victims down into their inky black lairs in the heart of the earth. And everywhere, in every shadow and dark corner, there will be the ominous scritching and hissing of the nightmare oorrg. At first it will be all the Warrior caste can do to hold this torrent of ghastly creatures at bay. But over time you will adapt. You will learn how to mount an organized hydrosonic defense against a wyrm. The dragonbats will be dealt with by creating a grid of spotlights and machine guns pointing up at the sky. Eventually these monsters will be domesticated, and you will ride them as you go about your duties. The wums will be driven almost to extinction after you will seal up their crevasses, destroying their natural habitat and raising a cry of outrage from conservationists. Eventually your Total Annihilation Plan for the wums will have to be canceled, and some crevasses will be left open in remote corners of the cavern as wum preserves. Although at first you will begrudge the beasts this mercy, later you will be glad you gave in, because wum meat is surprisingly rich-flavored and tender, and will become a staple on holidays. As for the oorrg, they are omnipresent and impossible to exterminate, but since they are frightened of light they can be easily kept at bay. You will harvest glowing crystals from nearby caverns and light the cave up with brilliant splendor. After you've gotten the situation under control, you can turn your attention to pressing internal affairs. It falls to the ISTJs to enforce the stern laws governing life in the new civilization. As the protectors of order, they are the arm of justice in the caves. The Enforcement Guild will fight organized crime, enforce the codes for dress and hair length, and ensure that the Standard Operating Procedures Manual is carried out to the letter. Wyrms Out of all the creatures in the Caverns, none is so feared as the wyrm. Though these gigantic annelids can be held back with hydrosonic weapons, such devices work only when the wyrm has actually entered the Cavern. By then the beast is crushing entire city blocks with its eyeless, probing head. Almost as bad, their passage through the soil causes miniature earthquakes. When the ground begins trembling, the Warriors Caste knows there will be trouble. For over a century, the people under your protection will live in fear of these monsters. It is not until the discovery of parasitic bonding (see the Guardian Survival Overview) that it will become possible to solve the wyrm problem. The ISTJs will capture young wyrms and introduce larvae into their brains. They will simultaneously introduce cloned larvae into their own skulls, thus enabling the formation of a psychic bond. The first ISTJ to bond a wyrm will find it a very interesting experience. You are a warrior who volunteered to serve as an experimental subject in hopes of destroying the wyrms for good. The wyrm you bonded is a young thing, barely a foot long. The scientists keep it in a sort of aquarium full of compost and coffee grounds. Over the course of several days, you become aware of the wyrm’s mind. You find it to be slow, deliberate and methodical, totally dedicated to its chosen task of sifting through the soil. It is also a coffee addict. The beast particularly enjoys Dark Dragonbat Roast, your own favorite brand. Bemused by this unexpected bit of common ground, you dump in the leftover grounds from your morning coffee. The wyrm enjoys this unexpected treat, and you take a long sip from your own mug. You never thought you would have coffee with a wyrm. As the wyrm goes about its unending labor, it “sings” to itself in deep, subsonic vibrations that you have no words to describe. You find them oddly…relaxing. In fact, the rhythms remind you of the odd vibrations that you sometimes felt through the Cavern wall. What if these were caused by wyrms? A fascinating thought. Sometimes you find yourself humming along as you go about your work. You also begin snacking. In the early days of the bond, you will eat and eat and eat without even realizing you are doing it. Suddenly you’ve gained ten pounds. You work it off in the gym. Now that you've adjusted to the bond, the next order of business is to learn how to control the wyrm. But you quickly learn that it doesn’t work this way. You can make suggestions to the wyrm—like where to go to find the coffee grounds you dropped in—but not direct it precisely. But as it turns out, you didn’t need to resort to coercion anyway. As you will soon discover, the strange song is a means of communion between the beasts. It serves to mark territory, summon mates, and “see” through the earth. You slowly begin to absorb the melodies that weave through your mind. Though you do not have the vocal apparatus required to produce subsonic vibrations, you can imagine them, and the wyrm seems to understand. You find that you can direct it to move from one side of the aquarium to the other, call it to you, and tell it when there is food. You are also becoming sentimentally attached to the ugly little thing. When no one is watching, you take it out of the aquarium and hold it on your lap. Wyrms are highly tactile creatures, and love to have their segmented bodies stroked and scratched until they hum with contentment. You set it on the floor and watch it explore the laboratory. It’s kind of cute how it feels its way across the tiled floor—for such a boneless blob of muscle, it can really move. It discovers your kitbag and tries to wriggle inside. You laugh as it eats your sandwich. Sometimes you even sneak it extra food. Soon it has outgrown the aquarium, and must be released into the wild. Seeing the earth through the eyes of your wyrm will be a fascinating experience for you. You had always experienced the rock as a hard boundary; now it becomes an ocean that you move through at will. Each kind of soil and stone feels different upon the spiny plates of your body. You nibble at the roots of trees and hunt other burrowing creatures. The cool, silent earth feels restful, almost like a library. Your dreams are filled with endless eating. In the morning you wake up and find yourself human again. You go have breakfast, which is coffee with a bagel. Also, bacon, eggs, a bowl of cereal, a piece of fruit, another coffee, a doughnut, a muffin, a strawberry yogurt, a leftover taco, a quiche, and several other little snacks. (Another five pounds! Where did that come from?) So you go to the gym and work out again. Whenever you want, you can call the wyrm to you. This may take several hours, but eventually it will erupt from the cavern wall (or the floor) nearby. By this time it is as big as you. You feed it coffee grounds and rub its eyeless head. It hums a pleasure song. Experimentally, you try strapping on a makeshift saddle, but it is difficult to ride a segmented annelid that expands and contracts itself rhythmically to move. Oh well, it was a good idea anyway. (The wyrm is amused by your efforts.) You run it through the tricks you have taught it, i.e. beg, roll, coil, and play dead. It nuzzles your kitbag until you give it a sandwich. You are beginning to find it harder and harder to imagine annihilating wyrmkind. So you propose a different solution. At your suggestion, a Wyrm Corps is established. Relying on the fact that wyrms are territorial, the Bonded men and women of the Corps surround Cave Four with a net of “friendly” wyrms. These tremendous sentinels will stand guard against the wild wyrms, faithfully protecting their home. All they ask for in exchange for their service is coffee grounds and a little love. Usually the Warning Song is all that is needed to deter the wild ones, but sometimes it’s not enough. Then strange, twisting battles will be fought below the surface. The Bonded will be empathic participants in these great contests, and will twist themselves up like pretzels as they strive against an imaginary foe. Very seldom does a wyrm die in such a contest, but if they do, the human partner stops eating and loses their will to live. The only thing that can save them from a slow death from heartbreak and starvation is to bond a new wyrm, but the loyal ISTJs feel like this will be a betrayal of their old partner. Still, their friends and family will prevail upon them, and they will finally obey their superior’s orders to bond again. This will bring them out of their downslide, and they will start eating again. But though they will regain the weight they lost, there will always be a touch of melancholy in their face afterward. The Bonded and their wyrms will keep Cave Four safe for thousands of years. But there is a more sinister foe waiting in the wings. The surface dwellers, who are all Artisans, will one day rediscover the “lost” city of Cave Four. Having no respect for property rights, they will come down in droves to loot its treasures. ISTJs will be called upon to drive back the hordes, and the Wyrm Corps will be an integral part of the offensive. The Artisan army will be surprised to see a lone ISTJ warrior approaching their camp. “Who can this fool be?” they laugh. “Send out someone to grab them and loot their stuff.” A party of SPs heads toward the ISTJ, their small, stunted surface dweller eyes alight with greed. The ISTJ closes their eyes and kneels, pressing their fists to the ground. They hum a deep, angry note. And then the earth begins to shake. All through the Artisan camp, pots and pans come clattering down. Badly secured tents pitch over, and the lizard-mounts used by the invaders panic and bolt. Then the monstrous wyrm erupts from the earth. Clods of dirt go flying for hundreds of meters. The SPs feel a deep vibration humming through their bones. For many, this is the last thing they will ever feel. The ISTJ hums the Roll Song. Men die like flies. The surviving Artisans will learn to avoid soft, dry earth. Such is the dread struck into the enemy by the Wyrm Corps that the SPs will refuse to so much as set foot in a massed camp unless the ground has been salted and soaked with the most noxious chemicals known to Artisankind. Needless to say this will suck a lot of fun out of looting your civilization. As for the lone ISTJ, the last glimpse the fleeing Artisans will catch of them is a lone figure standing triumphant. They will be munching a bag of chips. Producers of Goods But not all ISTJs will be warriors. The Sentinels will also be entrusted with the manufacturing sector of the underground civilization. They will grow food, operate mines, and design every object and building in the Cavern. The principal ISTJ food production guilds are the Fungiculture Guild, the Algaculture Guild, and the Fishing Guild. Together, these three guilds keep Guardian tables stocked with delicious, nourishing staples. The Fungiculture Guild grows giant mushrooms, truffles, and Christmas fungus. Guardians will learn to prepare mushrooms in a variety of different styles: mashed, beaten, whipped, diced, boiled, baked and fried amongst others. Shady mushrooms will line the avenues of the avenues of the city, and families will use lichens for their shrubberies and hedges. At Christmas everyone will be issued a special green Christmas fungus cut into a cone shape. They will hang it with ornaments, put a "star" on top (the children of later generation will not really get it) and place presents under the lower protuberances. Working in the Fungiculture Guild will be a very rewarding occupation for many ISTJs, even those who become moldmen and Change. The Algaculture Guild will work out in the main cavern's central lake, harvesting the luminescent microorganisms which give the water its warm yellow hue. Some of the algae will be converted into algent green cookies, crackers and flour, while the rest will be pressed for oil and ultimately made into biodiesel. A small segment of the algae will be made into pellet bait used by the Fishing Guild. The fishers have a number of duties, the primary one being to snare blind cave fish in special traps and to monitor water quality. They will additionally issue permits to recreational fishermen and prevent poaching. If a "Nessie" appears, they will report the creature to the Krakenmasters Guild before it can reach land and wreck havoc. Still other ISTJs will become geological, structural, and civic engineers in the Engineering Guild. They will work hand in hand with the Manufacturing Guild to translate their visions into mass produced reality. To fuel their industry, the ISTJs in the Mining Guild will harvest metals, stone, and glowing crystals. They will also excavate tunnels for future expansion of Cave Four. The banes of these Guilds will be wild wyrms, earthquakes, and environmentalists. Lastly, a select group of elite ISTJs will be assigned to the Inspection Guild. This guild has a unique position in Guardian society; it ensures quality control for all the other Guilds. Though somewhat resented by the other Guilds (who consider them too strict) they will continue to uphold the high standards with which they are entrusted. In whatever Guild an ISTJ is assigned, they will serve their Cave well with their sense of duty, their meticulous attention to detail, and their courageous stand against the forces of evil disorder. Romance Down Under The natural partner for the ISTJ is the ESFP Daredevil, but no ESFPs will go underground. Therefore, you must choose another
lier codex is actually a fragment of a larger manuscript, said Stephen Houston, co-director of the Program in Early Cultures at Brown University. Houston helped verify the codex's authenticity. The codex has 10 painted pages of iconography associated with Maya rituals and a calendar that charts the movement of Venus. It was probably used by priests in conducting rituals and determining when to wage war. Wait, who were the ancient Maya again? The Maya built an civilization that stretched through Central America, reaching its peak around the 6th century. They built great stone cities and made huge strides in agriculture, hieroglyph writing, mathematics and astronomy. But by 900 A.D. most of the civilization's cities -- located in present-day Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and southern Mexico -- had been abandoned, although some cities held on for a few hundred more years. Reasons for this decline remain something of a mystery for historians. Where was the Grolier Codex found? It was found in a cave in Chiapas, Mexico, in the 1906s by looters and sold to a wealthy Mexican collector -- before it turned up in an exhibition in New York in 1971. One anthropologist at the time declared to The New York Times that the codex would change how the Maya religion was viewed. Many other scholars weren't so convinced and deemed it a first-class forgery. It ended up back in Mexico, in the basement of the National Museum in Mexico City. Why did some think it was a fake? Researchers at the time theorized that forgers "had enough knowledge of Maya writing and materials to create a fake codex at the time the Grolier came to light," according to the Brown University news release. The manuscript also differed from other known Maya codices because it had more illustrations than text, which was unusual. And the fact that looters, not archeologists, found the manuscript made many scientists even more skeptical about its origins. How did they prove it was real? Houston's team approached the mysteries of the manuscript like investigators digging into a cold case. They put a fresh set of eyes on anything they could get their hands on related to the codex, including re-examining the practices of Maya painters and reviewing how the Maya made paper. "It became a kind of dogma that this was a fake," Houston said. "We decided to return and look at it very carefully, to check criticisms one at a time." Carbon dating of the manuscript's paper dates it to the 13th century, the team determined, making it older than other known Maya codices. They also believed that the thin red sketch lines underneath the manuscript's illustrations and the "Maya blue" pigments used in them were also authentic. They note that all six items in the cave where the codex was found -- including a small wooden mask and a sacrificial knife with a handle shaped like a clenched fist -- had already been deemed authentic. They also thought about what a forger in the 20th century would have had to do and know in order to make an acceptable fake: "He or she would have to intuit the existence of and then perfectly render deities that had not been discovered in 1964, when any modern forgery would have to have been completed," the release says. They would have to "correctly guess how to create Maya blue, which was not synthesized in a laboratory until Mexican conservation scientists did so in the 1980s; and have a wealth and range of resources at their fingertips that would, in some cases, require knowledge unavailable until recently." Houston said "there can't be the slightest doubt that the Grolier is genuine."Barfi, borfi or burfi is a dense milk based sweet from the Indian subcontinent, a type of mithai, possibly originating from Eastern[citation needed] regions of the Indian subcontinent. The name is a derivative of the Persian word barf, which means snow. A few of the famous varieties of barfi include besan barfi (made with gram flour), kaaju barfi (made with cashews), pista barfi (made with ground pistachios), and sing barfi (made with peanuts).[1] The main ingredients of plain barfis include condensed milk and sugar. The ingredients are cooked in a vessel until the mixture solidifies. The flavour of a barfi is often enhanced with fruits (such as mango or coconut) or nuts (such as cashew, pistachio, or peanut) and spices (such as cardamom or rose water). Barfis are usually coated with a thin layer of edible metallic leaf known as vark. They are typically cut into square, diamond, or round shapes. The sweet is easily adapted for casual occasions to the most formal event. Different types of Barfi vary in their colour and texture. The most popular spice used to flavour this dessert is cardamom. However, dependent on where it is prepared, many different flavourings are added to this simple but popular dessert. Adding edible silver leaf (vark) to the edges of barfi is popular when the sweet confection is to be served at an important event such as a wedding or other such occasion. For added flavour and to provide a colourful contrast, often it is rolled in crushed nuts before it is served. The confection is served in India, all year round, but especially consumed during the holiday seasons, wedding ceremonies, and the religious festivals.[2] Barfi is often served at Diwali, the celebration of the Hindu festival of lights. The traditional Hindu cuisine is an important part of these annual festivities, along with firework displays and specially crafted decorative lamps. A popular variation called "Chocolate Barfi", is colloquially known as the "Indian-style Brownies" due to their resemblance with the common Chocolate Fudge Brownies.[3] Types [ edit ] Assortment of almond barfis Kesri pedha : saffron, flattened yellow round : saffron, flattened yellow round Kaju barfi or kaju katli : cashew, light tan diamond or : cashew, light tan diamond Pista barfi : pistachio, forest green diamond : pistachio, forest green diamond Cham cham : pink and white, shaped like sushi rice balls : pink and white, shaped like sushi rice balls Doodh peda : kewra oil and pistachio, flattened dark tan round : kewra oil and pistachio, flattened dark tan round Chocolate barfi (Indian-Style Brownies) Badam pak : rose water and almond, brown diamond : rose water and almond, brown diamond Walnut barfi Barfi fon or barfifon : fig, pink and yellow colored or : fig, pink and yellow colored Gajar barfi : carrot, square and orange colored : carrot, square and orange colored Coconut barfi: coconut, sugar, and milk, square and yellow colored Sing barfi : peanuts, square and brown colored : peanuts, square and brown colored Besan barfi : gram flour light yellow diamond : gram flour light yellow diamond Dodha burfi: peanut See also [ edit ] References [ edit ]CANBERRA -- Under investigation by the Australian Electoral Commission for possible breaches of electoral laws and facing mounting pressure, One Nation senators are attempting to flex their crossbench muscles by demanding that the Turnbull Government slash the budget of the ABC. Pauline Hanson says the coverage of a new secret recording of party discussions is "disgusting" \| Live #AusPol blog: https://t.co/rxGtYvr2e5 pic.twitter.com/FaZaeChl5c — ABC News (@abcnews) May 30, 2017 Or else. "Else" is billions of dollars' worth of budget measures plus major government legislative packages like media reforms. Why the ABC? Well Four Corners. And 730. And any ABC journalist asking One Nation questions over those secret recordings, that plane, who paid for it, why it was paid for and what chief of staff James Ashby is up to. That's among other things. Senator @PaulineHansonOz is not happy that she's been asked to please explain her plane donation. #auspol @SBSNews pic.twitter.com/c6tnFAzxJ6 — David Sharaz (@DavidSharaz) May 29, 2017 On Tuesday, Hanson described questions about the plane and donations as "disgusting". Now the party is trying to take action. "It's about time we took a stand against the ABC because if it's us and they destroy us, what is it next, the government? They're showing total bias against One Nation," One Nation senator Brian Burston told The Australian. Yesterday Hanson refused to answer questions about plane donation. Now demands ABC $ cut, to silence them. No one's above scrutiny, Senator. https://t.co/iyvSb9tufT — Senator Murray Watt (@MurrayWatt) May 31, 2017 The ABC is certainly not the only media outfit inconveniently asking One Nation to be accountable as a political party, but it is the major one receiving public funding. Labor Senator Murray Watt has had enough. "That is the kind of effort that Senator Hanson is willing to go to to silence her critics, to try to shut down legitimate questions, she won't talk to journalists, she's threatening the ABC," he told reporters in Canberra. "Today is the day that Senator Hanson needs to come forward and make a full statement to the media and the Australian public about exactly what has gone on in this scandal. She can't keep hiding from these questions forever. Hanson wanting the ABC budget slashed when she demonstrated last week she has no understanding of its budget, or SBS' for that matter. https://t.co/9AY7o23BaK — Mark Humphries (@markhumphries) May 30, 2017 And, less than 24 hours later, a back down from Hanson with the release of a statement saying "ABC cuts will not make of break budget support". It was not without a dig or two at the ABC, but the threat has been withdrawn. Pauline Hanson has now backed down on Brian Burston's threats that One Nation would block budget measures without big cuts to the ABC pic.twitter.com/7LY76XMwKZ — Josh Butler (@JoshButler) May 31, 2017 "Despite the ABC's bloated budget and regular displays of bias, it would be not be in the nation's best interests to block government supply in exchange for sweeping cuts to the National Broadcaster," the statement said. "If the Government wanted to show it was serious about media reform and deficit reduction it would reign in the out of control ABC and SBS." "The people want One Nation to deal with all legislation on is merits, and the Government's budget will be no different." Pauline Hanson, One Nation Leader Earlier, Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has politely batted away the demand and urged One Nation to consider government bills "on their merits". "The budget situation for the ABC has been established," he told RN Breakfast. "It is open to crossbench colleagues to raise any issue that they want, but we put our legislation forward to the parliament to be considered on its merits." Click below to follow HuffPost Australia Politics on Facebook! ALSO ON HUFFPOST AUSTRALIALast week, we got pretty excited when Swedish news outlet Aftonbladet reported that William Nylander would be made available to Team Sweden at the upcoming IIHF World Junior Championships. We got even more excited when the ‘Tre Kronor’ named him (along with fellow Maple Leafs prospect Dmytro Timashov) to Sweden’s preliminary roster. After Toronto Marlies General Manager Kyle Dubas joined Sportsnet 590’s Brady & Walker this afternoon, though, it sounds like more than a few people jumped the gun on Nylander’s involvement. “That decision – and I know he’s on their preliminary roster – that decision for us has not been made yet. There are some rules in the Swedish ice hockey and NHL transfer agreement that deem if he’s still in the American League he has to be offered to Sweden, but we haven’t made any official decision on that yet. I know we’ll have discussions with them and go from there. [If we do decide to let him go] it’d be a great opportunity and experience for him. I think that those types of events are experiences that come along so rarely for players, and you never know how things are going to shake out at the international stage moving forward. I think for us to deny those types of things is shortsighted.” So, there you go. It certainly sounds like William Nylander will be allowed by the Maple Leafs to join the Swedish World Juniors squad, but a definitive decision has not yet been made. We’ll keep you posted either way.Quid pro quo: Presidential candidate Donald Trump is facing criminal charges alleging that he promised former candidate Ben Carson a job in exchange for his endorsement. The American Democracy Legal Fund has filed a criminal complaint with the Department of Justice over Donald Trump’s alleged promise of a cabinet position to Ben Carson in exchange for his endorsement last month. In an interview with a conservative news outlet last month, Carson admitted that he sold his endorsement of Trump after being promised a position in a future Trump administration. Appearing on “The Steve Malzberg Show,” Carson said he was assured by the billionaire candidate that he would be “doing things” in at least an “advisory capacity” during a Trump administration. In the interview, Carson implied Trump had promised him a role in his administration. In a post announcing the criminal complaint, the American Democracy Legal Fund notes: Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 599, “[w]hoever, being a candidate, directly or indirectly promises or pledges the appointment, or the use of his influence or support for the appointment of any person to any public or private position or employment, for the purpose of procuring support in his candidacy shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if the violation was willful, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.” Dr. Carson’s comments strongly suggest that Mr. Trump promised him an administration position in return for his endorsement. In his interview, Dr. Carson stated that he would “certainly” have an advisory capacity within a potential Trump administration. When asked directly whether this role was discussed during their endorsement meeting, Dr. Carson responded, “Yes.” Dr. Carson’s assured answers lead to the reasonable conclusion that Mr. Trump promised Dr. Carson an administration post in order to secure his endorsement in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 599. Think Progress reports Trump may be guilty of a felony, noting: Federal law expressly prohibits candidates from directly or indirectly promising “the appointment of any person to any public or private position or employment, for the purpose of procuring support in his candidacy.” The penalty for violations could include fines or a year in jail — two years if the violation was willful. The criminal complaint against Trump was filed March 15 with the Department of Justice. If convicted, Trump could face a fine, jail time, or both.Former team owner Gian Carlo Minardi is organising a Historic Minardi Day on Saturday 25 June that will see Formula 1 return to the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola. There will be a selection of former Minardi F1 machinery out on track that will chart the history of the team from its début in 1985 during the Brazilian Grand Prix with Pierluigi Martini up to the Chinese Grand Prix in 2005 before the team was sold and became Scuderia Toro Rosso. The Minardi team featured a wide selection of drivers throughout the years and helped give future champions a break in the sport with likes of Alessandro Nannini, Michele Alboreto, Fernando Alonso, Giancarlo Fisichella, Jarno Trulli, Alessandro Zanardi, Mark Webber, Luca Badoer, and Gianni Morbidelli all driving for the team at one point in their career. Joining the line up of Minardi F1 cars will be the Toro Rosso STR03 which Sebastian Vettel took to victory at Monza in 2008. “This day is dedicated to all the enthusiasts and fans of the Minardi Team who still today continue to demonstrate their fondness to me.” said Minardi. “During the Targa Florio, I saw with my own eyes their warmth and they moved me. Honestly, I did not expect it. “The Historic Minardi Day will be the occasion for living again 340 F1 GP and 35 years of the Minardi Team, along with the drivers who contributed in writing this history. A sport day to live all together. The more the merrier” he added. The official website for the event can be found at www.MinardiDay.it, this includes information on the complete programme of events. You can also follow the updates via Facebook and Twitter social networks, using the hashtag #HistoricMinardiDay and #MinardiDay.Ultra-Endurance Long Distance Skateboarding. Yep. I hadn’t heard of it either. This small but blossoming sport – called ‘Long Distance Pushing’ – is one of the craziest things I’ve ever heard of, in such a cool way. This week’s guest specializes in the 24-hour race, completing upwards of 200 miles. Harrison is a professional athlete through and through, following a fully structured and periodized training program, dialing in his nutrition to maximize performance, and is fully sponsored. And to top it off, he just turned 17. Crazy right? Harrison is also completely plant-based, fueling his training and racing on a mostly raw vegan diet. We met up in Boulder while he was out here looking at colleges, and I immediately knew I wanted to do a podcast with him, so he called in from his home city of NYC. In the conversation we talk about: what the sport of Long Distance Pushing is all about how he got into this crazy event what’s involved in his training how he shifted towards a plant-based diet and how that affects his training and racing what his daily diet looks like and plenty more! It was a really fun conversation that helped me get a sense of a really cool new sport, and get to know the super cool dude that is Harrison Tucker. I hope you guys enjoy it just as much! Want to support the show and what TFF is doing? You can share our content with friends and family if you feel like they could get something out of our message. It would also help us out a ton if you left a quick review on the iTunes store, it really helps the podcast grow and reach more listeners (and it only takes 5 min)! If you want to go above and beyond, you can kick us some change by pledging your support on Patreon each month, which is a recurring crowd funding site dedicated to creators like us! It allows us to keep putting out the free content that you’re used to, but helps us to invest more money into improving the quality of the show through better equipment (every penny we make on Patreon goes to bettering our setup to make the content better for you!). You can also visit tfflifestyle.com/support to learn more and make a one-time donation. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out our YouTube channel, Thought For Food TV, where we just posted a makeup tutorial. I’ll leave it at that for now. We also put up regular vlogs and other cool videos so you can get a behind the scenes look at TFF. It’s a lot of fun! Our new eBook, Dude Where Do You Get Your Protein? is going to be for sale soon on our website, so stay tuned for that! We really appreciate all the support guys, so don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter so we can engage more with all of our awesome supporters. This is such a fun thing we’re doing, and it’s even cooler that we are having a meaningful impact on people’s lives. So thanks! Enjoy the show and go eat some plants. -Jackson and Aaron Show Notes Connect with Harrison: Instagram: @harrison_nyc Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harrisonnyc/ Follow TFF: Facebook.com/TFFlifestyle Instagram: @tfflifestyle YouTube Channel: Thought For Food TV Support TFF: www.patreon.com/thoughtforfood Twitter: @TFFlifestyle Follow Jackson on Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/54401 Interested in coaching from Jackson and Aaron? Send us an email at [email protected] or click services on the website to learn more. Music by: soundcloud.com/dcuttermusic soundcloud.com/peterkuliYoplait has agreed to pull a yogurt commercial that the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) believes could trigger dangerous behavior in those suffering from eating disorders. The ad in question addresses a common dilemma: to dessert, or not to dessert? An already slim woman is frozen in front of her office's refrigerator, an inner monologue belying a complex barter system that could justify a piece of raspberry cheesecake. She could have a small slice, she rationalizes; she has been "good." Or maybe a medium slice with some celery sticks. Or what if she were to jog in place while eating a big slice of cake followed by some celery sticks – that would cancel everything out, right? This spiral of obsession and restriction ends when a skinnier coworker grabs Raspberry Cheesecake Yoplait Lite. The first woman's decision has been made. The commercial came to Grefe's attention after she received numerous emails and phone calls from eating disorder sufferers. According to Grefe, the ad's language, seemingly innocuous to some, could easily serve as a trigger for those vulnerable to disordered eating. "I was shocked by how they really nailed it on the head--that's exactly what I thought every time I opened a refrigerator door," said Jenni Schaefer, who remembers experiencing negatives feelings towards food as young as 4 years old. Scheafer battled anorexia in high school and bulimia in college; she began treatment for her disease when she was 22 years old. Now 35, she considers herself fully recovered and has written two books on recovering from eating disorders. "When you live with an eating disorder, you divide all foods into "good" and "bad" categories, like the yogurt versus the cheesecake [in the commercial]," Schaefer said. "Pretty soon everything moves into the bad category." Grefe says that NEDA "applauds" Yoplait and parent company General Mills for agreeing to pull the commercial days after the group voiced concerns. "We had no idea," Tom Forsythe, VP of Corporate Communications for General Mills, said to the Huffington Post. "The thought had never occurred to anyone, and no one raised the point. We aren't sure that everyone saw the ad that way, but if anyone did, that was not our intent and is cause for concern. We thought it best to take it down."motbob Profile Joined July 2008 United States 153 Posts Last Edited: 2014-09-24 21:49:27 #1 Regardless of how justified that image was, if there was one thing Chinese teams were better at than foreign teams, it was being meticulous. The breach of high ground was like an entirely new game: you'd built up your advantage, but could you take a T3/rax without getting wiped? Chinese teams, above all, were much more disciplined about (1) controlling the map, (2) getting a >10K gold lead, (3) taking rosh/cheese and (4) only then attempting high ground. Top Western teams have learned this art, but the Chinese mastered it first. The "Chinese Dota" label doesn't have any meaning behind it anymore. At least, not in the sense that Chinese teams prefer farmfests. Anyone paying attention to the Chinese scene from TI2 to TI3 can attest to that. But with the new patch, we're going to see a return of the mythical "Chinese Dota." 6.82 is here. With the glyph buff and tower reward nerf, we are certainly no longer in a pushing meta. So where is this patch going? I believe the Dota 2 metagame is going down a very dark road competitively (though I think the changes in the patch will work wonders for pub games). Let me explain. The gold changes in this patch are one of the biggest game mechanic changes to Dota 2 in its lifetime. An example: you are 8k behind in net worth about 15 minutes into the game. You gank an enemy core, who has about 26% of his team's net worth. The core was on a killing spree. Before the patch, a 3-man gank would receive 706 gold total for the kill. After the patch? Almost 1600. XP gains have also increased, but not by as much (about 20% in this situation). If the teams are even, or if the ganking team is ahead, kills net LESS than before the patch. In what situation would a winning team try to gank? The gold changes completely discourage aggressive play. Put another way, they discourage going for the jugular. If a team tries to push their advantage and take rax, their risk is quite a bit higher. It's not hard to see that this will discourage going for rax early: when you have a higher risk and the same reward, you're unlikely to keep making the same decisions as before. So we'll see more farming before rax pushes. We'll see longer games, but not in a good way. If you try to push high ground at 30 minutes with a 20k advantage, and the enemy team (as 5) kills your carry, who has 19k net worth and a 5-kill streak, they get 3.5k gold from that one kill. Holy shit! It's been a while since we saw the hardcore turtle-when-behind style of some Chinese teams. Will those tactics still be effective? Are we going to see a new meta of ET/Earthshaker/bend-but-don't-break? Team compositions that conform to this meta are not going to be very fun to watch. The term "Chinese Dota" meant something very particular in the early days of Dota 2. If you complained about Chinese Dota, you were complaining about long games and/or farmfests and/or 4 protect 1.Regardless of how justified that image was, if there was one thing Chinese teams were better at than foreign teams, it was being meticulous. The breach of high ground was like an entirely new game: you'd built up your advantage, but could you take a T3/rax without getting wiped? Chinese teams, above all, were much more disciplined about (1) controlling the map, (2) getting a >10K gold lead, (3) taking rosh/cheese and (4) only then attempting high ground. Top Western teams have learned this art, but the Chinese mastered it first.The "Chinese Dota" label doesn't have any meaning behind it anymore. At least, not in the sense that Chinese teams prefer farmfests. Anyone paying attention to the Chinese scene from TI2 to TI3 can attest to that. But with the new patch, we're going to see a return of the mythical "Chinese Dota."6.82 is here. With the glyph buff and tower reward nerf, we are certainly no longer in a pushing meta. So where is this patch going? I believe the Dota 2 metagame is going down a very dark road competitively (though I think the changes in the patch will work wonders for pub games). Let me explain.The gold changes in this patch are one of the biggest game mechanic changes to Dota 2 in its lifetime.An example: you are 8k behind in net worth about 15 minutes into the game. You gank an enemy core, who has about 26% of his team's net worth. The core was on a killing spree.Before the patch, a 3-man gank would receive 706 gold total for the kill. After the patch? Almost 1600. XP gains have also increased, but not by as much (about 20% in this situation).If the teams are even, or if the ganking team is ahead, kills net LESS than before the patch. In what situation would a winning team try to gank?The gold changes completely discourage aggressive play. Put another way, they discourage going for the jugular. If a team tries to push their advantage and take rax, their risk is quite a bit higher. It's not hard to see that this will discourage going for rax early: when you have a higher risk and the same reward, you're unlikely to keep making the same decisions as before. So we'll see more farming before rax pushes. We'll see longer games, but not in a good way.If you try to push high ground at 30 minutes with a 20k advantage, and the enemy team (as 5) kills your carry, who has 19k net worth and a 5-kill streak, they get 3.5k gold from that one kill. Holy shit!It's been a while since we saw the hardcore turtle-when-behind style of some Chinese teams. Will those tactics still be effective? Are we going to see a new meta of ET/Earthshaker/bend-but-don't-break? Team compositions that conform to this meta are not going to be very fun to watch. Good content always wins. motbob Profile Joined July 2008 United States 153 Posts #2 Another aspect of the analysis is: as you farm and build your advantage, the amount of risk in pushing high ground goes down because you are more likely to win in a fight. But the amount of risk also goes up because losing a fight, even a small one, is worse for you than before. Good content always wins. Jaaaaasper Profile Joined April 2012 United States 4433 Posts #3 Can't be any worse for watching that ti4. Hey do you want to hear a joke? Chinese production value. \| I thought he had a aegis- Ayesee \| When did 7ing mad last have a good game, 2012? Kupon3ss Profile Joined May 2008 時の回廊 4174 Posts Last Edited: 2014-09-24 22:07:52 #4 The mythical Chinese DotA has never existed in Dota2. The entire term is a misnomer caused by slesh and tobi's complete lack of understanding of the game. the Chinese DotA of TI1 was actually incredibly aggressive and offensive oriented, what we saw at the tournament was a game that they had never touched, in a different engine, and with 8/10 of the top heroes in the Chinese meta not actually in the game. What this patch does is that it hopefully allows for lategame compositions to thrive, but not in a way that farming will ever win the game the way DotA1 did in 2010. When in doubt, just believe in yourself and press buttons nojok Profile Joined May 2011 France 9328 Posts #5 Nice you could foresee how the meta will evolve, we can directly switch to 6.83 imo. "Back then teams that won were credited, now it's called throw. I think it's sad." - Kuroky - Flap Flap Wings! ahw Profile Joined April 2011 Canada 892 Posts Last Edited: 2014-09-24 22:41:08 #6 An example: you are 8k behind in net worth about 15 minutes into the game. You gank an enemy core, who has about 26% of his team's net worth. The core was on a killing spree. I don't buy in to this hate quite yet. I want to see how it plays out. 681: if you are 10k behind at the 15 min mark, you have lost the game, likely have no outer towers and 0 map control. Unless they make 3-4 really big mistakes, you've lost. 682: you are 10k behind and you smoke gank their carry. miraculously it works, despite having no map control, few outer towers or objectives, and being overwhelmingly outlevelled. If you do it once more you are in the game again. at the end of the day, the team with the lead has the lead. the leading team in dota has tons of map advantages that make it extremely hard to come back from a deficit. with the nerf to tower gold, objectives won't bring you out of a defecit like they used to. High priority targets are more valuable now I don't buy in to this hate quite yet. I want to see how it plays out.681: if you are 10k behind at the 15 min mark, you have lost the game, likely have no outer towers and 0 map control. Unless they make 3-4 really big mistakes, you've lost.682: you are 10k behind and you smoke gank their carry. miraculously it works, despite having no map control, few outer towers or objectives, and being overwhelmingly outlevelled. If you do it once more you are in the game again.at the end of the day, the team with the lead has the lead. the leading team in dota has tons of map advantages that make it extremely hard to come back from a deficit. with the nerf to tower gold, objectives won't bring you out of a defecit like they used to. High priority targets are more valuable now Churrass Profile Joined October 2013 564 Posts #7 i welcome our new chinese overlords, chinese dota on wc3 was the best dota Dubzex Profile Joined October 2010 United States 2505 Posts #8 nah man pinoy dota was the best... they went balls deep diving all day and nonstop manfighting... kinda like korean scene right now "DONT UNDERESTIMATE MY CARRY OR YOU WILL BE CARRIED INTO THE ABYSS OF SUFFERING" - Tyler 'TC' Cook evilfatsh1t Profile Joined October 2010 Australia 1373 Posts #9 god i love 2009/2010 chinese dota so happy to see it coming back zsmj will return to the top as best carry in china icystorage Profile Joined November 2008 Jollibee 11288 Posts #10 On September 25 2014 08:18 Dubzex wrote: nah man pinoy dota was the best... they went balls deep diving all day and nonstop manfighting... kinda like korean scene right now i approve of this statement i approve of this statement Staff Are you ready for a Miracle-? We are! The International 2017 Champions! Alpino Profile Joined June 2011 Brazil 1566 Posts #11 Now I'm legit bummed about this 20/11/2015 - never forget EE's Ember Salazarz Profile Joined April 2012 Korea (South) 1171 Posts #12 The changes don't discourage aggressive play - they discourage overly aggressive play in situations where you have secured a big lead. Yes, it might mean that there will be more of those annoying games where a match had been won for 15 minutes but the clear winner refuses to go for the finish because they are worried about throwing it away, but it should almost certainly also encourage teams that are behind to actually head out of their base and try to make something happen instead of just turtling up on high ground praying for the best. It's most certainly too early to condemn this patch as 'bad', if anything it shows that Valve / Icefrog are not afraid of shaking things up in ways we haven't really seen before, which is great for a game like DotA. bagels21 Profile Joined August 2012 United States 3794 Posts #13 On September 25 2014 07:06 Kupon3ss wrote: The mythical Chinese DotA has never existed in Dota2. The entire term is a misnomer caused by slesh and tobi's complete lack of understanding of the game. the Chinese DotA of TI1 was actually incredibly aggressive and offensive oriented, what we saw at the tournament was a game that they had never touched, in a different engine, and with 8/10 of the top heroes in the Chinese meta not actually in the game. What this patch does is that it hopefully allows for lategame compositions to thrive, but not in a way that farming will ever win the game the way DotA1 did in 2010. this please can we actually wait till the patch drops and Chinese teams play the patch before we go around saying they're going to play turtle ricing strats. this pleasecan we actually wait till the patch drops and Chinese teams play the patch before we go around saying they're going to play turtle ricing strats. Headnoob Profile Joined September 2010 Australia 142 Posts #14 VALVE TRIED. WESTERN DOTA CRIED. Hail our chinese overlords i guess? Jaaaaasper Profile Joined April 2012 United States 4433 Posts #15 Hail to EG, our greatest hope. Hey do you want to hear a joke? Chinese production value. \| I thought he had a aegis- Ayesee \| When did 7ing mad last have a good game, 2012? Ack1027 Profile Joined January 2004 United States 658 Posts #16 I mean you're comparing the high possibility of a dual roaming support with bottle meta where the mid lane no longer exists as it traditionally has for the entirety of dota history Mid lane was made more difficult by smoke, inability to pure bottle crow, roaming rune controllers, and utility offlaners with very high chances to ult gank instead of your mid being the playmaker ala beastmaster, bane, qop, puck, magnus, viper They aren't the same thing. The conditions of'chinese dota'won't be replicated in any meaningful way in dota for a long time to come, if ever again, so its quite foolish to try to predict a future with no past experience to relate it to. The game is in most ways significantly changed whether looking at heroes, mechanics, items, timings, xp/gold.I mean you're comparing the high possibility of a dual roaming support with bottle meta where the mid lane no longer exists as it traditionally has for the entirety of dota history + Show Spoiler + They aren't the same thing. rabidch Profile Joined January 2010 United States 8810 Posts #17 On September 25 2014 13:14 Jaaaaasper wrote: Hail to EG, our greatest hope. greatest hope to replicate chinese dota? greatest hope to replicate chinese dota? Writer Only a true king can play the King. RookerS Profile Joined May 2013 Ivory Coast 36 Posts #
Media in its role of Keeper of the Cultural Marxist Narrative. On Tuesday, Trump threw the gauntlet at the feet of the Main Stream Media with an extraordinary press conference blasting the assembled reporters for what he said was their biased coverage. [Trump taunts media to its face, by Eli Stokols and Nolan McCaskill, Politico, May 31, 2016] While ostensibly about his fundraising for veterans, the real aim of Trump’s press conference was to target the MSM as such. “Is this what it’s going to be like covering you if you’re president?” asked one reporter plaintively. Trump fired back: “Yeah, it is. I’m going to continue to attack the press” [Donald Trump declares war on the press, by Paul Waldman, The Washington Post, May 31, 2016] In the aftermath, reporters who spent last week writing navel-gazing articles about how nasty it is to get mean Tweets from anonymous Twitter accounts with anime avatars began kvetching about how they are under mortal threat from the “anti-democratic” Trump. [Trump’s crazy, insane, nonsensical, bonkers, and anti-democratic press conference, by Erik Wemple, May 31, 2016] This, of course, is nonsense. Hillary Clinton hasn’t even bothered to hold a press conference in months. The real sin: Trump calling out reporters as political actors in their own right rather than pretending they are unbiased observers. And this calling-out is what grassroots conservatives want to hear. As Marco Rubio might say, let’s "dispel" with this fiction that most journalists are any different from far-Left Open Borders activists. They share the same premises, push the same Narrative, and conceal evidence which contradicts the story they are trying to promote. After years of pro-immigrant sob stories and selective reporting, patriotic Americans are right to distrust the MSM. The hard reality for reporters: more people trust Trump than trust the “lying press.” According to a recent poll from Gallup, Americans have even less confidence in newspapers and television news than they do in banks—notwithstanding the financial crisis [Confidence in Institutions, Gallup, June 2-7, 2015]. According to a survey from the Pew Research Center, 65 percent of Americans say the national news media impacts the country negatively. [PEW: 65% of Americans don’t trust media, by William Bigelow, Breitbart, November 23, 2015] As Rush Limbaugh enthused: That was the kind of press conference Republicans voters have been dying to see for who knows how many years… [H]ow many years have people been begging for a Republican to just once take on the media the way Trump did? All the way from the premise, to the details, to the motivation, he took 'em all on… But the media, the media totally wants Hillary Clinton to win, but they're so conflicted. The cable networks, since this thing ended, have been devoted to the press conference and how Trump was mean to them and how Trump insulted them and how Trump criticized them. [The Press Conference Republican Voters Have Wanted To See For Years, Rush Limbaugh, May 31, 2016] One of the most important elements driving this fury against the MSM: the absurd double standards surrounding the protests directed against Trump. While the MSM casually calls Trump a “fascist,” reporters ignore or even cover for startling acts of violence directed against his supporters and police. It’s no surprise many Trump supporters are beginning to suspect reporters and protesters are practically in partnership. Trump’s strategy of confrontation was on display again recently in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Screaming protesters waved Mexican flags, started fires, and even attacked police horses [Mexican Flag-Waving Mob Attacks Police, Horses Outside Trump Rally, by Derek Hunter, Daily Caller, May 25, 2016]. One particularly apropos image: a group of Hispanic protesters holding obscene signs cursing Trump, with one even calling to “Free El Chapo.” Next to that was a young girl holding a sign claiming, “I am not a rapist or drug dealer!” Well, obviously not. But a drug dealer is still more respectable in the eyes of the MSM and academia than someone who simply calls for enforcing immigration laws. Indeed, even as the fires and flags burned and the blood flowed, the MSM worked quickly to pin the blame on Trump. Partially, this was done through the passive language so beloved by reporters—it wasn’t violent protesters who created chaos at the Trump rally; it was the Trump rally itself which somehow “turned” violent. It was the same story a few days later when Trump held a rally in San Diego. Trump’s presence and rhetoric about immigration (i.e. build the wall and enforce the law) was held to be responsible for the chaos, rather than the people who actually perpetrated it [Violence as Trump brings immigration rhetoric to border, CBS News, May 28, 2016]. On television and in the press, reporters lectured Trump and his supporters about “civility” and worked hard to present a deliberately misleading version of events. One reporter for Telemundo, the Fifth Column Spanish-language network inside the United States, was even caught staging the news by covering up obscenities to present an attractive image of young children holding a Mexican flag. [Watch: Telemundo cameraman helps Trump protesters holding Mexican flag upside-down, by Brett T., Twitchy, May 28, 2016] What makes Donald Trump different is that he refuses to let this Narrative be perpetuated. Trump called the protesters in New Mexico “thugs who were flying the Mexican flag” and “criminals.” The tweet received over 13,000 retweets and 35,000 likes, large numbers even for Trump’s Twitter account. The protesters in New Mexico were thugs who were flying the Mexican flag. The rally inside was big and beautiful, but outside, criminals! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 25, 2016 Trump’s campaign also slammed the MSM for consistently blaming Trump. As Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski put it: “Mr. Trump and the campaign do not condone violence,” Mr. Lewandowski said. “The campaign rallies are attended by tens of thousands of people, and it’s no surprise the dishonest media is intent on focusing on a few professional agitators.” Protests backfire as anti-American images push undecided voters to Trump, by Seth McLaughlin, Washington Times, May 30, 2016 Trump’s ability to call his enemies what they are is emboldening his supporters. As one man who attended the New Mexico rally said: “This was not a protest, this was a riot. These are hate groups” [Protests Turn Violent Outside Trump Rally in New Mexico, Newsmax, May 25, 2016] Donald Trump’s strategy of confrontation is highlighting the reality that Fourth Generation War has already begun in the United States. From New Mexico to Chicago, the anti-American Left and the revanchist street soldiers of foreign countries are making their intentions all too clear. [The truth is in the streets, by Gregory Hood, American Renaissance, May 10, 2016] The MSM is doing their best to pretend anti-Trump protesters are the mainstream and Trump is the extremist. But simply showing the protesters on the screen reveals the fanatical hatred for America, and for Whites, driving the anti-Trump Left. And that’s why the more Trump takes his patriotic message into the heart of the enemy, the more Americans rally to his cause. In his famous “Liberty or Death” speech, Patrick Henry mocked those who believed the American Revolution hadn’t already started. “Gentlemen may cry ‘Peace, peace,’ but there is no peace! The war is actually begun!” And so it has. The only question is how long the Main Stream Media can continue to conceal the obvious truth. Donald Trump is doing his best to ensure their time of living on lies will soon be at an end. James Kirkpatrick [Email him] is a Beltway veteran and a refugee from Conservatism Inc.Looking for news you can trust? Subscribe to our free newsletters. For much of its more than 140-year history, the National Rifle Association promoted gun ownership, shooting, and hunting as good, clean, constitutionally-protected fun. That changed in the past four decades as the NRA transformed into a hardline group closely allied with the gun industry and the conservative establishment whose only solution to gun violence is ever more guns. Watch the shift unfold in this collection of ads promoting the organization from the early 20th century to the present. 1920: “Rifle shooting is a mighty fine sport.” This Remington ad in Boys Life declared that the NRA was “a United States Government organization.” It wasn’t, but that gives you a sense of just how tight the gun group and the government once were—before the NRA entered its current state of perpetual freak-out about the feds coming for Americans’ guns. 1951: “A 50-Cent Junior Membership” Sure, you might shoot your eye out if you got a Red Ryder air rifle. But you’d also get the chance to join the NRA and win some of its “beautiful, official” marksmanship awards. The NRA-product tie-ins continue to this day: Several gun makers automatically enroll buyers in the organization. 1957: “More fun with your guns!” The NRA described itself as a “great sportsman’s organization” in this ad from Guns magazine. Among the benefits of NRA membership: a “distinctive” lapel pin and the “right to buy government surplus gun equipment.” 1970: “Hunters Beware!” Sounding more like the contemporary NRA, this ad warned about “powerful forces—possibly well-intentioned but ill-informed—working eagerly yet relentlessly to curb and eventually abolish the hunting rights, privileges and freedoms you enjoy today.” Bonus: A guest appearance by future pro football Hall of Famer Chris Hanburger. 1973: “Only you can save hunting…” The tone is ratcheted up in this ad, which urged hunters to fight those who “want hunting stopped forever” by joining the NRA. “Tomorrow will be too late.” 1982: “I’m the NRA” This famous campaign, launched in 1982, was intended to demonstrate the NRA’s broad appeal. Ads included kids (such as eight-year-old BB-gun enthusiast Bryan Hardin), women, African Americans, cops, and clergy. A more recent version of the campaign has featured NRA celebrity board members Tom Selleck and Karl Malone. Late 1980s: “Why can’t a policeman be there when you need him?” Fears about violent crime fueled these ads promoting concealed-carry laws. The notion that gun laws are ineffective because criminals break them remains a core NRA argument, as does the idea that armed citizens routinely fend off attackers. Late 1980s: “This is the most dangerous place in America.” “These streets, once ruled by Jefferson, Lincoln, Truman, are now ruled by criminals,” intoned newly minted NRA spokesperson Charlton Heston while walking the gritty alleys of Washington, DC. “A few blocks away our leaders sleep in safety.” That line presaged the NRA’s post-Newtown ad accusing Obama of being an “elitist hypocrite” hiding behind armed guards (see further down). 1993: “What’s the first step to a police state?” The photo of goose stepping Nazis in this foreshadowed NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre’s infamous description of federal agents as “jackbooted government thugs” two years later. 1993: The “Laughing Criminal” ad. If you think House of Cards is realistic, you’ll enjoy this TV spot, conceptualized by LaPierre, which suggested that gun control is promoted by cynical politicians unwilling to get tough on crime. It also suggested that career criminals are discerning news watchers. Bonus: Watch for the appearance of the stereotypical ’80s nerd, who just happens to be pro-gun control. 1995: Bill Clinton is “daffy.” With the number of hunters on the decline, you’d think the NRA would embrace high-profile recreational shooters. Yet in this poster sold to its members, the NRA unintentionally distanced itself from its longtime stance that hunting was central to gun rights, declaring that “Mr. Clinton, the Second Amendment is not about duck hunting.” 1997: “Gun rights are lost on our kids.” Heston promised to lead a $100 million, “three-year crusade…to restore the Second Amendment to its rightful place as America’s First Freedom.” For the kids, of course. 2013: “Are the president’s kids more important than yours?” All the anti-government paranoia, fear-mongering, and liberal-baiting of the past few decades culminated in this video, produced in the wake of the Newtown massacre. By opposing putting armed guards in every school in America, Obama proved himself to be “just another elitist hypocrite” whose kids are protected by the Secret Service.With 82 receptions, 1,536 yards, nine touchdowns and a Super Bowl berth, it has been a year to remember for Victor Cruz, the football player. It has also been a year to remember for Victor Cruz, the clothes designer. In the summer of 2010, Cruz and fellow Giants rookie Nate Collins (now with the Jaguars) bonded over their passion for fashion. They did some research, and by April they had started a company with initial investments of $5,000 each. By September, the duo designed their first line of clothes and were ready to sell online. "I love it," Cruz says. "I've always wanted to be involved in fashion and have my own clothing line and do some things like that. And now that I'm able to have one, it's amazing." The line's name, Young Whales, plays on the term "whale" being a high-stakes casino gambler. NFL fans might see some familiar faces on the company's website. Starting on a low budget, Cruz and fellow Giants wide receiver Ramses Barden were two of the original models. "I tried to help him out when he was first getting started," Barden says with a chuckle. "Vic's such a good guy. He's one of those people that you want to lend a hand to, and we were proud of him for putting himself out there and taking on that venture. He's done a great job with it and people have responded well to his clothes." Fans and players alike are embracing Cruz's clothes. Young Whales' fall line, which included a Christmas order, sold so well that a spring line is in the works. "The fans love it, man, as well as my teammates,” Cruz says. "Any time I bring in a box for them, they just crowd me and they want stuff. I just hand the stuff out like it's Christmas morning. It's just great, man." Barden and Aaron Ross are among the teammates that vouch for the popularity of Cruz's line. "Of course, I tell him to bring it into the locker room all the time," Ross says. "People wear it all throughout the locker room," Barden says. "People are bugging Vic daily to get their hands on sweatshirts and stuff." When starting out, Cruz and Collins agreed that designer T-shirts were too expensive and worked their way to baseball-style shirts, crew neck sweatshirts and hoodies. ThePostGame brings you the most interesting sports stories on the web. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to read them first! Picking their favorite Young Whales item was a no-brainer for Ross and Barden. "I got to go with the hoodie, any type of hoodie," Ross says. "I'm a hoodies guy, so when he has hoodies, I try to get them all." Barden also says there is one design that is a personal favorite. "He's got some sweatshirts I like, but I really like the 'EARLY.' one," he said. "You know, it can stand for so many things." Barden is referring to a Young Whales' design, which says "EARLY." The company also has apparel with the terms "Flashy" and "Young Whales" on them, among other designs. One Giant had to wait longer than his teammates to get his desired Young Whales gear. Chris Canty, at 6-7 and 317 pounds, encountered a size issue. "I tell Vic all the time, you gotta take care of the big guys," Canty says. "He actually got some of his Young Whales apparel in my size and gave it to me." Cruz delivered on the big-and-tall order, which was good for business and personal health. "We recently got some big sizes cause Chris Canty was just hounding me for weeks upon weeks about stuff," Cruz says. "I didn't want him to beat me up or anything, so I got him some stuff." Canty is appreciative of his teammate and satisfied with the order. "It actually fits pretty good," he says. "It's really stylish. They're trendy. I said you gotta have the big guys making fashion statements." With sales rising, the future looks bright for Victor Cruz, the salesman. Victor Cruz, the businessman, could soon cut a deal with Victor Cruz, the wide receiver, in the end zone. "I do not have a salsa outfit just yet, but something may be in the works," Cruz says, referring to his signature celebration dance. "You never know." Kind of like how a one-star recruit from a Division I-AA school can become an NFL superstar. You never know. Popular Stories On ThePostGame: -- Tom Brady's UGGs Endorsement Pays Off For Pats Reserve On Super Bowl Media Day -- Wes Welker Turns Heads (And Stomachs) With His Garish Trousers -- Playing The New York Giants Name Game -- Two DeOssies, Two Generations, Two Perfect Snaps, Two Giant Unsung HeroesDavid and Goliath and Burnley They're the smallest club in the Premier League, run on a shoestring budget. So why is Burnley still aiming for the stars? BURNLEY, England – Start with the stands. Burnley, the smallest town ever to have its own Premier League team, plays in quaint old grounds near the center of town called Turf Moor. There’s a lot of history at Turf Moor – it’s the third-oldest stadium in all of England – but then there’s a lot of history in Burnley. People here will tell you that the game of soccer, as we know it, was invented somewhere around Burnley. Heck, it might have been invented in the town of Burnley itself. Nobody knows for sure. At Turf Moor, like at many other historic places, the stands are named for people. The East Stand, for instance, is named for Jimmy McIlroy, the greatest player in Burnley history. They called him Jimmy Mac and the Burnley Brain … he was a slick passer and effective goal scorer and the heart of a Burnley team that won England’s first division some 54 years ago. Jimmy Mac has been dealing with some health issues but he still comes to games now and again, and when he does everyone in the stadium will cheer. The South Stand, the one that backs onto the main street in Burnley, is named for Bob Lord. This is because Bob Lord himself named it. Lord was the son of a butcher in Burnley, which meant of course that he was a fanatical Burnley fan. After making his own money in the butcher business, he became chairman of his favorite football club. Lord was well-named – one journalist called him “Burnley’s Kruschev,” he rid himself of whoever he liked (including Jimmy Mac) and he regularly banned journalists who were not sufficiently appreciative of his genius – but he did have a touch of genius. Under Lord, Burnley had the best development program in the country, and he was the first to build a separate training grounds for the team. The street the Bob Lord Stand lines, incidentally, is called Harry Potts Way after the manager when Burnley won England’s first division in 1960. Then there is the James Hargreaves stand. Ah, there’s a soccer name if there ever was one – James Hargreaves. Who is he? A goalkeeper who made a spectacular series of saves in Burnley’s inspired FA Cup run in 1914? No. A speedy fullback who anchored the defense when Burnley was one of the founding members of the Football League? No. A brilliant goal scorer when the team regained past glory? Not exactly. James Hargreaves is a local plumber. He has generously supported the club. A Massive Club There’s a wonderful phrase people sometimes use for soccer teams in England – the phrase is “big club” or, even more colorfully, “massive club.” The phrase defies easy translation to the American sports fan. Yes, you might call the New York Yankees or New England Patriots or Los Angeles Lakers “massive clubs,” but it doesn’t really fit the description because no one sport, not even pro football, obsesses the nation the way soccer obsesses England. A massive club is obviously a wildly successful team. Manchester United is the very essence of the massive club, as are Chelsea and Arsenal and Liverpool and the like. But being a massive club goes beyond success. It goes beyond popularity. A massive club is one with history, one with a loyal following, one that emerges from the hundreds of soccer teams in Britain and becomes representative of something grander. Leeds United was once a massive club. Nottingham Forrest was once a massive club. Portsmouth and Wolverhampton were once massive clubs. None of those four are even in the Premier League now, but they were known and admired and feared throughout the country. Well, Burnley was once a massive club too. Burnley was one of the 12 original teams in the 1888 Football League. As mentioned, Burnley won the 1914 FA Cup (there are several books on the subject). In the 1950s, when Bob Lord ruled and Jimmy Mac scored and a former miner named Jimmy Adamson instilled ruggedness, the Clarets were contenders every year, and they were champions in 1960. Thousands of fans lined Yorkshire Street, the street that would soon be named for their manager Harry Potts. Put it this way: Burnley was so massive a club then, they were chosen to come to New York and play in a new American experiment called the “International Soccer League.” Ten of the best teams from around the world – including West Germany’s Bayern Munich, Yugoslavia’s Red Star Belgrade and Brazil’s Bangu — played in a 30-match tournament designed to increase the popularity of soccer in the U.S. It simply made sense to everyone that Burnley should be the one team from England. There’s something else, though, about being a massive club in England: Many fans can’t let go of that feeling. Circumstances change. Success fades. Decade after decade of losing and relegation piles on top of each other. But once you support a massive club, it’s hard to think of your team any other way. Sean Dyche has been manager of Burnley since October 30, 2012. (Getty Images) The gaffer Sean Dyche loves to talk about the grass length rule in the Premier League. Dyche is the manager of Burnley – in England, they often call managers “gaffers,” an odd derivative of the word “governor” – and the Burnley gaffer is widely viewed as one of the bright young managers in England. As reward: He’s now charged with one of the world’s most daunting tasks – leading a small-town team into the richest sports league on earth. There are 70,000 or so people in Burnley, a mill town 30 or so miles North of Manchester, which itself is 200 or so miles North of London. The town that had the record for smallest population in the Premier League was, well, Burnley itself five years ago. Burnley is smaller now, though. There is no American equivalent – not even the Green Bay Packers, for many reasons – but for fun you might imagine the best football team in Scranton, Pa., simply being let into the NFL. The tart English media sums up Burnley’s chances for success like so: “Cannon fodder.” “There’s no actual given facts that we have no chance,” Dyche says in a gravelly voice that sounds pitch-perfect under gray English skies. “It’s perception looking in. It’s not absolute fact. … We talk a lot here about probabilities and possibilities. They’re different. It’s probably not the case that we’re going to win the Premier League. But is it possible? Well possibilities include anything, don’t they?” Dyche’s sheer force of positive thinking has infected everyone around Burnley. Few outside the club thought Burnley had even the slightest chance for promotion last year – Dyche says they were bottom four in payroll in the Football League Championship, which is one level below the Premier League, sort of the Class AAA of British football. But the team played absurdly hard, and they played together, and they won promotion. The players to a man talk about how Dyche’s relentless enthusiasm inspired them throughout. “The gaffer never stops,” team captain Jason Shackell says. Dyche will tell you: He is positive, but he’s no dreamer. “Blind faith,” he says, “is no way to live.” When he first came to Burnley, for instance, he insisted that the board be honest with people and explain they simply HAD to sell off top goal scorer Charlie Austin. It wasn’t even a choice. The club was financially strapped. This club is always financially strapped. It’s a way of life. “I may not be anything else, but I’m honest,” Dyche says. “When I first got here, the crowds were split about me, no question. I’d say fifty percent said, ‘OK, he’s bringing the team together, this is going in a nice direction, let’s stay with it.’ And I’d say the other fifty percent was saying, ‘Wait a minute! We’re a big club! We have to act like a big club!’ “We are a big club, if you look back in our history. But, if you’re being honest, this is what you have to say: We have a big history. But we’re not necessarily a big club.” Which brings us back to the grass length rule. The Premier League is somewhat fanatical about a rule that states that before every game the grass must be cut to precisely 30 millimeters. This, the Premier League will tell you, helps create a level playing field. “Level playing field, right?” Dyche says smiling. “Here’s a story for you. We played Manchester United, OK? (Angel) Di Maria costs 60 million pounds, right? (In) the whole history of the Burnley club, we’ve only spent 45 million. The whole history. “We spent eight million pounds this year. In the grand scheme of our club, that is a lot of money. In the grand scheme of the Premier League, it’s laughable. This is what we are. We’re a real club with a lot of heart and a grand history. But …” Just then, Darren Bentley, the team’s media manager, comes in and screws a light bulb into a dangling electrical wire overhead. The team is using Premier League money to refurbish this small groundskeeper’s house into a media center. “Sorry, sorry,” he says. “We only have one light bulb for now.” The Orient Game When you ask around, you find that the biggest match in club history was not the 1914 FA Cup Final (1-0 over Liverpool) or the match that clinched the First Division championship in 1960. No, instead it is simply known as “The Orient Game.” This was 1987, and Burnley had fallen all the way to the fourth division of English Football. Again, there is no American equivalent; you could say it would be like the Chicago Cubs finding themselves in Class A ball, but it’s not a fair comparison. For a town that so deeply reveres its football club – “It’s almost like before the town was there, there was a football club,” Dyche says – the fall had been devastating for Burnley. Like many small towns all over the world, Burnley has been hit hard in the last quarter century – a recent report from End Child Poverty said one out of every three children in Burnley is living in poverty. When the team went bad, fans simply stopped going to Turf Moor. The intense football passion was put into remembering better days. “There are more books about this club than the second World War,” Jimmy Mac would say. The nadir was 1987. Bob Lord was gone, and the new management had no money to spend. The team tried to build with some old heroes, hoping that they might be able to rekindle just a glimpse of the team’s great history. But old heroes are, first and foremost, old. The team won just 11 of 45 games and going into the last game needed something resembling a miracle to keep themselves from falling out of the fourth division and into what is called “the conference,” a mishmash of little clubs in little towns that’s also known as “non-league football.” Everyone understood: If Burnley fell into the conference, the team would fold. To keep the club going, Burnley needed to beat Orient – a far superior team – and then have two other clubs lose. It was an impossible task. Orient had beaten Burnley 2-0 in their first match and dominated just about every minute. Hopes were bleak. A huge crowd showed up for what could have been Burnley’s final game. People all over England wrote letters of support for what had once been one of the England’s massive clubs. Newspaper columnists came from every major city to write about the grand quest of Burnley FC to stay alive. Well, it all happened. A man named Ian Britton scored the header that proved decisive in Burnley’s 2-1 victory, and the other results worked out, and Burnley escaped relegation. Five years later, they were promoted to the Third Division, then a while later the Second Division, and Burnley fans believed again in the massiveness of their team. Now, barely more than a quarter century later, Burnley is in the most popular soccer league in the world. The American Lee Hoos remembers a television interview he saw with a Burnley fan back in 2009, before he become Chief Executive of the club. The Clarets had made it back to the first division of English football for the first time in 33 years, and right off the bat they beat Manchester United 1-0 and then Everton 1-0. There was joy in the city. Burnley was a massive club once more. “You must really fancy your chances of staying up in the Premier League,” the television reporter asked one Burnley fan. “Staying up?” the fan said, incredulous. “We’re looking to Europe!” To get to Europe and play in the UEFA Championship League, a team has to finish in the top four of the Premiership. This obviously did not happen – Burnley lost 15 of its last 19 matches and was relegated back to the Championship immediately. But there was something about that fan’s hope – no, his certainty – that deeply touched Hoos. It was one of the things he thought about when he took the job to bring back Burnley. It was one of the things he thought about when he hired Sean Dyche to be manager. Hoos has plenty of Baltimore left in his accent – he grew up in the U.S. and still keeps a Baltimore Orioles jersey in his office. He knows his Americanism defined him when he first arrived at Burnley, even if he had been in English soccer for almost two decades. “Burnley is very localized,” he says. “I’ll tell you something about Burnley that is different from every place I’ve ever been. You go to almost any other place, and you will see people wearing all different jerseys. You will see Manchester United jerseys and Chelsea jerseys and Liverpool jerseys. In Burnley, you only see Burnley. You only see claret and blue. Burnley is their team, it was their father’s team, it was their father’s father’s team, it was their father’s father’s father’s team. “So you can imagine the shock, when now suddenly they bring in a new guy to run the team and not only is he not from Burnley, not only is he not from Lancashire, hell, he’s not even English. You’ve got some Yank coming in here trying to run our club. I think for many of the dyed-in-the-wool traditionalists, that was very hard.” The Clarets success last year and their promotion to the Premier League certainly helped win some fans over, but not as many as you might think. Hoos says it is hard to explain to an American audience just how steeped in its history Burnley fans are. When asked if Burnley getting promoted to the Premiership is comparable to, say, Gary, Indiana having a team promoted to the NFL, he shakes his head. “The people of this town will always think back to their heritage,” he says. “They will always think back to when this team was up there. They will always think, ‘We’ve got too much heritage to be a small team.’ From a population standpoint, yes, we are a small team. From a financial standpoint, yes, we are smaller than other teams. “But the people here will always believe, ‘We’ve done too much to be considered a small team.’ That’s an interesting dichotomy.” Finding goals The Premier League season is less than two months old, and already the Clarets had an astonishing 565-minute drought where they did not score a single goal. It is one of the longer droughts in Premier League history – tenth longest, to be exact – and it probably explains the Burnley challenge better than anything else. When Dyche was hired, he made one thing clear: His team always would play its guts out. They would be the-better conditioned team, the harder working team and the more intensely driven team in every game. He told the fans, “I can’t guarantee we will win every game. But I am guaranteeing you will get maximum effort from me, my staff and my players. That is the absolute minimum.” “I just felt hard work was an integral part of the area,” Dyche says. “This is a tough area. People have to work really hard, they have to get out of bed and go to work for what is probably less than the normal wage. They’re reflecting the team. And the team has to reflect them. The team has to give everything like these people do.” This connection is apparent when watching Burnley play Sunderland at Turf Moor on a misty gray Saturday. Every hustle play is met with loud applause. Every time Burnley stifled Sunderland’s attack and forced a pass back to the goalkeeper, there was loud applause. The people do not seem especially interested in moments of brilliance; they want to see their team playing ferociously. Then again, this might be because there were no moments of brilliance. The scored ended 0-0 or, as they say, nil-nil. Burnley did not score a single goal for the better part of six games, and part of this was due to the injuries of two of their best scorers, Sam Vokes and Danny Ings. But, more, it speaks to something that Sean Dyche cannot coach and something that Lee Hoos cannot afford: Pure, breathtaking talent. The scoring of goals – unlike, say, the two-minute drill in the NFL – is not something that can be neatly orchestrated. Yes, plays are designed, crosses are practiced endlessly, players are always working on their shot. But goals require luck and precision and tactical awareness and an indescribable bit of class that Dyche calls, “A moment of quality.” “Sean and I talk about this all the time – you can’t work with what you don’t have,” Hoos says. “If we had a Ronaldinho or a Cristiano Ronaldo … but we don’t. We have to work with sensible contracts. We have to be smart. There are many examples of teams that made it into the Premier League and decided to go for it. Portsmouth is an example – Portsmouth went hellbound for glory at whatever cost, and it cost them big, big time. They almost went bust. “We are not going to do that. We are building a club. We made many improvements to the grounds – we had to do that. We’re making improvements at the training grounds, that is very important. We’re building a club here. And we will play with what we have. I think we will score goals. We’ve created chances. I believe we will score goals.” The Clarets did finally break the drought and score two goals against Leicester City in a somewhat uninspiring match that Leicester manager Nigel Pearson called “a bit of a Championship (League) game.” But everyone knows they have to score more or it will be another one-year-in-and-out of the Premier League. And Burnley desperately wants to stay up — there’s a huge financial windfall that comes with getting promoted to the Premier League. Even the worst teams will get 40 or 45 million pounds ($65-70 million) just from television and profit sharing, never mind the extra money from merchandising. It is many multiples of what Burnley can make in the Championship League. Can they score enough goals? Nobody knows, of course. The team has played devoted defense this year – they did have three consecutive clean sheets (shutouts) – and with the exception of the Chelsea game, where they were simply outclassed, and a 4-0 embarrassment against West Brom, they have been competitive. “That’s what I want,” Hoos said. “I want us to be competitive every match. If we do that, everything will work out.” Can they do that? “The thing about English football, the marvelous thing, is that there are no guarantees,” Dyche says. “You take two teams, eleven players each, plus a referee, fluid play, free kicks, corner kicks, speedy play, you will have weird outcomes.” He smiles: “That’s what we want, right? Weird outcomes.” David and Goliath and Burnley So here is Burnley now, facing teams with ten times the payroll, playing in cities with twenty times the population, trying to win on hustle and guile and whatever bit of inspiration they can draw from the city where they play and the history of their team. And, perhaps most of all, they have Sean Dyche. As Shackell says, it is Dyche’s ceaseless energy that drives them. He’s constantly running about the pitch during training, pushing and praising and demanding more. “He’s just fantastic,” Shackell says. Of course, in the Premier League – like in American sports – things turn quickly, even for beloved managers. The amazing feat involved in getting Burnley to the Premier League is already forgotten. “My head is on the line every week,” Dyche says. “That’s how it is. And that’s how
open about it and seek assistance from duty bearers like the local councils, the police or someone they trust. Both men and women are encouraged to make GBV a public rather than a private matter and speak out whenever they experience it. Speaking out mitigates the grave consequences associated with GBV, including the risk of HIV infection. Until we break the silence and stigma associated with publicly speaking about GBV and begin to challenge people around us, this evil will continue to thrive.This is a fun little addition to my tabletop Zelda game, which I've entitled "The Legend of Zelda: The Dark Deluge." The game is situated about 300 years after the events of Ocarina of Time in the Adult Link timeline and the events of the game lead to the legend mentioned in the prologue of The Wind Waker (specifically, the return of Ganon from his imprisonment, no Hero of Legend there to defeat him, and the people resorting to praying to the Goddesses to save them... resulting in the flood). Personally I felt it was the perfect place to create the setting because I would be able to feature a lot of classic Zelda stuff while still retaining the timeline (in the end, Ganon cannot be defeated by the players, only fought to a point where he loses his chance to completely take over Hyrule). I'm a sucker for keeping things canon.Anyways, I wanted the game to feel very real because it would indeed be based on the Dungeons & Dragons template and using those books as guides. I spent a lot of time setting up creature stats, dungeons, and artwork to go along with this game... enough that I felt I should probably publish the thing online when I'm done with it so others can use it if they so choose.This is the map of Hyrule I created, which is sort of a combination of the maps from Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess, while introducing places that will eventually become islands in The Wind Waker. Some of the towns are named after the Sages of Ocarina of Time, in the same way many towns in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link had these same names (though in a completely different place and probably different timeline). Even the ranch is named after Link's horse, Epona. Overall I wanted to establish much more immensity to the land, make it feel much larger, uncharted, and epic while also creating the atmosphere of a Hyrule that has long prospered and rejoiced in the memory of the Hero of Time and the Sages that saved them long ago, but now darkness creeps back, threatening to undo it all.A few other places are my own invention, like the Flood Temple. Since there was an Earth Temple (probably in honor of Din) and a Wind Temple (in honor of Farore), there would probably have been another one for Nayru. I put it near the peak that would eventually become Great Fish Island, a place that Jabun (presumably Lord Jabu Jabu) had once lived. I included a structure from Four Swords Adventures, the Pyramid, but dubbed it the Forsaken Pyramid because it would not only be the housing place of the Trident of Power (which I decided is a creation of the Dark Interlopers) and therefore a stronghold for Ganon when he returned to the Light World, but also the name would be retained when the nearby peak becomes the Forsaken Fortress.You can purchase a more classic version of this map as a print here:- Square Market: squareup.com/market/matthew-le… - Etsy: www.etsy.com/listing/191912715…Computer simulations have allowed scientists to identify the curiously named “burgeroid” raindrop as being responsible for a rare optical phenomenon known as the twinned rainbow. Unlike the more common double-rainbow, which consists of two separate and concentric rainbow arcs, the elusive twinned rainbow appears as two rainbows arcs that split from a single base rainbow. Even though the interaction of sunlight with small water drops has been studied since the days of Aristotle, the often complex behavior and appearance of rainbows has never been fully understood. “Everyone has seen rainbows, even double-rainbows, and they continue to fascinate the scientific community,” said Dr. Wojciech Jarosz, co-author of a new paper explaining the twinning effect. “Sometimes, when the conditions are just right, we can observe extremely exotic rainbows, such as a twinned rainbow. Until now, no one has really known why such rainbows occur.” Jarosz, a scientist at Disney Research in Z�rich, and co-researchers from UC San Diego, Universidad de Zaragoza, and Horley (UK) studied virtual rainbows in simulation, experimenting with the physical shape of water drops and their interactions with both the particle and wave-nature of light. The key to the twinned rainbow mystery, Jarosz said, is the combination of different sizes of water drops falling from the sky. “Previous simulations have assumed that raindrops are spherical. While this can easily explain the rainbow and even the double rainbow, it cannot explain the twinned rainbow,” he said. “Real raindrops flatten as they fall, due to air resistance, and this flattening is more prominent in larger water drops. Such large drops end up resembling the shape of hamburgers, and are therefore called ‘burgeroids.'” The twinning effect occurs when two rain showers of different sized raindrops combine, he explained. “When the two are composed of different sized raindrops, each set of raindrops produces slightly deformed rainbows, which combine to form the elusive twinned rainbow.” The team developed software able to reproduce these conditions in simulation and the results matched, for the first time, twinned rainbows seen in photographs. The discovery, says Jarosz, was unintentional. “Initially the goal was to better depict rainbows for animated movies and video games and we thought rainbows were pretty well understood. Along the way we discovered that science and current simulation methods simply could not explain some types of rainbows. This mystery really fueled our investigations.” The researchers see potentially wider application for their simulation beyond computer graphics, speculating that accurate models of such atmospheric phenomena could advance the science of meteorology. The findings are being presented today at SIGGRAPH 2012, the International Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Related: Discuss this article in our forum Mosquitoes use tai chi to fly through rain Is irrigation masking our warming climate? Bacteria make rain, bioprecipitation researchers say Source: Disney Research Pic courtesy Jacobs School of Engineering/UC-San DiegoGet the biggest Manchester City FC stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Jamie Pollock was a terrace hero at Manchester City during the club's darkest days in the late 90s. His full-blooded commitment, crowd-revving antics and one particularly comical own-goal all contributed to one of the most colourful characters Maine Road witnessed down the years. Now he is behind a new £1.5m football centre in the north east. Once fully up and running, the floodlit complex will feature six five-a-side pitches and an indoor pitch, a full size all-weather pitch plus changing rooms, a reception, club room, bar, cafe and nursery. The full size pitch is already in use, however - and it’s attracting rave reviews from the junior players using it. But that’s maybe not surprising as it’s the same sort of FIFA 1 standard surface installed on four training pitches by Real Madrid’s academy. Check out the gallery below for pictures of Pollock at the new centre plus classic action shots from his days at Maine Road, including one of him giving Roy Keane a rollicking. Watch the video below to see Pollock talking to our sister paper the Evening Gazette in Middlesbrough about the new facility:Amaretto & Toblerone fondue is pretty much chocolate heaven in a fondue pot..rich creamy, and full of almond flavor. It’s perfect for date night! I am a true child of the seventies in every sense of the word. Never mind that I was only alive for a year and a half of the seventies. Or that I am without a doubt a child of the eighties in every sense of the word, right down to the fact that I can recite John Hughes movies line for line, have a huge eighties playlist, and, well, my earliest memories are from the eighties. So forget that child of the seventies thing. I may have been born then, but other than that my only connection to the seventies is fondue. I really don’t remember why I became interested in fondue, but I got my first fondue pot (yes, you read that correctly. I have owned multiple fondue pots in my time.) eleven or twelve years ago. That first one was a Sterno pot, which I eventually decided was a little much to handle, so eventually I graduated to an electric model (mainly because Alton told me to), but I’ll tell you one thing I haven’t graduated from: Toblerone fondue. This was the first chocolate fondue recipe that I ever made (I’d never even tried a Toblerone bar before making this fondue…and I can tell you that a Toblerone bar (<–affiliate link) is not even half as delicious as this fondue) AND I have never made any other type of chocolate fondue. The honest to God truth is that as many times as I’ve made chocolate fondue and looked for other chocolate fondue recipes, nothing ever sounds as delicious to me as classic Toblerone fondue. Until, that is, I splashed in a bunch of amaretto. Wow. Just wow. In seventeen years together, Philip and I have never celebrated Valentine’s Day (we started dating the week before, and after that it just never caught on). However, if you and YOUR significant other do celebrate Valentine’s Day, this Amaretto & Toblerone fondue is pretty much a perfect way to celebrate. If you don’t have an electric fondue pot like this Rival fondue set that I have (<–affiliate link), make your fondue on the stovetop then pour it into your fondue pot. If you don’t have a fondue pot? A small slow cooker, like this Crock-Pot Little Dipper (<–affiliate link) will work too. Or just make it and eat it really fast. Whatever you do….MAKE IT! This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click the link and make a purchase, I will make a small commission. The cost to you will not be affected. For more information, please see my disclosures. Thank you for supporting my blog!Watch: Ne-Yo Talks “Emotional Disconnect” in R&B, Frank Ocean, Trey Songz, Gotye & More Singer-songwriter Ne-Yo visited The Breakfast Club today to chat about everything from turning down a chance to play Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Lee Daniels‘ forthcoming biopic, his thoughts on the “hollow state” of R&B music, Frank Ocean, Trey Songz, being inspired by Gotye, his new partnership with Malibu Red and more. On whether or not he’s inspired by R&B music that’s out right now: “No. Not at all. I can honestly say the last thing that I listened to that inspired me, and it wasn’t hip-hop or R&B, it was Gotye, that ‘Somebody That I Used To Know.’ That joint is dope. I went and got that album, that whole album is dope. I don’t know, man. I feel like there’s an emotional disconnect in R&B right now.” On Frank Ocean: “I dig Frank. I like the album. I feel like on some records, it’s a little too cool for the room, where its like ‘What the hell are you talking about?’ On some records. But I dig the fact that when you listen to his records, you can tell that he means what he’s saying, even if you don’t know what the hell he’s saying, its like ‘he meant that.’ And i feel like that’s the emotional disconnect in R&B right now. It’s like, okay you hear dudes singing about love, but you don’t believe them. Even if you go back to the days of Jodeci. These was the thuggish, ruggishest R&B singers period. These cats was walking around with jeans belted at their thighs with machetes talking about “Forever My Lady” and you believed it. So I think that’s what’s missing in R&B right now. Everybody’s trying to be too cool. It’s too over-sexed right now. That’s why R&B is suffering.” He made it clear that the “disconnect” has nothing to do with artists not writing their own music, which has been the case for decades. Nor does he blame dance music, which has also been popular for a while, especially overseas. “R&B is suffering because of what’s happening in R&B, not what’s happening in another genre of music. At the very least they’re making you feel something. R&B records, nowadays, is just a little hollow with it…” On Trey Songz: “I’ve talked to Trey before and Trey is one of them dudes, I feel like could be a serious problem in this R&B world, if he decided to just really put that emotion in there. No disrespect to Trey, love Trey to death. But I feel like, again, the emotional disconnect is there.” Watch: Ne-Yo on The Breakfast Club Now proudly assuming the role of A&R at Motown, once held by the legendary Smokey Robinson, Ne-Yo shared what he’s learned from Barry Gordy. He also revealed that his fifth studio album, R.E.D. has been pushed back. spotted by necolebitchie.comGreenville mayor Knox White envisions the city’s West End, already home to Smiley's Acoustic Cafe, as the home for a potential live music district. (Photo: FILE) Greenville live-music fans interested in improving the local scene may have taken a few lines from one of the Beatles. Upstate music fans have renewed in recent months conversations about making #yeahTHATgreenville synonymous with "cool music vibe." Some government types, musicians, fans and venue owners seem to echo sentiments from John Lennon's song, "Imagine." You may say that I'm just a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will be as one Nashville has Music Row; Memphis has Beale Street, and someday Greenville's live music scene could make believers even out of the most devout skeptics. As Greenville Mayor Knox White walks a few blocks downtown toward the city's minor league baseball stadium, he can hear the music yet to play. He recalls people scoffing at another idea 15 years ago — the thought that Main Street and surrounding streetscapes could be a preferred location for young professionals and others. "You couldn't find five people who thought Greenville was cool then," said White. "We've really evolved to the point that people like the mixed-use environment — part of that is the music and street activity that makes for just a great city." So why hasn't the music scene flourished in the heart of one of South Carolina's most financially thriving regions? Like different people still trying to interpret Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" from 1965 or a Nirvana song from the 1990s, residents and business owners have their own views on the local music scene's seemingly stunted growth. Some say venue owners and managers don't value musicians; some venue owners and managers blame market forces and city regulations discouraging efforts to expand music options. Conflicting values "To be a live-music venue downtown in the business district, it's damn hard," said Alex Dial, owner of Moe Joe Coffee and Music House on Main Street. "I've got to install a bunch of soundproofing to keep playing music so people who live three blocks away won't complain about me." Dial opened his music venue in late summer after success with a similar operation in Clemson, where a college-town population of some 19,000 students creates a driving market force for music. Dial compliments Greenville's local government for encouraging special events featuring live music but said red tape hurts businesses like his. Mixed-use development that brings together residential and commercial can create a conflict of values, especially around 10 p.m. when someone has to wake up early the next morning and others believe the party just started. "It's really hard when you have an actively, thriving downtown with entertainment venue and restaurants rubbing shoulders, or blocks, with what has been traditionally quiet downtown neighborhoods," said Gene Berger, who opened local music store Horizon Records in 1975. "Greenville's problem is it wants to have the hipness of a powerful music scene, or certain factions do, and the rest of Greenville really doesn't." City ordinances prohibit noise higher than 80 decibels, comparable to an alarm clock or police whistle, during the day and 75, just higher than common street noise, from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. In other parts of the city, regulations limit noise to 60 decibels during the day and 55 at night. White has mixed thoughts about live music in the city, particularly downtown. He said no significant support exists for loosening noise regulations in areas downtown where residents have voiced complaints about late-night music. Residential development downtown and throughout the city in recent years makes most live performances within earshot of where someone calls home. "We built out so fast and have residents in places we didn't in the past," White said. "The window of opportunity is closing unless we do some proactive planning." White and Berger joined other city and business leaders for a trip to Austin in 2005 to see first-hand how the place known as the "live music capital of the world" creates a Texas-sized sense of place, attracting music lovers from throughout the country and beyond to visit and live. White's voice suggests excitement when he discusses municipal planning insight gained from Willie Nelson's adopted hometown. "For serious music acts, it's good to cluster them if you can," White said. "It really creates an energy and a vibe when you've got to it together." Musical redevelopment White credits recent renewed music scene discussions to a TEDx Greenville forum in January and the closing of the Handlebar, a 500-person capacity venue on Stone Avenue, in April. The conversation has grown as discussions in City Hall have focused on updating downtown regulations and policies. White said he sees potential in encouraging more live-music venues to open in the West End. This could happen when the city updates current design guidelines for the Central Business District, an area stretching from parts of North Academy Street to Vardry Street to the south. East and west boundaries mostly fall within Academy and Church streets. Mike Kerski, Greenville planning and development manager, said by April the city should publish requests for proposals for an outside company to bid for the process. The most recent design review guidelines for the business district — which include height, setback, color, sign and material requirements — date to 2000. "The city was a lot different 15 years ago," Kerski said. Beyond city changes, technological advances mean plans for proposed projects can be viewed in more sophisticated ways, often in 3-D. City Council will determine how and when to proceed once the deadline to submit proposals passes, likely late spring or early summer. The process usually involves public meetings to help determine changes compared existing regulations. White said the West End down to the Greenville Drive baseball stadium could be the right location to encourage more music venues to open for multiple reasons: the area is located near fewer residential parts of downtown, has property available for redevelopment and one existing venue, Smiley's Acoustic Café. Identifying an area for potential music venues and live entertainment could allow the city to formally adjust policies and regulations to encourage similar businesses to locate in close proximity. One possible change could involve the sign restrictions. "It would be great if I could hang a neon guitar out there," said Smiley's owner, Mike Fletcher. His business avoids noise complaints even with live music six nights a week, often two shows a night. He recently sat at table inside Smiley's and looked through the front windows to imagine dancing and singing nearby. The idea of clustering music venues together makes sense to Fletcher. "It creates excitement," he said. "Some people will go out to a place if they've got choices within walking distance." Similar approaches have led to an association of music and nightlife in other cities. The collective presence of multiple venues offering different musical genres could draw more people than each business in isolation. More people spending money while enjoying downtown music also could encourage the scene to grow in support, recognition and profits. Fletcher said he's considered expanding but needs to feel confident in the additional investment, potentially doubling occupancy to 200 people, maybe more. Another promising element of the idea of a West End music cluster is that Greenville Transit Authority relocated to 100 W. McBee Ave., making 2.9 acres of government-owned property available for redevelopment at 106 and 154 Augusta St. "Where Smiley's is down there is interesting, because you have so much undeveloped area," White said. "Perhaps something could catch on there." As for now, Greenville residents and music supporters have time to consider the potential for a West End filled with music and energy. Any formal city changes would likely happen closer to 2016. Musician Whitney Walters, organizer of TEDx Greenville's monthly talks, coordinated the January forum to focus on improving the music scene. Downtown business owner Dial and Jaze Uries, an acclaimed drummer, each provided their perspective in the larger discussion. "People were really charged about the conversation," Walters said. "No pun intended, but it definitely struck a chord." Russell Stall, executive director of Greenville Forward, said the organization can help facilitate further conversations but believes discussions should include a spectrum of voices and perspectives. He said residents who care enough to discuss and debate the community's future really comprise the bulk of Greenville's secret sauce. "We tell people it was a 30-year overnight success," Stall said. "It took decades of planning, conversation and hard negotiations to make it the jewel that we have." RELATED: Read or Share this story: http://grnol.co/1Di5Xw3Anti-gay group Straight Pride UK is abusing the DMCA takedown process to censor work by a journalist. No surprise there — the DMCA is twisted for all kinds of dumb purposes. The inexplicable part? The hate group filed a takedown on... its own press release. How dare you say that we said the words that we wrote in a press release. Straight Pride UK is an activist group, which believes that straight people are a marginalised population in society that needs to empower itself. Freelance journalist Oliver Hotham contacted the group asking a few questions about their beliefs. According the Hotham, the group's response demonstrated a less-than-proficient understanding of public relations: About a week later they responded with an attached document with the title "press release". I went through the questions, corrected the horrendous grammar, and organised it so it coherently answered the questions I'd posed. I also noted that two rather pointed questions I'd asked, regarding the problem of the bullying of LGBTI youth and the nature of other "pride" movements, had not been answered. I sent them an email about this, saying that I'd give them the opportunity to respond but, if they didn't, I'd "make it clear in the article" that they avoided the questions. They didn't get back to me for 2 days, which I thought ample time to write two sentences. So he published their silly words. He'd identified himself as a journalist and they responded with a document titled "press release" — that should have been good enough. To Hotham's surprise, the group got in touch, claimed copyright over the responses they had sent to him, and demanded that he take the embarrassing foolishness down. That's pretty ballsy, but ballsier still is that Straight Pride UK sent a DMCA takedown notice to Wordpress. And sadly Wordpress took Hotham's complied and removed the work. Now, under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's intellectual property provisions, platforms are compelled to just take content down when asked to do so. They can then review the takedowns if they're challenged. It's a system designed to protect publishers — and ordinary citizens — from lawsuits, by giving them the ability to take down content which infringes on other people's intellectual property. DMCA is a smart law in a lot of ways, but it's also frequently abused by those who would like to censor other people's speech. This is one of those cases. For those of you who don't know, let's be perfectly clear: If a journalist identifies himself as such and then you say a bunch of idiocy to him, it's publishable. Even if it's embarrassing. Straight Pride UK is merely using the law to manipulate Wordpress into taking down speech. As a student without a lot of money — or a big publication supporting him — Hotham is basically powerless to fight the decision So there it is, a perfect example of how DMCA is used to silence your freedom of speech. [Oliver Hotham via Daily Dot]Filed: Friday, 11th December 2009 By: A Different Staff Writer The club has, as expected, confirmed the retirement of Dean Ashton. Speaking on whufc.com, club CEO Scott Duxbury said: "This is a sad day and our thoughts are with Dean. "I would like to place on record our thanks to him for all his efforts and wish him the very best. I would also like to thank the fans for their patience and understanding during what has been a difficult time." Ashton originally broke his ankle in a training accident involving Shaun Wright-Phillips in August 2006, causing him to miss 2006/07. Although he returned for the 2007/08 season the ankle proved troublesome throughout and, only four matches into 2008/09, he was forced to seek further treatment. Sadly he was never to return to first-team action and, at the ludicrously young age of 26, he has been forced into retirement. kumb.com would like to wish Deano and his family all the best for the future at this difficult time. Your Comments Please note that this section is for comments relating to the above news item only. Any off-topic or abusive posts will be removed. Posts including either links and/or foul language are automatically filtered and will not be published. To engage in further discussion on any of our news stories, visit the KUMB Forums. Not a member of the KUMB Forums? You may register for free membership here. by Ham Sandwich 04:17AM 12th Dec 2009 ''Just as we say Sir Trevor Brooking was the finest manager we never had, Deano was the finest centre forward we never truely had either. Best of luck in the future Dean, your performance at the Millenium and elsewhere will guarantee your place at West Ham forever. Ole Ole Ole Ole DEANO, DEANO!'' by Steve 03:07AM 12th Dec 2009 ''It's a crying shame - you would have been in another class. Good luck Deano. I hope you manage to get that ankle back into working order.'' by miki 09:29PM 11th Dec 2009 ''I can't even begin to imagine how he must be feeling. We lost a real talent, not just at West Ham but football at large. I hope you find success and happiness in whatever you do now, Deano!'' by Dan 05:54PM 11th Dec 2009 ''Good luck with your future, Deano.'' by Nick Giles 05:18PM 11th Dec 2009 ''Deano was great, he could have been the best English striker since Shearer. I know what he's going through, I had major surgery, almost died and was forced to retire from the Fire Service after 5 1/2 years service at only 24. It hit me hard with depression and then having to find another job and hardly any money (doubt he has no money in the bank). Chin up Deano, stay positive as things could always be worse. You're still alive!'' by rugbyking1 01:22PM 11th Dec 2009 ''I would just like to wish you all the best, you've been a great player to watch and always felt we had a shout of a goal with you on the field. Hope to see you involved in the game in some way in the future.'' by dean parrott 12:07PM 11th Dec 2009 ''So the worst kept secret in football is finally confirmed. Best wishes go to Deano for the future. A real shame because an injury free Ashton was phenomenal. Sadly we only saw glimses of it. One match in particular stands out and that was the quarter final against Man City away when he was simply unplayable. So another day and more bad news, I look foward to that bright sunny day when i get up open the paper, turn on the telly or log on to the internet and read fantastic cheery news about our club because this big black cloud that seems to have been hanging over us since I dont know when is really getting boring now. But the chances of that at the moment seem as remote as a Scott Parker goal or us winning the Champions League!'' Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. DisqusSome wonks are lamenting the absence of foreign policy issues in Australia’s long election campaign, but footballer Jarryd Hayne’s defection to Fiji’s Olympic rugby team leading the ABC evening news bulletin during the week might be the closest it gets. Richard Di Natale is doing his best, suggesting more distance in the United States defence alliance in a Lowy Institute talk, but with Labor and the Coalition in lock step on the Pacific Solution to asylum seekers, draconian national security laws, hosting of US forces and massive defence spending, there’s little real contest. But there’s one huge international issue that intrudes at the end of every news program with the weather report. Record high temperatures into the winter should be forcing climate change onto the top of the political agenda. Yet despite bleaching extensively affecting the Great Barrier Reef, the Tasmanian oyster industry being devastated by unusual sea temperatures, and that state’s hydro dams running perilously low, the issue gets only the most diffident handling by the major parties. If we look to our north, the impact of an exaggerated El Niño cycle is ruinous. Famine is hitting regions from the Papua New Guinea highlands to Ethiopia. As the Indian strategic policy analyst Brahma Chellaney writes for Project Syndicate, an unprecedented drought is hitting Vietnam’s Mekong Delta and its central highlands, 27 of Thailand’s 76 provinces, parts of Cambodia including the Tonle Sap lake, Myanmar’s largest cities Yangon and Mandalay, and areas of India home to more than a quarter of its 1.3 billion population. The drought threatens to set off inflation across Asia. About 72 per cent of the world’s rice is grown and consumed there. Production is badly hit in two of the biggest rice exporters, Thailand and Vietnam. Reduced water flows in the Mekong have led to salt water intrusion, rendering about 10 per cent of Vietnam’s paddy fields infertile, possibly for many years. “This drought may be unprecedented, but it is not an anomaly,” Chellaney writes. “On the contrary, environmental challenges in Asia, such as ecosystem degradation, groundwater depletion, the contamination of water resources, the El Niño tropical weather pattern, and the effects of global warming are causing droughts to become increasingly frequent – and increasingly severe.” The crisis is bringing a long-brewing conflict in Asia to boiling point. Writers such as the Australian National University’s Gavan McCormack and former Australian diplomat Milton Osborne have pointed to the prospect of wars over fresh water this century. It’s getting closer. China has been damming the headwaters of the major rivers flowing southwards from the Himalayas. Flows in the Mekong during the current dry season are at the lowest level since records began about 100 years ago, a United Nations agency reports. Chellaney observes that while China is now “trying to play saviour” by releasing water into the Mekong from one of its six mega-dams, this “simply highlights the newfound reliance of downriver countries on Chinese goodwill – a dependence that is set to deepen as China builds 14 more dams on the Mekong.” Antarctic white flag Share Certainly putting Australia in the news overseas are the efforts of the Coalition government and its appointees to stick the nation’s head in the sand about the cause of the severe floods, droughts, bushfires and tropical cyclones that seem to be hitting the world more and more frequently. The Abbott government-appointed head of the CSIRO, Larry Marshall, is pursuing his redundancy program, which hits hard at the agency’s expertise in climate change. The science is proven, he says, so resources should be devoted to potential commercial solutions for living with the problem. One of the world’s most renowned researchers on rising sea levels, John Church, has just revealed he is one of 275 scientists tipped this week for redundancy, about a third of them working on measuring climate change. The Cape Grim station in Tasmania’s north-west that measures baseline atmospheric carbon pollution levels is also threatened. Another activity to go is an Antarctic research program that together with international partners would study ancient ice formations to extend knowledge of long-term climate change patterns. This is not just a blow to climate research. To one leading scientist, Neil Hamilton, it signals a waning commitment to Australia’s claims to 42 per cent of Antarctica, and the system that keeps the continent free of military activity and commercial exploitation. The international court rules that title to a piece of remote and unpopulated territory is subject to effective occupation by the claimant country. Although Malcolm Turnbull announced a new $500 million icebreaker to replace the ageing Aurora Australis by 2019, Hamilton wrote in the Lowy Institute’s The Interpreter, cuts at the CSIRO and the federal environment department have effectively slashed the Antarctic science budget by 30 per cent since 2012. This won’t go unobserved by countries positioning to access the continent’s resources when the present treaty on environmental protection comes up for review in 2048. Golkar fights back Share When Joko Widodo became Indonesia’s president nearly two years ago, it looked like the system was stacked against him, with opposition parties controlling a majority in the national parliament over which the president has little or no veto power. Now Golkar, one of the largest opposition groups, is falling into disarray and is desperately coming to heel. Last December we recorded how Golkar’s appointee as parliamentary speaker, Setya Novanto, had to resign after he was exposed trying to shake down the country’s biggest mining company, Freeport, for an equity stake valued at $US4 billion. On Tuesday, Golkar appointed Setya as its new chairman, ending a long power struggle between tycoons Aburizal Bakrie and Jusuf Kalla. The party convention in Bali had amused Jakarta political circles. Golkar’s currency is patronage not policy ideas. With candidates unable to express what they were offering in the backrooms (more money than the other guys), public debate was vacuous. Now with a discredited figure at its head, Golkar wants to end its uncomfortable opposition role and return to government ranks to get a share of perks and opportunities. Great Firewall gap Share With China’s communists giving only a stiff acknowledgement of the 50th anniversary of Mao Zedong’s launch of his Cultural Revolution on Monday − People’s Daily assuring everyone it couldn’t possibly happen again − current leader Xi Jinping is doing a passable Mao imitation in the eyes of many Sinologists, enforcing rigid ideological orthodoxy. To this end, a trusted apparatchik, Politburo Standing Committee member Zhang Dejiang, was dispatched to restive Hong Kong this week. Trained in economics at the Kim Il-sung University in Pyongyang, Zhang has had a career marked by ruthless suppression of protesters, censorship of critical media, and cynical news management around major industrial accidents and the SARS epidemic. Nervous Hong Kong authorities took the precaution of gluing down paving stones in the places Zhang will visit. Meanwhile, the renowned “father” of the Great Firewall of China – the system of internet censorship administrated by thousands of cybercops – had an embarrassing moment. While speaking about internet security at the Harbin Institute of Technology last month, Fan Binxing tried to access a South Korean website to demonstrate that Seoul also censored the web (it does, but comparatively sparingly on North Korean content). But Fan was blocked by his own system. In full view of the audience, he then set up a virtual private network to access the website, thereby demonstrating how to get around the official firewall. Derisive comment by Chinese netizens in response is now censored. [email protected]From Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia. Omastar (Japanese: オムスター Omstar) is a dual-type Rock/Water Fossil Pokémon introduced in Generation I. It evolves from Omanyte starting at level 40, after it is revived from a Helix Fossil. Biology Omastar is a sky-blue ammonite Pokémon, with several tentacles and a pale yellow, helix spiraled shell on its back. Several sharp spikes line the shell's midsection, spanning from its forefront to just a little towards its back. The shell's hem has two circular indents where Omastar's eyes come out. Its eyes have yellow sclerae and vertically-slit pupils. It has an oval mouth with a four-way jawed, fang-like beak. Once caught, it never lets go of prey, immediately biting down on its victim with immense power. It is believed that Omastar's extinction was a consequence of the increasingly heavy weight of its own shell that affected it mobility, including its hunting. Omastar swam the seas in search of prey, including prehistoric Shellder. Omastar's used it tentacles to ensnare its prey before biting down with the deadly force of its beak. With the shell broken, it would suck out the contents. Omastar is thought to be a distant ancestor to Octillery. Carracosta is a natural predator of Omastar. In the anime Major appearances Two Omastar debuted in Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon, alongside all of the other Generation I Fossil Pokémon. They were sleeping under Grampa Canyon until a dynamite blast woke them up. The Rock/Water-type Fossil Pokémon chased Ash Ketchum and Team Rocket until Aerodactyl showed up and scared them off. Multiple Omastar appeared in Fossil Fools, alongside their pre-evolved form Omanyte. These Pokémon were discovered to be living in the Ruins of Alph, but they were moved
combustion engine because of the battery - the lithium battery issue." [Fox Business, Cavuto, 10/12/11, via Nexis] FACT: Battery Recycling Efforts Are Underway EV Batteries Are Not Toxic Like Conventional Lead-Acid Car Batteries. CNNMoney reported: We've all had to get rid of spent lithium-ion batteries from laptops and cell phones so it's natural to worry about the ones in electric cars. Won't those eventually have to be disposed of, too? Are they just going to sit rotting in land fills fouling the environment? Probably not. First, the lithium-ion batteries used in electric cars are less dangerous to the environment than most other batteries to begin with. That's because they don't contain large amounts of toxic rare earth metals. Second, all kinds of batteries, large and small, are routinely recycled and electric car batteries can be, too. [CNNMoney, 12/20/10] Recycling Firms, Automakers Already Building Infrastructure To Handle EV Batteries. The New York Times reported that companies involved in recycling electronics "have already begun spending money to build an infrastructure to handle the flood of partly depleted battery packs" from electric cars. The article further stated: Toyota Motor, whose experience goes back to 1998, shortly after the introduction of the RAV4 all-electric vehicle, has established partnerships in Europe and the United States to recycle batteries, including from the hybrid Prius. This year, it began shipping some batteries from Prius models sold in the United States to Japan to take advantage of a more-efficient recycling process at home. Honda Motor recycled nearly 500 batteries during 2009 from the electric hybrid models it began selling in Japan more than a decade ago. But it still is exploring ways to structure that part of its business as it rolls out models like the Insight and the CR-Z. General Motors and Nissan Motor, whose Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf are newer to the market, are taking a different tack. They have agreements with power companies to develop ways of reusing old batteries, perhaps for storing wind or solar energy during peak generating times for later use. [...] In the United States, the Department of Energy has granted $9.5 million to Toxco to build a specialized recycling plant in Ohio for electric vehicle batteries. It is expected to begin operations next year, handling batteries from a variety of makes and models. [New York Times, 8/30/11] Greenwire: Certain Battery Components "Far Too Valuable To Send To The Landfill." Greenwire reported in September 2009 that "though lithium currently fetches very little on the open market, other components in lithium-ion batteries, such as nickel and cobalt, will make the batteries far too valuable to send to the landfill." The report also quoted Linda Gaines of the Argonne National Laboratory, who is studying global lithium supply: Currently, lithium is mined by only one company in the United States from a brine operation in the Nevada desert, and USGS data show that more than 85 percent of the world's lithium reserves is in Bolivia, Chile and China. Gaines' research found that the amount of lithium needed for some types of lithium-ion batteries could be cut in half if those batteries are effectively recycled. "If we had a careful recycling program in the U.S., we could conceivably be self-sufficient," Gaines said. "The ideal would be to take the whole battery apart, clean up the material and recycle them back to battery-grade." [Greenwire, 9/14/09, via Scientific American] EV Batteries Could Be Used For Stationary Energy Storage. Wired's Autopia blog reported in November 2010: Energy storage is a growing industry, and automakers see a demand for used packs, which could help make the grid more efficient. Nissan expects demand in Japan to be so great by 2020 that it would need 50,000 EV batteries to meet it. Automakers are confident they'll find buyers because the lithium-ion packs used in electric vehicles are expected to retain around 70 percent of their storage capacity after 10 years. Although that may not be enough for a commuter who needs maximum range, it's fine for stationary applications like backup power in a hospital or load-leveling at a substation. "We expect to see an entirely new industry arise to use these batteries," said Paul Gustavsson, vice president for business development at Volvo. The company expects to sell its first electric cars in 2013. "Every hospital has a huge battery backup in the basement. So do power plants, military installations, some skyscrapers. There's some fascinating business opportunities there that are just now being discovered." [Wired, Autopia, 11/24/10] MYTH: Electric Car Subsidies Only Benefit The Rich In a recent editorial, The Washington Post argued against tax credits for EV consumers, in part because "only upper-income consumers can afford to buy an electric vehicle." [Media Matters, 1/5/12] In an article at FoxNews.com titled "Electric Car Subsidies Transferring Wealth From Poor To The Rich?", William La Jeunesse wrote that "billions in federal subsidies for electric vehicles are going those [sic] who need them the least: the 1 percent." [FoxNews.com, 1/9/12] Neil Monroe of The Daily Caller said on Fox Business: "President Obama wants to give $10,000 per car to wealthy blue state voters that should make Americans see red," adding, "It is redistribution towards the wealthy. [Fox Business, Cavuto, 11/3/11, via Nexis] Fox Business' Liz MacDonald said: "one percenters, are the only ones who effectively can afford these cars, so why not support, you know, tax breaks for the upper brackets who can buy these cars?" [Fox Business, Cavuto, 12/27/11, via Nexis] FACT: Tax Incentives Make Advanced Technology Accessible To Middle Class Mitsubishi Electric Car Will Cost $21,625 After Tax Credit. The all-electric car from Mitsubishi, the i-MiEV, will cost $29,125 -- or $21,625 after the $7,500 federal tax credit. The tax credit makes the price of the i-MiEV comparable to the Toyota Camry, the top selling car in the U.S. in 2011. [Mitsubishi, accessed 1/24/12] Nissan Leaf Costs $27,700 After Tax Credit. The 2011 Nissan Leaf, an all-electric vehicle, costs $27,700 after the federal tax credit. [AutoGuide, 1/3/12] Electric Cars Cost About Five Times Less Than Conventional Vehicles To Operate. According to the Department of Energy, a conventional vehicle costs 10 to 15 cents per mile in fuel to run, while an electric vehicle costs 2 to 4 cents per mile for fuel, based on the average U.S. electricity price. A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle costs 2 to 4 cents per mile when running on electricity, and 5 to 7 cents per mile when running on gasoline. [Department of Energy, 10/3/11] Study: Battery Costs Will "Decline Steeply As Production Volumes Increase." From an analysis of the electric car battery market by the Boston Consulting Group, a leading consulting firm: Battery costs will decline steeply as production volumes increase. Individual parts will become less expensive thanks to experience and scale effects. Equipment costs will also drop, lowering depreciation. Higher levels of automation will further trim costs by increasing quality, reducing scrap levels, and cutting labor costs. However, some 25 percent of current battery costs - primarily the cost of raw materials and standard, commoditized parts - are likely to remain relatively independent of production volumes and to change over time. The analysis also showed how continued government purchase incentives would "directly influence" the total cost of ownership (TCO) of EVs. According to the study, if the incentive programs continue to 2020, consumers in Western nations could recoup the added upfront cost of electric cars in 1-5 years, rather than 9-15 years: [Boston Consulting Group, 1/7/10] Tax Credits For Electric Vehicles Have Bipartisan History. As the following summary from the Congressional Research Service shows, Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush signed legislation providing tax incentives for the purchase of electric vehicles and other cars that reduce reliance on oil: EPAct 1992 established tax incentives for the purchase of electric vehicles and "clean-fuel vehicles," including alternative fuel and hybrid vehicles. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Section 1341) significantly expanded and extended the vehicle purchase incentives, establishing tax credits for the purchase of fuel cell, hybrid, alternative fuel, and advanced diesel vehicles. [...] The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 established a tax credit for the purchase of plug-in vehicles, both pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids (i.e., gasoline/electric hybrid vehicles that can fuel on gasoline or be recharged from the electric grid.) For passenger vehicles, the credit is a maximum of $7,500, depending on the vehicle's battery capacity. After sales of vehicles eligible for the credit exceed a total of 250,000 for all manufacturers, the credit is phased out. [Congressional Research Service, 2/4/10] Tax Credits Contribute To Development Of American Advanced Battery Industry And Jobs. A Duke University analysis of the U.S. value chain for lithium-ion vehicle batteries stated: "Largely as a result of financial support by federal and state governments, the U.S. domestic lithium-ion battery supply chain is developing very quickly." The report also said "U.S. production capacity has indeed grown very quickly, from just two relevant plants before the ARRA [American Recovery and Reinvestment Act] funding, to 30 planned sites aiming to achieve a projected 20% of world capacity by 2012, and 40% by 2015." [Duke University Center on Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness, 10/5/10] MYTH: Electric Cars Are A Threat To The Grid On his Fox Business show, Cavuto stated that electric car owners are "compromising our grid." [Fox Business, Cavuto, 12/8/11, via Nexis] Fox's Eric Bolling suggested that if a "million" or two million electric cars were on the road, we would have "no ability to charge these cars. The electric -- the power grid right now is on its ear already." [Fox Business, Happy Hour, 7/19/09] The National Legal and Policy Center's Mark Modica suggested on Fox Business that the "electric grid isn't ready for" the amount of electric cars that advocates want on the road. [Fox Business, Cavuto, 10/12/11, via Nexis] FACT: Studies Show EVs Are Unlikely To Strain Grid, Particularly With Good Planning Studies Indicate That Plug-In Cars Won't Strain The Grid. GreenCarReports noted: A comprehensive and wide-ranging two-volume study from 2007, Environmental Assessment of Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles, looked at the impact of plug-in vehicles on the U.S. electrical grid. It also analyzed the "wells-to-wheels" carbon emissions of plug-ins versus gasoline cars. The study is well regarded, in part because of its authors. It was a joint effort by two somewhat unlikely partners: the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), which is the utility industry's research arm, and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). It looks at the consequences of drivers charging plug-in vehicles at different times during the day. And it assumes a gradual rollout of electric vehicles into the current U.S. fleet of 300 million vehicles. GM, for example, will only sell 10,000 Chevy Volts during all of 2011. In practice, this means electric cars will only impose marginal increases on the electric grid. The load of one plug-in recharging (about 2 kilowatts) is roughly the same as that of four or five plasma television sets. Plasma TVs hardly brought worries about grid crashes. [...] Knowing all this, the EPRI-NRDC study concluded -- not surprisingly -- that plug-in vehicles won't strain the grid. Two earlier, more limited studies from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory concluded essentially the same thing. [GreenCarReports, 7/13/10, via Discovery News] Utilities And Regulators Can Institute Policies To Smooth Demand. A 2011 MIT study on "The Future of the Electric Grid" stated: The degree to which EVs pose a stress to the power grid depends on their local penetration rate, as well as the power and time at which they charge. If regulators and utilities appropriately influence charging so that it mostly does not coincide with the system peak demand, EVs will improve system load factor and will not cause unmanageable disruption to the bulk generation and transmission system. Otherwise, integrating these loads will require more investment in equipment. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2011] Engineers Are Developing New Software To Address Added Demand. Good reported: As I explained in a previous column, some automakers with EVs in the pipeline are already working on the issue. Ford, for example, recently joined up with Microsoft Hohm for an in-vehicle charging system in the 2011 electric Ford Focus. The system will allow drivers to schedule vehicle charging during off-peak hours, or times when the grid has capacity to spare. Microsoft and Ford aren't the only companies working on EV charging software. Google is also working on a platform that will use something called a vehicle dispatch algorithm to smooth out the electricity load on the grid. And the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is developing a Smart Charger Controller to automatically juice up vehicles when electricity is cheapest and the demand for power is lowest. [Good, 11/11/10] Electric Cars Could Provide Backup Power For The Electric Grid. Miller-McCune reported in October: For 15 years, [Willett] Kempton, who directs the University of Delaware's Center for Carbon-Free Power Integration, has pushed the idea that fleets of electric vehicles -- rather than being another big draw on the electric grid -- could provide valuable backup power on demand to utilities. This would reduce the need for costly new generating plants, and help ensure a reliable supply of electricity. Utilities pay each other billions of dollars a year for such backup power through wholesale electricity markets, and Kempton believes that a hefty slice of that pie could be paid to electric-vehicle owners instead. Some industry analysts agree that the approach, known as "vehicle-to-grid," could take off; a December 2010 report from the business research firm Global Data conservatively projected a global market for vehicle-to-grid that would pay $2.3 billion to electric vehicle owners by 2012 -- and $40 billion by 2020. [Miller-McCune, 10/31/11] MYTH: Each Volt Cost Taxpayers More Than $250,000 In Subsidies In a CBS news brief, Ashley Morrison stated: "According to a new report, every car sold so far has cost taxpayers as much as two hundred and fifty thousand dollars." [CBS, CBS Morning News, 12/22/11, via Nexis] Fox News promoted the figure on Fox & Friends, Special Report, and The Five (twice). Fox Business covered the figure in at least 9 segments. [Media Matters, 12/22/11] [Nexis search, 1/20/12] Rush Limbaugh and numerous conservative blogs repeated the figure. [RushLimbaugh.com, 1/11/12] [HumanEvents.com, 1/7/12] [Washington Examiner, 1/23/12] [National Review Online, 12/21/11] [MichelleMalkin.com, 12/21/11] [Hot Air, 12/21/11] FACT: Subsidy Estimate Was Based On Fuzzy Math Estimate Includes Subsidies For Supplier Companies And Subsidies That Haven't Actually Been Distributed. The source of the claim that each Volt costs taxpayers $250,000 in subsidies is James Hohman of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a conservative think tank that has received money from fossil fuel interests. The estimate, which Hohman conceded was "simple math," included state and federal subsidies "via tax credits and direct funding for not only General Motors, but other companies supplying parts for the vehicle." It also included subsidies that the companies haven't yet received. Hohman divided that total by 6,000 - the number of Volts sold at the time. [Media Matters, 12/22/11] Finance Writer: "Fundamental Flaw" In The Estimate "Discredits The Entire Report." Writing for TheStreet.com, Anton Wahlman - who said he is "totally opposed to government subsidies" -- stated that "there is a fundamental flaw behind the math in this'report' that discredits the entire report straight down to zero, in my view." From his post:Embattled former Atlanta Public Schools superintendent Beverly Hall has died, according to Channel 2 Action News. A member of her legal team confirmed Hall’s death, the news station reported Monday afternoon. In late January, Hall’s attorneys said she was too ill to be tried for allegedly conspiring to change students’ answers on standardized tests. In 2008, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution broke the first of what would be several stories highlighting suspect test scores in Atlanta Public Schools and other Georgia districts. In the years that followed, the newspaper kept digging, and eventually special investigators appointed by the governor exposed widespread cheating in the APS district. The APS trial began Aug. 11, 2014, with jury selection. The trial has extended into this year. Hall had Stage IV breast cancer, and her doctors said she was unable to endure the grueling schedule of the trial. Her case was separated from 12 former educators indicted with her who are now on trial. Judge Jerry Baxter asked Hall’s lawyers Jan. 22 to update him on her health. “We need to try her, ” Baxter said. “Somebody said they saw her out eating the other day, so I need to know how she is doing.” Hall’s lawyer, Richard Deane, said in an email in January that Hall was not well. “She continues to fight Stage IV breast cancer and was, in fact, hospitalized as a result of complications from the disease on the day Judge Baxter asked for an update on her health,” he said. Deane said Hall was in the hospital Jan. 20-24, but he did not give the reason. Though Hall has not been in the courtroom since the trial began in September, she has been the focus of some testimony. A former APS staffer testified Hall ordered staff to shred all copies of a draft report of an internal investigation into cheating. The investigation was launched after the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement said it suspected cheating took place on a 2008 makeup test for the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests for fifth-graders at Deerwood Academy. APS investigated. Its former human resources director, Millicent Few, testified the investigation found there was a “high likelihood” of cheating. Few said Hall disagreed with investigator Penn Payne’s findings and ordered the drafts destroyed. Hall then assigned a member of her staff to work with Payne to downplay the criticism and produce a less-damaging final report, Few said. — Staff writer Rhonda Cook contributed to this report."Early intervention against young abusers is absolutely crucial," said Beatrice Ask, Sweden's justice minister. In a previous ruling, the council weighed the invasion of personal integrity occasioned by the supervised collection of a urine sample against the benefits of a child getting help to counter their drug use, and concluded that the invasion of personal integrity was disproportionate. Ask argued however for the importance of timely intervention regarding drug use and underlined that several of the bodies in the referral process supported the government's stance. The government's legislative proposal also provides for the tests to be conducted without the consent of the children's parents. "It is not always that straightforward to find the parents or to gain their permission and I think that it is important to be able to check if there is misuse." As an example, Ask said the forced test measure could be used if a child were to be found in a dope den. The Council on Legislation also warned that a forced urine test could be used by police as a form of punishment. This criticism is rejected by Ask who argues that the police have better things to do than to harass youngsters.Health experts are horrified, warning that gains to life expectancy could be reversed if drastic action is not taken. It needs an effort along the lines of the anti-smoking campaign, says Professor Graeme Hankey, co-author of the report which was published in The Lancet medical journal on Thursday. The 188-country report shows Australia's problem is ballooning out of control. Overall 63 per cent of adults are overweight, up from 49 per cent in 1980. Five million, one third of the adult population, are obese. One in four children are overweight. New Zealand is worse, with 66 per cent of adults overweight. When grouped together, Australians and New Zealanders are becoming obese at a faster rate than any other region. "We should be incredibly worried," said Prof Hankey of the University of Western Australia. Other developed countries are starting to plateau, he said, but not Australia and New Zealand. "We are getting worse." Apart from the burden of diabetes, heart disease and stroke, people are buckling under the strain. "It causes wear and tear on the knees, hips and spine from having to carry the weight around," Prof Hankey said. "We seem to have nailed tobacco and reversed the trend, but we are not doing very well at managing this." The study was led by Professor Emmanuela Gakidou from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. “Unlike other major global health risks, such as tobacco and childhood nutrition, obesity is not decreasing worldwide," he said. "Our findings show that increases in the prevalence of obesity have been substantial, widespread, and have arisen over a short time. However, there is some evidence of a plateau in adult obesity rates that provides some hope that the epidemic might have peaked in some developed countries and that populations in other countries might not reach the very high rates of more than 40% reported in some developing countries." But the Heart Foundation's Dr Robert Grenfell said Australia was going backwards on obesity. "Overweight and obesity is now one of the leading causes of preventable death and disease in our community. Carrying the extra kilos greatly increases the risk of death from heart disease." Professor Rob Moodie of the Melbourne School of Population Health blamed junk food and a sedentary lifestyle. "The environment is geared towards over-consumption because of the way food is marketed and because of a lack of regulation," he said. "The junk food and processed food industry is enormously powerful. The politicians are absolutely frightened." It's marketed all over sport and social media, he said. "The exposure of children to junk food and junk drink advertising needs to be reduced." Key findings from study: In the developed world, men have higher rates of obesity than women. The opposite is true in developing countries. The prevalence of childhood obesity has rapidly increased in developed countries, from 17 per cent in 1980 to 24 per cent in 2013 in boys; and from 16 per cent to 23 per cent in girls. Especially high rates of overweight and obesity have already been reached in Tonga where levels of obesity in men and women exceed 50 per cent. More than 50 per cent of women are obese in the Kuwait, Libya, Qatar, and the Pacific Islands of Kiribati A short-term goal should be to reduce the amount of salt, fat and sugar in processed food as well. "If you do it across the board, it reduces the risk for the whole population. "We need sensible regulation to make sensible choices much easier than they are at the moment." Australia and New Zealand are ranked the 30th and 23rd most overweight countries in the world, not far behind the US, which is ranked 20th. In the US, close to three quarters of men and six in 10 women are overweight or obese. "In the last three decades, not one country has achieved success in reducing obesity rates, and we expect obesity to rise steadily unless urgent steps are taken," said co-author Christopher Murray of the University of Washington.PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — With Philadelphia’s primary election just two weeks away, there still is no clear front-runner in the race for Democratic District Attorney nominee. A forum Monday at Temple University showed most of the candidates share similar views. About 30 people attended the forum, which was sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. KYW Newsradio’s Larry Kane quizzed the candidates on topics ranging from wage theft to the city’s sanctuary policy but with six of the seven people in the race present, policy nuances were hard to detect for Nicole Westrick, sitting in the audience. “There were a lot similarities, so maybe not the depth, but that’s to be expected with a 45 second answer,” Westrick said, “I’m still undecided. I have more research to do.” But given the crowded field and the relatively low-profile of the offices up for grabs, voter research may have less to do with the results than party insiders. That may be why one candidate ducked out early to accept a well-known ward leader’s endorsement. The forum also touched on opioids, bail reform and unscrupulous businesses, and despite the general agreement on policy that has marked the race, Maria Montero spotted differences in style. “It actually helped solidify who the stronger candidates were and who were individuals who are approaching it from a more political standpoint,” Montero said. She diplomatically declined to say who was who.How to serve a WSGI application via CGI March 10 2009 CGI has a bad reputation. Its slow performance disqualify it for most demanding tasks; nobody would think of serving thousands of pages per seconds via CGI. But when performance doesn’t matter, it can still be useful. CGI is easy to deploy, most HTTP servers fully support it, and writing a minimal script only takes a few lines: print 'Content-type: text/plain' print print 'Hello World!' But writing CGI scripts in Python can be difficult. Unlike PHP where most “web” features are embedded in the language. Python CGI scripts don’t handle query strings, path info, cookies, sessions, etc. out of the box. They usually rely on the cgi module and some custom code to handle this. WSGI also can provide those missing features. There are lots of existing middlewares and utilities for WSGI providing all kinds of services. Also the code developed for your CGI scripts can be reused in other applications, even those using SCGI or FastCGI. wsgiref is shipped with CPython since version 2.5, and a CGI handler is included; no need to install extra packages to get it running. To run your WSGI application pass it to the run method of the CGIHandler : #!/usr/bin/env python import wsgiref.handlers def application(environ, start_response): start_response('200 OK', [('Content-Type', 'text/plain')]) return ['Hello World! '] if __name__ == '__main__': wsgiref.handlers.CGIHandler().run(application) You might have to configure your HTTP server to serve CGI scripts. Setting it up is usually a lot simpler than FastCGI, SCGI, mod_python, and mod_wsgi: To deploy your scripts: copy them to the appropriate directory, that’s all, no need to restart a server. CGI is appealing for small scripts because of its easy deployment. Remember it next time you have to do “this simple script that shouldn’t take long to develop”, often deployment time accounts for more than development time.Yesterday we published an interview with David Yates, after he stopped by the Warner Bros Studio Tour to talk about his history with the films and his future plans. Now it’s time to look at the tour itself. It should be noted that the recommended dwell time for the tour is three hours, but since I only attended on junket day I experienced a compressed 25 minute version. We were all but jogging through it – it was like an obstacle course where the only obstacle was whimsy. Still, I had a chance to get a good look at some of the sets, and even put together this gallery of camera-phone images for anyone who might be interested in taking the tour. The first thing that should be said is that if you’re a fan of the Harry Potter books and series, you should almost certainly take this tour. It offers an unparalleled glimpse into the making of the films, and everything you will see was lifted directly from the film sets. There are no replicas here, and by taking a closer look you’ll pick up on a lot of the tiny details that production designer Stuart Craig and his team added to give each prop and piece of furniture its own individual character. A great example of this, pointed out by producer David Heyman during the press conference, is a tiny broom graffitied onto one of the Great Hall tables using the point of a compass. It’s the sort of thing that you’d never see in the wide, sweeping shots used in the film. The opening of the tour is fairly impressive. One of the first things you’ll see is a slightly awkward video introduction by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. There are a few instances of scripted humour that fell flat, and you get a definite sense that the actors weren’t given clear instructions on what their eyelines should be for the piece. Still, when the screen rolls back to reveal the Hogwarts entrance hall, I’ve been told it’s a moment that often brought people to tears of excitement. The sets in the tour include the Hogwarts Great Hall, Dumbledore’s Office, the Ministry of Magic, Umbridge’s terrifyingly pink office, the gates to the Hogwarts grounds and, most impressive of all, a complete reconstruction of Diagon Alley. On the backlot you’ll find, among other set pieces, Number 4 Privet Drive, the Knight Bus and a rickety old bridge that was frequently used for Hogwarts exteriors. The tour isn’t entirely made up of sets, however. Budding special effects artists will find themselves in their own private heaven when introduced to the Creature Workshop, which showcases the prosthetics worn by Warwick Davis as Professor Flitwick and Griphook the Goblin (Davis said in the press conference, when asked what prop he’d most like to keep from the films, “My face … I was very attached to it when we were filming.”) There was far more in the Creature Workshop than can possibly be included here, but to tease you I’ll give you three items to spot if you decide to take the tour: Inferi, Fenrir Greyback, and Harry Potter’s “hayfever face” from the end of Deathly Hallows Part 1. The centrepiece of all this is the model of Hogwarts used for flyover shots and building CGI effects, as seen in the timelapse construction video that we posted a while back. Having shed the worst of my personal Pottermania somewhere in my late teens, I’d managed thus far not to geek out too much over the tour. But even the most hardened and cynical journalists on the tour stood back in awe of the Hogwarts model, and I’m not ashamed to count myself among them. Finally, you exit through the gift shop: an Aladdin’s cave of brightly-coloured and fantastically overpriced merchandise. On my look around I found a small statue of Fluffy the Three-Headed Dog which would set its buyer back £200, and even something as simple as a Gryffindor scarf costs £25. The gift shop is not a place for pocket money, but kids with rich parents and adult collectors will find more hidden treasures than they could possibly hope to carry home in one sitting. Overall, for fans of the series the tour is a must-see. But if you’ve never seen a Harry Potter film and find yourself being dragged along by an over-enthusiastic friend then you probably won’t find yourself bored either. A downright ridiculous amount of time, money, talent and manpower went into building the sets and props that you’ll see on the tour, and it offers a unique insight into the process of building a multi-billion dollar franchise. (Last Updated ) Related Posts None foundAuthor's note: This is my first foray into emotional writing. I hope it comes off well. I don't like character bashing. Early on it will seem like I am Sakura bashing, but I'm not. I'm trying to convey what I think Sakura's emotions would be in that situation. Also, I tried to use Japanese names for jutsus and English translations in parenthesis afterwards. I do not know Japanese and used an online translation tool. If you do speak Japanese and see that I've made a mistake, let me know. I'd love to put the correct words in my story. Please enjoy! "Naruto! Sasuke! No!" They were dead before they even hit the ground. Sakura knew it. Those two bakas knew that the only way to kill Madara was to sacrifice themselves. The resulting explosion from the collision of Naruto's Sage Mode and Kyuubi-enhanced "Fuuton (Wind Style): Rasenshuriken" and Sasuke's "Raiton: Denki no Jikkou" (Lightning Style: Electric Execution) completely destroyed Madara beyond anything the Edo Tensei Jutsu (Reanimation Technique) could restore. Maybe if Sakura had been able to feed some more of her chakra to them through Katsuyu, they would have survived. Maybe if she had been able to destroy the Jubi sooner and join them, they could have killed Madara together and her teammates would have survived. Maybe if she wasn't such a loser, she could have been strong enough to be their equal. She hated herself. Sakura skidded to halt next to their fallen bodies. She formed some hand signs and then started feeding her chakra into her fallen friends. She knew she was too late. She knew there was nothing to do. She knew she had failed. She did it anyway. If she had learned anything from that dobe Naruto, it was to never give up. Tears streamed down her careworn face. She was exhausted. It didn't matter. She poured her love into them both. She looked at Naruto's face. Back in the Academy, Naruto was the loudest kid in the class. Secretly, she thought his antics were cute. He always did just the wrong thing at just the right time. He was dead last, but no one could ever just pass over him without a thought. Naruto demanded everyone's attention. His pranks surpassed any ever committed in the village before him. His teachers didn't think that anyone would ever be known as a bigger prankster than the blonde haired troublemaker. Well, at least they hoped no one would. He tried hard to fit in. That's truly what his pranks were about. None of the parents would let their children play with Naruto. But when he played a prank, everyone laughed with him. For that brief second, he wasn't alone. Life didn't hurt quite so much. But after the laughter died down, he was alone again. The class clown would face the music (after a prolonged chase by the teachers or the Anbu) and serve his punishment. Sakura always loved Naruto's pranks. She wouldn't admit it at the time, but the lovable loser was kind of cute. But all of the girls hated him. She never wanted to be hated again like she was before Ino protected her, so she never said out loud that she liked him. Eventually, those feelings went away. Sakura looked over at the still form of Sasuke. He had never looked so peaceful. Gone were his worries. Gone was his hate. She no longer felt the infatuation she had for him at the Academy. All of the girls loved Sasuke. He was dark and handsome and just sooooooo coooooool! Sakura didn't really understand, but hey, everyone else loved him. She should too! Eventually, she convinced herself that she actually did love him. Sasuke never gave any of the girls a second glance. Most of the time, he never gave them a first glance. He was so driven. The raven haired Uchiha poured his soul into every lesson. Whether he was practicing camouflage techniques, throwing shuriken, or taking a spelling test, Sasuke gave as much effort as he could possibly give. No one really understood what drove him. Sakura certainly didn't understand at the time. She just admired him. Sakura looked up from her fallen teammates and saw her sensei staggering towards her. Kakashi was haggard. His mask was torn and he had lost his flak jacket somewhere. She smiled as she thought about her first day as his student. They had passed the infamous bell test. Sakura still couldn't believe that she wasn't about to be summarily executed for breaking the rules of the test. Her teacher had made a complete 180. Kakashi-sensei even looked proud of the three of them. Over time, she didn't learn very many jutsus from her teacher. But she did learn one important lesson. You never give up on family. The scarecrow-like jounin shinobi had learned that lesson the hard way. He never let an opportunity pass when he could make sure that they understood that lesson. The spike-haired sensei was like a surrogate father to their little family. Naruto, who never knew his family, Sasuke, who lost every member of his clan, and Sakura, who had a family, but seemed to be lost somewhere inside the ranks of shinobi of the village, all looked up to him. He cared for them. Each one of them knew that he would always be there for them. They also knew that they would be there for him. They owed him more than they could ever repay. Kakashi-sensei taught them how to be a family. Sakura could feel her chakra reserves flagging. She didn't know how much longer she had. People were starting to take notice of the downed team. As they were able, they moved towards them. Sakura was a pretty little girl, even if she did have a wide forehead. She had bright green eyes that absorbed every detail in her textbooks and always knew just what questions to ask her instructors so that she could figure out how to be the best kunoichi she could be. She always wanted to do her best. One day, she hoped to be an incredible ninja and to make her village proud. Sakura shook off her tears as her friends finally made it to her and her late teammates. Ino placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Sakura. It's too late. They're gone. You've done what you could." The pink haired shinobi could feel Ino's hot tears hit her bare neck. She shook her head, refusing to stop
offended. Basically, you can save the game at any moment — mid-jump, just before a boss, before opening a randomized chest, etc. Then you can reload if you die, get a bad item, or just want to play through a part again. The new video shows that each game will receive four suspend point slots, which you can write to by dropping a cute winged screenshot onto them. It’s a great improvement over the VC system, though certain emulators have implemented something like it for years. That will be helpful for many, I’m sure, but the other two features are strictly for purists and nerds like myself. First, there’s the option to switch between a 50Hz and 60Hz internal refresh rate; games running on PAL rather than NTSC ran ever so slightly slower, and European gamers might find the feel of the controls is off in 60Hz mode. It’s a thoughtful inclusion. Next is the display modes, which is where it gets real nerdy. The NES was almost certainly played on a 4:3 CRT television over something like an RF adapter or possibly RCA. The output of the NES, however, was not quite 4:3 (~256x240px), so the pixels would be stretched — that is, not quite square, the way they are on the screen you’re looking at. This, combined with the poor video signal carried by cables at the time and the naturally analog look of CRT phosphors, gave NES games a very distinct and recognizable look. The NES Mini will have three display modes (click above for a bigger version): Pixel perfect, which displays the graphics with square pixels, exactly as the NES outputs them. In some ways this is the ideal format, but in others totally foreign to many players. Because it’s narrower, distances will appear shorter and movement slower — believe me, people notice these things. , which displays the graphics with square pixels, exactly as the NES outputs them. In some ways this is the ideal format, but in others totally foreign to many players. Because it’s narrower, distances will appear shorter and movement slower — believe me, people notice these things. 4:3, which stretches the image to the proportions you’d be familiar with from an old-school TV. This in itself will blur the image somewhat, it’s worth noting. , which stretches the image to the proportions you’d be familiar with from an old-school TV. This in itself will blur the image somewhat, it’s worth noting. CRT filter, which adds an overlay simulating the visual artifacts you’d see on a CRT TV over an analog connection. Which you use is really a matter of taste. It might look better to send the pixel-perfect signal and stretch it on your TV rather than in the box. As for the CRT filter, well, and I know how this sounds, but I’ve seen better. There is actually a pretty significant community of people who design these things, making them ever more accurate, adding slight distortion to simulate the glass of the old sets, traveling distortions, tweakable chromatic aberration, all that stuff. People are willing to pay good money — we’re talking hundreds of dollars here — for a device that essentially adds structured noise to a clean digital video signal. It sounds crazy but that’s how serious some people are about recapturing that feel of sitting in the living room playing Final Fantasy or Metroid for the first time. And I guarantee a few of them work at Nintendo and insisted on adding this level of control — nay, I would guess they wanted even more granularity — to the display options on the NES Mini. One other piece of news that broke yesterday: Japan will be getting its own version of the console, but it’ll look like the country’s original Famicom, complete with hardwired controllers and a slightly different selection of games. How fun is that? Both will be available soon: the NES Mini on November 11 for $60, and the Famicom Mini simultaneously for an equivalent amount of money, but in yen, obviously.A portion of a Vivekananda flyover collapsed on Thursday afternoon leaving several trapped. Rescue operations are underway and officials are trying to pull out people trapped under mounds of rubble. Disaster Management Groups, officials of Kolkata Police and Fire and Emergency Services are at the stop. DMG officials are using gas cutters to save trapped people. Rescue operations are underaway near Ganesh Talkies (Girish Park) in Kolkata. Eye-witnesses say that there could be around 150 people under the debris. The flyover was the object of some controversy, with lots of residents complaining about it, particularly due to the congestion it caused. Live Updates: As of now 21 are dead, 85 injured out of which 2 are very serious: WB CM #Kolkata pic.twitter.com/GpEbIFXfAD March 31, 2016 3 more NDRF teams sent to Kolkata bridge collapse site keeping in view the prolonged rescue operations. 10 teams with 400 rescuers on spot now. Bangladesh Deputy High Commission has opened a 24-hour control room in here for Bangladeshi nationals seeking information regarding the flyover collapse. "To get any information about Vivekananda flyover accident at Posta, Kolkata, a control room (24 hours) has been opened for the citizens of Bangladesh at Bangladesh Deputy High Commission, Kolkata," a statement said. The helpline number is 033-40127500. 3 FIRs registered against the IVRCL infrastructure company including at Jorasanko Police Station. Distressed to learn about an under construction bridge collapse in Kolkata. Have instructed the WB unit to assist in the rescue operation. — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) March 31, 2016 5 NDRF teams are working with 268 personnel, they are trying to locate trapped victims: OP Singh (DG, NDRF) #Kolkata pic.twitter.com/mPn1wJCaCr — ANI (@ANI_news) March 31, 2016 "We need to first focus on rescue operation, will see about future course of action later. This is a very serious incident, law will take its course. Opinions of engineering experts will be taken in the matter. We will take care of all the expenses of all the injured, we hope for their speedy recovery," said Mamata Banerjee. "A Committee would be formed for investigating the tragedy. Specialists from Kharagpur IIT will be included in that group," said CM Mamata Banerjee. A few victims have been reportedly identified as: Prakash Dhal, Ajay Kumar Kondai, Sarita Kondai, Asha Joshi, Tapan Dutta, Sanjay Meharohriya, Pranav Das, Kanchan Chatterjee, Asim Dutta, Kachi Das, Gulam Ali, Mahadev Adak, Samar Thakur, Asha Thakurand and Umesh Kumar. 15 dead and over 50 injured in #Kolkata bridge collapse, says West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee — ANI (@ANI_news) March 31, 2016 Suryakant Mishra, CPI(M) leader said, "A lot of people are trapped. Please come forward and help us." While addressing a press conference from the accident site, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said, "Guilty will be arrested and given severe punishment soon." While blaming the construction company IVRCL for the tragedy, Banerjee also blamed the CPI(M) govt as the contract with the company was signed during their rule. CCTV footage of the flyover collapsing has been found online. Watch it here: Shocked & saddened by collapse of under construction flyover in Kolkata. Took stock of the situation & rescue operations. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 31, 2016 My thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives in Kolkata. May the injured recover at the earliest. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 31, 2016 #Kolkata Police confirms 14 dead and 78 injured in the collapsed under-construction bridge near Ganesh Talkies. — ANI (@ANI_news) March 31, 2016 Also read: Kolkata flyover tragedy: Infra company IVRCL employees flee post incident; shares fall 11% MoS Home Kirren Rijiju said: “Our team is in contact with WB, NDRF teams have been dispatched. We will send more NDRF teams and para-military forces if necessary. Everything will be done acc. to the requirement. Help for kin of the deceased will come later. State govt is already doing whatever is necessary, central forces are there to support, help & take part in rescue &relief ops.” Civilians who were helping out have been asked to move out from the area as the army has arrived. BJP leader Rupa Ganguly has arrived in the area. The state govt has announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the dead, Rs 2 lakh for the seriously injured and Rs 1 lakh injured. The official count has risen to 14 while the state government has set up a control room with the helpline number 1070. The army has arrived while the central forces that were deployed for poll duty are also assisting. The area is so congested that cranes are unable to reach the area and there’s some reluctance to use cranes since the debris is so close to residential areas. Army called in to assist in rescue work for the bridge that has collapsed in Kolkata. Troops are on the way. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has reached the spot of the incident and is overseeing the incident. 17 cranes have been rushed to the spot but because of the congestion are unable to reach the spot. The injured are being taken to Calcutta Medical College. Car being pulled out from the debris of the collapsed bridge near Ganesh Talkies in #Kolkata pic.twitter.com/o3Zx4uvXKd — ANI (@ANI_news) March 31, 2016 Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh wrote on Twitter: “Deeply saddened to know that precious lives have been lost in the Kolkata accident.My heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased. Spoke to DG NDRF who apprised me of the situation at the accident site in Kolkata. NDRF teams have been rushed to the spot for rescue ops.” TMC MP Derek O’ Brien wrote on Twitter: Monumental tragedy. Rescue ops on. Many feared dead. Chief Sec/Home Sec at site. CM headed back to Kol immediately. This the update I have.” Firefighters and residents were trying with their bare hands to rescue those trapped under the wreckage of the metal-and-cement structure that came down near Girish Park in a teeming commercial district. Television footage from the scene showed a bloody hand reaching out from under what appeared to be a massive girder. People were trying to hand bottles of water to survivors pinned underneath. "The condition is pathetic. At this moment no one has any clue how many people are trapped," said Raichand Mohta, a police officer at the scene. A Reuters witness said paramedics had worked to free people from a minibus taxi that was crushed in the collapse. There was little sign of a coordinated rescue operation, with access for heavy lifting equipment restricted by the proximity of buildings on either side of the flyover and heavy traffic.The flyover has been under construction since 2009 and has missed several deadlines for completion. Two units of NDRF being rushed to Ganesh Talkies area of North Kolkata to assist in rescue work after a bridge collapsed Meanwhile, the BJP were quick to blame the West Bengal govt and Mamata Banerjee for the mishap. Kailash Vijayvargiya said to ANI: “Mamata ji's govt is responsible for this. We want action to be initiated against the ministers and people associated.” Monumental tragedy. Rescue ops on.Many feared dead. Chief Sec/Home Sec at site. CM headed back to Kol immediately.This is the update I have — Derek O'Brien (@quizderek) March 31, 2016 Mamata ji's govt is responsible for this-Kailash Vijayvargiya,(BJP in-charge,West Bengal) on bridge collapse pic.twitter.com/lCawgt4I4N — ANI (@ANI_news) March 31, 2016 We want action to be initiated against the ministers and people associated-Kailash Vijayvargiya on bridge collapse pic.twitter.com/ntAZqHQD3D — ANI (@ANI_news) March 31, 2016 #Visuals Taxis buried under the debris of the collapsed bridge near Ganesh Talkies in Kolkata pic.twitter.com/rFfDXhecDp — ANI (@ANI_news) March 31, 2016 WATCH: Rescue ops underway for those trapped under debris after under-construction bridge collapses in North Kolkatahttps://t.co/t96fZB3Qpr — ANI (@ANI_news) March 31, 2016 Under-construction bridge collapses in North Kolkata near Ganesh Talkies(Girish Park),10 dead. Rescue operation on pic.twitter.com/vrTn2Lx1ug — ANI (@ANI_news) March 31, 2016 Rescue ops underway for those stuck under the debris after under-construction bridge collapses in North Kolkata pic.twitter.com/9CD4Kmi1ZU — ANI (@ANI_news) March 31, 2016 14:00 According to at a TV channel, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee cancelled her rally and is coming back to Kolkata. Meanwhile, the Chief Secretary and Home Secretary have arrived on the spot. 13:56 The ANI reporter at the spot of the collapsed under-construction bridge in Kolkata said "scores of dead bodies under debris, many trapped". 13:50 There still hasn't been any official statement from the state goverment. 13: 40 According to ANI, rescue operations are still underway. One eyewitness claimed that the cement and concrete was poured yesterday, and the flyover collapsed today. People here are very scared, women and children are crying because of fear: Person living near the collapsed bridge pic.twitter.com/EC4JLwa44N — ANI (@ANI_news) March 31, 2016 WATCH: Rescue ops underway for those trapped under debris after under-construction bridge collapses in North Kolkatahttps://t.co/t96fZB3Qpr — ANI (@ANI_news) March 31, 2016 Under-construction bridge collapses in North Kolkata near Ganesh Talkies(Girish Park),10 dead. Rescue operation on pic.twitter.com/vrTn2Lx1ug — ANI (@ANI_news) March 31, 2016 Rescue ops underway for those stuck under the debris after under-construction bridge collapses in North Kolkata pic.twitter.com/9CD4Kmi1ZU — ANI (@ANI_news) March 31, 2016 The bridge collapsed,I think atleast 150 people are under the debris: Eye-witness on bridge in Kolkata collapses pic.twitter.com/cAyx8IhNDa — ANI (@ANI_news) March 31, 2016 Operations underway near Ganesh Talkies(Girish Park) in Kolkata after Under-construction bridge collapses,10 dead pic.twitter.com/ArPP4nv1z2 — ANI (@ANI_news) March 31, 2016Max Crocombe made four league appearances for Oxford United Salford City goalkeeper Max Crocombe was sent off for urinating during his side's 2-1 win at Bradford Park Avenue. The 24-year-old New Zealander was shown red in the 87th minute of the National League North game. "He was told by the steward twice not to do it and he went ahead and had a pee," said Park Avenue secretary Colin Barker. Crocombe later apologised, saying he has been in an "uncomfortable position" and made "an error in judgment". Writing on his Twitter account, he added: "My intention was never to offend anyone and I'd like to apologise to both clubs and sets of supporters." A spectator made a formal complaint and the incident was reported to the police. Barker added: "He went to the side of the stand as I understand it. I didn't actually see it, but the referee definitely sent him off for it because he was alerted to it by his linesman." During the game, Park Avenue tweeted: "We can confirm that Crocombe has been sent off for urinating during the game. We are not joking." Former Oxford goalkeeper Crocombe joined Salford in May. The club is owned by businessman Peter Lim and five former Manchester United players Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt. Salford reacted to the dismissal by tweeting: "Red Card! Crocombe sees red for something off the ball. No one has a clue what has happened." Earlier this month Giovanni Liberti was banned for five games for urinating at away fans in a Serie D game.When an orange-jumpsuit-clad 12-year-old ninja named Naruto Uzumaki burst onto the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999, few people gave much thought to whom the hyperactive young boy would one day marry. Understandably, fans were more interested in following Naruto's action-packed journey from social outcast to celebrated hero. Naruto's always been so devoted to pursuing his dreams of becoming Hokage, he's rarely had much time for anything else. But many action-oriented shonen series include some nod to the fact that the protagonist might have more than just fighting on the brain. Goku has Chichi, Ichigo has Rukia, Zenkichi has Medaka, and as we learn in the manga's third chapter, Naruto has Sakura Haruno. Naruto had been carrying a flame for the short-tempered young woman with the pale pink tresses and (apparently) enormous forehead since before the start of the series. (As it turns out, his romantic tastes are eerily similar to those of his late father.) Unfortunately for him, she, along with most of the girls at the Hidden Leaf's Ninja Academy, was unflinchingly in love with the school's resident brooding ninja genius, Sasuke Uchiha. At first glance, Sasuke possessed everything Naruto lacked. Whereas Naruto struggled to perform simple techniques, Sasuke graduated at the top of the class. While Naruto was reviled as a social pariah, Sasuke was adored by his teachers and peers. The fact that Sasuke couldn't care less about all this praise made him even more attractive to Sakura and more loathsome to Naruto. Naruto Naruto Naruto's desire to one-up Sasuke factored heavily into many of the earlier stories. Ultimately, Sakura's affections were only part of a much larger issue. Naruto envied Sasuke for his talent and hated him for his snobbery, but there was a lot more to it. He was jealous that Sasuke enjoyed other people's adoration when he was so hated for reasons he didn't understand. Naruto's clumsy attempts to get Sasuke riled up were evidence of how desperate he was for love and acceptance. Unfortunately, his efforts also proved counterproductive and frequently caused Sakura to view him in an even less favorable light.When Naruto's class graduated and became practicing genin, it was narratively appropriate that he and Sasuke would wind up in the same three-ninja cell, with Sakura forming the last third of Kakashi Hatake's Team 7. This arrangement provided Masahi Kishimoto with ample opportunities to focus on the boys’ rivalry and juxtapose their different methods of achieving success. Things may come naturally to Sasuke, but this ultimately inflates his ego and makes him less cautious. Naruto, on the other hand, works incredibly hard to achieve his small victories. We later find that he actually has an advantage over Sasuke: a near-unlimited supply of Tailed Beast chakra. Once he devotes himself to learning a new technique, he can accomplish things that other shinobi can only dream of. Never one to be left in the dust, Sasuke also evolves and achieves strength of a similar caliber, though through much darker means.The relationship between Naruto and Sasuke has always been the core of the. Their status as “perpetual frenemies” is echoed in other relationships that pop up throughout the series, most notably Obito and Kakashi, Madara and Hashirama, and Indra and Ashura. These characters all started off as close friends before deep-rooted ideological differences drove them apart and ignited long-standing feuds. It isn't until Naruto's series-ending brawl against Sasuke that these boys break the endless cycle of (figurative) brother-versus-brother conflict, and Naruto finally snaps Sasuke out of his narrow-minded self-martyrdom.To say that romance is secondary in the world ofwould be an understatement. However, after the manga's chapter-long epilogue, in which Kishimoto revealed whom most of the characters marry and what their children will look like, the Westernfandom reeled in shock. ( Kishimoto says he was unaware of such a reaction in Japan.) Naruto didn't marry Sakura!Although romance was never foremost on the author's mind, Kishimoto has stated that he decided on Naruto's eventual life partner roughly halfway through the series. This revelation led many NaruSaku shippers to believe that Naruto and Sakura were initially fated to be together. Regardless of the author's original intentions, there was always a group of fans who preferred to think of themselves as NaruHina: Naruto x Hinata Hyuga—and those were the fans who were vindicated at the end.Soft-spoken, ghostly pale, and criminally shy, Hinata first appeared in chapter 34 of the manga, long after the introduction of Sakura. (She did, however, appear in the first episode of the anime.) Heir to the Hyuga clan, Hinata is practically Sakura's polar opposite. She's quiet and reluctant to speak her mind, unlike Sakura, who has no qualms about showing her violent and angry side in front of anyone but Sasuke. Hinata struggles to be accepted by her brutally harsh family, whom she continually disappoints, while Sakura's family life is as ordinary as can be (in a village populated by ninja, anyway). Hinata blends into the background in any group setting, whereas Sakura's unapologetic brashness ensures that her voice is always heard. No wonder fans are so divided on which heroine to root for.Hinata was one of the only characters to not only accept—but even love—Naruto from a young age. Like him, she was bullied. When three kids made fun of her pupil-less eyes (the genetic trait necessary for her clan to perform their signature Byakugan technique) and because they assume she's as cocky as her cousin Neji, young Naruto stepped in to put a stop to it despite having no idea who she was. Although the bullies beat the snot out of him, the selflessness of this gesture stuck with Hinata. From then on, she quietly watched Naruto from a distance and admired his positivity and willingness to work hard in the face of overwhelming odds. His can-do attitude also inspired her to act the same way as much as she could, even when she faced so much adversity at home.Regrettably, Hinata's crippling social anxiety made it impossible for her to say more than a few words to her crush, let alone befriend him. Because of her advanced sensory perception abilities, Hinata was assigned to Yuhi Kurenai's Team 8 alongside Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame, whose families’ techniques complemented her own. There were times when they worked with Team 7—particularly in the anime adaptation's much-maligned filler episodes—but there were few opportunities for Hinata and Naruto to interact one-on-one. Still, whenever they were together, it was clear to just about everyone present that Hinata was head-over-heels in love with Naruto, even if no one understood why. Although Naruto himself remained oblivious to this fact, Hinata's sacrifice in the fight against Pain finally made him aware of her feelings for him. Still, he didn't treat her much differently after everything settled down and returned to normal.Most NaruSaku fans’ point of contention is that Naruto is never shown falling in love with Hinata in the main series. I'd argue, though, that Naruto had far more pressing matters to attend to between the ages of 12 to 17. Furthermore, few people outside of fiction actually meet the love of their life during those formative years.We do see Naruto and Sakura's relationship evolve—just not in the way a certain portion of the fanbase wanted it to. Naruto went from a goofy idiot trying to “steal” Sakura from Sasuke (who didn't even want her) to a friend who genuinely cared about her as a person. Sakura went from having her blood boil at the sight of Naruto to respecting his hard work and admiring his dedication to helping others. When Sasuke defects from the Hidden Leaf to train under Orochimaru, Naruto and Sakura's friendship continues to grow as they get a break from the wayward Uchiha. Initially, their shared goal of bringing Sasuke home is all that unites them, but as the series progresses, they gradually come to see each other in a new light.When Sakura tells Naruto she's in love with him later in the series, it's only a lie to stop her friend—someone she loves like a brother—from risking his life by continuing to pursue Sasuke. While the Naruto we were introduced to over a decade before would have been elated by a confession from Sakura, the current Naruto immediately sees it for what it is. (The fact that Sakura would actually hinder an effort to get Sasuke back is pretty impressive, though.) This was the moment most fans involved in this discussion will call on when arguing that NaruSaku fans should have recognized that Naruto and Sakura would never be more than the closest of friends.Many years pass between the Fourth Shinobi World War and the series’ epilogue, during which time the teenage characters age into thirty-somethings. It makes sense that relationships would change, feelings would evolve, and unexpected romantic connections would be made within that time period. To cap things off,—set two years after the end of the manga, and at least a dozen years before the epilogue—steps in to offer fans a look at how Naruto finally came to reciprocate Hinata's feelings. At the beginning of the film, there's no longer any question about whether Naruto loves Sakura; their relationship is stronger than ever, but it's not romantic. (Sakura even encourages Hinata and Naruto's union.) Although squabbles regarding the canonicity of the feature films rage on in the Naruto fandom, The Last's story was approved by Kishimoto himself and serves as the first entry in the series’ Start of a New Era Project. (The script also incorporates several of his ideas for how the featured romance should play out, including Hinata knitting a scarf for Naruto.)Personally, as a fan of Naruto and having followed all of this, NaruHina has always made sense to me, and I was glad to see them wind up together, even if we weren't privy to every romantic detail along the way. If anything, I'm disappointed that Sakura was never able to get over her childhood crush. In my estimation (and this is all my personal take - it's hard to follow all of this stuff and not take a side!), after all the trouble Sasuke caused the Hidden Leaf—not to mention everything he put her through (almost killing her because she stood in his way, for example)—any lingering romantic feelings she had for him should have faded away. She could forgive him, yes, but not reward his actions with her continued love and devotion.The epilogue reveals that she and Sasuke have a daughter—and are presumably married—but he's almost never home. Even as an adult, this “bad boy” can't be tamed and goes wherever the wind may take him. Even Sarada, the couple's prepubescent child, thinks her mother's unwavering devotion is a little ridiculous. Sakura moved beyond the zany mood swings and bouts of self-doubt she suffered as a child to become a young woman who could competently fight alongside Naruto and Sasuke. One of the physically-strongest and most highly-skilled medical ninja of her time, Sakura learned she needed to stand on her own two feet and develop an identity outside of her infatuation with Sasuke. Unfortunately, as long as he deigns to smile at her from time to time, her pre-teen crush will remain the undisputed love of her life.Do you have a dog in this fight? What do you think of the most intense rivalry infandom? Let us know in the comments!The former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed has defied a court order forbidding him from leaving the capital, Malé, after his trial on charges for abuse of power was postponed. Nasheed, who resigned from office in February, later claiming he was forced to do so, is accused of illegally arresting a senior judge. Nasheed's trial was scheduled to start on Monday, but he said proceedings were cancelled without explanation. The former president, who claims the charges are politically motivated, took advantage of the postponement to head to Maldives' southern islands to campaign, despite the travel ban imposed last week. "We have freedom of movement and there is nothing wrong [in what I are doing]," he told the Guardian. He added that if police were to him it would backfire on the government led by Mohammed Waheed Hassan. "It would be folly for them to do that to a presidential candidate. If I cannot campaign, it says a lot about democracy." The presidential election is scheduled for November next year but Nasheed says there should be an early poll to "restore democracy". The former democracy activist and Amnesty International prisoner of conscience, was feted by the west –David Cameron described him as "my new best friend" – for his efforts to combat climate change after he became president in the Maldives' first multiparty elections in 2008. But the arrest of the judge led to widespread protests, and Nasheed lost the backing of the military and police, leading to his resignation, which he claimed was extracted at gunpoint. An independent report by the commission of national inquiry found that the change of president was "legal and constitutional" and that Nasheed, had in effect, brought it on himself. The report was supported by Britain, the US and the Commonwealth, but Nasheed said it was a "whitewash" and had been criticised by others. He described his impending trial as "trumped up charges in a kangaroo court", motivated not by justice but to "get at my head". Nasheed said he had not given the order for the judge to be arrested, adding that the decision was "within the bounds of the constitution". He said: "To serve national security and have confidence in the judiciary we had to remove some very, very unreasonable people who were trying to defend the previous regime and work for their own interests." Amnesty has described events in Maldives as a "human rights crisis", reporting beatings and arbitrary detentions of Nasheed's supporters by police acting with impunity.A group of Manchester United players confronted manager Louis van Gaal over his training methods earlier this season, according to reports. The Times and The Sun both reported on Thursday that the players concerned believe Van Gaal's approach to training is too "rigid" and does not allow them to "express" themselves enough. Thursday's Times back page: Exclusive - United stars in Van Gaal training row #tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers pic.twitter.com/QsZa8dyVJy - Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) September 9, 2015 The Times said that, after dressing-room talks, senior figures had approached the Dutchman several weeks ago "to raise complaints about a lack of creativity" and to express their concern that "training orders have become so inflexible that they are hampering performances." The Daily Telegraph later reported that United's senior players have been angry over the treatment of Brazilian defender Rafael da Silva and the over-reliance on video analyst Max Reckers to lead lengthy feedback sessions. The Sun also reported that there has been "some disquiet behind the scenes" over the handling of the David De Gea situation, with the Spain goalkeeper not selected so far this season and then denied a move to Real Madrid over a paperwork delay. Despite those apparent concerns, De Gea has said he is happy to return to Old Trafford after international duty and is hoping to win back his place in the side ahead of Saturday's meeting with Liverpool. Meanwhile, former United defender Rio Ferdinand, who left Old Trafford last year ahead of Van Gaal's first season in charge, has expressed concern about the direction of the club. Asked about the differences between Van Gaal and Sir Alex Ferguson's philosophies, Ferdinand said in the Irish Examiner: "Everything. "In terms of players, the personnel are completely different, and the way they play. You associate Man United with pace and power, explosive fantasy in the final third, but that's not the way it is now. "Man United fans are having to re-educate themselves on what they're going to see. You're not going to see what you saw for the last 25 years. It will be a completely different type of football -- not football I enjoy watching as much and probably most Man United fans are like that. "It's methodical and really slow going side to side whereas before it was 'bang, go.' It's getting the ball through the team not very quickly, keeping the ball from side to side and waiting for an opening and the time to come for a glaring opportunity to go forward." He added: "If I was a betting man I wouldn't put money on United winning the Premier League and certainly not the Champions League. "Right now, I don't see a huge improvement from last season." United, who finished fourth in Van Gaal's debut season, are currently fifth in the Premier League, having taken seven points from their opening four games.REP. NANCY PELOSI: I'll tell you this story and then I really do have to go. My five-year-old grandson, as I was leaving San Francisco yesterday, he said to me, Mimi, my name, Mimi, war with Syria, are you yes war with Syria, no, war with Syria. And he's five years old. We're not talking about war; we're talking about action. Yes war with Syria, no with war in Syria. I said, 'Well, what do you think?' He said, 'I think no war.' I said, 'Well, I generally agree with that but you know, they have killed hundreds of children, they've killed hundreds of children there.'And he said, five years old, 'Were these children in the United States?' And I said, 'No, but they're children wherever they are.' So I don't know what news he's listening to or -- but even a five year old child has to -- you know, with the wisdom of our interest has affected our interests or it affects our interests because, again, it was outside of the circle of civilized behavior. It was humanity drew a line decades ago that i think if we ignore, we do so to the peril of many other people who can suffer. (9/3/2013)* Pillay urges restraint, restoration of Internet, mobiles * Says stifling voices will not make problems go away GENEVA, Jan 28 (Reuters) - The Egyptian authorities have arrested more than 1,000 people during four days of mass protests against President Hosni Mubarak’s three-decade rule, the United Nations’ human rights chief said on Friday. Navi Pillay said Egypt needs to allow its citizens to demonstrate without fear, and to stop trying to silence critics. She urged the lifting of emergency law, which she said “lies at the root of much of the frustration and anger that has now boiled over into the streets.” “I call on the government to take concrete measures to guarantee the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression, including by restoring free use of mobile phones and social networks,” Pillay said in a statement. Shortly after she made the statement, Egypt announced a 6.00 p.m. to 7.a.m curfew. Tens of thousands of Egyptians have been protesting in Cairo to demand an end to Mubarak’s three-decade rule. Security forces have fired rubber bullets, teargas and water cannon at protesters who hurled stones back at them and shouted “Down, Down, Hosni Mubarak,” witnesses said. Pillay, a former U.N. war crimes judge, called on Egyptian authorities to investigate alleged use of excessive force which led to at least five civilian deaths. This week she sent experts to Tunisia to help probe killings and other violations in the run-up to the ousting of President Zine al-Abdine Ben Ali. “Suppressing citizens’ voices, silencing dissent and stifling criticism will not make the problems go away,” she said. “Recent events in the region highlight the fact that tackling serious problems by resorting primarily to high-handed security measures only causes them to fester and eventually erupt on a large scale.” (Reporting by Laura MacInnis; Editing by Stephanie Nebehay and Matthew Jones)Luxury flats with price tags to match rise above the streets of Portland Square and gleaming bicycles line park railings as the scent of fresh coffee lingers in the air. But as day turns into night, a homeless person huddles to get warm on a wooden bench, prostitutes hover in the shadows of the lights and a still prevalent drugs trade indicate the darker underbelly that once epitomised this area. The leafy neighbourhood with its stately Georgian buildings and close proximity to the city centre is now catching the eyes of developers as plush city living becomes the order of the day and plans for a boutique hotel reflect its changing status. Gentrification is happening at a faster rate here than perhaps anywhere else in Bristol, but it is not necessarily those who have worked to turn around its fortune who stand to reap the rewards. Growing up, Amirah Cole remembers knowing everyone on her street, a place where people felt safe letting their children go off on their own, confident that there would always be a door for them to knock on. This was the St Paul’s of her childhood, one where there was certainly hardship, but where the tightly-knit neighbourhood pulled together. It is this strong sense of community spirit that she fears could be lost for ever. “My parents bought a house in the 60s, so we have all grown up here and gone to school here and seen the changes,” says Amirah, director of the Malcom X Community Centre on City Road. “I think places should change and develop. As money pours into Bristol, there is no reason why St Paul’s shouldn’t have some of that too. It used to have a reputation for violence, but a lot of good people put a lot of hard work into changing the area
citizens as well, who are less likely to speak out in favor of Trump in a public forum. We can’t know why the difference exists, since the study didn’t look at why respondents chose certain candidates. But, it does raise very interesting questions about Trump’s popularity and Americans’ comfort in speaking their minds.1921: Emergency Quota Act and Failed Refugee Provision After World War I, America became an isolationist nation. In December 1920, in the context of this isolationism, the international influenza pandemic, and a postwar economic recession, the US House of Representatives voted to end all immigration to the United States for one year. The vote was bipartisan and was not close (293-41). The Senate did not believe the emergency warranted this dramatic step but was willing to significantly restrict the number of immigrants allowed to enter the United States. Congress began negotiating a new immigration bill, which would set quotas for the first time on the number of immigrants from each country who could enter the United States. At the last minute, the Senate rejected the House’s proposed amendment, which would have made a distinction between immigrants and refugees by exempting immigrants who could prove they were escaping political or racial persecution. Had this amendment been enacted, American response to the refugee crisis in the 1930s may have been quite different. On May 19, 1921, President Warren Harding signed the Quota Act of 1921 (also known as the “Emergency Quota Act”). The 1921 quotas were enforced on Ellis Island, not at US consulates abroad. State Department officials could advise a potential immigrant on the probability that he/she would be allowed to enter due to health or economic status, but entry decisions were made upon disembarking in the United States. This led to so-called “midnight races,” where passenger ships raced to reach the United States as soon as possible at the beginning of each month, when new portions of the quota were opened. Ships that arrived at 11 p.m. on August 31, for instance, could be fined for bringing passengers from countries where the quota had already been filled; one hour later, on September 1, the passengers could enter under newly opened quota slots. 1924: Johnson-Reed Act On May 24, 1924, Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1924, also known as the Johnson-Reed Act or the National Origins Act. The act was meant to solve the “midnight races” problem and establish a more permanent immigration law. It created new quotas, which heavily favored England and northern Europe and set much lower quotas for immigrants from southern and eastern Europe, who had made up the majority of more recent immigration. The new law reflected anti-Catholic, antisemitic sentiment in the country. The 1924 law capped quota immigration at 164,667 people per year. Immigrants from the Western Hemisphere, needed for US labor, were “non-quota” arrivals, exempted from the quota system. The Johnson-Reed Act also mandated that potential immigrants present their paperwork and receive US immigration visas at consulates abroad, prior to leaving for the United States. The State Department, therefore, became responsible for enforcing the quota law, and “midnight races” ended. In 1929, immigration was further limited to a total of 153,879 and the new quotas were re-calculated using complicated math based on the existing “national origins” of the population as reflected in the 1920 census and the new immigration cap. As a result, the quota for the British Isles rose from 34,007 to 65,721, while the quota for Germany fell significantly, from 51,227 to 25,957. Other countries fared worse: Poland, with a prewar Jewish population of 3.5 million, had a quota of 6,524, and Romania, with a Jewish population of nearly a million, had a quota of 377. 1930s: Attempts to Change Immigration Law In the late 1930s, Jews fleeing Nazi persecution in Europe were consistently referred to as “refugees.” However, this term had no legal meaning under US law, save for theoretically exempting these immigrants from having to pass a literacy test. Throughout the 1930s, most Americans opposed changing or adjusting the Johnson-Reed Act, fearing that immigrants, including those fleeing persecution, would compete for scarce jobs and burden public services in the midst of the Great Depression. (Later on, they would see them as a potential national security risk.) Consistent with overall anti-immigrant sentiments in the country, the State Department viewed the quotas as limits, rather than goals, and did not seek to fill the quotas. Between 1933 and 1941, for example, roughly 118,000 German quota slots that could have been used went unfilled. After Germany’s annexation of Austria and with the advice of the State Department, a group of Jewish congressmen met and decided not to introduce any new legislation to expand immigration to aid Jewish refugees. Public anti-immigration sentiment remained strong—in May 1938, only 23% of Americans were in favor of the immigration of German refugees—and these congressmen believed that legislation reducing immigration would prevail if the subject came up for debate. Several bills were introduced to aid refugees; many more were introduced to curb or end immigration. None passed. The only significant attempt to pass a law to aid refugees came in 1939, when Democratic Senator Robert Wagner of New York and Republican Congresswoman Edith Rogers of Massachusetts introduced legislation in both houses of Congress that would allow 20,000 German refugee children under the age of 14 into the country over two years outside of the immigration quotas. The legislation never made it out of committee for a vote. 1939–1941: Non-Legislative State Department Restrictions After World War II began in 1939, the State Department cautioned consular officials to exercise particular care in screening applicants: "In view of the international situation, it is essential that all aliens seeking admission into the United States, including both immigrants and nonimmigrants be examined with the greatest care.” Visa applicants were required to submit moral affidavits, attesting to their identities and good conduct, from several responsible disinterested persons, in addition to financial affidavits. Fears of infiltration and espionage led to additional restrictions on visa applicants. On June 5, 1941, diplomats abroad were cautioned that visas would soon be denied to applicants with close relatives remaining in German-occupied countries. American officials were concerned that unfriendly governments would use family members as hostages or bargaining chips to coerce immigrants to commit acts of sabotage or espionage. On July 1, 1941, the same day that the new “relatives rule” went into effect, the State Department centralized all alien visa control in Washington. Visa applications were placed before an interdepartmental review committee consisting of representatives of the Visa Division, Immigration and Naturalization Service, FBI, Military Intelligence Division of the War Department, and the Navy Department’s Office of Naval Intelligence. At this time, documentary requirements were also increased: applicants now needed two financial affidavits instead of one. US consulates in Nazi-occupied territory shut down in July 1941. (This happened just as the systematic, mass murder of the Jews began with the German invasion of the Soviet Union.) For most Jewish refugees, the new paperwork combined with the lack of access to American diplomats ended their hope of immigration to the United States. 1945: Truman Directive Allied victory brought an end to Nazi terror in Europe in May 1945, and to the war in the Pacific in August. Six million European Jews had been murdered. Hundreds of thousands of liberated Jews, suffering from starvation and disease, emerged from concentration camps, hiding places, and places of temporary refuge to discover a world which still seemed to have no place for them. Visual evidence of the Holocaust, shown in popular magazines, newspapers and movie theater newsreels, did not change Americans’ minds towards immigration or refugees. In a December 1945 Gallup poll, only 5% of Americans were willing to accept more European immigrants than the nation had prior to the war. President Harry S. Truman favored a liberal immigration policy toward displaced persons (DPs). Faced with Congressional inaction, he issued a statement, known as the "Truman Directive," on December 22, 1945, announcing that DPs would be granted priority for US visas within the existing quota system. While overall immigration into the United States did not increase, between 35,000–40,000 DPs, most of whom were Jewish, entered the United States between December 22, 1945, and July 1, 1948, under provisions of the Truman Directive. 1946–1952: The International Refugee Organization (IRO) The International Refugee Organization (IRO), a temporary specialized agency of the newly established United Nations, was created in December 1946 to replace the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) and the Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees (IGC), which had originally been created during the Evian Conference in 1938. The IRO constitution stated that “refugees and displaced persons constitute an urgent problem which is international in scope and character” and while displaced persons should be returned home, refugees should be assisted by international action. Germany and Japan were to pay for the resettlement of displaced persons from the countries they formerly occupied. The IRO also operated the International Tracing Service whose purpose was to help survivors find their families and learn the fate of loved ones. Although the IRO constitution was drawn up in December 1946, the organization did not begin work until 1948, when the nations paying the majority of the IRO’s expenses had ratified the constitution. The United States, a signatory along with 54 other nations, supplied 40% of the IRO’s administrative expenses and 46% of its operational expenses, and the IRO’s Director-General was always an American citizen. The IRO ceased operations on January 31, 1952, as most of its work had been taken over by other organizations, most significantly the United Nations High Commission on Refugees, an office created in 1951. 1948: Displaced Persons Act Three years after the end of the war, there were still a substantial number of displaced persons in Europe. They included Jews who had survived the Holocaust and many others who were fleeing the Soviet control. By June 1948 Truman had pushed for some sort of legislation on behalf of displaced persons for at least eighteen months. In his 1947 State of the Union, Truman stated, “We are dealing with a human problem, a world tragedy.” In his 1948 State of the Union, he argued for “suitable legislation at once so that this nation may do its share in caring for homeless and suffering refugees of all faiths. I believe the admission of these persons will add to the strength and energy of the nation.” Still, Congress delayed action. Congress finally passed a Displaced Persons Act only reluctantly, and without public hearings. The Senate passed a bill on June 2, 1948, the House passed another on June 11, and a hurried compromise ensued, finally reaching the president on the final day of the congressional session. Truman, disappointed by the limited reach of the act, said that he would have vetoed it had Congress been in session, but signed the act so there would be some legislation to aid displaced persons, rather than none. The Act, which authorized 200,000 displaced persons to enter the United States, “mortgaged” the still-extant 1924 immigration quotas, allowing up to 50% of future quota spaces to be used on behalf of displaced persons, with few exceptions. Truman particularly criticized the fact that the bill restricted eligibility to people who had entered Germany, Austria, or Italy prior to December 22, 1945, effectively discriminating against Jewish displaced persons, many of whom had been in the Soviet zone of occupation and only traveled to western Europe later. “The bill,” Truman stated, “reflects a singular lack of confidence by the Congress in the capacity and willingness of the people of the United States to extend a welcoming hand to the prospective immigrants.” Public opinion was more in line with Congress than Truman: an April 1948 poll showed that 53% of Americans disapproved of the plan to allow 200,000 displaced persons to enter, compared with 40% who approved. Polling also showed that more Americans supported immigration limits on Jewish DPs than on Germans who had left their homes fleeing Soviet occupation. In 1950, Congress amended the Displaced Persons Act, an amendment Truman signed “with very great pleasure.” The Act authorized a total of 400,744 visas for displaced persons (of which 172,230 had been issued in the previous two years) and removed the geographical and chronological limits which had discriminated against Jewish DPs. Approximately 80,000 Jewish DPs entered the United States between 1948 and 1952 under the Displaced Persons Act. 1951: United Nations Refugee Convention In 1951, the United Nations adopted the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, which has been signed by 145 nations. The United States did not sign the 1951 Refugee Convention. This was the first time refugees gained distinct legal status under international law. Under this international treaty, a refugee was defined as "a person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it." The 1951 Convention defines the obligations of signatory nations to refugees, and vice versa. Refugees are granted the right to work, to housing, to education, to public assistance, to freedom of movement within the territory, and cannot be punished for illegal entry. Under Article 33, known as the “non-refoulement” provision, refugees cannot be returned against their will to a place in which they would be endangered. In exchange, refugees must abide by the laws and regulations of the country of asylum. Those who have committed crimes against peace, war crimes, or non-political crimes outside of their country of refuge, are not eligible for refugee status. The Convention does not specify how signatories determine or assign refugee status. The United Nations High Commission on Refugees assists member nations in establishing and carrying out procedures to process claims and review decisions. The 1951 Convention only applied to persons who became refugees “as a result of events occurring [in Europe] before 1 January 1951.” These limits in time and geography were in place until 1967, when the Refugee Protocol expanded refugee protection to people fleeing persecution worldwide on a more permanent basis. 1952–1980: A Series of Efforts The United States did not sign the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention, instead passing its own set of laws which also aided specific groups of refugees for limited periods of time. The 1953 Refugee Relief Act defined “refugee” (someone in a non-Communist country fleeing persecution), “escapee” (someone fleeing communism), and “expellee" (an ethnic German forced out of Eastern Europe). The act allowed approximately 190,000 refugees, escapees, and expellees to arrive in the United States before the legislation expired in 1956. President Lyndon Johnson signed the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 (known as the Hart-Celler Act), which eliminated the “national origins” quotas that for 40 years had seriously limited the ability of immigrants from southern and eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia, to obtain US immigration visas. The new immigration law reserved 6% of each year’s visas for people who were fleeing persecution in communist areas or the Middle East, or had escaped after a natural disaster. In this way, refugees and immigrants were still tied together in US immigration law. A combination of presidential directives and congressional legislation aided other specific groups of refugees. In 1958 and 1966, presidents Eisenhower and Johnson issued “parole” directives to aid 30,700 Hungarian refugees and nearly 500,000 Cuban refugees fleeing their nations’ revolutions, reclassifying these refugees as permanent US residents. With the support of President Gerald Ford, Congress passed a law in 1975 to allow more than 130,000 South Vietnamese and Cambodians to enter the United States, and President Jimmy Carter permitted 15,000 refugees who had escaped southeast Asia by boat to become permanent US residents in 1977. 1967: United Nations Refugee Protocol The 1967 United Nations Refugee Protocol expanded the 1951 Refugee Convention, which had originally limited the definition of “refugee” to people who had been displaced in Europe prior to 1951. The new Protocol expanded the responsibilities to all refugees from any part of the world and at any time, but still allowed nations to define for themselves how they would assess refugee status. The United States signed the United Nations Refugee Protocol on November 6, 1968. 1980: Refugee Act In March 1980, Congress passed the Refugee Act of 1980, expressing that it “is the historic policy of the United States to respond to the urgent needs of persons subject to persecution in their homelands.” The Act laid out the procedures for the admission of refugees into the United States and how the US would fulfill its obligations as a signatory of the United Nations Refugee Protocol. The Refugee Act of 1980 remains in effect. Between 1980 and 2018, more than 3,000,000 refugees have been resettled in the United States. Conclusion After World War II and the Holocaust, the United States and the international community recognized that refugees and displaced persons merited special consideration and should be dealt with separately from immigrants, who are moving to a new country to seek a better life. The United States did not immediately adopt a consistent refugee policy in the wake of World War II, instead patching together various immigration, refugee, and displaced persons legislation for temporary fixes to address specific crises. The United Nations Refugee Protocol of 1967 established the current international norms for defining and dealing with refugees, and 146 countries, including the United States, have signed this protocol. Since 1980, the United States has had a defined procedure for carrying out the country’s agreed-upon duties under the protocol.To get the skinny on the best 2017 NHL Draft–eligible players in the three CHL loops, we went straight to the top and talked to an NHL team’s scouting director. Here’s what he had to say on the OHL. Nicolas Hague, D, Mississauga Steelheads 2016 Bobby Smith Trophy winner 6-6, 220 lb. 11 GP, 7-5-12, +7 “It’s not a great year in the Ontario Hockey League for draft prospects, or at least [there isn’t] one prospect who stands out above the rest. There’s Gabriel Vilardi, Owen Tippett and Matthew Strome, who’s not a great skater but checks every other box. The intriguing kid to me is Hague. “He’s over six-foot-six and may still be growing. He’s one of those big kids whose strength and coordination are playing catch-up. He’s diligent, a high-end competitor, but it’s hard to project him as an offensive guy. “My concern is his feet. He’s fine in the open ice, going north-south. My concern is what he does in tight spaces with little shifty guys giving him trouble. Anyone he lays the body on is shut down, but it’s the chase that gives him problems. “Projecting him is a hard one—with limited offence, he’s not what you look for as a top-pair defenceman, but neither Derian Hatcher nor Adam Foote gave you much offence, and Hatcher always had brutal feet. Those two gave you a lot in the physical game, and Hague uses the body when he has to, though he’s not looking to make big hits like Scott Stevens did—kids coming out of junior these days just don’t play that game.”To say that Brendan Gallagher has been the best player on the Montreal Canadiens this season would be an understatement. In only 28 games this season, Gallagher leads the team in goals and points, having scored 13 goals and six assists so far, and has been consistent all year long. He hasn’t gone more than four games without a goal this season, and currently has five points in his last four games. So far, health and consistency seem to be the biggest reasons as to why Gallagher has been successful this season, as he stated following a game against the Blue Jackets: “There’s a lot of things, there’s health, stability on the line. Last year I was kind of all over the place, wasn’t really sure who I was playing with. This year I’ve been with Pleky for the most part of it, we’ve been able to talk things out and build chemistry.” The past two seasons, he’s missed 47 games due to two distinct hand injuries, the most recent of which coming from the infamous Shea Weber slapshot that broke his hand last season. This year, he’s played in every game so far, and is currently on pace to score 36 goals and 56 points, which would break his career highs. He has played the majority of his time this season alongside the veteran Tomas Plekanec and rookie Charles Hudon. They’ve spent roughly 144 minutes on a line together, or 33.5% of the season thus far. To further analyze his offensive performance, let’s take a look at how exactly he’s scored all of his goals this season. Out of Gallagher’s 13 goals: Two goals were scored on rebounds Two goals were scored around the goal Two goals were scored via deflection Three goals were scored on a skilled play while on the rush Four goals were scored on a shot from a relatively static position Rebounds Taking a look at how Gallagher has scored this season, he hasn’t deviated from his usual style of crashing the net and being a presence in front of opposing goaltenders. Two of his goals this season have come from rebounds; both on the man advantage. On this play, Gallagher is down low in the zone, as he usually is on the power play. When he sees Joe Morrow get the puck, he slides out in order to give a passing option for the defender. Once the puck is passed back to Hudon, he knows immediately to slide back into the blue paint. Benefitting from John Klingberg and Esa Lindell’s puck-watching, he sneaks in and pokes the rebound past Ben Bishop, who struggled to handle the original shot. Against the Anaheim Ducks, Gallagher starts the rush on the power play and offloads the puck as soon as he gets into the zone. In typical fashion, he makes a beeline to the net, and makes every effort possible to cause havoc in the blue paint. The most underrated part of this play is perhaps the push he gives Brandon Montour before the shot is taken. He makes space for himself, and is in perfect position to deflect the puck. He doesn’t give up following the deflection, quickly batting in the loose puck as soon as he locates it. Around the goal Against the Vegas Golden Knights, Gallagher acknowledges that Plekanec is going to win the race to the puck. He lets up, and allows the Vegas defender to chase the puck into the corner. Again, he’s quick to notice the open space beside Maxime Lagace, and the two unaware defenders. From there, he simply waits until Plekanec makes the cross-crease pass and tucks it in. In the short-handed goal above, Paul Byron’s forechecking leads to Dmitry Orlov forcing a play up the boards, which Gallagher quickly pounces on. With no other option, he throws the puck on net, which misses and deflects off the boards to Byron. Gallagher does what he does best, moving toward the net with his stick on the ice, giving Byron a clear target for a pass, resulting in the short-handed marker. Deflections On the first of his two tip-in goals this season, Gallagher heads to the net (there’s a patern forming) seeing that Max Pacioretty and Jakub Jerabek have handled the zone entry. This may have some luck involved, as he was facing the net perhaps preparing for a rebound. Pacioretty’s shot deflects off his stick, rewarding Gally with a goal. In the same game against Detroit, Gallagher gains another goal via a deflection. After failing to put the puck on goal, he remains in the slot area open for a pass from the right halfwall. With some exceptional hand-eye coordination, he effortlessly deflects Jeff Petry’s shot past Jimmy Howard. Skilled plays/On the rush The previous goals are via Gallagher’s bread-and-butter style of hovering around the net, and that has been effective this season, as it had been in the past. However, playing alongside a defensive-minded player such as Plekanec has allowed Gallagher to utilize both his shot and skating more effectively, and it seems to be paying off in spades. Hudon creates a turnover and enters the zone with possession. Gallagher clears the Wild defenders to either receive a pass or pounce on a rebound. In tight, he has the hockey sense to pull the puck to his backhand as Dubnyk slides to his left, leaving an open net. On a play almost identical to the one against the Wild, Gallagher steps off the bench and recognizes Hudon looking for a pass as he enters the offensive zone. Taking advantage of the Arizona line change, he skates away from the backcheck, scoops up the pass from Hudon, and once again,pulls the puck to his backhand on the right, as Antti Raanta slides to the left. Both of these plays show a) his ability to find holes in the defence during the rush, and b) his decision-making in tight. Both of these goals also show his ability to read the play off the rush effectively, as he’s had various opportunities like these throughout the year. The above scoring play starts in the defensive zone, with Gallagher blocking Erik Karlsson’s initial attempt to put the puck deep. He then spins off Karlsson and feeds it to Phillip Danault as he starts to accelerate down the middle of the ice. Danault banks it back up to number 11, who fights off Mark Stone’s backcheck, recognizing it’s a forward and not a defender harassing him. He protects the puck, beats Stone wide, then outwaits Craig Anderson for the highlight-reel goal. This is probably the goal that shows Gallagher’s tenacity the most, as he fights off both Karlsson and Stone in different situations. His puck protection ability is highlighted here as well. Even with everything going on, he still has the patience to outwait the goaltender to tuck the puck into a small space. Shots Finally, I’ve noticed Gallagher is more open to using his shot this season. This has always been an underrated part of his game, but this year four out of his 13 goals have been scored simply by firing the puck on target. This is probably another lucky goal, however, putting the puck on the net is never a bad play. Awareness is the key here, and his patience after the draw is rewarded as he takes the loose puck and surprises Dubnyk with the shot. Against the Blue Jackets, he uses his speed and skating to keep Sergei Bobrovsky moving, as well as protecting the puck from Seth Jones. As he notices the goalie continuously shifting, he fires a hard shot low, and beats Bobrovsky five-hole. The shot is deceptive as he shoots it mid-stride, arriving quickly and unexpectedly at the goal. It’s perhaps the most impressive goal by him this season, as there are multiple elements involved. Byron and Plekanec both pressure the puck-carrier in the middle of the offensive zone, knocking the puck off his stick. Aaron Ekblad makes a last-ditch effort to break up the chance, sliding in front of the puck. Gallagher takes the extra second to sidestep the sprawling Florida defender, and rips the puck top shelf as he falls to the ice. Finally, his 100th NHL goal on Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings. was alsothe result of a shot, from the high slot. In a game where Montreal already led the Wings 6-0, the Gallagher-Plekanec-Hudon line combined to add insult to injury. Hudon jumps on a failed one-timer by Mike Green and slides the puck to Plekanec, who easily slides it up to Gallagher as he heads for the offensive zone. On the breakaway, Gallagher realizes that Howard is moving deeper into his net, and fires a perfect shot top shelf over his glove. It was a perfect way to score his 100th career goal,even though it wasn’t what could be classified as a typical Gallagher goal. Brendan Gallagher has been the main driver of offence so far this year for the Canadiens, and has become a more dynamic forward in terms of how he’s generating offence. Aside from being known as the sparkplug on the team, he’s now someone other teams must plan against, as he’s been a factor in almost every game the Canadiens have won. If he stays healthy, we could see a career year from him, and that’s something the Canadiens should reap the benefits from.Two prominent Russian officials, former Minister of Finance Alexei Kudrin and head of Sberbank Herman Gref, believe that the blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionise governance system. During an official business lunch at Sberbank, Gref noted that the blockchain technology is able to make taxation system “personalised”, helping tax-payers track their money and see where exactly it goes. Kudrin shared his view, saying that governance can become more transparent thanks to distributed ledger. “I dream… that one day when a politician makes a promise, everyone can see on their screens whether the promise correlates with available resources and possible scenarios…” Kudrin stated that blockchain would force policymakers to play by the rules. Gref, in turn, believes that the change in technology should go in line with “change of mind” Ex-Minister of Finance explained the ways blockchain can solve complex bureaucratic problems, adding: “Undoubtedly, this is a revolution.” He also expressed his regret at the government’s reluctance to introduce the innovation faster. According to Hermann Gref, blockchain is more secure than state proprietary rights’ registration systems:“Transaction is done when the payment is received; proprietary rights… are passed from one person to another, and it is registered by thousands of computers so that no one can cancel it later.” “Transaction is done when the payment is received; proprietary rights… are passed from one person to another, and it is registered by thousands of computers so that no one can cancel it later.”Earlier Sberbank announced it may join Earlier Sberbank announced it may join international R3 consortium in the near future. Maria RudinaLabour has demanded the Government halts its plans for a "seven-day NHS" after a leaked report warned there are not enough staff to make it work. Tom Watson, the party's deputy leader, also called for controversial new contracts for medics to be shelved until the Department of Health addresses the concerns raised. He hit out after the so-called 'risk register' setting out the challenges for implementing the policy was leaked to The Guardian and Channel 4 News. It identified 13 key risks to the plans, including "workforce overload". The document also points to the dangers Brexit might present to the plan, given that 55,000 NHS staff come from EU member states. On wider workforce issues, the register says there is a concern that "due to the scale of the change being delivered... it is not possible to fill all roles (consultants, doctors in General Practice and AHPs) with sufficiently skilled/trained staff to agreed timescales, meaning the full service cannot be delivered". In a letter to Theresa May, Mr Watson said: "In the absence of evidence, the seven-day NHS policy has nonetheless been used to justify imposition of a new contract upon junior doctors. That is wholly unacceptable, given the current paucity of evidence underpinning the policy. "Therefore, until such time as the evidence base is demonstrated, no contract should be imposed upon any doctors, junior or otherwise. "The year-long dispute between doctors and government has been immensely destructive for the NHS and cannot continue any longer in the absence of the evidence justifying the policy. "Imposition should be suspended and doctors allowed to remain on their current contract until such time as you can demonstrate the evidence justifying the policy." But the department insisted it had put in place the resources to deliver the plan. “Over the past six years eight independent studies have set out the evidence for a ‘weekend effect’ – unacceptable variation in care across the week," a spokesman said. "This Government is the first to tackle this, with a commitment to a safer, seven day NHS for patients and £10bn to fund the NHS’s own plan for the future, alongside thousands of extra doctors and nurses on our wards.”The Fallout series has a rich history filled with events and figures that all play a big role in the narratives in each of its games. In order to prepare for Fallout 4's impending release in a little more than a week, we decided to put together a history of the Fallout universe to help briefly immerse you into its expansive post-apocalyptic world. But be weary, plot spoilers for the series will be discussed. Proceed at your own discretion. In recent news, Bethesda told fans not to expect any information on Fallout 4's post-release content anytime soon. A demo was also confirmed to be unlikely. If you're curious what achievements will be featured in the game, you can find a full leaked list here. Additionally, details on the game's new abilities and control scheme were also leaked. To prep for Fallout 4, you can find out all you need to know about the game's S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats in their entire video series on it here.Stupid decisions like this undermine the UN’s credibility. The Guardian: The issue will come to a head today when the general assembly votes on renewing its routine condemnation of the unjustified killing of various categories of vulnerable people. It specifies killings for racial, national, ethnic, religious or linguistic reasons, and includes refugees, indigenous people and other groups. But because of a change promoted by Arab and African nations and approved at committee level, the resolution drops “sexual orientation” and replaces it with “discriminatory reasons on any basis”. The US government says it is incensed at the change, as are gay rights campaigners. “Even if those countries do not support gay rights, you would think they would support our right not to be killed,” said Jessica Stern of the New York-based International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.By Juan Cole \| (Informed Comment) In his visit to India, Barack Obama pressed unsuccessfully for India to set specific carbon limits. Nevertheless, he did get agreement from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the USA and India would pursue vigorously non-carbon energy sources, including nuclear and renewables such as solar. That was a better outcome than would have been anticipated based on Indian cabinet members’ statements just last spring. They blamed most of the increased CO2 in the atmosphere on the wealthy countries and hinted that it would be unfair to impede Indian economic growth now, given that India had put relatively little of the extra carbon into the atmosphere. This situation is sort of like if a bunch of people with water hoses were filling an inflatable swimming pool but were tied up so that if the water got too high they would drown. Saying that you didn’t help fill it at the beginning and so should be allowed to put extra water in makes no sense if that policy would drown you. Modi is known as a proponent of solar energy, though like Obama he has an “all of the above” approach to energy, including an insouciant attitude toward deadly coal. Alan Neuhauser writes: “Obama agreed to help finance Modi’s planned $100 billion expansion of solar power in the next seven years, from 20,000 to 100,000 megawatts.” Just for comparison, note that the total US solar installed capacity today is also only 20,000 megawatts. India was originally planning to double its solar energy by 2020, to 40,000 megawatts. But even before the meeting with Obama, India had decided to go for 100,000 megawatts by 2020. Obama has pledged help in funding this five-fold increase. One Indian government project backed by the World Bank will create a 750 megawatt solar facility in Madhya Pradesh, which, when finished, will be the largest such solar plant in the world. But the fact is that government policy and foreign aid will help along a process that will also grow because of market forces. By the end of this year, 2015, commercial rooftop solar panels in India will be grid parity or less. That is, it will be cheaper to have solar panels on the roof of a business than to use coal or natural gas. Moreover, you don’t know how much natural gas will cost 20 years from now (especially if India starts using a lot of it), but you can lock in cheap solar rates for 25 years. Since 2010, the cost of solar panels has declined 62 percent, and similar price falls are likely in the next few years. In sunny India, within five years it will be crazy for people not to put up solar panels. 25% of India still lacks electricity (i.e. some 300 mn. people), and if they electrify with coal that will be disastrous for climate change and human welfare. But if they get it from solar and wind, they will save money and the earth all at once. The world carbon dioxide output rose to 40 billion metric tons last year. India’s output was up 5%. But the increasingly cheap solar panels will attract Indian businesses and building owners. Things will change quickly once they begin changing. —— CNN: “Obama Guest of Honor at India’s Republic Day Festivities”Nearly a century ago during World War I, the Royal Navy launched the first air strike from an aircraft carrier ever, targeting a zeppelin base in Tondern. After dropping a cumulative bomb load that barely exceeded the weight of a single five-hundred-pound bomb carried by a typical World War II fighter, the naval strike planes all proceeded to crash in the sea or were forced to land on neutral territory. This attack actually constituted an enormous success—and remains a landmark in the history of naval aviation. To be clear, ship-launched seaplanes preceded their carrier-launched counterparts in battle. The Japanese took the initiative by deploying ship-launched Farman seaplanes against German ships off of Qingdao in 1914. The Royal Navy soon followed in December with a ship-launched seaplane raid on a German airbase near Cuxhaven. However, though highly useful for spying upon enemy ship movements and hunting submarines, seaplanes could not be launched or recovered very quickly—they need to be lifted into the water by crane—and their performance was compromised by
More Videos... MUST WATCH How pilot revolutionized navigation 04:29 JUST WATCHED Math whiz masters machine translation Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Math whiz masters machine translation 04:09 JUST WATCHED Silent success of BLUMOTION hinge Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Silent success of BLUMOTION hinge 04:07 JUST WATCHED Divine inspiration behind Post-it Notes Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Divine inspiration behind Post-it Notes 04:11 At the forefront of the frugal innovation movement is Professor Anil Gupta who, for the last 20 years, has been travelling across India in search of local inventors whose creativity has had a positive impact on rural poverty. In 1989, Gupta founded the Honey Bee Network, an organization that uncovers grassroots inventors, and helps bring their inventions to the world. "I have walked about 4,000 kilometers in the last 12 years," says Gupta. "I have tried to map the minds of people who are creating around the country." Gupta's journey has brought him into contact with inventors who are solving common problems in frugal ways, using traditional knowledge and readily available materials. By his own reckoning, Gupta believes that the Honey Bee Network has helped unearth over 25,000 new inventions, including a motorbike-mounted crop sprayer, a device for climbing trees, an amphibious bicycle and a wind-powered irrigation system. Kirsten Bound, the author of Nesta's report, says "frugal innovation is all about creating advantage out of constraint. Faced with scarce resources and institutional voids, frugal innovators develop radical new solutions to problems. It's not just about making things cheaper, but better, more appropriate and scalable. It involves leveraging available resources in new ways, reducing or re-using waste or even re-thinking an entire system around a product or service." Mansukhbhai Patel, a Gujerati farmer devised just such a product. Picking cotton in Gujarat is a manual task which, in the past, has frequently been undertaken by children. In a bid to reduce the work involved, Patel invented a cotton-stripping machine that can be operated by one person. Professor Gupta believes the invention has helped significantly reduce child labor in the region. Frugal Digital, a research group run by the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design, seeks to promote exactly this kind of invention. The group runs projects in conjunction with Indian inventors to build cheap, "hackable" devices to solve enduring problems across the subcontinent. Priya Mani, project manager for Frugal Digital, says that there is a lot to learn from "thinking about how you can hack everyday castaway objects." The projects the organization has run in conjunction with Indian inventors have already yielded products that are being used around India today, including a classroom projector fashioned from repurposed cell phone components and a low-cost health screening tool made from an old alarm clock. But Mani believes that work being done by frugal innovators in India has yet to have a significant international impact: "People thought we were totally nuts trying to create something new out of old parts." Bound believes that the philosophy of frugal innovation and the practice of repurposing technology could be applied globally. "Frugal innovation coming out of India could have important implications for the rest of the world" says Bound. "General Electric has shown with its now famous ultra-low cost ECG machine that there is a Western market for products born out of the constraints of the Indian healthcare market. It forces multinationals to think about how their existing investment intensive models of innovation can face inevitable growing competition with Indian and Chinese multinationals." Professor Anil Gupta meets local Indian inventors Of course, not all stories of frugal innovation have a happy ending. In 1975, flooding across India brought the province of Bihar to a standstill. The rising waters in the village of Jatwa-Janerwa made it impossible for many people to work, shop or go about their daily lives. Local honey salesman, Mohammed Saidullah, was forced to cross the swollen Ganges river for sell honey, but every trip came at a price -- the boat was expensive and paying the levy was driving him towards penury -- so he came up with novel solution. Saidullah locked himself away for three days of solid design and construction. When he emerged he had constructed an amphibious bicycle, which would allow him to contend with the annual monsoon. It looked like a regular bike, but had large retractable floats attached to the sides of each wheel. Saidullah's invention earned him a raft of awards including the National Innovation Foundation's lifetime achievement award. Yet in spite of the recognition, the inventor still lives in poverty. Gupta says there is work to be done yet in connecting creative people with funding, and not all of it can come from the public purse. According to Gupta, connecting grassroots technologists with big business will be key to development not just in India, but around the world. "Nothing," he says, "can justify preventing people from learning from one another."I'd submit this to the Chrome store, but I can't even pay $5 to do so, so it's here.Thanks to /u/Yellow_Icicle from the /r/Frozen community for the initial edit of Elsa's picture! The.zip should have themes in the following resolutions:(Width x Height) 3840 x 2160 (named "4K")Make sure to extract the files, first. To install a theme, drag and drop the.crx file with the resolution you want onto Chrome. There may be a prompt, so click "Continue" or "Add" to finish the installation.If you're having trouble installing a theme this way (e.g. error message on decoding an image), go to chrome://extensions. Make sure "Developer Mode" is checked at the top right of the page and select "Load unpacked extension". Navigate your way to this folder and select the folder with the resolution you want (e.g. if you want 1920p x 1080p, pick the folder named "1920x1080"). Then, Elsa.I'd very much appreciate a screenshot to see what the theme looks like there, as I have only tested it with 768p, 1080p, and 1440p. That way, I can fix any alignment issues and such.There will be more themes to come.Kent Bazemore received the Phoenix Award - Atlanta’s highest citizen honor - for his achievements and service to the city. The award was presented by Mayor Kasim Reed in a ceremony at City Hall on Thursday. The Hawks guard has been involved in many charitable efforts since he signed with the team in 2014. His ARMS Foundation is dedicated to providing disadvantaged youth a path to a quality education, athletic achievement and a healthy lifestyle. “This is beyond amazing,” Bazemore said. The Phoenix Award is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a citizen by the mayor’s office. In addition, Bazemore also received the President’s Volunteer Award, signed by former President Barack Obama, for his more than 1,000 hours of community volunteer services through his foundation. “My biggest accomplishment before today was actually getting my two degrees (from Old Dominion University),” Bazemore said. “The NBA is something I’ve always wanted to do but it’s a stepping stone for bigger and better purposes. … I’m only getting started. My purpose on this earth is to empower people. My one goal in life is to empower a stranger, someone I never met before, that may come up to me one day and say I inspired them.” Bazemore was accompanied by his wife, Sam. In addition, Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins joined the ceremony. Reed said Bazemore has already made a deep and lasting impact on the city in his short time here. “He is world champion humanitarian,” Reed said. “He believe in investing in young people when the camera is on and when the camera is off. He knows firsthand what it takes to persist and to keep working. He understands hard work but he also understands dreams.” Bazemore begins his fourth season with the Hawks. He remained with Atlanta last summer after signing a four-year deal as a free agent. The native of North Carolina worked his way into the NBA as an undrafted player and also played for the Warriors and Lakers before joining the Hawks.CBS is set to air a new one-hour animated special called “Michael Jackson’s Halloween,” the network announced Tuesday. The special will feature Jackson’s acclaimed music as its soundtrack, and will be broadcast for the first time this fall. Created and produced by Optimum Productions, the Michael Jackson company now owned by his estate, the special will feature the voices of actors Christine Baranski, Kiersey Clemons, Alan Cumming, George Eads, Brad Garrett, Lucy Liu, Jim Parsons and Lucas Till. The special follows millennials Vincent (Till) and Victoria (Clemons), who meet “accidentally” on Halloween night and find themselves, along with Ichabod the dog, at a mysterious hotel located at 777 Jackson Street called This Place Hotel. Once inside, Vincent and Victoria are sent on an adventure culminating in a spectacular dance finale featuring an animated Michael Jackson. The special was created and produced by Optimum Productions, with animation production by Hammerhead. John Branca and John McClain, co-executors of the Estate of Michael Jackson, serve as executive producers. Daniel Chuba is the producer and Mark A.Z. Dippé is the director. See a first look photo from the special below.Victims of bank transfer fraud will in the future be able to apply to a formal compensation scheme under plans set out today by the Payment Systems Regulator. The financial watchdog has responded to a super-complaint lodged by Which? over a year ago regarding concerns that banks are able to shirk responsibility for money lost to bank transfer fraud, sometimes known as "push payment" scams. This has been subject to a major campaign by Telegraph Money, in which we have highlighted numerous cases of victims who have lost life-changing sums. Unlike fraudulent transactions on credit or debit cards, where banks are generally liable for losses, with transfers made to criminals' accounts banks have no technical liability. Until now no single industry body has any specific data relating to bank transfer fraud despite Telegraph Money's call for this crucial information to be reported and shared. UK Finance has today revealed that push payments scams is now the second biggest type of payment fraud, after card fraud, in both number and total value involved.The Pew Research Center has released a study examining how political polarization affects the values we want children to learn. For example, “consistently conservative” people believe teaching children to have religious faith is important — no surprise there: Just to be clear, that says 59% of “consistently conservative” people find religious faith to be the most important thing you can teach a child, while 81% of them find it important, period. But I want to draw your attention to another part of the survey: What happens when you break people down by religious beliefs? How do their priorities shift? Pew did just that — segmenting out the white evangelical Protestants, white mainline Protestants, Catholics, and the Unaffiliated — and the results are striking: Other than faith, which is a given to me, what’s important to white evangelical Protestants? Obedience. 14% of them felt obedience was the most important value one could teach a child, compared to only 6% of those without a religious affiliation who felt the same way. On the flip side, only 5% of white evangelicals felt curiosity was a major priority (compared to 17% of the Unaffiliated). The same disparity exists for creativity (5% vs. 16%) and tolerance (6% vs. 16%). At least everyone felt being well-mannered was an important quality, overall… I can’t say I’m surprised by that either. Obedience, in many ways, goes against curiosity and creativity. Do you obey the rules or challenge them when they don’t make sense? Do you automatically listen to authority figures or do you question what they’re saying? Do you color between the lines or dare to go outside of them? And do you treat other people as human beings deserving of equal rights and compassion, or do you pre-judge them based on things like their sexuality? It plays right into the worst stereotypes we have of religious conservatives, but it’s nice to have some numbers to work with. Here’s another way of looking at it: Check out how the list of values changes depending on whether you’re talking to consistently liberal people or consistently conservative people (though it’s more fun to mess with this interactive table): Everyone wants to teach children to be responsible, but it all shuffles up after that. The survey has an overall margin of error of 2.3%, though it increases a bit for each subgroup. You can read the full report here.Despite its jawdroppingly exorbitant cost, there is no denying that the Apple Time Capsule is one of the best backup solutions available. It’s wireless, so multiple computers can easily and conveniently use it, and OS X’s Time Machine software makes the entire backup process both easy and foolproof. The only problem, of course, is that Time Capsules are really designed to work with Macs — you can use them with Windows PCs, but then it just becomes a glorified Samba share. A very expensive Samba share, too: $500 for a 3TB Time Capsule is a lot of money, even for your average Apple zealot — especially when you consider that you’re basically buying a pearly-white wireless router with a hard drive inside. Suffice it to say, if you’ve ever bought a wireless router, you’ll know that they can be bought for around $50; and portable 3TB hard drives are only $130. In other words, if you’re willing to do a little bit of legwork, you can make your own Time Capsule for about $200 — and if you’re a multi-OS household or office, you can even create a DIY Capsule that works equally well with Windows, Mac, and Linux. Having said that, this guide will focus on making a Windows Time Capsule, but there is a section at the end if Mac and Linux users also want to get in on the action. The hardware If you take a look at the back of an Apple Time Capsule, it’s basically a 4-port router with a USB port — it doesn’t even act as a DSL or Cable modem! To make your own Time Capsule, you need to pick up an 802.11n wireless Belkin or Linksys router with a 4-port switch and one or two USB ports. The latest models (around $60) seem to handle external storage fairly well, but if you opt for an older or cheaper model ($40-50), be sure to check some reviews beforehand. If you want a wireless router with built-in DSL or Cable modem, it’ll cost you around $100. Hard drive-wise, you have two options: you can go the complete DIY route and buy an internal 3.5″ drive, a USB enclosure, and turn them into an external hard drive — or you can simply buy a ready-made portable hard drive from Seagate, Western Digital, or whoever your favorite manufacturer is. To be entirely honest, portable hard drives are so cheap that it’s almost not worth the hassle of building your own USB enclosure. Empty enclosures cost at least $15 — and today you can get a Western Digital My Book Essential 3TB for $129 from Amazon. You’d be hard pressed to find an internal 3.5″ drive for $115, that’s for sure. If you want to go a little cheaper, TigerDirect has a 2TB Iomega Select for $79 — and likewise, an internal version can’t be found for less than $70. In most cases, you will want to plug your USB drive into a computer and format it before you continue. Wipe the drive clean, delete any “special” partitions, and format the entire drive as FAT32 — or NTFS if your router supports it. Once you’ve got your wireless router and a formatted hard drive, grab a USB cable and connect them up, turn the router on — and then move on to the next step: configuration and software.Bwahahaha! A judge who appears to have never heard of Freeedom of the Press. Yes, your Dishonor, please, do seek to enjoin us to take down the information which proves that you sent children to live with a mentally ill, violent child abuser. Also, while you’re at it, please issue us an order to stop saying mean things about you, you incompetent idiot who almost certainly shook your law degree out of a crackerjack box. Please feel free to add me to your court order by name, you incompetent, child abuse enabling baboon. I’ll make sure copies of your order get published prominently everywhere, along with my opinions on what I think about your order, Your Dishonor. Lori, your husband is best buddies with the lawyer of the child abuser you recently forcibly sent children to live with, and you yourself are reportedly family friends with the child abuser’s best friend. Does this have any bearing on the fact that, despite the children telling multiple agents of the court that she beat them with a belt with metal buttons, tore out their hair, and regularly screamed at them such that they hid from her on an almost daily basis, you intentionally ignored their best interests and expressed desires? I’m not surprised you’re embarrassed to see all this in public, or that you’re embarrassed that everyone can see the fact that you discarded all the recommendations from multiple professionals and officers of the court, or the fact that under West Virginia law the children are old enough to testify on their own behalf but you refused to allow them to do so even though they were right there and wanted to talk to you. All to protect your friends and family, right? What’s a little child abuse between friends? Especially if a woman commits it, she probably had her reasons right? I’m also sure you’re embarrassed that we’re exposing the fact that you’re now pressuring their Guardian Ad Litem to file motions that include hand-written notes from yourself trying to force the children’s father to be represented without counsel. You pathetic excuse for a human being who should never be allowed to sit on any bench outside of a public park. It’s amusing that even being pressured by you to fill out this motion, the Guardian Ad Litem dropped the fact that she thinks the children have already suffered terrible abuse and that exposing their suffering to the public, which you have enabled, may just make things worse. Yeah, worse how? Except for you, you lizard in a black robe. For residents of Harrison County, West Virginia, who may have accidentally voted for the child-abusing judge Lori B. Jackson, please read this, then listen to this, then, if you would, sign this. And if you don’t live in West Virginia, please feel free to listen, read, and sign anyway. Even if the Dishonorable Lori B. Jackson isn’t impeached (which she very well might be), we will make sure Harrison County voters know all this when it’s re-election time for you, dear sweet child-abusing Judge Lori B. Jackson of Harrison County West Virginia. If anyone wants more details, feel free to read this and this and this.CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority is planning to start running buses through Public Square Monday, March 6. Buses have not crossed the square on Superior Avenue since early 2015 before the reconstruction of Public Square began. Starting Monday, four bus routes will stop in the square, while another 17 will travel across the square. The return of buses ends a seven-month-long debate over whether or not the City of Cleveland would allow buses in Public Square as originally planned in the square's redesign. Buses stopping in the square: No. 3 eastbound and westbound, No. 38 eastbound and westbound, No. 26 westbound, No. 81 eastbound Buses running through the square: No. 22, No. 45, No. 51 (all routes), No. 55 (all routes), No. 79 (all routes), No. 246, No. 251 and No. 263 There will be four bus lanes running through the square. The two center lanes will be used by the buses without stops in the square, while the outer two lanes will be used by the four routes with stops in the square - No. 3 eastbound and westbound, No. 38 eastbound and westbound, No. 26 westbound and No. 81 eastbound. "Buses will run through the square in exactly the way we had planned for them to run through the square," said Joel Freilich, director of service management for RTA. "That was always the plan. We were all ready for that last August." The only route that will not run through the square as expected is the E-Line trolley, which RTA rerouted to improve overall operations, Freilich said. The westbound E-Line trolley would have required its own turn signal because it would have been the only bus making a left turn into the square. Originally, buses were expected to cross the square 961 times per day, but that number has been reduced to 885 with the E-Line reroute. Buses will travel at 20 mph through the square. Buses entering the square will have a separate traffic signal, and all other vehicles will be stopped during that time, Freilich said. "I think the RTA customers are going to be quite happy with how it works," Freilich said. Other changes A central crosswalk is being created to funnel pedestrians across the middle of the square to replace two existing crosswalks closer to the bus shelters. City officials had raised concerns about the existing crosswalks blending in too much with the walkways throughout the square and wanted to create a more stark difference between the walkways and the bus lanes. Several cement planters also are being used at the ends of the square to prevent non-bus traffic from crossing. City officials have not yet responded to requests for comment. What's been happening Public Square has been closed to buses since early 2015 while the square was under renovation. However, it was scheduled to reopen Aug. 1, 2016. At that time, Mayor Frank Jackson chose to ban buses in favor of a more pedestrian-friendly Public Square. Jackson has said he would reopen the square to bus traffic if there were no way to keep it closed without harming RTA's operations or bottom line, and if RTA addressed the city's safety concerns. RTA is on the clock from the FTA to either reopen Superior Avenue through the square to buses or to repay $12 million in federal grants it received for the the Euclid Corridor Transportation Project by March 7. Because the city will not permit buses to cross Public Square, RTA is not upholding its end of the funding deal it made for the Euclid Corridor Transportation Project, the FTA asserts. The Euclid Corridor Transportation Project established the HealthLine, which runs down Euclid Avenue and ends in Public Square.In conservative Christian circles and on Christian radio stations, there are even widespread theories that Mr. Obama just may be the Antichrist. Seriously. John Green, of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, says that about 10 percent of Americans believe we may be in the Book of Revelation’s “end times” and are on the lookout for the Antichrist. A constant barrage of e-mail and broadcasts suggest that Mr. Obama just may be it. The online Red State Shop sells T-shirts, mugs and stickers exploiting the idea. Some shirts and stickers portray a large “O” with horns, above a caption: “The Anti-Christ.” Photo To his credit, Mr. McCain himself has never raised doubts about Mr. Obama’s religion. But a McCain commercial last month mimicked the words and imagery of the best-selling Christian “Left Behind” book series in ways that would have set off alarm bells among evangelicals nervous about the Antichrist. Mr. McCain himself is not popular with evangelicals. But they will vote for him if they think the other guy may be on Satan’s side. In fact, of course, Mr. Obama took his oath on the Bible, not — as the rumors have it — on the Koran. He is far more active in church than John McCain is. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content, updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. (Just imagine for a moment if it were the black candidate in this election, rather than the white candidate, who was born in Central America, was an indifferent churchgoer, had graduated near the bottom of his university class, had dumped his first wife, had regularly displayed an explosive and profane temper, and had referred to the Pakistani-Iraqi border...) What is happening, I think, is this: religious prejudice is becoming a proxy for racial prejudice. In public at least, it’s not acceptable to express reservations about a candidate’s skin color, so discomfort about race is sublimated into concerns about whether Mr. Obama is sufficiently Christian. Advertisement Continue reading the main story The result is this campaign to “otherize” Mr. Obama. Nobody needs to point out that he is black, but there’s a persistent effort to exaggerate other differences, to de-Americanize him. Raising doubts about a candidate based on the religion of his grandfather is toxic and profoundly un-American, cracking the melting pot we emerged from. Someday people will look back at the innuendoes about Mr. Obama with the same disgust with which we regard the smears of Al Smith as a Catholic candidate in 1928. I’m writing in part out of a sense of personal responsibility. Those who suggest that Mr. Obama is a Muslim — as if that in itself were wrong — regularly cite my own columns, especially an interview last year in which I asked him about Islam and his boyhood in Indonesia. In that interview, Mr. Obama praised the Arabic call to prayer as “one of the prettiest sounds on earth at sunset,” and he repeated the opening of it. This should surprise no one: the call to prayer blasts from mosque loudspeakers five times a day, and Mr. Obama would have had to have been deaf not to learn the words as a child. But critics, like Jerome Corsi, whose book denouncing Mr. Obama, “The Obama Nation,” is No. 2 on the New York Times best-seller list, quote from that column to argue that Mr. Obama has mysterious ties to Islam. I feel a particular obligation not to let my own writing be twisted so as to inflame bigotry and xenophobia. Journalists need to do more than call the play-by-play this election cycle. We also need to blow the whistle on such egregious fouls calculated to undermine the political process and magnify the ugliest prejudices that our nation has done so much to overcome.Dublin Port company chief executive Eamonn O’Reilly has described as “mad”, “daft” and an “attempt at a landgrab” plans for a Hollywood-style film studio on the Poolbeg Peninsula. The port company will next month review its master plan which will govern the development of port lands up to 2040. Mr O’Reilly said no provision would be made for the studio project. Windmill Lane Studios founder James Morris and film producer Alan Moloney want to develop an €80 million studio complex at the new Poolbeg strategic development zone (SDZ), a 34 hectare site in the city’s east end. U2 singer Bono has advocated for the project and lobbied former minister for the environment Alan Kelly to support the studio. About half of the land in the development zone is taken up by the former Irish Glass bottle company and adjoining Fabrizia lands. Dublin City Council has designated 80 per cent of these lands for apartments, with the remaining 20 per cent of this site earmarked for an office and retail “buffer zone” separating the housing from industrial land banks. Almost all the remaining lands in the zone are port company-owned, and Mr O’Reilly said they were needed in their entirety for future expansion of the port. Direct question “Our view is very simple: Dublin Port only exists in Dublin Port, it can’t be anywhere else, whereas for films studios there are any number of locations.” Mr O’Reilly compared the studio plan to the “mini-Las Vegas” championed by Tipperary TD Michael Lowry, and the Chinese trading hub in Athlone, both projects that failed to get off the ground. “We have seen this before, there’s been mad projects proposed in this country – the casino in Two Mile Borris, the Chinese expo in Athlone, and I’d put this into the same frame.” He said he was unimpressed by “celebrity endorsements” – in addition to Bono, actor Cillian Murphy has spoken in support of the project – and the use of “international exemplars” such as the development of a film industry in Montreal. “It’s almost as if to say ‘Johnny foreigner did it, if only thick Paddy would look out overseas at what they did there’ – but it’s a daft idea. We have no interest in the project, we view it as an attempt at a landgrab. To us it’s just a distraction.” The city council will in January publish the draft Poolbeg SDZ planning scheme. Mr O’Reilly said he hoped to make the port’s master plan available for public consultation shortly afterwards. Council’s plan Mr O’Reilly said this reference should be removed from the SDZ before it was made publicly available. “We are in no doubt in our minds that we are going to use all the lands that are under our control, so we don’t think it is appropriate to refer to them in that way.” The port company recently bought 44 hectares near Dublin airport which it plans to develop as an “inland port” for activities which do not need to be at the water’s edge (such as container and vehicle storage). However, Mr O’Reilly said to accommodate the expected growth of the port up to 2040 the remaining lands in the docks and on the Poolbeg peninsula would have to be utilised.Monday 31 August 2015 Gold Walkley Award-winning reporter Adele Ferguson returns to Four Corners with an investigation into the 7-Eleven business empire with revelations of dodgy bookkeeping, blackmail and the mass underpayment of its workforce. 7-Eleven is the business built for our convenience: selling the staples of life like milk, bread and phone cards, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. With more than 600 stores around Australia, they serve around six customers every second and generate more than $3 billion in sales. "Welcome to a world of opportunity, brought to you by 7-Eleven, the brand that's world famous." 7-Eleven marketing Thousands of people around the country are employed in 7-Eleven stores, run by franchisees. But as this joint Four Corners/Fairfax investigation reveals, it's a business model that relies on the exploitation of its workforce. "They can't run 7-Eleven as profitably and successfully as they have without letting this happen. The reality is it's built on something not much different from slavery." 7-Eleven insider Based on painstaking research and insider accounts, the investigation has been months in the making. The findings will be released in a series of articles, online stories and social media content through Fairfax Media and ABC platforms culminating in the Four Corners broadcast on Monday night which will detail the full revelations. 7-Eleven: The Price of Convenience, reported by Adele Ferguson and presented by Kerry O'Brien, goes to air on Monday 31st of August at 8.30pm. It is replayed on Tuesday 1st of September at 10.00am and Wednesday 2nd at midnight. It can also be seen on ABC News 24 on Saturday at 8.00pm, ABC iview and at abc.net.au/4corners. Transcript 31 August 2015 - 7-Eleven: The Price of Convenience KERRY O'BRIEN, PRESENTER: Tonight on Four Corners: as 7-Eleven goes into damage control, we expose the wage scam at the heart of the multi-billion dollar convenience store empire. 7-ELEVEN WHISTLEBLOWER: There's been a sense of panic in the office. We've suddenly have gone to from turning a blind eye to digging up as much as we can on franchisees and then putting it on the record. And in the short time we've been doing that - the last three or four weeks - almost every franchisee has been caught not doing the right thing, that is to say: not paying correctly. The only reason that anything has changed is that I think the company now fears that they're going to be exposed. ADELE FERGUSON, REPORTER: By Four Corners? 7-ELEVEN WHISTLEBLOWER: It seems so. KERRY O'BRIEN: There have been many inquiries instigated over the years as a result of Four Corners programs, but we've never actually had one announced before the story's gone to air - until now. The story is our joint investigation with Fairfax Media, which reveals a pattern of widespread wage fraud inflicted on workers across many of the 620 convenience stores run by the 7-Eleven chain across Australia - an empire that generates more than $3 billion in sales a year. We will clearly show this practice cannot be explained away simply as the fault of a few rogue franchisees. It's done with the complicit knowledge of head office. At the top of the chain: a brother and sister who have amassed a fortune. In contrast, we have many examples of workers at 7-Eleven outlets being seriously underpaid or not paid at all, as well as falsified records and simple blackmail. Having declined to answer the many awkward questions we'd have liked to ask them for the program, the 7-Eleven head office this afternoon announced that they would establish an independent panel, chaired by "an eminent and qualified Australian" to examine the allegations. Our reporter is Adele Ferguson. ADELE FERGUSON, REPORTER: In Australia, one family has built a fortune running a vast franchise chain: some 600 stores spread across the country. Yet most Australians have never heard of the man behind it all. His name is Russ Withers. He is the founder and chairman of 7-Eleven Australia, an empire worth an estimated $1.5 billion. (To Allan Fels) Overall, what was your impression of Russ Withers? ALLAN FELS, FORMER CHAIRMAN, ACCC: Ah, a forceful businessperson. ADELE FERGUSON: But has this massive fortune been built on the backs of 7-Eleven exploited workers and franchisees? PRAKASH KUMAR, FORMER 7-ELEVEN STORE MANAGER: It scares me when I think about how I live with my life with $10 and how all the international students at the moment: they are being underpaid and how they are living in this economy. It's pretty hard. ADELE FERGUSON: Prakash Kumar worked as a 7-Eleven store manager in Brisbane. He is one of thousands of workers who are overworked and underpaid. When they don't get paid, they don't eat. PRAKASH KUMAR: One of the guys: he didn't get paid for almost seven or eight weeks again. And he doesn't live. And they go, "What's wrong? Are you all right?" And then he says, "I'm hungry. I haven't eaten from, like, the last three days and nights. Can you give me the sandwiches that have expired; that you are going to put in the bin?" I ended up paying for his fresh sandwich. At that time I was in the same scenario: I haven't got paid for eight weeks, so... And every morning I used to go to the store. First thing I would hear is: "Hey, Prakash, I haven't got paid for, like, this many weeks. Can you please talk to Moobin?" And I've, I was in, "I'm in the same boat, mate." ADELE FERGUSON: Workers claim they are being paid half the award wage or less - if they get paid at all. (To Prakash Kumar) Why didn't you quit? PRAKASH KUMAR: There's a lot of students that didn't get their pay where I used to work, because they left the job. So you leave the job because of the franchisee and you don't get the pay because of the franchisee, so you lose. You are in the lose/lose situation, you know? I mean, like, it has to be, you know, fixed. ADELE FERGUSON: Michael Fraser is a consumer advocate. MICHAEL FRASER, CONSUMER ADVOCATE: Somebody had to do something. I didn't see anybody else doing it. I was compelled to help. ADELE FERGUSON: He's been watching 7-Eleven since 2012, when he moved to the Gold Coast, right next to a store. MICHAEL FRASER: I'd go there frequently, every day for milk and bread and things of the sort. And from time to time I'd meet a guy there named Sam and I'd make, sort of, jokes about: "You must be getting paid a lot of money, you've got a never-ending shift." And he told me: he said, "No, I don't get paid good money. I don't earn good money. I, ah, I get $12 an hour." One day he, he lent over the counter to me and he said, "Michael, this is not just this 7-Eleven; it's all 7-Elevens. They all do illegal wages." (Footage of Michael Fraser and Sam Pendem talking over dinner) SAM PENDEM, FORMER 7-ELEVEN EMPLOYEE: So that's repeated in findings: like, ah, every time they come to the store they check for the rosters. MICHAEL FRASER: Yep. ADELE FERGUSON: When Michael Fraser kept asking questions, Sam Pendem invited him to dinner and told him what was really going on. MICHAEL FRASER: So did you see the payslip? SAM PENDEM: I have seen the payslip
it is presumed he killed 16 more women.[1] After his final arrest in 1993, he was implicated in the murder of a woman whose severed head was discovered on a Hopewell, New Jersey, golf course on March 5, 1989.[7] In 2013, investigators determined this victim, a sex worker named Heidi Balch, was the same woman he described as his first victim.[8] Police finally caught up to Rifkin on June 28, 1993, when New York State Police spotted him driving his Mazda pickup truck without a rear license plate on the Southern State Parkway. A high-speed chase ended in Mineola, New York, when he crashed into a utility pole directly in front of the courthouse where he eventually stood trial. Troopers detected a foul odor from the back of the truck. It came from the corpse of his final victim:[9] sex worker and dancer Tiffany Bresciani, 22, the girlfriend of Dave Rubinstein (a.k.a. Dave Insurgent, a member of the 1980s punk rock band Reagan Youth),[10] Rifkin had picked Bresciani up in his pickup truck on June 24, 1993, where she was working on Allen Street in Manhattan, New York City.[9][5][11] During his trial, Rifkin was represented by Mineola, New York-based attorney John Lawrence. He was found guilty of nine counts of second-degree murder in 1994, and sentenced to 203 years to life in prison. His first possible parole date is February 26, 2197.[12] Prison life [ edit ] In early 1994, it was reported that Rifkin had engaged in a jailhouse scuffle with mass murderer Colin Ferguson. The brawl began when Ferguson asked Rifkin to be quiet while Ferguson was using a prison phone. The New York Daily News reported the fight escalated after Ferguson told Rifkin, "I killed six devils and you only killed women," to which Rifkin responded, "Yeah, but I had more victims." Ferguson then punched Rifkin.[13] Prison officials decided in 1996 that Rifkin was so notorious, that his presence in the general prison population could be disruptive. He was confined to his cell at the Attica Correctional Facility for 23 hours a day. He spent more than four years in solitary confinement before being transferred to the Clinton Correctional Facility in Clinton County.[14] Rifkin sued, arguing that his solitary imprisonment was unconstitutional. In 2000, a state appellate court determined that prison officials had not violated Rifkin's constitutional rights by housing him in isolation. His lawsuit sought $50,000 for each of his 1,540 days in solitary confinement (totaling $77 million). Had he received any money, it would have been subject to state laws that earmark most of the award for the families of his victims. Corrections officials say that Rifkin is now imprisoned with more than 200 other inmates at Clinton who are not allowed into the general prison population.[14] Victims Notes Heidi "Susie" Balch, 25 Remains found in 1989; unidentified until April 2013 Julie Blackbird Remains never found Barbara Jacobs, 31 Mary Ellen DeLuca, 22 Yun Lee, 31 "Number 6" Never identified, remains never recovered Lorraine Orvieto, 28 Mary Ann Holloman, 39 "Number 9" Identity remains anonymous Iris Sanchez, 25 Anna Lopez, 33 Violet O'Neill, 21 Mary Catherine Williams, 31 Jenny Soto, 23 Leah Evans, 28 Lauren Marquez, 30 Tiffany Bresciani, 22 Body found in bed of Rifkin's pickup truck Nicole White Survived In popular culture [ edit ] References [ edit ]Dead fish can be surprisingly beautiful. Hiding beneath their scales is an elegant, skeletal architecture, a complex biological scaffold that with some skill, can become art. Adam Summers, who studies vertebrate biomechanics at the University of Washington, takes photos of the insides of fish as part of his research. But the process is a lot more involved than snapping a pic with a cellphone. His pictures can take days to produce, and they reveal the intricate bony or cartilaginous infrastructure inside marine creatures like rays, skates, and fish. Summers' work is now featured in an exhibit at the Seattle Aquarium that pairs each photograph with a poem. Summers follows a standard, decades-old procedure to visualize the different types of tissue. First, you start with your organism – say, a dead fish. Next, you follow a few fixation steps that both preserve tissues and make them more permeable to dyes and enzymes. Then it’s time to color the different tissues. Summers uses Alcian Blue to stain cartilage, and Alizarin Red S to dye the bony bits. Next, you clear away the fish’s flesh with a digestive enzyme called trypsin (trypsin doesn’t attack collagen, the fiber that holds skin and bone together), and bleach out dark pigments with hydrogen peroxide. Lastly, you submerge the now-colorful organism in glycerin, a clear and colorless solution that renders the fish transparent except for the colored bits. Then you take its picture. Summers uses a macro lens on a DSLR and places the submerged specimens on a color-corrected LED table. The results, as you can see, are exquisite.Assert Request This is a tool to assert properties of responses to requests, such as the body, headers, and status code. This returns a promise with additional assertion methods builtin to it. It requires node 4 or higher to run (that's by design, and will not be changed even if you have a PR). Example This example uses Mocha tests, which natively support promises. However, assert-request is not limited to Mocha. let AssertRequest = require ('assert-request') ; let request = AssertRequest ( app. listen ( ) ) ; describe ('/example ', function ( ) { it ('should return HTML ', function ( ) { return request ('/example'). type ('text/html'). okay ( ) ; } ) ; } ) ; describe ('/api ', function ( ) { it ('should return the correct JSON ', function ( ) { return request. post ('/api'). type ('application/json'). status ( 200 ). json ( json => json. foo && json. bar ) ; } ) ; } ) ; Return Type The returned value is a Promise. Because of that, you can use.then and.catch..then will be passed the response object. Many Node.JS utilities such as Mocha will support promises. Mixin Documentation Note: most mixins simply return this.then(res => assert(...)). This means that assertions are guaranteed to run in order. While technically Promise.all should be used here, this makes for a much simpler code base. In addition, this should be the faster way as no mixins created so far return a Promise (i.e. do an asynchronous operation). Calls the function with the response object, and asserts that the return value is truthy. Asserts that the response status is equal to the one specified. Expected can be a String, Number, Function, or RegExp. Strings and Numbers will be checked without strict matching ( == not === ) so the status will be cast to a String. Asserts that the response status is 200. Equivalent to.status(200) Asserts that the header is present, and if value is specified, asserts that it is equal to the value. In some edge cases like Set-Cookie, the header value is an array. In this case, by default all headers must match the value. However, if someHeaders is true, then only one must match the value. Value can be a String, Function, or RegExp. Asserts that the body is equal to the one specified. Expected can be a String, Function, or RegExp. Asserts that the body is JSON and is equal to the JSON specified. If expected is a function, then it is passed the parsed JSON. Expected can be a String, Function, or RegExp. This is a general mixin to check Content-Type. If the expected type is a string, it checkes if any part of the Content-Type is equal. All of the following will match text/html; charset=utf-8 'text/html; charset=utf-8' 'text/html' 'charset=utf-8' /html/ /^text/html; charset=utf-8$/ type => type.includes('html') The following will NOT match that type: /^text/html$/ type => type === 'text/html' Expected can be a String, Function, or RegExp. However, partial matching is only applied to strings as specified above. Inspiration This was made as a replacement for supertest. Inspiration was taken from that API. However, using it also showed how it could be improved, and pitfalls to avoid.Because I’m a weird and curmudgeonly fuck who doesn’t go to clubs and while driving listens only to Waze and Spotify playlists mostly consisting of Kanye and the Inception soundtrack, before last weekend, I’d heard about Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow” more times than I had actually heard it. By a pretty significant margin, too. While I’d read countless tweets and status messages about it, I’d listened to it exactly zero times. I just exist in a space where listening to it would have to be intentional. And that space is called “Pittsburgh.” Last weekend, however, I listened to it five times. Once in my homeboy’s SUV on a drive from Cumberland, Md., to Washington, D.C.; once at the Reminisce Party in D.C.; once Sunday in the Uber from my friend’s house to the Blacksonian; and then twice Monday after I downloaded it from Spotify and listened to it in my own car on a drive to Cleveland (I had a busy weekend). And I’m now convinced it’s the greatest song I’ve ever heard. Cardi B is like Django, Mozart and Jesus wrapped in a Trini-and-Dominican package. Advertisement Which is why it surprises me that much of the commentary I’d read in those tweets and status messages was either about how the song sucks collated dumpster drippings or how she’s the latest and greatest bane of hip-hop. Not all, of course. Many recognize it for the sublime ratchetness that it is. But there are quite a few people who hear this song and want to immediately stop hearing it, and I do not understand them. Because this song is all the things that are good and just and hood and beautiful in the world. Which means that people who don’t like it must have some fundamental flaw preventing that from happening. Or maybe they just suck. If you are one of those people, here are 10 signs that you are a party-pooping-ass bitch-ass. Advertisement 1. You have no soul. And instead of a void existing where the soul would be, the soul space is filled with expired Durex condoms stuffed with acorns and deleted texts from Taylor Swift. 2. You take shits and wipe yourself with a dishrag. 3. You invite people to group dinners, and then you leave and go make phone calls when it’s time to order so people have to wait for your ass to get back before the server takes their orders. You make group dining an uncomfortable experience. Advertisement 4. You let your white friends say “nigga.” 5. You put ketchup on celery. Which doesn’t seem like the worst thing in the world, but you have a history of awkward condiment usage, and that’s usually a sign of pervasive wackness. 6. You sleep on beds with no top sheets. Just mattress and comforter. And not because you can’t afford sheets. But because you’re just triflin’. Advertisement 7. You drive with a clip-on tie in your dashboard for whenever you’re stopped by the cops. 8. You don’t wash grapes. 9. You like people’s Facebook status messages just so they’ll maybe notice your new profile pic and like it, too. Advertisement 10. You go to the airport with shoes and no socks, knowing that you’re going to have to walk through security barefoot, and the thought of doing that doesn’t bother you at all.When David Beckham announced that the wages for his five-month stint at Paris Saint-Germain would be donated to a local children's charity, the reaction from football fans was predictably mixed. Some were astounded by his generosity, others were suspicious of his motives and the cynics among us were furious. They thought he wasn't giving away his money in the right way and was looking for publicity, tax benefits or to exploit a potentially lucrative relationship with the club's Qatari owners. Whether you thought Beckham was serving others or serving himself and passing it off as charity, one thing was clear. Football fans are increasingly cynical about players. That fans can be aghast at a footballer giving money to poor children shows the state we are in. With this in mind, it's worth celebrating the few players left that everyone likes: the guys you can't help but enjoy and respect even when they're playing for your rivals. Here is a team selected from players that seem unobjectionable. No doubt, some of you will disagree. That's the whole point. Put your own 11 in the comments section below and we'll try to piece together an indisputably popular team. 1) José Luis Chilavert Not many goalkeepers go into a World Cup as their country's designated free-kick taker. Chilavert was always a little different. He became the first goalkeeper to take a direct free-kick on goal at a World Cup finals when he banged one on to the bar against Bulgaria at France 98. He went even closer against Slovenia in 2002 and scored eight goals for Paraguay in total. His career was far from spotless – he brawled with Faustino Asprilla, spat at Roberto Carlos and received a suspended six-month prison sentence in France – but he took some great free-kicks. 2) Gary Neville Neville would have been nowhere near this list a few years ago, but now that he's describing the game rather than playing it, everyone loves him – even print journalists, who tend to be slow to praise their better paid colleagues on TV. Sky takes a lot of stick for ruining football – or "inventing it in 1992" as the old line goes – but its coverage is second to none. For an example of Neville's ability to bring the game to life, watch his masterclass on diving. He's detailed, sensible, fair, passionate, honest and manages to tell you things you didn't know already. 3) Benoît Assou-Ekotto Ideally players should develop an affinity with the team they play for, but kissing the badge and telling the media how in love they are with the fans fools no one. Supporters prefer an honest approach to desperate crawling. No one is more honest than Benoît Assou-Ekotto. The Spurs defender is perfectly candid about his complex relationship with his trade. Playing football is a great good job, but it's still his work. He joined Spurs for professional reasons and isn't going to try to convince fans that he goes to bed in a replica shirt and dreams about walking up the High Road on a Saturday. "If I play football with my friends back in France, I can love football," he told David Hytner in one of the most refreshing interviews you could ever read. "But if I come to England, where I knew nobody and I didn't speak English, it's only a job. Yes, it's a good job and I don't say that I hate football but it's not my passion. I arrive in the morning at the training ground at 10.30 and I start to be professional. I finish at one o'clock and I don't play football afterwards. "When I am at work, I do my job 100%. But after, I am like a tourist in London. I have my Oyster card and I take the tube. I eat. I don't understand why everybody lies. The president of my former club said I left because I got more money in England, that I didn't care about the shirt. I said: 'Is there one player in the world who signs for a club and says: "Oh, I love your shirt? Your shirt is red. I love it."' He doesn't care. The first thing that you speak about is the money." 4) Vincent Kompany The captain of Khaldoon al-Mubarak's plaything club ought to be objectionable. Like most of his colleagues, he was parachuted into a struggling Premier League club that inherited a stupid amount of wealth from a man who had cared little about the club or its history. Kompany should be the personification of all that is annoying about modern football, but he is intensely impressive. He captains Belgium; no one hates Belgium. He has a Twitter feed worth following. He speaks five languages but still gives better interviews than any of his English colleagues. He uses his public profile to good effect. He's basically Clarke Carlisle but better at football. 5) Moritz Volz Andrey Arshavin is well known for having a quirky website, where he fields questions from the public. When asked if he is afraid of bears, Arshavin replies: "On the contrary, I like bears." When asked about his use of hair gel, he says: "I don't have an ad contract with any hair gel producer. I use water before the game. A lot depends on water chemical composition." Arshavin's site is worth a read, but it has nothing on Volzy.com. 6) Juninho It seems preposterous now, but not so long ago the most exciting player in England played for Middlesbrough. Juninho had three spells in the north-east, where he endeared himself to the city and the rest of the country. He was known as the TLF (The Little Fella) to locals, who would often see him playing football with kids in the streets near the house he shared with his parents. The little Brazilian really seemed to care about the club. He cried on the pitch when Middlesbrough were relegated in 1997, the season the club lost the League and FA Cup finals. When he returned and won the League Cup with Middlesbrough, he said the achievement meant more to him than winning the 2002 World Cup with Brazil. 7) Georgi Kinkladze Manchester City's owners have spent more than £1bn since they bought the club in 2008, but they are yet to sign a player as exciting as Georgi Kinkladze. The late 1990s were a tough time for City fans and the Georgian's time at the club sounds like a disaster in retrospect, but for a short time City had their very own Maradona. The club suffered two relegations during his three seasons in Manchester and his managers didn't know what to do with him. Alan Ball, the first of six managers Kinkladze played under at City, reckoned he was the "best player to ever come out of eastern Europe", but Joe Royle was not so sure: "To the supporters he was the only positive in all that time. To me, he was a big negative. I am not saying that City's ills were all down to Kinkladze, but there was too much about the whole Kinkladze cult phenomenon that wasn't right. Too often since his arrival, the team had under-performed. I couldn't help deducing that, contrary to popular opinion, he would be my weak link not my strong one." Royle's point is an intriguing one, but in this case the fans knew best. 8) Clarence Seedorf Bleating about the quality of punditry on Match of the Day is second nature to the cynical fan, but sometimes an interloper joins the programme and shows just how good the coverage could be. Gianluca Vialli and Clarence Seedorf joined the BBC team for Euro 2012 and elevated proceedings. Vialli was excitable and passionate, while Seedorf offered a cool analytical approach. Vialli has played and managed in England, but Seedorf turned up and excelled in one of his six languages. Of course, it helps that he has won the European Cup four times, with three clubs. 9) Peter Crouch If Assou-Ekotto should be celebrated for his honesty, Crouch deserves greater praise for throwing some added wit. In one of the great one-liners of sports history, Crouch replied to a question about what he would be if not a footballer with the words: "A virgin." It takes a special type of player to deliver that kind of gag – the type of player who would react well when offered a timeshare flat in a penis-shaped development. 10) Gianfranco Zola If you have a spare 24 minutes, watching this will be the best thing you do today. 11) Dimitar Berbatov When Cristiano Ronaldo returns to Old Trafford next week, Manchester United fans will give him an uproarious reception. They've been singing about him since he left. Ronaldo was a great player and deserves his moment, but his exit was hardly the model of how to leave a club. He wasn't as bad as Carlos Tevez, but he clearly didn't want to be in Manchester during his final season and stropped around the pitch to make his point. Dimitar Berbatov was different. He respected the authority above him and did not create a fuss when he was dropped. His agent admitted that Berbatov felt uncomfortable about receiving a high salary when he was not performing regularly for the club; Ronaldo feels "sad" when he's not picking up a big enough cheque for his image rights. When Berbatov returned to Old Trafford with Fulham, he did not try to use the fixture to rile his former employers. He turned up, played the game and went home. There were no Tevez-style histrionics. Berbatov is a class act. Jamie O'Hara tells a story of training with him at Tottenham. "I was yelling for the ball," O'Hara said. "Berba dropped his shoulder and, without looking, he played a pinpoint pass right to my feet. After training, he said to me: 'I know where you are. You don't have to shout.'" Just keep calm and pass him the ball. Some of the best selections from the comments section Goalkeepers Marcus Hahnemann David James Edwin Van Der Sar Dani Mallo Defenders Pablo Zabaleta Javier Zanetti Paolo Maldini Philipp Lahm Dennis Irwin Paul McGrath Leighton Baines Laurent Blanc Sami Hyypia Carlos Puyol Midfielders Kevin Kilbane Xabi Alonso Sergio Torres Andrea Pirlo Fabrice Muamba Juan Mata Nolberto Solano Gary Speed Wilson Palacios Damiano Tommasi Andrés Iniesta Attackers Henrik Larsson Roberto Baggio Matt Le Tissier Ole Gunnar Solskjær Jürgen Klinsmann Dion Dublin George Weah Faustino Asprilla Peter Beardsley Diego Forlán Sergio Agüero Tony YeboahIt is a great anxiety of Christian parents; wondering if their children will grow up Christian, or if they will stay Christians as they move into their own adult lives. Youth pastors have all experienced the pressure of well-meaning parents asking how they will “drive in” Christianity to their children. Books have been written, and special classes are held in churches designed help parents understand how to “keep your children Christian” through college. However, the real reasons children go up to reject the faith of their Parents has little to do with education and apologetics. Here are the five greatest reasons parents “lose” their children from Christianity: 1) Falling into the temptation of using religion to control their children through guilt and shame. “Jesus is watching you!” Even the best parents can find themselves wanting some divine backup in a conflict with their children. However, using God for intimidation in a conflict with children has two major issues. First, it means children are associating God as “against them.” Second, it means that the parent is not building a personal relationship of trust with the child. It is better for parents to use their faith to help the child understand the reason the parent, themselves, act the way they do. We need more of “God gave you to me and I am doing my best to honor that gift by raising you well.” We need less of “God says to obey me, and you are disobeying God.” Related: Seven Reasons Why Young Adults Quit Church – by Christian Piatt 2) The parents seem to be afraid of the world, instead of empowered to live in it. Christians see themselves as “apart from the world, ” but that is so we can help the world, not be afraid of it. Christian parents who constantly talk about the world as an evil, malevolent, and dangerous place which must be avoid as much as possible, it paints a grim view of the future for young adults wanting to find their own place in life. If a parent lives in fear of the world, the children will pick up on that and will naturally seek alternative beliefs. Christ did not give us a spirit of fear of the world, but compassion for it. 3) The children do not see the parents drawing any joy from their faith. If a parent’s religion is maintained out of guilt and obligation, their children will pick-up on that burden. If parents are full of joy, love, and enthusiasm for their faith and community, their children will pick-up on that as well. How a parent behaves in their faith is more important than what they tell their children about their faith. A parent can be the best apologetics scholar in the world, they will not win over their child while they are spiritually depressed. 4) The children are discouraged from finding answers to their questions. Each generation of young Christians are going to challenge their parents with new questions about Christianity in the modern world. It is impossible for parents to prepare for or know all the answers for these questions. The only way to address this need is for parents to ask these questions with their children. Parents who ignore, suppress, brush off, or give trite simplistic answers to their children’s questions are at risk of greatly frustrating them. No one needs to have all the answers. Children will not only respect a “I don’t know, let’s find out together, ” they will remember such journey’s for the rest of their lives. It is also the most powerful opportunity for a parent to grow in their faith, to experience Christianity again through young eyes. 5) The children believe they have nothing to offer the Christian community. Parents who are engaged and active in a church community are more likely to have children who find ways to participate in the Christian community at large. Parents and churches have a responsibility to help children know they have gifts, talents, and inspiration that are not only welcome in the community, they are vital to it. If children feel like Christianity is just following other people, it will not be relevant to them as they grow. Christianity needs to be understood as something we all work together to build. Also by Yaholo: The Age of Intimacy – A different look at our cultural struggle over sexuality If Christ Inspires You, You Will Inspire Your Children Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6, ESV) Even the best parents will still seem to “lose” their children for seasons as they grow. A person’s faith must be their own, and often that means they have to depart from it for a time. The bottom line is that the best way to make sure your children will grow up in Christ, is if you are growing in Christ. Examine your own heart and your own life. Is it something to look up to? When a child looks at their parents, they see their future. How does their future look? — Yaholo Hoyt is a practical mystic, a passionate writer, a paltry poet, and an old-school Jesus freak. You can find him at http://yaholo.net or read his blog at http://practicalchristianmysticism.blogspot.com Amazon.com Widgets AdvertisementThere are women who do not even know what an orgasm feels like. Others must exhaust a man, squeezing it like a lemon to achieve one. And here is the British Sarah Carmen, 24, which can have up to 200 daily without even having sex. That's because she slightest vibrations are enough for her, even the rumble of the train, the purr of a hairdryer, or the rhythmic drone of a photo-copier. "Anything can set me off. Even the hairdryers cause funny pulsations through my body. As a skin care specialist I have to use tools which vibrate a lot of the time for micro-dermabrasion and they sometimes set me off." "My friends think it's great. I have more orgasms in one day than most of them will probably have in a year. They say to me that they feel lucky if their boyfriend makes them have one orgasm-some days I have one every ten minutes." said Sara. The London young woman developed Permanent Sexual Arousal Syndrome (PSAS) by the age of 19, after being prescribed anti-depressants. "Within a few weeks I just began to get more and more aroused more and more of the time and I just kept having endless orgasms. It started off in bed where sex sessions would last for hours and my boyfriend would be stunned at how many times I would orgasm. Then it would happen after sex. I'd be thinking about what we'd done in bed and I'd start feeling a bit flushed, then I'd become aroused and climax. In six months I was having 150 orgasms a day-and it has been as many as 200.", said Sarah. Since then, Sarah had several relationships. "Often, I'll want to wear myself out by having as many orgasms as I can so they stop and I can get some peace. Sometimes I have so much sex to try to calm myself down I get bored of it. And men I sleep with don't seem to make as much effort because I climax so easily.", she said. While being interviewed by Newsoftheworld (http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/0311_200_orgasms_extra.shtml), Sarah said she had had 5 orgasms in 40 minutes. She said she has troubles even at her workplace, as whirring hairdryers and skincare gadgets turn her on easily. "If I start coughing and run to the loo, the girls know to fetch the client a magazine or a cup of tea. Sometimes I'd like to just have a normal life." explained Sarah. "I was doing a bikini wax and you have to really concentrate and keep your hands very still, and mine go a bit wobbly when I orgasm. I had to pretend I had cramp in my foot and just stood there wriggling around on the spot and stifling my moans until it was over." Noisy bars are out of the question for Sarah. "We have to find nice quiet bars. I have more orgasms if I have a drink as it relaxes me so I tend to drink very little now." But PSAS is not sex addiction or nymphomania. These patients do not have increased libido. Sarah participated at a meeting of Sex Addicts' Anonymous. "But when I looked around the room and heard the stories other people told, about how desperate they were for sex, I realized I wasn't like them. With me, it was a means of releasing my orgasm, but now I know I don't have to have sex to do that." PSAS is such a rare condition, that experts admitted its existence very recently. It represents a spontaneous and persistent genital arousal (accompanied also by breast congestion), with or without orgasm or genital engorgement/swelling/lubrication, but not connected to a higher sex drive (patients are annoyed by this arousal) and which generally is unwanted and intrusive. PSAS patients frequently report shame or embarrassment. The physical arousal can be very intense and persistent, for days, weeks or permanent. Orgasms can sometimes trigger temporary relief, but no mater the amount of sex intercourse/masturbation a person might have, after several hours the symptoms come back. In some cases, 300 spontaneous orgasms/day were reported. Not only a man cannot cope with such sexual demands, but he can feel overwhelmed by such a PSAS woman. The syndrome can work on "spot" areas, like deep in the vagina, or in the clitoris area. The subject's activity and focusing are impaired. Even riding in an automobile or train, mobile phone vibrations, and a bath use spur into unbearable symptoms with strong sexual urges. "Sitting is unbearable, sometimes causing pressure to orgasm. Standing is the only time I feel nothing. Sitting in a car is torture. The opening of the vagina is just as sensitive and a mere touch will bring me to orgasm. My husband is very sympathetic and relieves the terrible pressure anytime I ask. Those close to me that I've told about this at first think it's funny and then realize that indeed it is not." "I was constantly feeling overwhelming sensations of sexual arousal, which were purely physical and not accompanied by romantic or sexual fantasies. Basically I felt the need to have repeated orgasms which was never relieved by normal orgasmic experience." These were other two PSAS patients. The partner can feel impotence and confusion, incapacity in providing relief, isolation, frustration and anger. The patient, besides shame, isolation, and impotence, can experience vulnerability and sadness, being awakened in the morning by hot flashes. At the workplace, an employer will see negatively an employee going every five five minutes to the bathroom. The condition is still a puzzle for the researchers: it could be some pelvic inflammation or infection stimulating clitoral and other sensory nerves, and tends to occur mostly in post-menopausal women in their 40s and 50s, or those who were subscribed a hormonal treatment; but the age can vary a lot. Others say it is psychological symptom of some emotional crisis connected to the brain's limbic system, the center of pleasure and sex physiology. A brain tumor in a nucleus connected to genital area has been recorded in a case, and also ovary tumors. Drugs like trazodone induce PSAS as a side effect, but also stopping SSRIs (serotonin reuptake inhibitors, a class of antidepressants), like in Sarah's case, or cholesterol-lowering treatments can have the same effect. One patient experienced PSAS following surgery for urethral prolapse. A pelvic arterial-venous malformation with arterial branches to the clitoris can induce PSAS, and surgery can cure completely in this case. Medication against PSAS are antidepressants, antiandrogenic agents and anaesthetising gels; medical treatment of irritating neurologic lesions; psychotherapy also helps.The Subbotniks (Russian: Субботники, IPA: [sʊˈbotʲnʲɪkʲɪ], "Sabbatarians") is a common name for Russian sects of Judaizers of Christian origin, who split from other Sabbatarians in the 19th century.[1][2] There are three main groups of people described as Subbotniks: Judaizing Talmudists: Subbotnik converts to Rabbinic Judaism, also described as "Gery" (Russian: Геры ), "Talmudisty" (Russian: Субботники-Талмудисты ), or "Shaposhniki". [1] ), "Talmudisty" (Russian: ), or "Shaposhniki". Karaimites [3] [4] or Karaite Subbotniks [1] (Russian: Субботники-Караимиты ): also described as "Russian Karaites" (Russian: Русские Караимы ), [5] considering themselves as adherents of Karaite Judaism. [6] However, it has been reported that they do not practice circumcision. [7] [8] or Karaite Subbotniks (Russian: ): also described as "Russian Karaites" (Russian: ), considering themselves as adherents of Karaite Judaism. However, it has been reported that they do not practice circumcision. Subbotnik Molokans (Russian: Молокане-субботники ) sect: in contradiction to the previous Subbotnik sects they recognize the Gospel, but also practice some of the rules and precepts of the Old Testament.[9] A 1912 religious census in Russia recorded 12,305 "Judaizing Talmudists", and 4,092 "Russian Karaites", and 8,412 Subbotniks who "had fallen away from Orthodoxy".[10] On the whole, the Subbotniks probably differed little from other Judaizing societies in their early years.[11] They first appeared toward the end of the 18th century during the reign of Catherine the Great. According to official reports of the Russian Empire, most[citation needed] of the sect's followers circumcised their boys, believed in a unitary God rather than in the Christian Trinity, accepted only the Hebrew Bible and observed the Sabbath on Saturday rather than on Sunday as in Christian practice (and hence were called "sabbatarians") There were variations among their beliefs in relation to Jesus, the Second Coming, and other elements of Eastern Orthodox doctrine. Prior to the First Partition of Poland in 1772, few Jews had settled in the Russian Empire.[10] The Subbotniks were originally Christian peasants of the Russian Orthodox Church. During the reign of Catherine the Great (1729-1796), they adopted elements of Mosaic law of the Old Testament and were known as sabbatarians, part of the Spiritual Christianity movement.[10] Subbotnik families settled in Ottoman Syria in the 1880s as part of the First Aliyah in order to escape oppression in the Russian Empire and later mostly intermarried with local Jews. Their descendants included Israeli Jews such as Alexander Zaïd, Ariel Sharon and Major-General Alik Ron.[12][13] History [ edit ] Subbotniks, meaning sabbatarians for their observance of the Sabbath on Saturday, as in the Old Testament, rather than on Sunday, arose as part of the Spiritual Christian movement in the 18th century.[11] Imperial Russian officials and Orthodox clergy considered the Subbotniks to be heretical to Russian Orthodox religion, and tried to suppress their sects and other Judaizers. They also emphasized
an orbiter.) This would give us the capability to stay submerged and send back data, and have scientists interact with the vehicle." Now in the design stage, Oleson and his team of engineers are working on the big questions of what it will take to keep a submerged machine running so far from home. What's the power source? What instruments will be on board? What materials will be required? And how much autonomy should the explorer have? That last one is a biggie. Because of the distance between Earth and Saturn, signals would take more than an hour to travel one way; the response will take just as long. So unlike with current Mars missions, the craft will need more onboard computers that can respond to the difficulties it encounters without phoning home. "This thing has to go out and be smart enough to avoid collisions, avoid the bottom and do the jobs we give it," Oleson says. "We can talk to it periodically, but we won't be able to control it all the time." Team member Ralph Lorenz, a research scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab, worked on the Huygens probe, the first probe to explore Titan. Thanks to that mission, he says, scientists know they can land on the Saturnian moon. "Huygens confirmed the atmosphere profile and winds, which gives us assurance that we can parachute safely into the seas," Lorenz says via email. "It also showed that the Titan environment is overall rather benign—it's just cold!" Like missions to Mars, a Titan explorer must take precautions to avoid contamination by Earth bacteria. Here, the sub may have a few advantages. For one, Oleson says the submarine may be self-contained and have few outward instruments, limiting the amount of sterilization work necessary. And as Lorenz points out, Titan's methane seas and ultra-cold temperatures make it inhospitable to even the most extreme Earth life. Tight Window Any potential vehicle is decades off, and still, the clock is already ticking. The mission would need to arrive in the more hospitable Titan summer, which would give it an eight-year window. While that may sound simple, consider that Cassini and Huygens took seven years to arrive at the Saturn system. Miss the launch window and it could be a decade before another is possible. But that's not the concern right now. The team is working for the next nine months on the early proof-of-concept and design. If NASA approves the project for Phase II, the designer will make tweaks and conduct early lab experiments in a simulated Titan environment. If the concept works, they'll have multiple options beyond Titan. The sensors could be used for liquid natural gas transport and storage operations on Earth, or the craft could be modified for other environments like those of Enceladus or Europa. "Once you figure out how to do these extraterrestrial submarines, you can figure out how to apply them to other liquid places," Oleson said. And if the submarine probe reaches Titan someday? "We know complex compounds form on Titan, although we don't know how complicated they can get," Lorenz says. "At some point on Earth, chemistry got complicated enough to permit functions of replication and information storage, and eventually life. Titan might help us understand how."Dr. Sam Axelrad, right, hands over arm bones belonging to former North Vietnamese soldier Nguyen Quang Hung, left, at Hung's house in the town of An Khe, Gia Lai province, Vietnam on Monday. (Photo: AP/Kha Hoa, Thanh Nien Newspaper) Story Highlights Axelrad performed the surgery in 1966 on Hung, a North Vietnamese soldier He kept the bones to remind him he had helped the enemy soldier Hung said he looked forward to 'getting my arm bones back' HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — An American doctor arrived in Vietnam carrying an unlikely piece of luggage: the bones of an arm he amputated in 1966. Dr. Sam Axelrad brought the skeletal keepsake home to Texas as a reminder that when a badly injured North Vietnamese soldier was brought to him, he did the right thing and fixed him up. The bones sat in a closet for decades, and when the Houston urologist finally pulled them out two years ago, he wondered about their true owner, Nguyen Quang Hung. The men were reunited Monday at Hung's home in central Vietnam. They met each other's children, and grandchildren, and joked about which of them had been better looking back when war had made them enemies. Hung was stunned that someone had kept his bones for so long, but happy that when the time comes, they will be buried with him. "I'm very glad to see him again and have that part of my body back after nearly half a century," Hung said by telephone Monday after meeting Axelrad. "I'm proud to have shed my blood for my country's reunification, and I consider myself very lucky compared with many of my comrades who were killed or remain unaccounted for." Hung, 73, said American troops shot him in the arm in October 1966 during an ambush about 46 miles from An Khe, the town where he now lives. After floating down a stream to escape a firefight and then sheltering in a rice warehouse for three days, he was evacuated by a U.S. helicopter to a no-frills military hospital in Phu Cat, in central Binh Dinh province. "When I was captured by the American forces, I was like a fish on a chopping-board," Hung said last week. "They could have either killed or spared me." When Hung got to Axelrad, then a 27-year-old military doctor, his right forearm was the color of an eggplant. To keep the infection from killing his patient, Axelrad amputated the arm above the elbow. After the surgery, Hung spent eight months recovering and another six assisting American military doctors, Hung said. He spent the rest of the war offering private medical services in the town, and later served in local government for a decade before retiring on his rice farm. In this January 1967 photo released by Sam Axelrad, Dr. Sam Axelrad, left, displays the bones of an arm he amputated from North Vietnamese soldier Nguyen Quang Hung, right, in October 1966. (Photo: AP/Courtesy of Sam Axelrad) "He probably thought we were going to put him in some prisoner-of-war camp," Axelrad said. "Surely he was totally surprised when we just took care of him." As for the arm, Axelrad said his medic colleagues boiled off the flesh, reconstructed the arm bones and gave them to him. It was hardly common practice, but he said it was a reminder of a good deed performed. The bones sat in a military bag in Axelrad's closet for decades, along with other things from the war that he didn't want look at because he didn't want to relive those experiences. When he finally went through the mementos in 2011, "it just blew me away what was in there," Axelrad said at a hotel bar in Hanoi early Sunday, hours after arriving in Vietnam with his two sons and two grandchildren on Saturday evening. "That kind of triggered my thoughts of returning." It had taken a little luck for Axelrad to reunite Hung with his amputated arm. He traveled to Vietnam last summer — partly for vacation, but also to try to find the man. He said he wasn't sure Hung was still alive, or where to begin looking for him. Axelrad visited An Khe but didn't ask for him there because he assumed Hung would be living in northern Vietnam, where he grew up. By chance, Axelrad toured the old Vietnam War bunker at the Metropole Hotel in downtown Hanoi. His tour guide was Tran Quynh Hoa, a Vietnamese journalist who took a keen interest in his war stories. Hoa later wrote an article in a widely read Vietnamese newspaper about Axelrad's quest to return the bones to their owner. Hung said his brother-in-law in Ho Chi Minh City read the article and contacted the newspaper's editors. Hoa, now a communications officer for the International Labour Organization, arranged Monday's reunion in An Khe, near the coastal city of Qui Nhon, and served as an interpreter for the veterans. "It's just time for closure," Axelrad said a day before the meeting. Hung was surprised to be reunited with his lost limb, to say the least. "I can't believe that an American doctor took my infected arm, got rid of the flesh, dried it, took it home and kept it for more than 40 years," he said by telephone last week from his home. "I don't think it's the kind of keepsake that most people would want to own. But I look forward to seeing him again and getting my arm bones back." Hung served Axelrad and his family lunch, shared memories and reflected on all the time that had passed. Axelrad said he was pleased to learn where and how Hung had been living for so many years, and to meet his children and grandchildren. "I'm so happy that he was able to make a life for himself," Axelrad said. Vietnam is now a country full of young people who have no direct memory of the war, which ended in 1975 and killed an estimated 58,000 Americans and 3 million Vietnamese. But the war's legacy persists in the minds of combat veterans who still are processing the events and traumas they witnessed in their youth. John Ernst, a Vietnam War expert at Morehead State University in Kentucky, said he knows of a few American veterans who have traveled to Vietnam to return personal items to former enemy soldiers as a way to bring closure. "It is a fascinating phenomenon," Ernst said by e-mail Sunday. "I always wonder what triggers the decision to make the gesture." Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/11TOdp1Since its creation in 2009, Bitcoin has used a hashbased proof-of-work to generate new blocks, and create a single public ledger of transactions. The hash-based computational puzzle employed by Bitcoin is instrumental to its security, preventing Sybil attacks and making doublespending attacks more difficult. However, there have been concerns over the efficiency of this proof-of-work puzzle, and alternative “useful” proofs have been proposed. In this paper, we present DDoSCoin, which is a cryptocurrency with a malicious proof-of-work. DDoSCoin allows miners to prove that they have contributed to a distributed denial of service attack against specific target servers. This proof involves making a large number of TLS connections to a target server, and using cryptographic responses to prove that a large number of connections has been made. Like proof-of-work puzzles, these proofs are inexpensive to verify, and can be made arbitrarily difficult to solve.CRICKET-MAD Harvey Parry knew it was going to be the best day of his life so thought he had better get ready early. After all, the ten-year-old was heading to Lord’s to meet his hero, England ace Joe Root. Fame Flynet 6 Harvey Parry got the chance to step up to the stumps and play with his heroes Fame Flynet 6 After getting some tips from the professionals, Harvey was ready for his moment in the spotlight Fame Flynet 6 Cricket mad Harvey faced down the bowling skills of England star Joe Root But the courageous schoolboy, who lost both legs to meningitis as a toddler, did not just meet Joe — he got to face his bowling. Last month The Sun on Sunday told how Harvey’s parents were warned to expect the worst after meningitis struck him in 2007. His only chance of survival was to have his legs amputated and fingers removed from his right hand. We told how he loved to play cricket and that Harvey’s dream was to play for England at Lord’s. And thanks to The Sun on Sunday, some of that has come true. His story was read by assistant England coach Paul Farbrace, who invited Harvey to meet the team as they trained. When the excited youngster visited the hallowed ground, he was given a front-row seat in the stands. Harvey was transfixed even before stars Chris Woakes, Nick Compton and James Vince stopped by to shake his hand. But then it was Harvey’s turn to grab a bat and join in. Barcroft Media 6 Harvey lost both his legs and the fingers on his right hand in a battle with meningitis as a toddler Joe offered to bowl, below far left, with Paul standing behind the wicket. England captain Alastair Cook offered Harvey some tips, encouraging him to wallop the ball over the practice net — which he did, and came away grinning from ear to ear. Harvey said: “My friends won’t believe I’ve played cricket with Joe Root. It was awesome.” Fame Flynet 6 Harvey's trip to Lords saw him smash a few sixes while meeting his heroes It was a moment mum Carol, and dad Jon, an IT consultant, could never have expected when Harvey was hit with meningitis when he was just 15 months old. Of her boy’s special day out, Carol said: “I’ve never seen him so smiley. He’s in his element. Fame Flynet 6 Harvey's mum Carol never expected to see him play cricket after he he was ill when he was just 15 months old “Coming here and playing cricket with able-bodied people has really boosted his confidence. Harvey has met his heroes at Lord’s but a lot of people would see Harvey as a hero “He has always wanted to be able to play sport like everyone else and this shows he can. Playing at Lord’s is a dream come true for him.” Harvey, who plays for the Under-10s at his local West Chiltington and Thakeham Cricket Club in West Sussex, can’t wait to wow his friends with the tips he picked up. And as the training session came to an end, Paul explained how touching he found Harvey’s story. related stories Tragic teen Student died from meningitis with hours after dismissing symptoms as a HANGOVER at uni Vaccine plea Mum's horror after 'bruise' on her daughter's chest turned out to be life-threatening meningococcal B BEAUTY IN OUR FLAWS Girl who lost limbs to flesh-eating bug posts inspiring bikini snap Daddy day care 'There's no such thing as a typical family': Meet the single dad who adopted four kids with additional needs 'LOL knew something was up' Girl, 16, tweets from hospital bed just two days before she died of meningitis Beyond brave Teen shares photos of her ileostomy bag to show the world the reality of living with Crohn’s disease The coach said: “Harvey has met his heroes at Lord’s but a lot of people would see Harvey as a hero. “He is doing everything he can to lead a normal life — and that is heroic in itself.” We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368When Emblem Cannabis Corp was cleared by the federal government to sell medical marijuana in August, the company set out to attract new investors, vowing to "change the face" of the industry. In company materials, Emblem touted the wealth of experience its top executives brought to the fold, particularly in its pharmaceutical division. The man in charge of that business, John H. Stewart, was a veteran of the drug industry, having spent close to 40 years in key roles at one of the world's biggest pharmaceutical companies. Story continues below advertisement His successes, Emblem said, included launching 11 new products, in particular one blockbuster drug that made his former employer billions of dollars – OxyContin. Mr. Stewart was now bringing that expertise to Emblem, which planned on "revolutionizing" cannabis consumption with prescription tablets and capsules that "would dramatically expand Emblem's sales." However, there were a few details Emblem glossed over in its promotional efforts. A decade ago, when Mr. Stewart was president of Purdue Pharma Canada, coroners and public-health officials were beginning to ring alarm bells over abuse of OxyContin, a highly addictive painkiller. When he later became chief executive officer and president of Purdue's U.S. parent in 2007, it was only a month after the U.S. company agreed to pay the U.S. government more than $634-million (U.S.) to settle allegations that it "fraudulently misbranded OxyContin" as being less dangerous than it was. OxyContin is now seen as the flashpoint of an opioid crisis that has swept across the continent, killing hundreds of thousands of people in Canada and the United States and touching off a chain reaction of addictions to other drugs, such as fentanyl. Many of those killed after taking OxyContin were not initially addicts or abusers, but became dependent on opioids after being prescribed the drug by their doctor upon complaining of pain. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement In 2013, law makers began asking new questions about what the company, based in Stamford, Conn., knew about the growing opioid crisis and how its own marketing tactics directed toward doctors may have fuelled the problem. Wealthy from his days at Purdue, where he retired three years ago, Mr. Stewart has invested $1-million of his own money into his new company, one of 36 medical-marijuana producers licensed by the federal government. Emblem is now seeking to promote cannabis as an alternative to prescription painkillers – and profit from the opioid crisis Purdue was instrumental in creating. Soon after receiving its licence from Health Canada, Emblem took to its Twitter account to extoll the virtues of cannabis over the prescription opioids that made Purdue one of the richest drug companies in the world. "Medical cannabis," Mr. Stewart's new company said, "could save us from painkillers." ** The opioid explosion began with a phone call. Story continues below advertisement Mr. Stewart joined Purdue as a sales representative in 1974, but was promoted to clinical research just two years later. By the early 1980s, he was put in charge of research and development at Purdue's Canadian division. Back then, Purdue wasn't involved in analgesics, or pain-relief medications. The company's British division had, however, developed a controlled-release technology for pills that allowed medication to last longer by dispersing the active ingredient slower. It called this invention Contin. One day, a senior physician phoned the company and suggested its researchers marry Contin with morphine, since hospitals required a painkiller that lasted longer but traditional morphine only provided about four hours of relief. "He said, 'you've got this controlled-release system that you're currently using for respiratory medicines and potassium. You ought to think about putting morphine in that,'" Mr. Stewart said in an interview in October. "So we in Purdue Canada, and I was head of R&D at the time, started the process for saying 'OK,' let's make a long-acting formulation of morphine. "Myself and three other people are the ones that ran the program." Story continues below advertisement MS Contin, as it was dubbed, hit the market in 1986 and, seeing the reception it got from hospitals, researchers at Purdue got to work on developing other kinds of long-lasting painkillers. Finding one that could be used on a broader spectrum of pain would be a gold mine. Purdue's U.S. division soon combined the opioid oxycodone with the company's patented extended-release technology and OxyContin was born. The new product was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1995, and by Health Canada the following year. "The U.S. developed it and we brought it to Canada," Mr. Stewart said. The pills sold well, with close to $50-million worth of OxyContin moving in its first year on the market in North America. Opioids can be deceptive and dangerous drugs, though, since they are highly addictive. Oxycodone was created in 1916 by German scientists who were the first to synthesize opiates. The drug is chemically similar to heroin. However, Purdue's sales pitch to doctors was that OxyContin was less risky because of the proprietary slow-release formula. In an informational video distributed to doctors' offices by Purdue sales representatives in the United States, the company claimed opioid analgesics had been shown to cause addiction in less than one per cent of patients, according to court documents obtained by The Globe and Mail. The video, titled From One Pain Patient to Another: Advice from Patients Who Have Found Relief, was to be used as an educational tool for clinic staff, and made available for patients to take home. Story continues below advertisement OxyContin use flourished, and by 2001, Purdue was selling more than $1-billion worth of the drug in North America. By 2002, that number climbed to more than $1.5-billion and the pills accounted for roughly 75 per cent of Purdue's revenue. By every pharmaceutical-industry standard, OxyContin was a blockbuster drug. A key driver of this growth was Purdue's ability to persuade doctors that OxyContin could be used for more than just severe pain. When first introduced, the drug was mostly used to treat late-stage cancer patients and patients who had undergone major operations. But Purdue expanded its marketing efforts, promoting OxyContin for a wider range of ailments from arthritis and fibromyalgia to back pain. Central to the company's sales strategy was to get more doctors to prescribe the drug. This meant expanding its marketing beyond oncologists and surgeons, who had been the primary market, to a larger pool of doctors – including general practitioners – by persuading them that OxyContin was effective for less severe pain and useful for ongoing pain management. In another educational video produced by the company, Purdue targeted doctors with the message that OxyContin was a drug "to start and stay with," meaning that physicians should prescribe it for initial moderate and severe pain, and for extended treatment. Doctors, however, began to notice patients were developing a tolerance to the drug and, soon, a dependence. By 2002, primary-care doctors in the United States represented nearly half of OxyContin's prescribers as the drug was increasingly promoted to physicians "who were not adequately trained in pain management," according to a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), a congressional watchdog that investigated the company's marketing of the drug in 2003. Meanwhile, documents show that Purdue doubled its sales force for OxyContin. In 1996, the company employed 318 sales representatives to promote the drug to doctors' offices and hospitals and another 300 people contracted through a pharmaceutical sales company called Abbott Laboratories. By 2002, that total figure had climbed to 1,067, including 767 sales reps inside Purdue. Story continues below advertisement Each salesperson was given a list of 140 physicians to call on and was expected to make between 35 and 50 visits a week. To incentivize the sales force, Purdue expanded its bonus pool from $1-million in 1996 to $40-million by 2001. While an average sales representative made $55,000 in base salary, the bonuses for persuading doctors to prescribe OxyContin climbed as high as $240,000 a year per person. Sales representatives were coached not to talk about OxyContin abuse unless a physician brought it up, according to a report by the medical-industry publication STAT, citing documents from a U.S. lawsuit settled in 2004 that were unsealed this year. As the sales force ballooned, so did Purdue's marketing budget. Purdue spent between six and 12 times more to market OxyContin pills to doctors than any of its other products, according to IMS Health, a company that tracks data for the health-care industry. Such spending included sending doctors to educational pain-management conferences at resorts in sunny locales such as Boca Raton, Fla. Purdue played host to 40 such events from 1996 to 2001, entertaining an average of 1,000 physicians a year, with travel, lodging and meal expenses paid by the company. Spending on advertising also soared during that time, rising from $700,000 when the drug was introduced, to more than $4.5-million five years later, promoting OxyContin in medical journals, for example, as being suitable for all types of arthritis pain, though it had only been studied in patients with moderate to severe osteoarthritis. The company also plied doctors' offices with food and gifts, ranging from doughnuts and lunches to stuffed toys and branded coffee mugs. It also gave them coupons for free subscriptions. When the GAO investigated Purdue's marketing tactics, including the instructional videos, it found the company was making "unsubstantiated claims regarding OxyContin's effect on patients' quality of life" and "minimized the risks associated with the drug." The claim that opioid analgesics led to addiction in less than one per cent of patients, for example, could not be substantiated. "Purdue conducted an extensive campaign to market and promote OxyContin that focused on encouraging physicians, including those in primary-care specialties, to prescribe the drug for non-cancer as well as cancer pain," the GAO said. As exposure to a highly addictive pain medication grew, so too did the dependence on the drug. While the company blamed this phenomenon on abusers, pointing the finger at addicts who had figured out that crushing the pills could deliver an instant opioid high, that was only one segment of the population. Patients who had been prescribed the drug legitimately were also becoming addicts against their will. And since the body's natural reaction to opioids is to develop a tolerance, a new phenomenon emerged with patients needing higher doses of the drug as time went on. Eventually, doctors were writing larger prescriptions for OxyContin, while some patients turned to illegal sources of opiates to feed the addiction. As the death toll mounted from overdoses, lawsuits began to emerge. In the United States, Purdue was defiant, blaming the problem on addicts, illegal prescriptions and diversion, where legal drugs are channelled into the black market. OxyContin was fine, the company maintained, if used as directed. Purdue pointed to the good the drug did for cancer patients who needed it most. Faced with a lawsuit in West Virginia in 2002, brought by a man whose wife died after taking OxyContin, Purdue was successful in having the case dismissed, arguing that she had not followed the warnings on the label. "We have not settled one of these lawsuits – not one," Purdue's lawyer Howard Udell said at the time. "We have made a safe and effective product available for patients who need it according to the medical judgment of their doctors and we're not going to compromise medical care by caving in to baseless litigation." He added, "Bad lawsuits can interfere with good medicine." By 2003, OxyContin abuse was ravaging Canada as well. Ontario, British Columbia and the Atlantic provinces were each reporting hundreds of deaths linked to the drug, and the number of prescriptions had skyrocketed in a few short years. There were more than 640,000 prescriptions for OxyContin in Canada in 2003, a five-fold increase in just three years. In Newfoundland, where prescriptions rose 400 per cent during that time, the province set up a task force to look into the problem. Purdue executives seemed just as confused by the addiction trend as anyone, suggesting that the crisis was one of illegal drug dealing, not patients becoming addicted to a prescription narcotic. Mr. Stewart, who was now the president of Purdue Canada, offered money to probe drug dealing in Newfoundland. "What we're doing is sponsoring some individuals who are investigative types to try to get within the known abusers and individuals and try to track back through how they got the drug, where the person is who gave them the drug, and how it ultimately came from the legal into the illegal channel," he told the St. John's Telegram in 2004. Soon, Canada's chief coroners were raising alarms over the number of deadly overdoses taking place across the country. Again, Mr. Stewart said the company was not to blame, and thoughts of curtailing the drug were inappropriate. "The answer to abuse of prescription medications is greater education and substance-abuse treatment. The answer to diversion is tough law enforcement, not restrictions on patients and physicians who treat them," Mr. Stewart said at the time. Purdue, which was making billions of dollars from OxyContin, donated $100,000 to Toronto's Mount Sinai hospital for drug-abuse programs. It also stressed the therapeutic benefit of the drug for patients who needed it most, and there were certainly many people who relied upon the drug to treat severe pain. But when the Newfoundland task force issued its report in June, 2004, the findings were very similar to what had been uncovered in the United States: Physicians in the province were prescribing the opioid in an excessive manner, which indicated a number of serious problems, including improper use, diversion and illegal abuse, including patients shopping for prescriptions from multiple doctors to feed their habit or to sell the pills on the street. The Newfoundland task force also noted Purdue had used "aggressive marketing of OxyContin" for the treatment of non-severe pain, which fuelled the overprescribing by doctors. "There has been both a change in practice to support the use of narcotics for the treatment of non-malignant pain and an increase in public expectation to use medications for pain management," the task force said. Some physicians were less scrupulous than others. In 2002, 68 per cent of doctors in Newfoundland wrote an average of six scripts a month for narcotics, with OxyContin being the primary focus of the prescriptions. Two per cent of doctors wrote more than 156 prescriptions a month, and one per cent of doctors wrote 312 prescriptions a month. In addition to singling out Purdue's aggressive marketing of OxyContin, the task force also flagged a lack of monitoring of prescription-drug sales in Canada – particularly at the federal level – as part of the problem. "Health Canada's role in monitoring and auditing sales of controlled substances and investigating adverse events needs strengthening," the task force said. As Canada contemplated how to confront the problem, the U.S. government launched an unprecedented lawsuit against Purdue for misleading doctors and the public about the highly addictive drug. In the spring of 2007, Purdue settled the lawsuit for $634-million, and three of its top executives in Stamford – CEO Michael Friedman, Mr. Udell, the chief legal officer, and Dr. Paul Goldenheim, the former chief medical officer – pleaded guilty to fraudulently marketing the drug, "by claiming that OxyContin was less addictive, less subject to abuse, and less likely to cause withdrawal symptoms than other pain medications" despite lacking the medical research to support such claims. In a statement, Purdue blamed the problems on "some employees" who "made, or told other employees to make, certain statements about OxyContin to some health-care professionals" that were inconsistent with the actual risks of the drug. "We accept responsibility for those past misstatements and regret that they were made." U.S. law makers saw it differently. "Purdue put its desire to sell OxyContin above the interests of the public," Assistant Attorney General Peter Keisler said after the settlement was announced. "Purdue's illegal sales and marketing practices concealed information from patients and many health-care providers regarding the potency and abuse potential of OxyContin for corporate profit," added Daniel Levinson, Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A month after the massive settlement, Purdue named Mr. Stewart CEO. In a news release announcing the move, the company said Mr. Friedman had retired. As the incoming CEO, Mr. Stewart was supposed to be the person who would turn the page on Purdue's problems. But as the company looked to chart a new course, more problems were emerging in Canada. Fuelled by the rise of OxyContin, the number of prescriptions written for opioids in Canada between 1991 and 2007 had metastasized, rising 850 per cent, compared to 300 per cent in the United States during the same period. A 2009 study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal cited a correlation between a sharp increase in overdose deaths in Ontario and the introduction of long-acting oxycodone to the province. "The addition of long-acting oxycodone to the provincial drug formulary was associated with a five-fold increase in deaths related to oxycodone use, as well as an increase in overall opioid-related mortality," the CMA said. The study also said Purdue's marketing campaign may have led to the drug being prescribed liberally. Purdue's fix for the problem was to reformulate OxyContin, to make it more difficult to tamper with in order to combat users who were intentionally abusing the drug. By changing the physical and chemical properties of the pills, the company hoped to prevent people from being able to crush, chew or dissolve the pills in order to get an immediate oxycodone high. Purdue had long maintained that people who were altering the drug this way were the primary abusers of the drug, not patients who had inadvertently become addicted through their prescription, though U.S. lawmakers disagreed. At an FDA meeting in September, 2009, the reformulated OxyContin pill, dubbed OxyNEO, was approved, though the company warned the room that it didn't have the technology to make the drug completely tamper proof. But Purdue's marketing still raised eyebrows. That same year, under Mr. Stewart's watch, the company launched a website called Partners Against Pain, and hired country-music star Naomi Judd as its spokeswoman and patient advocate. "Pain robs people of their lives. It can interfere with everyday activities that most of us take for granted, like going to work, driving a car, or even hugging your children," Ms. Judd said. "That's why I'm speaking out – pain can and should be treated." In an effort to repair Purdue's image, Mr. Stewart said the company would work with the health-care sector, law enforcement and local communities to battle opioid addiction. "The best chance for making a significant impact on the abuse of prescription drugs is greater collaboration among the many sectors of our society that recognize the serious public health problem that this abuse represents," he said at the time. This new era of openness and collaboration has since been called into question. In May, 2012, the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance sent Mr. Stewart a letter informing him that more people in the country were dying from drugs than car accidents, and that prescription painkillers were costing health insurers $72.5-billion a year in added costs. "It is clear that the United States is suffering from an epidemic of accidental deaths and addiction resulting from the increased sale and use of powerful narcotic painkillers," said the letter, signed by 24 senators. "There is growing evidence pharmaceutical companies that manufacture and market opioids may be responsible, at least in part, for this epidemic by promoting misleading information about the drugs' safety and effectiveness." The letter called into question organizations and websites like the American Pain Foundation, which purported to be a health-advocacy agency, but received its funding from companies like Purdue, and published guides for patients, media and government that played down the risks of opioids. With the drug being prescribed for a wide array of conditions, the Senate committee asked Purdue to produce records of its payments to several non-profit health-care organizations. But getting the company to co-operate with such requests was not easy. In June, 2013, at a conference on drug dependency held in San Diego, Purdue epidemiologist Howard Chilcoat told the audience that the company kept a database of doctors it suspected were prescribing OxyContin for improper reasons. When Nevada Senator Tick Segerblom learned of the revelation, he immediately sent a letter to Mr. Stewart, asking for the company to send the state any information it had on such doctors so that the government could clamp down. Mr. Segerblom had been trying for years to stem the growing tide of opioid overdoses in his state, and such information would be highly valuable, he figured. "I have been concerned for some time about the mounting death toll related to certain addictive drugs, such as OxyContin," Mr. Segerblom wrote in an August, 2013, letter to Mr. Stewart, which was obtained by The Globe. "If Purdue Pharma is willing to sell a highly potent, highly addictive narcotic, then I believe the company has an ethical if not a legal duty to inform authorities in each state of doctors who appear to be irresponsible in prescribing OxyContin." Mr. Stewart wasted no time, sending a response letter the next day. "I am writing to confirm that Purdue is willing to meet with officials with the Board of Medical Examiners at their earliest convenience to share detailed information about the source of the information and data that we analyzed, our analytical processes, findings and subsequent actions," he said in a letter also obtained by The Globe. Mr. Segerblom eagerly waited for the information to be provided. But when the time came, he was shocked by what Purdue handed over. "What they provided to us was basically just newspaper clippings," Mr. Segerblom said in an interview. "If there was a doctor being accused of overprescribing and there was a newspaper article or something, they had that in their file. That's what they gave us – which is meaningless." "We thought there was going to be some super-secret list of doctors who they internally had seen were prescribing way more than normal doctors. They basically just gave us public information – doctors who had been brought up on charges before the medical board. It was pretty worthless. They just reiterated back to us what we as a state already knew." With Purdue not producing what was expected, the company was again drawing the ire of the U.S. government. Mr. Stewart left the company four months later. In August, Purdue faced new criticism that it was refusing to turn over documents to U.S. law makers, and government officials in California called for a congressional investigation into the company and the opioid industry. As that was happening, Mr. Stewart was unveiled as the new head of the Paris, Ont.-based Emblem Pharmaceutical, the newest entrant in Canada's medical cannabis market. He still lives in Stamford, travels regularly to Canada for his new role and is reluctant to talk in detail about his past. "I know that Purdue U.S. and Purdue Canada subsequently kind of get vilified in the press … because of the OxyContin problem, and fair enough, I can see the perspective," Mr. Stewart told The Globe. "But that's Purdue and I shouldn't speak too much for Purdue any more because I'm not part of them any more." In a subsequent interview this week, Mr. Stewart sought to change the subject. "I have lived this for quite some time, and I would be happy to stop living it," he said. "OxyContin may be the poster child, but it's not the only opioid with the potential to be abused or to, in fact, be abused and cause serious problems." ** Mr. Stewart is now hoping to take part in the development of another blockbuster pill. Inside the medical marijuana sector, a race has begun to develop cannabis pills that are consistent and potent enough that they can be prescribed to treat certain conditions.
extensions for IE 8." While that would make perfect sense if you ask me, it would be a huge mistake to jump to any conclusions based on those words. It's highly unlikely that Microsoft would endorse an open-source product in such a big way, and I can't imagine them working on the same code base together with Apple either. Still, embracing WebKit as the foundation for future versions of IE would be welcomed by many a developer. Using WebKit would enable the company to leverage the framework's standards compliance and impressive speed, while still enabling Microsoft to extend IE with proprietary extensions. WebKit was originally derived by Apple from the Konqueror browser?s KHTML software library for use as the engine of Safari 1.0. It's now being used by Nokia and Apple for their mobile browsers, and Google Chrome and the Android browser are powered by WebKit as well. Firefox on the other hand has its own rendering engine called Gecko. Firefox, Safari and Chrome keep taking bites out of Microsoft's market share for web browsing at a rapid pace. As ReadWriteWeb recently reported, Mozilla claims an impressive 20% worldwide market share for Firefox. On a sidenote: Ballmer apparently also admitted at the event that Microsoft got delayed with the transition from IE6 to IE7 during the development of Longhorn, which later became Vista. "But I don't want to go there." Smart thinking.Sejal Sukhadwala London's Secret, Little-Known Vegetarian And Vegan Restaurants Toast vegetarianism with Gujarati Rasoi's best-selling papdi chaat. Ask anyone in London to name their favourite vegetarian restaurant, and they’ll reel off these names: The Gate (almost always the first), and then in no particular order: Tibits, Manna and Mildreds. Someone will invariably chime in that Vanilla Black is the best posh veggie for special occasions. Then their vegan and raw food-loving friends will enthuse about Wild Food Café, 222 Veggie Vegan and Cafe Forty One at La Suite West. And those in the know will whisper about Itadaki Zen, Europe's first Japanese vegan. But what about the lesser-known places? The local favourites that other Londoners may not know about; ones which haven't yet reached the critics' ears/taste buds? Where are the quirky places, the characterful family-run joints, and the old-school venues where you can indulge in nostalgia-fests of pasta bakes after evenings cooking too many Ottolenghi recipes in a row? Redemption Restaurant and Bar's non-alcoholic cocktails. Vegetarian and vegan dinner destinations Redemption, various: proving that vegan, alcohol-free, sugar-free and wheat-free need not be boring or self-righteous, these stylish restaurants and bars in Notting Hill, Shoreditch and Covent Garden serve attractively presented dishes and non-alcoholic cocktails. Choose from the likes of maki rolls with red and white quinoa and amaranth micro shoots, and heritage beetroot 'barlotto' (barley risotto) with pecan nut 'parmesan'. Redemption, locations in Notting Hill, Shoreditch and Covent Garden. See website for full addresses Farmacy, Notting Hill: Camilla Al-Fayed's Notting Hill vegetarian restaurant serves a large number of vegetarian and vegan breakfast dishes, soups, sandwiches, salads, 'bowl food', hot classics like pizza and curry, healthy meals in jars and puddings. It has an extensive list of hot and cold drinks, too, including cocktails. Farmacy, 74 Westbourne Grove, W2 5SH Fed By Water's vegan pizza with tofu, olives, capers and rocket. Fed By Water, Dalston: Located next to Dalston Cross shopping centre aims to promote the nutritional benefits of water, and serves a wide range of Italian pizzas topped with vegetables, vegan cheeses and meat substitutes. Fed By Water, 59 Kingsland High Street, E8 2JS Norman's Coach and Horses, Soho: Not to be confused with another Coach and Horses in the area, this legendary Soho institution became London's first vegetarian and vegan pub a few years ago. It's renowned for its 'tofush' and chips (nori seaweed-wrapped battered tofu) – an idea copied by other many veggie restaurants – and piano sing-alongs on Wednesday and Saturday evenings. The venue is still under-the-radar of many vegetarians. Norman's Coach and Horses, 29 Greek Street, W1D 5DH Riverside Vegetaria, Kingston: Award-winning it might be, but not many Londoners know about this long-established restaurant, perhaps owing to its out-of-the-way location. Set amid Kingston's beautiful riverside setting, it serves a vast old-school menu of vegetarian and vegan dishes from around the world. From tofu teriyaki to 'Caribbean casserole', you'll find hearty, homely fare here. Go on a sunny day to enjoy the idyllic surroundings. Riverside Vegetaria, 64 High Street, KT1 1HB Global vegetarian and vegan flavours The peach and chilli pan fry at Persepolis. Gujarati Rasoi, Dalston: Owned by mother and son Lalita Patel and Urvesh Parvais, this small Dalston restaurant originated as a market stall, and serves freshly cooked, home-style Gujarati food you won't find elsewhere. The regularly changing menu features the likes of fresh dill pancakes, blackeye bean curry and chai kulfi. Gujurati Rasoi, 10C Bradbury Street, N16 8JN Persepolis Café, Peckham: It might be a tiny café inside a shop — Sally Butcher's renowned Persian in Peckham — but Persepolis serves an ambitious menu of meze, indulgent desserts and unique hot and cold drinks. Its vegan knickerbocker glory is a knockout. Persepolis, 28-30 Peckham High Street, SE15 5DT Andu Café, Dalston: A small Ethiopian vegan café in Dalston, Andu serves a tasting platter of six colourful dishes served with a choice of injera bread or rice. Andu Café, 528 Kingsland Road, E8 4AH My Village Café, Camden: Offering a vast number of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes — including Kurdish breakfast — this rustic, characterful veggie café serves up vegetarian food with a big heart. My Village Café, 37 Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AJ View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Canary (@thecanarye2) on Aug 23, 2017 at 4:16am PDT Something a little different for veggies and vegans Just Fab, roaming: This street food company serve vegetarian Sicilian treats around London. There are soups, pastas, pizzas, burgers and salads on the menu – but try the panelles (chickpea flour fritters), polenta muffins and vegan tiramisu. They formerly traded out of a red, double decker bus in Hackney but are currently looking for a new permanent home. Just Fab, check the website for details of upcoming locations Cookdaily, London Fields: A vegan café under the railway arches in east London? Well, why not? Bright global (mostly Southeast Asian) flavours shine through in fabulous bowl dishes like fruit and veg tossed in tamari-sesame dressing with plantains, cauliflower 'rice' and dehydrated banana. Don't miss the teriyaki bites. Cookdaily, Arch 358, Westgate Street, E8 3RN The Canary, Bethnal Green: This hair salon/vegetarian café (yes, you read that right) serves a snack-y menu of salads, pastries, cakes, and vegan pizza. The Canary, 61-63 Old Bethnal Green Road, E2 6QA Inside Fed By Water pizzeria... Karamel Restaurant, Wood Green: There's a vegan restaurant inside Wood Green's live music, cabaret, comedy, theatre and arts venue. The daily-changing menu features soups, pastas, curries, stews, pasties, and more. Karamel Restaurant, 4 Coburg Road, N22 6UJ Green Note, Camden: This is primarily a cosy, vibrant live music bar in Camden. It serves vegetarian snacks and small plates from around the world, featuring the likes of tortilla, tarts and tabbouleh. Green Note, 106 Parkway, NW1 7AN Drink of Fulham, Fulham: This is a beer boutique, not a restaurant — but it serves freshly-made Gujarati vegetarian snacks on Saturdays to nibble alongside its carefully curated tipples. Drink of Fulham, 349 Fulham Palace Road, SW6 6TB View this post on Instagram A post shared by Buhler and Co (@buhler_and_co) on Oct 26, 2018 at 7:26am PDT Vegetarian and vegan breakfast, brunch and lunch Bühler + Co, Walthamstow: Owned by New Zealand sisters Meg and Rosie Bühler, this beautiful vegetarian cafe in Walthamstow serves imaginative hot dishes with global flavours. There’s a growing counter of sandwiches, toasties, muffins, buns and pastries too. Bühler + Co, 8 Chingford Road, E17 4PJ The Waiting Room, Deptford: The Waiting Room is the domain of top-notch coffee (milk substitutes as standard, of course), plus vegan sandwiches, snacks and cakes. The Waiting Room, 134 Deptford High Street, SE8 3PQ The Full Nelson, Deptford: The guys behind Deptford's The Waiting Room (above) branched out, taking their vegan junk food concept and bringing it to The Full Nelson. Here you'll find loaded 'beef' burgers, corn dogs, loaded fries, 'chicken' wings and basically everything you need to to justify spending the rest of the afternoon prone on the sofa, says Londonist's Ruth Hargreaves. The Full Nelson, 47 Deptford Broadway, SE8 4PH Thenga Café, King's Cross: This cool, friendly café specialises in spicy vegetarian flavours and indulgent vegan cakes. Past menus have included homely cauliflower and potato curry with plantain and tomato jollof rice, pecan pie, and cranberry cake. Thenga Café, 120 Cromer Street, WC1H 8BS Thenga Café Tide Tables Café and Hollyhock Café, Richmond: Located in a beautiful setting near Richmond bridge, these two vegetarian siblings are ideal for a summer lunch. There's a hearty menu of dishes ranging from Moroccan harissa flatbread, to bean and vegetable chilli on brown rice. Go on a sunny day to make the most of the location. Tide Tables Café, 2 The Arches, TW9 1TH and Hollyhock Café, Terrace Gardens, TW10 6UX The Hive Wellbeing, Bethnal Green: Bethnal Green's healthy eating mostly-vegetarian restaurant and wine bar is great for breakfast and lunch — but also serves a tapas menu after 5pm, to be eaten with their natural, organic Italian wines. Lunchtime options include rice flatbread with scrambled tofu, roasted squash, goats' cheese and cucumber. The Hive Wellbeing, 286-290 Cambridge Heath Road, E2 9DA Kin, Goodge Street: We've already told you about this small, stylish and buzzy café near Goodge Street. It has a regularly changing choice of retro salads and vegetarian/vegan hot mains cooked — and displayed — very well. Kin, 22 Foley Street, W1W 6DT View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kin Cafe (@kin_cafe) on Dec 11, 2018 at 4:17am PST Café SoVegan, roaming: Often found popping up and markets around the Hackney area, this vegan comfort food stall serves a good selection of pancakes and toasties; plus straightforward mains like burrito, burger and quiche. Café SoVegan, check the website for details of upcoming locations Bodega 50, Stoke Newington: Hardly anyone seems to know about this Stoke Newington cafe, and those who do, seem to have found it accidentally. It serves vegetarian and vegan breakfast dishes, toasties, sandwiches, meze and cakes. Bodega 50, 50 Allen Road, N16 8RZ Carnevale, Old Street: Surprisingly few people know about this small, long-established vegetarian restaurant in the Whitecross Street Market. You'll find Mediterranean dishes like walnut-stuffed artichokes, and breaded aubergines with smoked mozzarella here; plus takeaway dishes in their Saladin street food stall outside. Carnevale, 135 Whitecross Street, EC1Y 8JL LoveGift Vegan, Hither Green: This vegan café in between Lee and Hither Green serves grains, greens, wraps, salads, raw food platters, burgers, Caribbean classics, desserts and home-made soft drinks. LoveGift Vegan, 386 Lee High Road, SE12 8RW The Larder, various: This series of east London veggie cafés serve a tapas-style menu of baked savouries, omelettes, pizzas and salads. The Larder, locations in Bethnal Green, Wanstead, Walthamstow and Chingford. See website for full addresses View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Larder (@thelarderlondon) on Dec 15, 2018 at 12:28am PST Mary Ward Café, Bloomsbury: Located in the Mary Ward Centre, a popular adult education institute near Russell Square, this vegetarian café serves a changing menu of Italian and global sweet and savoury snacks and hot meals. Mary Ward Café, 42 Queens Square, WC1N 3AQ Whole Meal Café, Streatham: Streatham's long-established vegetarian café serves old-school hearty fare such as Cajun vegetable casserole and French-style cheese and vegetable bake. Whole Meal Café, 1 Shrubbery Road, SW16 2AS The Poetry Café, Covent Garden: Poetry Society's serene in-house café in Covent Garden offers a small selection of vegetarian soups, stews, cakes and flapjacks. The Poetry Café, 22 Betterton Street, WC2H 9BX The Ragged Canteen, Vauxhall: Beaconsfield Gallery has a vegetarian café, which serves a small, simple menu of sandwiches, toasties, hot dishes and cakes. The Ragged Canteen, 22 Newport Street, SE11 6AY For peace and tranquillity Cafe At Jamyang's ratatouille with toasted sourdough and roasted tomatoes. Café at Jamyang, Elephant and Castle: Owned by the Jamyang Buddhist Centre in Elephant and Castle, this pretty venue is housed inside an old Victorian courthouse, courtyard and walled garden. The vegetarian venue (with vegan-only Mondays) serves delicious dishes such as spelt with purple sprouting broccoli, wild garlic and harissa, and strawberry and rosewater sponge cake. Café at Jamyang, 43 Renfrew Road, SE11 4NA Nectar Café, Camden: Part of the popular Triyoga yoga centre in Camden, this health-conscious café serve vegetarian soups, salads, curries, stews, sushi, cakes and smoothies. Everything is gluten-free, and there are a number of vegan, raw and sugar-free options too. Nectar Café, Triyoga Camden, 57 Jamestown Road, NW1 7DB Govinda’s, Soho: Govinda's is a Hare Krishna-run restaurant that claims to serve ‘karma free’ food, says Londonist's Ruth Hargreaves. A meal here will keep your conscience clear as this Hare Krishna-run, canteen-style restaurant follows a sattvic diet. This means all the dishes are meat-free, freshly made every day, and even blessed before being served. Govinda's, 9-10 Soho Street, W1D 3DL View this post on Instagram A post shared by Gallery Cafe (@the_gallerycafe) on Jan 16, 2019 at 10:10am PST Vegetarian and vegan community enterprises, social enterprises and similar Gallery Café, Bethnal Green: Owned by St Margaret’s House, an arts and cultural hub for the local Bethnal Green community, this vegan café serves a lovely menu of eclectic dishes. These range from vegan 'pulled pork' wrap, to Ethiopian stew. Gallery Café, 21 Old Ford Road, E2 9PL Café Van Gogh, Brixton: Brixton's community enterprise vegan café serves a changing menu of dishes such as chilled pea, mint and fennel soup, penne with foraged wild garlic and walnut pesto, and vegan buckwheat risotto. Café Van Gogh, 88 Brixton Road, SW9 6BE Skip Garden Kitchen, King's Cross: Part of the unique Skip Garden, a moveable urban edible garden in the middle of the King's Cross development site, this charming vegetarian café serves lavish salads made from ingredients grown in the garden, sourdough sandwiches, snacks, cakes and vegetable juices. It has quite specific opening and serving hours so do check in advance. Skip Garden Kitchen, Tapper Walk, N1C 4AQ Seasonal menu at Skip Garden Kitchen Hornbeam Café, Walthamstow: Hornbeam community and environment centre houses a budget-friendly vegan café. It serves an appealing menu committed to reducing food waste. Dishes may include roast spiced parsnip mash with Kashmiri-style red bean curry, and leek and turnip quiche with beetroot, sesame and chilli salad. Hornbeam Café, 458 Hoe Street, E17 9AH Bonnington Café, Vauxhall: This tiny, co-operatively run cash-only vegetarian restaurant is part of the Bonnington Centre — a community resource for the local Vauxhall residents. Volunteers cook on a rota basis, so the menu changes daily but you can expect hearty dishes like pies, tagine and lasagne. Bonnington Café, 11 Vauxhall Grove, SW8 1TD View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Feel Good Cafe (@thefeelgoodcafe) on Dec 20, 2018 at 7:02am PST For the ultra-health conscious Tanya’s Café, Chelsea: Part of Myhotel Chelsea, this cosy restaurant serves a highly nutritious menu of raw, vegan, organic, ethically sourced dishes and drinks that are free from added sugar, dairy or gluten. The menu is huge — and hugely ambitious — and includes brunch items, salads, snacks, mains, cakes and ‘superfood cocktails’. Tanya's Café, Myhotel Chelsea, 35 Ixworth Place, SW3 3QX The Feel Good Café, Chingford: As you can tell by the name, Chingford’s vegetarian café is very much focused on healthy eating. Dishes include the likes of cauliflower, cabbage, chickpea and quinoa soup, and pick-and-mix salads. The Feel Good Café, The Village Arcade, 49 Station Road, E4 7DA For the sweet-toothed Jaz and Jul's Chocolate House. Jaz and Jul’s Chocolate House, Angel: Artisan hot chocolate enthusiasts Jaz and Jul’s Chapel Market café serves not only hot chocs — as you'd expect — but also a choc-centric veggie menu. There's a good selection of toasts with toppings, cakes and desserts; plus savoury mains like black bean chocolate chilli. Waffles and smoothies are available for weekend brunches. Jaz and Jul's Chocolate House, 1 Chapel Market, N1 9EZ Cookies and Scream, Holloway: This family-run vegan bakery sells a wide choice of freshly baked, 'free from' cookies, brownies, pies, doughnuts and shakes. You can sit down to eat the award-winning treats in their Cookie Bar. Cookies and Scream, 130 Holloway Road, N7 8JE Yorica, Soho: London’s first vegan and 'free from' ice cream parlour. It has a great selection of rice milk-based ice creams, frozen yoghurts, and shakes with colourful toppings. Yorica, 130 Wardour Street, W1F 8ZN Ms Cupcake, Brixton: Okay, it's not exactly a well-kept secret, but this much-loved vegan bakery is London's first entirely vegan bakery, is independently owned and still very much deserving of your patronage says Londonist's Ruth Hargreaves. Here, you can buy ‘afters’, including cupcakes, cookies and muffins. Ms Cupcake, 408 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton SW9 8LF View this post on Instagram A post shared by JUICEBABY (@juicebabyuk) on Nov 20, 2018 at 12:42am PST Juice bars Juicebaby, Chelsea: Vegan and raw juice bar that sells a wide selection of smoothies and other drinks, breakfast bowls, salads, sandwiches and sweet snacks. Juicebaby, 398 Kings Road, SW10 0LJ Cyclelab and Juice Bar, Shoreditch: There's a small selection of vegan breakfast pots, soups, snacks and cakes in the juice bar/café of this cycle repair and accessories shop. Cyclelab and Juice Bar, 16b-18a Pitfield Street, N1 6EY Raw Press, Chelsea and King's Cross: Although primarily focused on cold-pressed juices, these stylish juice bars serve vegetarian breakfast and lunch dishes such as porridges, salads and lasagne. Raw Press, 3 Ellis Street, SW1X 9AL and Coal Drops Yard, N1C 4DG Pulse Juice Bar, Hammersmith: Handily located right next to Hammersmith tube station, Pulse Juice Bar keeps commuters stocked up on fresh juices, veggie and vegan wraps, toasties and salads. And there are protein shakes and smoothies for those wanting a slightly more substantial slurp, says Londonist's Ruth Hargreaves. Pulse Juice Bar, Broadway Shopping Centre, Hammersmith Broadway, W6 9YE Rhubarb and almond tart with strawberry and rose compote at Café At Jamyang. Do you have a favourite vegetarian or vegan restaurant that others may not have heard of? Tell us in the comments below.Reds' bullpen still awaiting attention Reds starting pitcher Tony Cingrani on June 4. (Photo: The Enquirer/Jeff Swinger) While left field concerns are understandably getting the bulk of the attention this offseason for the Reds, the club has not made a significant move to fix the bullpen either. A big bat in left field is seen as key to fixing the offense -- a major weakness this year. But the bullpen was statistically worse than the offense. The bullpen finished 14th in the National League with a 4.11 ERA. Only the Colorado Rockies were worse. The collective record of the bullpen was a woeful 11-31. The numbers are even scarier when you consider Aroldis Chapman probably had the best year of any reliever in the NL and Jonathan Broxton was very good before being traded. The rest of the bullpen's ERA? 5.15. Fixing the bullpen was probably made more difficult by trading away starters Mat Latos and Alfredo Simon. Why? Right-hander Raisel Iglesias and left-hander Tony Cingrani, two pitchers with the stuff to make an impact in the bullpen, could end up in the rotation. Iglesias is the Cuban right-hander the Reds signed to a seven-year, $27-million deal in July. He wowed scouts with his performance in the Arizona Fall League. Iglesias did not give up a hit over three appearances. Iglesias was a reliever in Cuba, but the Reds view him as a starter long-term. "He's a guy we think can help us some time in 2015," Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said. "We're not sure if it's in the bullpen or as a starter. We'll get him ready as a starter in the spring." Cingrani began this season in the Reds' rotation after going 7-4 with a 2.92 ERA as a rookie in 2013. He struggled this year with shoulder problems and ended up being optioned to Triple-A before being shut down for the year. Reds manager Bryan Price has said Cingrani could end up in the bullpen, depending on how well his off-speed pitches develop. But Cingrani, like Iglesias, will be used as a starter in spring training. NEWSLETTERS Get the Bengals Beat newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-876-4500. Delivery: Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for Bengals Beat Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters "He's fully recovered from the shoulder thing," Jocketty said. "He'll be prepared as a starter. We could always move him back to the bullpen." The Reds have other alternatives as far as starters: - Right-hander Anthony DeSclafani, obtained in the Latos trade with Miami, made six starts for the Marlins last year. Jocketty said he thinks DeSclafani can compete for a spot in the rotation this spring. - Left-hander David Holmberg went 2-1 with a 1.82 ERA in September. He made three consecutive quality starts to finish the year. The Reds got Holmberg from Arizona in the three-team trade that sent Ryan Hanigan to Tampa Bay. Holmberg came into spring training out of shape. He struggled in Triple-A and in two spot starts for the Reds before finding himself. He came to Redsfest thinner than he finished the year. - Right-hander Dylan Axelrod went 2-1 with a 2.95 ERA in four starts. If two of the above three make the rotation, Iglesias and Cingrani can provide bullpen help. If Sean Marshall is healthy after losing most of the last two seasons to shoulder trouble, he can give a boost to the bullpen. If right-hander Matt Magill (obtained from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Chris Heisey trade) can harness his stuff, he can be the long man the Reds lacked this year. But those are three large ifs. With the payroll such an issue, the Reds are unlikely to add any major free agents for the bullpen. They are more likely to look at some of their young arms -- maybe Michael Lorezen, maybe Nick Howard -- to help the bullpen. The focus will continue to be on left field, but what happens with the bullpen is of equal or greater importance for 2015. Read or Share this story: http://cin.ci/1DPxTtFHave you heard the story about the young, Orthodox Jewish fellow who decides to stop keeping kosher, so he goes to the local coffee shop and orders a cheeseburger with ham and bacon and a glass of milk? Some retraction notices put us in mind of that tale (true, by the way). Consider the following one from the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, in regard to a 2010 paper by Spanish scientists titled “Nationwide Sentinel Surveillance of Bloodstream Candida Infections in 40 Tertiary Care Hospitals in Spain”: Volume 48, no. 11, p. 4200–4206, 2010. We hereby retract this article. After publication of the article, we realized that we had failed to cite the article “Epidemiology of candidemia in Brazil: a nationwide sentinel surveillance of candidemiain eleven medical centers” by A. L. Colombo, M. Nucci, B. J.Park, S. A. Nouér, B. Arthington-Skaggs, D. A. da Matta, D. Warnock, and J. Morgan for the Brazilian Network Candidemia Study (J. Clin. Microbiol. 44:2816–2823, 2006). This article should have been cited as reference 9 in the References section instead of the article by A. L. Colombo, M. Nucci, R. Salomão, M. L. Branchini, R. Richtmann, A. Derossi, and S. B. Wey (Diagn. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 34:281–286, 1999). Moreover, we realized after our article had been published that major parts of the text had been plagiarized almost verbatim from Colombo et al. (J. Clin. Microbiol. 44:2816–2823, 2006). Prof. Cisterna and Dr. Ezpeleta express their deep and sincere apologies to Prof. Colombo and his Brazilian Network Candidemia Study team, to the clinical microbiology community, and to Journal of Clinical Microbiology readers for this embarrassing situation. In addition, we state that Jesus Guinea, Julio García-Rodríguez, Juliana Esperalba, and Benito Regueiro should not have appeared in the author byline, as they contributed to the paper only by supplying isolates and clinical data for the patients and were not involved in the writing of the paper. Whew! That’s a lot to digest. We need a nap. Plagiarism, shoddy — if not downright dishonest — referencing and possible author shenanigans. Definitely not kosher. We say possible shenanigans because while we’ve covered cases in which author names have been forged, we’ve not to our knowledge written about instances in which researchers who contributed to a study had their name stricken from a paper. (Do you really need to take the names off a retracted article, anyway? And, while we’re in parentheses, it seems possible to divine who the guilty party is here: A little like playing Clue, simply start scratching off names of likely suspects.) We have requests for comment out to the journal editor, Cisterna and Colombo, who appears to be the most aggrieved party, and will update this post if we hear anything. Meanwhile, the topic of authorship is fascinating and complicated. As this notice suggests, the question of whose name appears on a manuscript is clearly political and jealously guarded. Perhaps that’s as it should be. But does the person who collects the data really deserve less credit than the lab head who was on sabbatical while the vast majority of the work was being conducted, or the section chief who likes to stick fingers in every pie simply to accumulate numbers on a CV? Please see an update to this story. Share this: Email Facebook TwitterAs its name implies, Tiarajudens eccentricus was a bit of an oddball. This mammal ancestor had huge, blade-like canines and a slew of teeth all along the roof its mouth – yet it was an herbivore. The big-dog-sized animal lived 270 million years ago in the Middle Permian, long before dinosaurs appeared on the scene. Now, a new fossil analysis reveals that they likely bared their outsized canines during visual displays and one-on-one combat. The findings were published in Royal Society Open Science this week. First described in 2011, this mammal relative (or a therapsid to be exact) “looks like a combination of different animals, and it takes some time to believe it when you see this animal in front of you," Juan Cisneros from Universidade Federal do Piaui told National Geographic at the time. "It has the incisors of a horse, which are very good for cutting and pulling plants; the big molars of a capybara, for grinding; and the canines of a saber-toothed cat." The saber-caniniforms of these mammal forerunners were at least 12 centimeters (nearly 5 inches) long. Now, Cisneros and colleagues have conducted a more in-depth analyses of fossils – half a skull, partial lower jaw, limb bones – recovered from sandstone blocks in the Rio do Rasto Formation of Brazil. They found the oldest evidence of herbivores using their canines during visual displays and fights with rivals. "It is incredible to think that features found in deer such as the water deer, musk deer, and muntjacs today were already represented 270 million years ago," Cisneros says in a statement. These tusked deer, who all look rather vampiric, used their canines to scratch body surfaces of their opponents during mating season. Not using the teeth to inflict deep wounds might explain the absence of wear in T. eccentricus. In fact, two forms of combat we see today – canine display and head-butting – appeared in the Permian. Head-butting was an alternative strategy used by dinocephalians, another herbivore during that time; these had massively thickened bones in their foreheads. Behavioral specializations that are considered so characteristic of more recent, Cenozoic mammals, they say, likely evolved when "Earth's first complex herbivore terrestrial communities were constituted." The team also reanalyzed a recently described, closely related species called Anomocephalus africanus, which lived in South Africa when it was still part of Gondwana. The roof of its mouth was also studded with replacement teeth, though it lacked the conspicuous saber-like canines of its Brazilian cousin. Anomocephalus and Tiarajudens. Wits UniversityCommander Faysal Abû Layla Operation launched to liberate the ISIS-invaded Manbij city continues on its 24th day. Several important grounds have been captured in the operation, especially ISIS security points. The western front fighters have captured a 3-storey hospital building from the gangs in Şexbadbaş village liberated 2 days ago. Patient care rooms and large amounts of medication were captured. The supplies seized in the hospital and the boxes they arrived in bear the mark of pharmaceutical company “Çetin İlaç Sanayi ve Anonim Şirketi” and the conglomerate Deva Holding, which shows one more time the collaboration between the Turkish state and ISIS. The fighters also captured the home of the Lebanese emir known as Emir İsa. Large amounts of military suplies, devices and thermal equipment was found in the house and large amounts of ISIS ammunition were captured. Manbij freedom fighter partaking in the operation Saleh Muhammed said on the captured emir: “As you all know, a man has to decapitate 7 civilians before he can become an emir.” Muhammed said this emir was Lebanese and he was cornered in the village. ... Powered by Cincopa Podcast Hosting for Business solution.The latest Bloomberg News national poll shows that Donald Trump two points ahead of Hillary Clinton. Trump earns 43 percent support to Clinton’s 41 percent. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson earns 8 percent while Green Party candidate Jill Stein got 4 percent. The poll shows that both Clinton and Trump have the same favorability ratings; 42 percent rate them favorably while 56 percent rate them unfavorability ratings. Trump leads Clinton on voter’s impressions of his health. Sixty one percent say that Trump has excellent or good while only 36 percent said the same about Clinton. Only 8 percent suggested that Trump’s health was poor, while 31 percent said that about Clinton. But voters expect Clinton to do much better in Monday’s presidential debate than Trump. Forty-nine percent of voters expect Clinton to win, while 39 percent expect Trump to win. The poll surveyed 1,002 likely voters during September 21-24 with margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 points.Not sure if XCOM: Enemy Unknown is for you? Come see why fans of other popular franchises should have Firaxis' upcoming strategy game on their radar – or just to see three more new exclusive screenshots. [Click any of the three screenshots on this page to view a larger version.] Battlefield Sure, Battlefield and XCOM are in two entirely different genres, but the core concepts of squad tactics and lethality are common to both. Do something stupid like poking your head out of cover with no support in either game and you're just as dead. On the plus side, since you're in control of everything in XCOM, you won't lose match after match because some idiot insists on flying a chopper filled with squaddies into a hillside. Civilization This one is obvious, but worth mentioning. Civ developer Firaxis is making XCOM as well, so that's an easy connection. Additionally, the strategy layer will resonate with any Civ fan with its global politics, gradual buildup of capabilities, always-improving technology, and resource management. And instead of doing lame things like building aqueducts and managing tax rates, you're immediately locked into a desperate fight for survival where the only way to win is to beat the enemy in the field. Resident Evil Any player of the original X-COM can tell you just how creepy a turn-based game can be. Ordering a soldier you've named, trained, and equipped to poke her head into a dark cabin in the woods that might house a gaggle of angry aliens is a nerve-wracking moment for any commander. Scraping together whatever resources you can in an effort to stave off impending doom should make any survival horror fan feel right at home in XCOM. Mass Effect Hmm, defending humanity from an alien invasion...sound familiar? Turning their own weapons against them ringing any bells? Mass Effect's tone and XCOM's couldn't be more similar. The sense of having your back against the wall and being forced into making tough decisions to win the larger war is XCOM's bread and butter. No hot blue chicks, though. Probably. Final Fantasy Tactics XCOM is certain to be a lot more difficult than Final Fantasy Tactics, but taking on turn-based tactical challenges with a customized squad is the heart of both games. You just know that the dude you name Thunder God Cid is going to end up with a face full of plasma blast, though. Valkyria Chronicles Who am I kidding? If you're a hardcore enough strategy gamer to be a fan of Valkyria Chronicles, you've already pre-ordered XCOM. Did I miss your favorite franchise? Is one of the descriptions above way off base? Tell everyone why in the comments below. Alternatively, click the hub banner to see the rest of our month-long exclusive XCOM: Enemy Unknown content.President Obama has approved a request from the CIA to begin launching targeted assassinations through drone strikes even when the identity of the victims is unknown. CIA Director David Petraeus, had requested permission to employ the tactic used in Pakistan for years called “signature strikes,”
+2 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.152 (colored) next main 1.153 (colored) 6.1-stable Revision 1.153 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Sun Apr 2 00:27:36 2017 UTC (22 months, 3 weeks ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.152: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.152 (colored) unlock tree, we are now hacking on 6.1-current Revision 1.152 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Wed Mar 29 01:39:27 2017 UTC (23 months ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN CVS Tags: OPENBSD_6_1_BASE Branch point for: OPENBSD_6_1 Changes since 1.151: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.151 (colored) move to 6.1 release, drop -beta tag Revision 1.151 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Sat Mar 4 16:52:47 2017 UTC (23 months, 3 weeks ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.150: +4 -4 lines Diff to previous 1.150 (colored) crank to 6.1-beta Revision 1.150 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Tue Jan 24 11:59:41 2017 UTC (2 years, 1 month ago) by tb Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.149: +2 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.149 (colored) logname(1) uses getlogin(2) to determine the user associated with the current session. This way kernels built during'make release' should again have names such as deraadt@... bluhm@... instead of build@... in most environments. Issue reported by bluhm on icb eons ago. ok deraadt Revision 1.149 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Sun Oct 16 17:31:36 2016 UTC (2 years, 4 months ago) by tb Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.148: +2 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.148 (colored) Strip trailing obj/ from kernel build directories, so kernels are again marked with GENERIC{,.MP} RAMDISK, etc. Problem noticed by several (jsg, semarie,...) ok many (sthen, natano, millert, deraadt,...) Explanations why quotes aren't necessary by even more. Thanks! Revision 1.148 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Thu Sep 1 14:12:07 2016 UTC (2 years, 5 months ago) by tedu Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.147: +2 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.147 (colored) make the version symbol a fixed size (512) to reduce the potential for bad effects when savecore reads beyond it ok deraadt (and thanks to bluhm for remembering that this happens) Revision 1.146.2.1 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Tue Aug 2 09:48:40 2016 UTC (2 years, 6 months ago) by benno Branch: OPENBSD_6_0 Changes since 1.146: +2 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.146 (colored) next main 1.147 (colored) OPENBSD_6_0 is now -stable ok deraadt@ Revision 1.147 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Tue Jul 26 17:57:14 2016 UTC (2 years, 7 months ago) by kettenis Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.146: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.146 (colored) Welcome to 6.0-current. ok deraadt@ Revision 1.146 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Fri Jul 15 05:06:24 2016 UTC (2 years, 7 months ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN CVS Tags: OPENBSD_6_0_BASE Branch point for: OPENBSD_6_0 Changes since 1.145: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.145 (colored) take us out of -beta Revision 1.145 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Wed May 11 18:01:33 2016 UTC (2 years, 9 months ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.144: +4 -4 lines Diff to previous 1.144 (colored) crank to 6.0-beta Revision 1.143.2.1 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Thu Mar 24 05:08:56 2016 UTC (2 years, 11 months ago) by jsg Branch: OPENBSD_5_9 Changes since 1.143: +2 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.143 (colored) next main 1.144 (colored) 5.9-stable Revision 1.144 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Thu Feb 25 00:31:25 2016 UTC (3 years ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.143: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.143 (colored) we are now hacking on 5.9-current Revision 1.143 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Mon Feb 1 22:15:30 2016 UTC (3 years ago) by jsg Branch: MAIN CVS Tags: OPENBSD_5_9_BASE Branch point for: OPENBSD_5_9 Changes since 1.142: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.142 (colored) move to -release mode requested by deraadt@ Revision 1.142 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Wed Jan 6 23:14:05 2016 UTC (3 years, 1 month ago) by benno Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.141: +3 -1 lines Diff to previous 1.141 (colored) document the signify command for the next release, so that users can verify before the netx upgrade. document that signify.1 needs an edit bump once in a while. ok tedu@ florian@ Revision 1.141 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Sat Dec 19 19:44:09 2015 UTC (3 years, 2 months ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.140: +4 -4 lines Diff to previous 1.140 (colored) move to 5.9-beta Revision 1.139.4.1 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Sat Sep 5 11:31:55 2015 UTC (3 years, 5 months ago) by sthen Branch: OPENBSD_5_8 Changes since 1.139: +2 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.139 (colored) next main 1.140 (colored) 5.8-stable Revision 1.140 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Mon Aug 10 20:31:00 2015 UTC (3 years, 6 months ago) by jca Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.139: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.139 (colored) Back to -current. Revision 1.139 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Thu Jul 23 16:26:57 2015 UTC (3 years, 7 months ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN CVS Tags: OPENBSD_5_8_BASE Branch point for: OPENBSD_5_8 Changes since 1.138: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.138 (colored) remove -beta tag. take that as a hint. Revision 1.138 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Wed Jun 17 19:52:18 2015 UTC (3 years, 8 months ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.137: +4 -4 lines Diff to previous 1.137 (colored) move to 5.8-beta. This is a bit earlier than normal... Revision 1.136.2.1 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Sun Mar 22 01:13:32 2015 UTC (3 years, 11 months ago) by tedu Branch: OPENBSD_5_7 Changes since 1.136: +2 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.136 (colored) next main 1.137 (colored) -stable Revision 1.137 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Mon Mar 9 20:08:55 2015 UTC (3 years, 11 months ago) by miod Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.136: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.136 (colored) If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 5.8... you're gonna see some serious shit. Revision 1.136 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Wed Mar 4 14:31:13 2015 UTC (3 years, 11 months ago) by jsg Branch: MAIN CVS Tags: OPENBSD_5_7_BASE Branch point for: OPENBSD_5_7 Changes since 1.135: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.135 (colored) move to -release mode ok deraadt@ Revision 1.135 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Thu Jan 1 15:50:27 2015 UTC (4 years, 1 month ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.134: +4 -4 lines Diff to previous 1.134 (colored) move to 5.7-beta Revision 1.133.4.1 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Sun Sep 7 03:07:16 2014 UTC (4 years, 5 months ago) by jsg Branch: OPENBSD_5_6 Changes since 1.133: +2 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.133 (colored) next main 1.134 (colored) 5.6-stable Revision 1.134 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Mon Aug 11 18:33:36 2014 UTC (4 years, 6 months ago) by miod Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.133: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.133 (colored) -current dammit Revision 1.133 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Tue Jul 29 12:56:41 2014 UTC (4 years, 7 months ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN CVS Tags: OPENBSD_5_6_BASE Branch point for: OPENBSD_5_6 Changes since 1.132: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.132 (colored) move to -release mode Revision 1.132 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Tue Jul 15 21:59:17 2014 UTC (4 years, 7 months ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.131: +4 -4 lines Diff to previous 1.131 (colored) crank to 5.6-beta Revision 1.130.4.1 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Sat May 3 19:32:01 2014 UTC (4 years, 9 months ago) by jsg Branch: OPENBSD_5_5 Changes since 1.130: +2 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.130 (colored) next main 1.131 (colored) 5.5-stable Revision 1.131 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Wed Mar 5 18:54:32 2014 UTC (4 years, 11 months ago) by chris Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.130: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.130 (colored) We are now 5.5-current Revision 1.130 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Sat Feb 22 03:53:45 2014 UTC (5 years ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN CVS Tags: OPENBSD_5_5_BASE Branch point for: OPENBSD_5_5 Changes since 1.129: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.129 (colored) take us to -release mode Revision 1.129 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Sun Jan 12 11:26:08 2014 UTC (5 years, 1 month ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.128: +4 -4 lines Diff to previous 1.128 (colored) crank to 5.5beta Revision 1.127.2.1 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Sun Nov 3 11:24:51 2013 UTC (5 years, 3 months ago) by sthen Branch: OPENBSD_5_4 Changes since 1.127: +2 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.127 (colored) next main 1.128 (colored) -stable, for mitja :) Revision 1.128 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Mon Jul 29 18:43:50 2013 UTC (5 years, 7 months ago) by kettenis Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.127: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.127 (colored) and we're hacking on 5.4-current now Revision 1.127 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Wed Jul 17 13:35:57 2013 UTC (5 years, 7 months ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN CVS Tags: OPENBSD_5_4_BASE Branch point for: OPENBSD_5_4 Changes since 1.126: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.126 (colored) no longer beta; get moving towards release Revision 1.126 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Sun Jul 7 18:11:50 2013 UTC (5 years, 7 months ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.125: +4 -4 lines Diff to previous 1.125 (colored) move to 5.4-beta Revision 1.123.2.1 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Sun May 5 19:41:53 2013 UTC (5 years, 9 months ago) by sthen Branch: OPENBSD_5_3 Changes since 1.123: +2 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.123 (colored) next main 1.124 (colored) switch to -stable suffix, reminded by mitja Revision 1.125 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Tue Apr 9 18:47:14 2013 UTC (5 years, 10 months ago) by mlarkin Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.124: +2 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.124 (colored) newvers.sh uses 'basename' to determine the directory name to stamp the kernel version ID with, but it did not account for spaces in the name, leading to version strings like "OpenBSD 5.3-current ()". Quote the call to basename to permit paths with spaces in the name. ok halex@, deraadt@ Revision 1.124 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Fri Mar 1 21:06:04 2013 UTC (5 years, 11 months ago) by guenther Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.123: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.123 (colored) Antici pation: back to -current Revision 1.123 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Thu Feb 21 15:26:20 2013 UTC (6 years ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN CVS Tags: OPENBSD_5_3_BASE Branch point for: OPENBSD_5_3 Changes since 1.122: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.122 (colored) go to release Revision 1.122 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Thu Jan 31 23:30:40 2013 UTC (6 years ago) by miod Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.121: +4 -4 lines Diff to previous 1.121 (colored) welcome to 5.3-BETA Revision 1.120.2.1 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Wed Dec 19 18:51:03 2012 UTC (6 years, 2 months ago) by jj Branch: OPENBSD_5_2 Changes since 1.120: +2 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.120 (colored) next main 1.121 (colored) enter -stable. ok deraadt@, reported by Mitja M. Revision 1.121 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Thu Jul 26 15:51:22 2012 UTC (6 years, 7 months ago) by otto Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.120: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.120 (colored) move to -current Revision 1.120 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Mon Jul 16 10:50:07 2012 UTC (6 years, 7 months ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN CVS Tags: OPENBSD_5_2_BASE Branch point for: OPENBSD_5_2 Changes since 1.119: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.119 (colored) and we head towards release Revision 1.119 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Wed Jun 20 21:40:55 2012 UTC (6 years, 8 months ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.118: +4 -4 lines Diff to previous 1.118 (colored) move to 5.2-beta Revision 1.117.2.1 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Mon Apr 23 13:55:06 2012 UTC (6 years, 10 months ago) by henning Branch: OPENBSD_5_1 Changes since 1.117: +2 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.117 (colored) next main 1.118 (colored) enter -stable Revision 1.118 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Tue Feb 14 19:25:05 2012 UTC (7 years ago) by kettenis Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.117: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.117 (colored) we are now hacking on 5.1-current Revision 1.117 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Tue Feb 7 17:30:00 2012 UTC (7 years ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN CVS Tags: OPENBSD_5_1_BASE Branch point for: OPENBSD_5_1 Changes since 1.116: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.116 (colored) move out of -beta Revision 1.116 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Thu Jan 12 00:35:59 2012 UTC (7 years, 1 month ago) by sthen Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.115: +2 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.115 (colored) s/5.0/5.1/, ok deraadt@ Revision 1.115 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Wed Jan 11 22:11:35 2012 UTC (7 years, 1 month ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.114: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.114 (colored) crank to 5.1-beta Revision 1.113.2.1 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Wed Oct 5 10:44:46 2011 UTC (7 years, 4 months ago) by henning Branch: OPENBSD_5_0 Changes since 1.113: +2 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.113 (colored) next main 1.114 (colored) enter -stable Revision 1.114 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Tue Aug 16 21:00:48 2011 UTC (7 years, 6 months ago) by kettenis Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.113: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.113 (colored) we are now hacking on 5.0-current requested by deraadt@ Revision 1.113 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Wed Aug 3 18:45:55 2011 UTC (7 years, 6 months ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN CVS Tags: OPENBSD_5_0_BASE Branch point for: OPENBSD_5_0 Changes since 1.112: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.112 (colored) move to release Revision 1.112 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Mon Jul 18 07:07:52 2011 UTC (7 years, 7 months ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.111: +4 -4 lines Diff to previous 1.111 (colored) take us to 5.0-beta Revision 1.110.2.1 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Wed Apr 20 14:16:54 2011 UTC (7 years, 10 months ago) by henning Branch: OPENBSD_4_9 Changes since 1.110: +2 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.110 (colored) next main 1.111 (colored) enter -stable Revision 1.111 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Wed Mar 2 01:58:39 2011 UTC (7 years, 11 months ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.110: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.110 (colored) we are now hacking on 4.9-current Revision 1.110 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Tue Feb 15 07:14:45 2011 UTC (8 years ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN CVS Tags: OPENBSD_4_9_BASE Branch point for: OPENBSD_4_9 Changes since 1.109: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.109 (colored) move us to real 4.9 Revision 1.109 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Thu Jan 13 23:17:50 2011 UTC (8 years, 1 month ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.108: +4 -4 lines Diff to previous 1.108 (colored) move to 4.9-current Revision 1.108 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Mon Oct 18 19:17:29 2010 UTC (8 years, 4 months ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.107: +1 -4 lines Diff to previous 1.107 (colored) tmac update no longer needed Revision 1.106.2.1 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Sat Oct 2 03:03:15 2010 UTC (8 years, 4 months ago) by william Branch: OPENBSD_4_8 Changes since 1.106: +2 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.106 (colored) next main 1.107 (colored) 4.8-stable ok deraadt Revision 1.107 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Thu Aug 12 00:25:24 2010 UTC (8 years, 6 months ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.106: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.106 (colored) we are at -current again Revision 1.106 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Sun Aug 8 17:18:31 2010 UTC (8 years, 6 months ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN CVS Tags: OPENBSD_4_8_BASE Branch point for: OPENBSD_4_8 Changes since 1.105: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.105 (colored) take us to release Revision 1.105 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Sat Jul 24 15:31:53 2010 UTC (8 years, 7 months ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.104: +4 -4 lines Diff to previous 1.104 (colored) move to 4.8-beta Revision 1.103.2.1 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Fri Jun 11 01:32:25 2010 UTC (8 years, 8 months ago) by william Branch: OPENBSD_4_7 Changes since 1.103: +2 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.103 (colored) next main 1.104 (colored) 4.7-stable; ok deraadt@ Revision 1.104 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Thu Mar 18 21:17:48 2010 UTC (8 years, 11 months ago) by otto Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.103: +5 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.103 (colored) move to 4.7-current Revision 1.103 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Fri Mar 5 10:59:35 2010 UTC (8 years, 11 months ago) by miod Branch: MAIN CVS Tags: OPENBSD_4_7_BASE Branch point for: OPENBSD_4_7 Changes since 1.102: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.102 (colored) head towards release, correctly. tsk tsk tsk. Revision 1.102 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Fri Mar 5 08:54:01 2010 UTC (8 years, 11 months ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.101: +2 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.101 (colored) head towards release Revision 1.101 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Tue Jan 26 23:04:28 2010 UTC (9 years, 1 month ago) by miod Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.100: +4 -4 lines Diff to previous 1.100 (colored) 4.7-BETA (also, lo-carb and ozone layer friendly) Revision 1.99.4.1 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Sat Aug 8 10:41:41 2009 UTC (9 years, 6 months ago) by henning Branch: OPENBSD_4_6 Changes since 1.99: +2 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.99 (colored) next main 1.100 (colored) reveal identidy Revision 1.100 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Sun Jul 5 23:42:51 2009 UTC (9 years, 7 months ago) by dlg Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.99: +2 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.99 (colored) take us to 4.6-current Revision 1.99 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Wed Jul 1 15:10:25 2009 UTC (9 years, 7 months ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN CVS Tags: OPENBSD_4_6_BASE Branch point for: OPENBSD_4_6 Changes since 1.98: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.98 (colored) take us to 4.6, though there will still be some changes Revision 1.98 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Sat Jun 20 23:38:12 2009 UTC (9 years, 8 months ago) by miod Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.97: +4 -6 lines Diff to previous 1.97 (colored) 4.6-BETA Revision 1.97 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Sun May 17 02:02:30 2009 UTC (9 years, 9 months ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.96: +1 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.96 (colored) the previous was a bug, and has been fixed Revision 1.96 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Sat May 16 22:24:11 2009 UTC (9 years, 9 months ago) by miod Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.95: +2 -1 lines Diff to previous 1.95 (colored) distrib/miniroot/install.sub now embeds the current version number in two places, update comments accordingly. Revision 1.94.2.1 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Fri May 1 05:42:44 2009 UTC (9 years, 10 months ago) by deraadt Branch: OPENBSD_4_5 Changes since 1.94: +2 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.94 (colored) next main 1.95 (colored) move OPENBSD_4_5 to -stable; Maurice Janssen Revision 1.95 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Sun Mar 1 02:21:07 2009 UTC (10 years ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.94: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.94 (colored) move to 4.5-current Revision 1.94 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Thu Feb 26 17:55:17 2009 UTC (10 years ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN CVS Tags: OPENBSD_4_5_BASE Branch point for: OPENBSD_4_5 Changes since 1.93: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.93 (colored) declare builds from around here to be 4.5 instead of 4.5-beta, though it is not really true since there are a few more (very important) things going in. Revision 1.93 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Sun Feb 8 21:02:22 2009 UTC (10 years ago) by miod Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.92: +4 -4 lines Diff to previous 1.92 (colored) Move to 4.5-BETA Revision 1.91.2.1 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Sun Nov 2 03:54:55 2008 UTC (10 years, 3 months ago) by brad Branch: OPENBSD_4_4 Changes since 1.91: +3 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.91 (colored) next main 1.92 (colored) Here comes -stable. Revision 1.92 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Thu Aug 7 17:18:03 2008 UTC (10 years, 6 months ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.91: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.91 (colored) we are at 4.4-current Revision 1.91 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Wed Aug 6 03:56:53 2008 UTC (10 years, 6 months ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN CVS Tags: OPENBSD_4_4_BASE Branch point for: OPENBSD_4_4 Changes since 1.90: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.90 (colored) we are no longer in -beta Revision 1.90 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Wed Jul 2 00:13:32 2008 UTC (10 years, 7 months ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.89: +4 -4 lines Diff to previous 1.89 (colored) move to 4.4-beta Revision 1.88.2.1 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Wed Jun 4 09:26:46 2008 UTC (10 years, 8 months ago) by henning Branch: OPENBSD_4_3 Changes since 1.88: +2 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.88 (colored) next main 1.89 (colored) -stable; noticed by otto Revision 1.89 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Sat Mar 8 00:00:17 2008 UTC (10 years, 11 months ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.88: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.88 (colored) move us to 4.3-current Revision 1.88 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Tue Mar 4 18:37:52 2008 UTC (10 years, 11 months ago) by deraadt Branch: MAIN CVS Tags: OPENBSD_4_3_BASE Branch point for: OPENBSD_4_3 Changes since 1.87: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.87 (colored) remove -beta Revision 1.87 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Wed Feb 20 17:46:51 2008 UTC (11 years ago) by miod Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.86: +4 -4 lines Diff to previous 1.86 (colored) 4.3-beta Revision 1.85.2.1 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Thu Oct 11 11:30:19 2007 UTC (11 years, 4 months ago) by henning Branch: OPENBSD_4_2 Changes since 1.85: +2 -2 lines Diff to previous 1.85 (colored) next main 1.86 (colored) enter -stable Revision 1.86 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Tue Aug 21 18:53:28 2007 UTC (11 years, 6 months ago) by kettenis Branch: MAIN Changes since 1.85: +3 -3 lines Diff to previous 1.85 (colored) unlock tree, move towards 4.2-current requested by deraadt@ Revision 1.85 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Sun Aug 5 14:20:36 2007 UTC (11 years, 6 months ago
the very best to coordinate the side of the football that the head coach knew the least about. Spurrier and Meyer were offensive gurus and they needed to hire the likes of Jim Bates, Bob Stoops, Charlie Strong and Greg Mattison to pilot the other side of the ball. Champ is a defensive wizard, and even though he is the maven and not-so-invisible hand at work creating and directing the Florida defense, he still has hired outstanding coordinators there, starting with his first selection of Dan Quinn, who went on to be the defensive coordinator in Seattle where his Seahwks led the NFL in fewest points allowed, fewest yards allowed and most takeaways (the first team since the 1985 Bears to do that), and his defense came one play away from tossing a dominating shutout at mighty Peyton Manning and the insufferable John Fox to win Super Bowl XLVIII. But on the offensive side of the ball, it’s been a much different story. The hiring of Charlie Weis was an unmitigated disaster in every way imaginable. Every risk inherent in hiring Weis was realized and maximized, with no rewards to be found. Offensive line coach Frank Verducci was not much better. What’s more, the popular hire of Gator alum Aubrey Hill as receivers coach was not well enough vetted to foresee his receiving a 2-year show-cause penalty from the NCAA as fallout for his possible involvement in the 2011 Miami Hurricanes athletics department scandal. This ironically left Hill and Florida as the only entities to suffer any significant penalty from the massive misdeeds of the Miami program. And before anyone gets too critical of Champ for these big hiring mistakes, remember that Spurrier and Meyer made their own significant hiring mistakes. When Spurs hired Jon Hoke to coordinate the Gator defense, the defense suffered significantly. Under Hoke’s leadership it impacted the program’s title contention for a few years and caused a serious rift in the staff and furthered the conflicts in an eroding relationship between Spurrier and Athletics Director Jeremy Foley that would eventually play a part in the Old Ball Coach’s devastating resignation after the 2001 season. After the 2008 campaign, when Meyer’s top assistants started fleeing the program for advanced positions, his hires could have been made into an instructional video of how never to go about hiring a staff. It was instrumental in creating the snake pit of power grabs and job-hopping that littered the end of Meyer’s tenure and greased the slide into program implosion. While Champ traded up in 2012 for Brent Pease and line coach Tim Davis, those were baby steps at best. While Weis was an unmitigated disaster, Pease was a mitigated disaster. What he made up for by actually trying to do his job as offensive coordinator (something it was unclear that Charlie ever did), he balanced that out by having no relationship with his players, creating a rift in the staff, giving his young fish-out-of-water previously-option quarterback no direct coaching and spending all the program’s recruiting weekends fly fishing in the Great Northwest. Again, these are crushing errors on Muschamp’s ledger, but nothing that would be unexpected for a new head coach. The thing to watch is whether he learns from the errors and corrects them. Enter new offensive coordinator Kurt Roper and new line coach Mike Summers. When Pease was hired, there was great relief that the Grand Charlie Weis Experiment was over before it did too much damage, but there was not a lot of buzz or warm fuzzies around the actual hire. Some cresting formed around the fact that Champ beat out Nick Saban head-to-head for his services, but he had only been the coordinator at Boise State for one year and he was not the architect of that dynamic offense. And the offense he would install at Florida was not going to be the same beast anyway: it would be by design a Florida version of the ground and pound power running pro set that had been so successful at Alabama under Champ’s old boss. However things are much different with the hire of Kurt Roper. He is a known quantity at offensive coordinator, having dazzled in this position for the last six years at Duke, also spending six years at the same position at Mississippi. And while there are some naysayers who claim that David Cutcliffe, a great offensive mind in his own right, has been the “real” offensive coordinator at Duke the last six years, the fact is that Cutcliffe had never designed or run the kind of spread attack that he hired Roper to install at Duke in 2008. It is Kurt’s design, Kurt’s philosophy, Kurt’s baby. And shoot, even if the uninformed pontification were true that it was Cutcliffe’s offense all along, surely six years of designing game plans and calling the plays brought Roper up to speed, eh? (enter wry grin here) Gator fans watched Roper’s Duke offense slice and dice the SEC defense of Texas A&M in their bowl game so efficiently that you would have expected to see Ron Popiel on the sidelines instead of Kurt Roper. Gators everywhere dug up film of Duke games and highlights under Roper. And it is easy to see how this explosive offense would jump more levels when you replace Duke talent with Florida talent. This isn’t a three-yards-and-punt-and-then-late-in-the-game-pull-a-red-zone-double-handoff-to-score-a-rare-touchdown kind of offense. This isn’t a handoff-handoff-chuck-it-punt-and-go-sit-on-the-cooler-and-pout kind of offense. It is a creative, perpetual attacking machine in a very simple, basic player-friendly package. It was clearly evident in spring practice and the Orange & Blue Game that the players find this offense far more absorbable. Gone was the bucket-of-ants pre-snap confusion on every play, burning the play clock to zero and giving the defense a running start on every down. Gone were the constant motion penalties and false-start miscues. Gone were all the wrong routes and miscommunications. The offense did not emulate the 1990 Fun & Gun, but it looked like it was going to be an efficient, smooth-running animal that allows players to simply make plays, instead of figuring out a quantum physics riddle before and during every down of play. And it’s early – really early – to expect to see a high octane offense already. That will come if things go to plan. Remember Urban’s explosive and dynamic spread-option was a complete mess for much of the first half of his rookie season, but when it started to come together at the end of the year, it could not be stopped for four years running. Everyone is waiting to see if everything does go to plan this fall, but there are more indications that the plan is progressing at speed. Gator Country’s Andrew Spivey recently reported about how much the player on this team love Will Muschamp. That’s the new guys, the old guys and the guys who at one point were ready to transfer. They all love him. This speaks absolute volumes about how they have bought in, how much they love the coaching changes Champ’s made since the end of last year, how the players are responding and will continue to respond to the coaching, and how they will answer the bell out on the field and play for each other when the chips are down or when a clutch play has to be made in the heat of the game. As Prince Edward said in A Knight’s Tale, ‘Your men love you; if I knew nothing else about you, that would be enough.’ It means something, and that something is good news for the future of the program. Of course it still remains to be seen on the field against real opponents how the hire of Roper – as well as Summers – will reflect on Muschamp’s ability to identify and bring in high quality and solid culture fits to run the Gator offense. But as they say: so far, so good. Thus far all the signs are trending very positive for what we need to see. This is the biggest obstacle for Muschamp – his biggest deficiency that could prevent him from being a great or elite head coach: the ability to hire the right offensive assistant coaches for the Florida program. The offensive architects and line workers who will not only score more points and win more games but also create a game-day excitement around this offense for the fans and players alike. Everyone knows that this fall’s on-field performance, specifically for the offense, is the key to Muschamp securing his long-term future at Florida. But much more significant than that is that it will tell us whether he has made the toughest progression – learned the most crucial lesson – to becoming a great head coach. For more coverage of the Florida Gators football team and David Parker articles join Gator Country.On the look out for a clean, modern and open-source desktop RSS reader app for Linux? I know I am, so I was excited to come across Alduin. Alduin is a simple RSS (and Atom) feed aggregator that’s billed as having an “ergonomic, complete and easy to use interface, which will be suitable for all types of user.” It doesn’t sync with any web reader services like Feedly (which is my main ask( but does let you add and remove RSS feeds directly in the app. I know that some of you will be screaming “Liferea” at this post. Don’t get me wrong: I think Liferea is a wonderful client, and it handles RSS feeds nicely. But since the demise of the fantastic Lightread (a desktop RSS reader that used Google Reader I’ve longed for something with a similar style and layout (not to mention some of the neat social network and web service integrations, as I’m a big Pocket user). Alduin, though far from perfect, is a pretty decent alternative. Alduin RSS Reader Alduin is an Electron app, meaning it’s built using web technologies rather than native system ones. While this may seem like a drawback you have to remember that this app simply wouldn’t exist without it. It lets you add (and export) a It’s (currently) short on system integrations, so you won’t get an unread count on the Unity launcher, see an application indicator, or benefit from native system theming, but it’s a promising first draft. I look forward to seeing how this app evolves. Download Alduin for Linux The application is yet to see a stable release and, its developers say, ‘is evolving day by day’. That doesn’t meant that you can’t use it now, just keep the cautionary proviso in mind as you do. You can download Alduin for Windows (32-bit) and Linux (64-bit) from the project’s Github page. There you can also contribute code and file issues. Visit the Alduin Releases Page on Github• Ukrainian soldier killed in Crimea during attack • Crimea's parliament has formally declared independence • Handover of Crimea to Ukraine by Kruschev'mistake' • Putin says Russia will retaliate to sanctions • Nearly 97 per cent vote to break away from Ukraine • Ukraine parliament approves partial mobilisation of troops • US vice-president visiting Poland today 23.10 We're going to leave it there for the night. Please check our Ukraine page for the latest news. 22.40 A member of a pro-Russian militia group is reported to have been killed in the same gun battle that claimed the life of the Ukrainian soldier earlier. There's some confusion over how the militia man died and it seems that he may have been killed by his own side rather than shot by resisting Ukrainian forces. 22.15 You're not the only one who thinks this feels like the bad old days of the Cold War. Here's an old woman in the a pro-Russian crowd in Sevastopol, lovingly holding an image of Joseph Stalin. 21.50 Apparently, the crisis in Ukraine is not affecting the P5+1 nuclear negotiations in Vienna, where Russia and the US are in theory on the same as they try to make a deal with Iran. This from Reuters: The March 18-19 meeting between Iran and the powers - the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany - began a day after Washington and the European Union imposed sanctions on Russian officials over Moscow's takeover of Ukraine's Crimea region. "I haven't seen any negative effect," Michael Mann, a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton who coordinates the talks on behalf of the six nations, told reporters. "We continue our work in a unified fashion." 21.20 Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the secretary general of Nato, has just arrived in Washington for talks with the Obama administration <noframe>Twitter: AndersFogh Rasmussen - Just arrived in Washington for talks w/ <a href="http://www.twitter.com/JohnKerry" target="_blank">@JohnKerry</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/search?src=hash&q=%23SecDef" target="_blank">#SecDef</a> Hagel & <a href="http://www.twitter.com/AmbassadorRice" target="_blank">@AmbassadorRice</a>. I condemn Pres Putin's decision to incorporate <a href="https://twitter.com/search?src=hash&q=%23Crimea" target="_blank">#Crimea</a></noframe> 21.00 When trying to understand what's going on in Crimea, it's important to remember that the peninsula was part of Russia until 1954, when the Soviet leadership transferred it to Ukraine. Many Russians feel that handover was a historic mistake and that Putin's annexation is merely a corrective measure. How widespread is that view? Well, even Mikhail Gorbachev, the man with whom the West could famously do business, agrees. He told Interfax: Earlier Crimea was merged with Ukraine under Soviet laws, to be more exact by the [Communist] party's laws, without asking the people, and now the people have decided to correct that mistake. This should be welcomed instead of declaring sanctions. Et tu, Gorby? 20.30 The White House has released this statement in response to the killing of a Ukrainian soldier in Crimea: We are deeply concerned by these reports and condemn any violence in the Crimean region of Ukraine. These reports belie President Putin’s claim that Russia’s military intervention in Crimea has calmed the security situation there. Diplomacy remains the only acceptable means of resolving this crisis, and we are prepared to impose further costs on Russia for its violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity. 19.36 In an interview with the BBC, Vladyslav Seleznyov, a spokesman for the Ukrainian defence ministry, has pretty shockingly claimed that armed attackers used the commander of a Ukrainian military unit in Simferopol as a live shield to gain access to the building. 19.22 The AP news agency has footage of the mystery gunmen on the roof of the military base in Simferopol where a soldier was killed earlier. 18.22 The Ukrainian government's official website confirms that a junior officer has been killed in Simferopol. His surname is given as Kakurin, no first name. A captain named Fedun was wounded in the neck and the arm, the website says. 18.10 Our correspondent in Washington, Raf Sanchez, says John Kerry has said that any Russian incursion beyond Crimea would "as egregious as any step I can think of that could be taken by a country in today's world". "Today is egregious enough," he said. "When you raise this nationalistic fervor which would in fact infect in ways that could be very, very dangerous. All you have to do is go back and read in history about the lead up to World War II and the passions that were released with that kind of nationalistic fervor." 17.55 A Moscow-based correspondent for the Global Post tweets from outside Crimean parliament HQ: All that's left of "Auto. Repub. of Crimea" parliament is a pile of letters. pic.twitter.com/8PBO1oVLwn — Dan Peleschuk (@dpeleschuk) March 18, 2014 They're already changing the nameplate on parliament of #Crimea - wasted no time!! pic.twitter.com/B6qnAjhmsc — Ben Brown (@BenBrownBBC) March 18, 2014 17.53 Ukraine's defence ministry has said its soldiers were "allowed to use arms" after suffering their first casualty in Crimea since Russian and pro-Kremlin troops seized the peninsula nearly three weeks ago. "For their self defence and protection of their lives, Ukrainian servicemen... deployed in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea are allowed to use arms," the Ukrainian defence ministry said in a statement. It appears the attack was not carried out by Russian soldiers, but by armed men sympathetic to Moscow. 17.43 A Ukrainian military spokesman has said a serviceman has died and another was injured when a base in Crimea was stormed by armed men. Ukraine soldiers have been told they are "allowed to use arms" following the first death. Cossacks attend a rally to support the annexation of Ukraine's Crimea to Russia in the Russian southern city of Stavropol 17.07 Reuters also reports that mourners gathered at a cemetery outside Simferopol on Tuesday for the burial of Reshat Ametov blame Putin for his death. Ametov, who was in his 30s, disappeared on March 3 when three men in military jackets led him away from the scene of a protest in the Crimean regional capital of Simferopol, witnesses said. One friend at the burial, who declined to be named for fear of reprisals from pro-Russian agitators, said the father of three had gone into town in order to enlist for the Ukrainian army amid escalating tensions with Russia. His body was found nearly two weeks later near the town of Belogorsk, 50 km (30 miles) east of Simferopol, naked and showing signs of torture and beating. This is the first time in 20 years that this has happened," said one mourner, who, like most others, would not give his name. "I don't think this will be the end," added the man. "Putin arrives, and this happens. Of course it's him. It's like there is a plan for some kind of civil war." "The Russian army is here, people are scared and nobody wants to live staring down the barrel of a gun." 17.02 This just in from Reuters, US vice president Joe Biden says the U.S. is considering rotating American forces to the Baltic region as a step toward ensuring the collective defense of NATO allies against Russian aggression. Biden says that those forces could conduct ground and naval exercises, plus engage in training missions. 16.48 This from Raf Sanchez in Washington: "Bizarrely no one has asked about reports of the dead soldier or Ukrainian PM's statement. Here's the White House so far. The White House said "more is coming" in terms of sanctions against Russia but did not specify what form they would take. "We condemn Russia's moves to formally annex the Crimean region of Ukraine. Such action is a threat to international peace and security and it is against international law. We would not recognise this attempted annexation. As we have said, there are costs with such action," said Jay Carney, the White House press secretary. Mr Carney would not say whether the US would push for Russia to be expelled from the G8." 16.41 German chancellor Angela Merkel says that she and Barack Obama have agreed in a phone call that Russia's acceptance of Crimea into Russia is an "unacceptable violation" of Ukraine's territorial integrity. 16.37 Russians hold banners reading 'Love you Crimea!', 'Together for all time', 'Obama think about Alaska!' and 'Believe Putin!' during a rally celebrating the joining of Crimea and Sevastopol with Russia on Red Square in Moscow. SERGEI ILNITSKY/ EPA 16.26 The US has condemned Putin's decision to make Crimea part of Russia and promised more sanctions. 16.21 The European Union "will not recognise the annexation" of Crimea by Russia, the EU's top officials, Herman Van Rompuy and Jose Manuel Barroso, said in a joint statement. "The European Union does neither recognise the illegal and illegitimate referendum in Crimea nor its outcome. The European Union does not and will not recognise the annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol to the Russian Federation," their statement said. 16.17 A Ukrainian military spokesman has said that an additional captain has ben injured. According to Reuters Vladislav Seleznyov described the attackers, as "unknown forces, fully equipped and their faces covered". 16.14 This just in from Reuters, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk has said that the conflict in its Crimea peninsula, now under Russian control, had entered a military phase and accused Russia of commiting a "war crime" by firing on Ukrainian servicemen. "The conflict is moving from a political one to a military one because of Russian soldiers," he told a meeting at Ukraine's defence ministry. "Today, Russian soldiers began shooting at Ukrainian servicemen and this is a war crime without any expiry under a statute of limitations." Yatseniuk said he had ordered Ukraine's defence minister to call a meeting with his counterparts from Britain, France, and Russia - signatories to a 1994 treaty guaranteeing Ukraine's borders to "prevent an escalation of the conflict". 16.13 <noframe>Twitter: Roland Oliphant - So much for the ceasefire. Reports a Ukrainian base has been stormed near Simferopol.</noframe> 16.11 The Ukrainian defence ministry has confirmed that a soldier was killed in Crimea according to AFP 16.07 Reuters is reporting that a Ukrainian serviceman has been killed on an attack on a Ukrainian base in the Crimean capital of Simferopol according to Interfax news wire. 15.53 U.S. President Barack Obama spoke to German Chancellor Angela Merkel about the crisis over Ukraine's Crimea region, the White House said. The two leaders spoke in an effort "to continue coordinating response to the situation in Ukraine," Ben Rhodes, White House deputy national security adviser, said in a post on Twitter 15.40 Battling the elements, #Ukraine's troops are scattered to the wilds of the borderlands to stand fast against #Russia pic.twitter.com/h31qsI91PI — Damien McElroy (@ddamned) March 18, 2014 15.38 As I mentioned earlier, there was a lot of clapping in Putin's speech. The 47 minute address was interrupted by clapping at least 30 times according to Reuters. 15.35 More from Raf Sanchez: "Remember Mitt Romney? The 2012 Republican presidential contender has an article in the Wall Street Journal attacking Obama for failing to act when the US had real choices across a series of foreign policy challenges, instead waiting until America had nothing but bad options. As he puts it: "When protests in Ukraine grew and violence ensued, it was surely evident to people in the intelligence community—and to the White House—that President Putin might try to take advantage of the situation to capture Crimea, or more. That was the time to talk with our global allies about punishments and sanctions, to secure their solidarity, and to communicate these to the Russian president." Given that Putin seems to happy to ignore sanctions and Western condemnation now it doesn't likely he would have taken real notice a few days earlier. 15.29 Reuters has a report on the Ukrainian officer who was wounded. A Ukrainian officer was wounded in a shooting at a military facility on the outskirts of the Crimean capital Simferopol, a military spokesman said, but it was unclear who was behind the incident. "An officer was wounded in the neck," said Vladislav Seleznyov, a Ukrainian military spokesman in Crimea. Many Ukrainian military facilities in Crimea have been under the control of Russian forces for several weeks after Russian troops poured into the Black Sea peninsula ahead of a referendum at the weekend which handed over control from Ukraine to Russia. There was no immediate evidence that Russian soldiers were involved in the incident, witnesses said. 15.17 This photo has emerged on Twitter- the caption translates as "brothers". 15.15 A Ukrainian officer has reportedly been wounded in a shooting at a military base in the Crimean capital of Simferopol according to the Ukrainian military spokesman. According to Reuters troops are storming a Ukrainian base. 15.12 Putin apparently concluded his speech on Red Square by shouting "Glory to Russia". 15.04 Putin has told a crowd in Moscow's Red Square that Crimea has "returned to home port". 14.55 "The steps taken by President Putin today to attempt to annex Crimea to Russia are in flagrant breach of international law and send a chilling message across the continent of Europe," Cameron said in a statement. "It is completely unacceptable for Russia to use force to change borders, on the basis of a sham referendum held at the barrel of a Russian gun. "President Putin should be in no doubt that Russia will face more serious consequences and I will push European leaders to agree further EU measures when we meet on Thursday," he said. 14.51 Prime Minister David Cameron has said that Russia will face serious consequences for "completely unacceptable" attempt to annex Crimea. 14.40 People react as they watch the speech of Russian President Vladimir Putin on a screen in central Sevastopol: EPA 14.38 AFP is reporting that the Ukraine president has said Kiev will never recognise Crimea annexation. 14.37 Here is William Hague addressing the House of Commons over Crimea: 14.36 The G7 meeting next week will take place on the margins of a nuclear security summit at The Hague that U.S. President Barack Obama plans to attend. "The meeting will focus on the situation in Ukraine and further steps that the G7 may take to respond to developments and to support Ukraine," said White House National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden. 14.35 Putin signing the treaty to incorporate Crimea in Russia: 14.32 A woman walks past a Russian military personnel carrier outside a Ukrainian military base in Simferopol: Getty Images 14.30 This from Raf Sanchez in Washington: George W Bush famously said in 2001 that when he met Putin: "I was able to get a sense of his soul, a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country." His predecessor, Bill Clinton, yesterday outlined a less charitable view on the Russian leader: He is highly intelligent, deeply, deeply patriotic in terms of Russia, but he sees it more in terms of the greatness of the state and the country than what happens to ordinary Russians. I think he’s got a sort of fatalistic view of the misfortunes that befall ordinary people when larger things are at stake. 14.28 David Cameron defended the actions taken against Russia over Crimea: 14.26 An elderly man displays his medals to the press during an open air recruits point of the National guard in the center of Kiev: AFP/GETTY IMAGES 14.23 Putin's speech earlier criticised Western nations for their hypocrisy saying they had endorsed Kosovo's independence from Serbia but now denied Crimeans the same right: "You cannot call the same thing black today and white tomorrow," he declared to stormy applause, saying that while he did not seek conflict with the West, Western partners had "crossed the line" over Ukraine and behaved "irresponsibly". 14.09 French president Francois Hollande has condemned the decision by Putin to sign the Crimea treaty. According to Reuters he said: "I condemn this decision. France does not recognise either the results of the referendum... or the attachment of this Ukrainian region to Russia," Hollande said in a statement. "The next European Council meeting on March 20-21 must provide the opportunity for a strong and coordinated European response to the hurdle that has just been jumped." 14.04 <noframe>Twitter: Roland Oliphant - According to this I'm in Russia again. <a href="http://t.co/9ChKyXQbZ9" target="_blank">http://t.co/9ChKyXQbZ9</a></noframe> 13.59 The United States and its G7 allies will gather next week at The Hague to consider further response to Russia's attempt to absorb Ukraine's Crimea region, the White House said The meeting will take place on the margins of a nuclear security summit at The Hague that U.S. President Barack Obama plans to attend. 13.54 Young Ukrainian volunteers wearing traditional flower crowns serve refreshments to passers by at an improvised open air kitchen in Independence Square: EPA 13.48 Thoughts from our Moscow correspondent Roland Oliphant: Vladimir Putin cast the accession of Crimea and Sevastopol to the Russian Federation as not only the reversal of an artificial division akin to the reunification of Germany, but the moment an unjust post-Cold War settlement began to be reversed. But just where does that reversal stop? Mr Putin's speech announcing the formal annexation of Crimea was largely a catalogue of wrongs he feels has been inflicted on Russia - and indeed on the entire former Soviet Union - since the collapse in 1991. He did not make any explicit threat to intervene in Eastern Ukraine - indeed he insisted that he neither wants nor needs a partition of Ukraine. But the determination to assert Russians' "legitimate interests," and to overturn the status quo that has reigned for the past 23 years will leave governments not only in Kiev, but capitals across the former Soviet Union, feeling somewhat nervous. 13.43 US vice president Joe Biden denounced Russia's actions in Crimea as a "land grab": "The world has seen through Russia's actions and has rejected the flawed logic," 13.41 Britain's suspension of bilateral military co-operation includes cancelling a planned French-Russian-UK-United States naval exercise and suspending a proposed Royal Navy ship visit to St Petersburg. Hague also said Britain would be pushing for the strongest possible package of further sanctions against Russia that could be agreed among European leaders when the European Union council meets later this week. 13.28 A bit more from Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk who said that Russia's intervention in Crimea cannot be accepted. "Russia's annexation of Crimea can't be accepted by the international community including Poland. In one moment this changes the country's (Ukraine) borders and the geopolitical situation in this region of the world," Tusk said at a joint news conference with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden. 13.24 Foreign Secretary William Hague has said that Britain will suspend military cooperation with Russia. This means that Uk has suspended export licenses for military items to Russia. 13.20 Ukraine does not recognise a treaty signed in Moscow on Tuesday making its Crimean peninsula a part of Russia, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said. "The signing of the so-called agreement on Crimea joining the Russian Federation and the corresponding address by the Russian president has nothing in common with law or democracy or common sense," ministry spokesman Evhen Perebynis said on Twitter. "Putin's address very clearly demonstrates just how real the threat is that Russia poses to international security and international security," he said. 13.12 Just in from Reuters on US vice president Joe Biden. He says that Russia will see additional sanctions from US and EU if it continues to annex Crimea. 13.04 Poland's Prime Minister says that the annexation of Crimea by Russia cannot be accepted by the international community. 12.56 Reuters reports that Foreign Secretary William Hague says he regrets that Putin has chosen the route to isolation by moving to incorporate Crimea into Russia. He adds that there is a grave danger that a provocation elsewhere in Ukraine could be used as a pretext for further military escalation. 12.52 A bit more from Russia's foreign ministry on the sanctions imposed by the EU: "Attempts to speak to Russia in the language of force and threaten Russian citizens with sanctions will lead nowhere," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "The adoption of restrictive measures is not our choice; however, it is clear that the imposition of sanctions against us will not go without an adequate response from the Russian side." 12.27 AFP is reporting that the Kremlin now considers Crimea part of Russia following the signing of the treaty: "The Republic of Crimea is considered to be part of Russia from the date of the signing of the treaty," the Kremlin said, minutes after President Vladimir Putin signed the treaty with Crimean leaders on bringing the Russian-speaking region under Kremlin rule. 12.20 The agreement to make Crimea part of Russia still has to be endorsed by Russia's Constitutional Court and ratified by both houses of parliament to take effect. However those steps are considered mere formalities. 12.16 Staff watch a speech by Russian President Putin at a pizza restaurant in Simferopol REUTERS 12.07 Reuters reports that Putin says Western attempts to frighten Russia with sanctions over its takeover of Ukraine's Crimea region would be viewed as an act of aggression, and that Moscow would retaliate. 12.02 Putin has signed a treaty making Crimea part of Russa according to Reuters. 11.55 This from our reporter in Moscow, Katerina Kravtsova: The atmosphere in the Kremlin ahead of the speech was festive, with Russian officials seem not to worry about EU-US sanctions against them and congratulating each other instead for results of the Sunday referendum in Crimea. "The [Sunday] referendum is of a vital and historical importance," Mr Putin said, adding that Russia was intending to defend its national interests despite reaction of the Western countries. Calling Crimea a historically Russian region and Sevastoplol the motherland of Russia's Black Sea military fleet, he said the peninsula was given to Ukraine by a mistake like a "sack of potatoes." Putin said Russia did not send its troops to Crimea, because the 25,000 Russian soldiers had already been allocated there according to an international treaty. "Crimea will remain both Russian and Ukrainian," he said but added it would never be given to the current Kiev authorities and legally must be under Moscow rule. "I ask the Federation Council members and Duma deputies to approve a law that would make Crimea and Sevastopol parts of Russia," he said. 11.52 Putin asks parliament to adopt bill on making Crimea Russian territory. Crimea is officially Russian- to Russia. It is still officially part of Ukraine for the rest of the international community. 11.49 Putin says that he will never seek to spark a confrontation with the west but will defend Russian interests. 11.48 Putin thanks China for support on Ukraine. He has had several standing ovations during his speech so far. 11.46 <noframe>Twitter: Roland Oliphant - Hints he might stop in Crimea. "We don't need to divide Ukraine, and never wanted to.." implication Crimea is special case</noframe> 11.44 This from Damien McElroy: In advance of President Putin's speech, the prime minister of Ukraine made his own overtures to the Russian-leaning regions of the east not to follow Crimea's path. In a key concession he ruled out an alliance with Nato, addressing one of the prime suspicions of Kiev in the east. Andriy Yatsenyuk also said Kiev was prepared to grant broad autonomy to the eastern regions. Speaking in Russian he said that powers over education, policing and cultural affairs would be transferred to locally elected decision makers. 11.42 Putin says that United States' foreign policy is dictated not by international law but by the "right of the strong". 11.41 Putin: Ukraine and Russia "one nation". He adds "We will not be able to live without each other." 11.39 Putin addressing a joint session of the Russian parliament REUTERS 11.31 Putin condemns the "so-called" authorities in Ukraine saying they had stolen power in a coup and had opened the way for "extremists" who would stop at nothing to determine the future of Ukraine. "Those who were behind recent events, they were... preparing a coup d'etat, another one. They were planning to seize power, stopping at nothing. Terror, murder, pogroms were used," he told a joint session of parliament, calling them "nationalists, neo-Nazis, Russophobes and anti-Semites". "It is primarily they how are deciding how Ukraine lives today. The so-called Ukrainian authorities introduced a scandalous law on the revision of the language policy, which directly violated the rights of the national minorities." 11.29 Putin: Crimea's move similar to Ukraine's 1991 declaration of independence from Soviet Union. 11.28 Putin: "Relations with Ukraine and the brotherly Ukrainian people have always been, remain, and will always be most important and crucial for us, without any exaggeration," 11.27 "There was not one single military confrontation in Crimea- there were no victims." 11.24 Putin talking about US and the west, "They say we have violated international law. At least they remember about international law- better late than never." 11.22 Putin says Crimea was and is 'inseparable' part of Russia 11.20 "In the hearts and minds of people, Crimea has always been and remains an inseparable part of Russia. This commitment, based on truth and justice, was firm, was passed from generation to generation." 11.17 Putin promises legal "rehabilitation" of Tatars over Stalin era deportations. 11.15 French foreign minister Laurent Fabius says that Russia has been suspended from the G-8 summit, but that Putin is still invited. <noframe>Twitter: Laurent Fabius - <a href="https://twitter.com/search?src=hash&q=%23Ukraine" target="_blank">#Ukraine</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?src=hash&q=%23Crim" target="_blank">#Crim</a>ée Pour le 6 juin, le président reste invité mais pour le G8 nous avons décidé de suspendre la participation de la <a href="https://twitter.com/search?src=hash&q=%23Russie" target="_blank">#Russie</a></noframe> 11.13 Putin says that the Crimean referendum was held in full accordance with democratic procedures and international law. 11.11 Putin: "We are very respecful of all ethnic groups who live in Crimea". There will be three state languages, Russian, Ukrainian and Crimean Tata" 11.09 <noframe>Twitter: Roland Oliphant - Well no doubts. Putin introduces Crimean delegation as "citizens of Russia, residents of Crimea." standing ovation.</noframe> 11.07 There is lots of clapping in this joint session of parliament. Crimea is "part of our ancient history" Putin says. 11.06 Putin calls the referendum of "vitally important historic significance". He says more than 8 2 per cent of voters took part, and the results were "more than convincing" with more than 96 per cent of people voting to join Russia 11.05 Putin is now addressing Russia from Moscow. He gets a standing ovation. 11.03 Reuters reports that an aide to President Vladimir Putin scoffed at Western sanctions against Russian officials over Moscow's takeover of Ukraine's Crimea region, saying on Tuesday they provoked only "irony and sarcasm." "We are fed up with these sanctions, they provoke only feelings of irony and sarcasm," Yuri Ushakov, Putin's senior foreign policy advisor, was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies. 10.43 The latest from Roland Oliphant: While Vladimir Putin speaks in Moscow, Simferopol's Tatar community is preparing to bury a man apparently murdered after taking part in a protest in the run-up to the referendum. Reshat Ametov, a 39 year old construction worker, disappeared after protest on Sim
. Top image: Holbox/Shutterstock.As people want their items delivered faster and faster, what’s the impact on Houston’s infrastructure? Like a lot of Houstonians, James Livingston enjoys ordering things on his smart phone. “Sometimes its music, sometimes its electronics, people’s birthdays,” says Livingston. We meet up with Livingston near his job at a Greeway Plaza travel agency. From the convenience of a table in the food court, Livingston is about to do some shopping with his Amazon Prime Now app. He’s buying a bathroom scale, something he says he’ll need for the holidays. “You have the opportunity to search for items by name,” Livingston explains. “Or they’ve broken it down into certain categories.” Livingston has several options for delivery. He can pay extra and get his scale in an hour. He opts instead for the two-hour delivery, which is free. We then head back to Livingston’s office to wait for his package, to see how long it takes. And it appears he’s not the only one expecting a delivery. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, online sales brought in over $87 billion in the third quarter of 2015, an increase of 4.2 percent over the second quarter. But as people want their bathroom scales and other items delivered faster and faster, what’s the impact on Houston’s infrastructure? Harris County Judge Ed Emmett talked about it at a recent transportation conference. “Such a high percentage of goods now are being ordered online and you have to have distribution centers and fulfillment centers,” says Emmett. “And since we’re a huge market clearly we’re going to have a lot of those.” Logistics experts now see a different model when it comes to fulfilling orders. Goods were once shipped from a central location. But to meet the demands of same-day service, those goods now have to be sent from fulfillment centers closer to the customer. And to make the system work in a congested city like Houston, it’s going to take some careful planning. Allen Rutter is a researcher with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. “I think it’s mainly a matter of keeping track of the overall activity that’s happening on the roadways, says Rutter. “The length of those trips, the frequency, the timing of when they happen, and being able to respond to those changes in traffic patterns as you plan for the future.” We also visited with Randy Ward at Hour Messenger in the Energy Corridor. For them, one-hour deliveries are nothing new. The company has been doing speedy deliveries around Houston for over three decades. “We’re just couriering what the clients want,” says Ward. “And that’s an array of all kinds of different things.” As for how Houston’s delivery business evolves as a result of e-commerce, Ward says companies have to speed things up if they want to stay competitive. “If somebody can do it in less than one hour, more power to them,” says Ward. “It’s survival of the fittest. The other delivery services are going to have to come up to the plate or they’ll be bought and acquistioned to other companies, into larger companies.” So just how much will Houstonians pay for delivery trucks to bring items right to their front door? We also talked to Jon Sorensen, a former transportation professional who now teaches logistics at Lone Star College Cy-Fair. “We really need to look again at what does the customer wants,” says Sorensen. “So I think the important thing is, you need to survey and actually find out what does the customer envision. Not now, but what are their needs going to be.” In the lobby of his Greenway Plaza office, James Livingston is getting what he wants. Well within the two-hour delivery window, a courier walks in with his new bathroom scale. And many more people could soon be trying out those fast delivery services. According to some forecasts, e-commerce could pump over $392 billion into the U.S. economy in 2016. This story originally aired and was posted online on November 30, 2015.UPDATE [02-03-2017 p.m. PST]: Karin Wang, Vice President of Programs and Communications for Asian Americans Advancing Justice in Los Angeles released the following statement: “We are deeply concerned that a racially motivated hate crime may have taken place in the heart of Los Angeles’ Koreatown this week, and we urge the Los Angeles Police Department to take the allegation of an anti-Asian attack seriously, including speaking to additional witnesses. In this current state of heightened racial tensions and emboldened racial attacks, we need law enforcement to demonstrate that they take all such cases seriously and will thoroughly investigate.” While the justice firm is currently connecting with the victim’s family, Asian Americans have been among the ethnic minorities targeted by violent attacks and harassment since Donald Trump was elected president. Victims are encouraged to contact the AAAJ to report any incidents or for more information. On Thursday, the Asian community was shocked to see the result of a random violent assault on an 83-year-old Korean woman in downtown Los Angeles on Feb. 1 that was posted to Facebook by user Linda Lee who witnessed the event. According to the post, which has since been made private on Facebook, a Caucasian woman ran up to the elderly woman, hit her in the face with her fist and ran off, allegedly screaming “white power” as she attempted to escape. Good Samaritan bystanders chased the attacker and called the police who soon after arrested her. Initially, LAPD reported that the attacker’s name was Patty Garcia, but a fingerprint analysis confirmed her identity as 27-year-old Alexis Duvall. Duvall is currently being held on $50,000 bail for felony battery. However, LAPD told us on Thursday afternoon that the incident was not currently being investigated as a hate crime. The part of the story where the woman yelled “white power”, which was propagated through social media, is officially a matter to be looked into by investigators. Duvall was described by LAPD as being homeless, under the influence or mentally ill. Well if you needed any evidence that this was more than likely a hate crime, one of the bystanders who chased down Duvall while waiting for police took a short video of her yelling a racial slur, then swearing, and then continuing to run away. Check it out below:Father of Orlando Nightclub Shooter Omar Mateen Appears At Hillary Rally, Seated Right Behind Her Usually the people right behind the candidate are some kind of honorees, because the campaign knows they'll be in all the tv shots. I can't imagine that's what happened here. But who the hell knows with this crew. He was asked if the campaign knew Mateen would be at the event and seated behind Clinton he responded, " It's a Democratic party, so everyone can join." The campaign did not respond to WPTV's question as to whether the campaign knew Mateen would be at the rally. Mateen was also asked if he thought his appearance would surprise some people. "Why should they be surprised? I love the United States, and I've been living here a long time," Mateen said. He opined that he likes Hillary because Donald Trump has "no solutions." Pics at the link above. Of course, Omar Mateen himself was a big fan of Hillary, too. I see WeirdDave got here first, posting in the sidebar.Media playback is not supported on this device Highlights: Rangers 0-2 Celtic Second-half goals from Tom Rogic and Leigh Griffiths eased Celtic to victory over Rangers at Ibrox. The win extended Celtic's lead in the Premiership over their Old Firm rivals to eight points and their run of unbeaten domestic games to 57. Rangers survived an early flurry but could not prevent Rogic opening the scoring just after the break when he pounced on a loose ball to drive home. Griffiths added the second when he converted Patrick Roberts' superb pass. There were the usual moments of tension, with Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha particularly irked with Celtic captain Scott Brown as the teams left the field at half-time. The visitors, though, were unfazed with the lively atmosphere, and after the break were more accurate and decisive in the final third. Celtic midfielder Tom Rogic scored the opening goal against Rangers with a well-taken strike from inside the area As a result of their depleted resources, Rangers knew they needed to find a sense of resilience to make the game as competitive as the home fans expect. Celtic's domestic record under Brendan Rodgers illustrates the threat the champions pose, but the line-ups were also a stark demonstration of the difference between the sides. Celtic arrived with their first-choice defensive line-up available, whereas Rangers were missing two of their starting defenders in the injured Lee Wallace and Bruno Alves, as well as back-ups Declan John and Danny Wilson. Those absences meant Ross McCrorie, a 19-year-old centre-back, stepped in to make his first start for the club in the most daunting scenario. Celtic, too, had four potential match winners on the bench - Callum McGregor, James Forrest, Moussa Dembele and Jonny Hayes - while in contrast Rangers had Dalcio, who had not played a domestic game, Aaron Nemane, yet to play for the club at all, 18-year-old defender Aiden Wilson and veteran forward Kenny Miller. So it was no surprise when Celtic were immediately vibrant, the game less than a minute old when Rogic, in typically ambling but effective style, rifled a shot from 20 yards that Rangers goalkeeper Wes Foderingham had to tip over. Caixinha and Celtic skipper Brown confronted each other at half-time The visitors dominated possession in the opening quarter, and worked a handful of promising openings without finding the shrewd final ball that would unlock Rangers' defence. Griffiths sent a free-kick wide and saw another effort saved while, before half-time, Roberts veered past Lee Hodson and into the penalty area, but shot straight at the advancing Foderingham when Rogic was well-placed in the centre. McCrorie grew into the game after surviving the ball inadvertently brushing his hand as he challenged Griffiths. One sliding tackle on Celtic's lone striker that saw him cleanly win the ball drew cheers from a home crowd witnessing a largely stuffy if unimaginative performance from their side. Alfredo Morelos might have earned a penalty when Jozo Simunovic slid in but failed to make contact with the ball and forced the striker to hurdle over and collide with him. The Colombian striker was otherwise regularly caught offside, but nevertheless always carries a threat and almost made contact at the back post with a James Tavernier cross. Morelos went down inside the area after colliding with Jozo Simunovic The goal-less half would have heartened the home side but they had to renew their poise after the break, McCrorie doing well to block Griffiths inside the area after the restart. But when Rangers did defend sloppily, Celtic made them pay. The ball travelled past several defenders into the box and Rogic thumped it high into the net with a powerful finish from the Australian. For the second goal, Fabio Cardoso failed to cover Griffiths' run, but in his defence he was beaten by a clever, well-weighted pass from Roberts, whose set-up play was rewarded with an accurate finish from the Scotland striker. In between the two goals, Morelos won a header at close range, but Gordon blocked it with his chest, and soon after Josh Windass drove just wide. It was a comfortable win for Celtic, and while not as painful for Rangers as the 5-1 at Ibrox last season, the visitors were well worth their victory. Caixinha had a frustrating day at Ibrox, and was felled in the first half by WindassSeveral users in the U.S or using US based ROMS have reported updates as of today.This is just a thread I'm making to reign the information from the other threads to this one.Hopefully we won't see too many new threads starting based on this. Any comments or questions may be answered in those threads or this one.Previously (officially):Country: USA- Supported OS version: Acer_A500_1.141.07_COM_GEN1- Upgrade to OS version: Acer_A500_4.010.08_COM_GEN2Currently, revised (unofficially):Country: USA- Supported OS version: Acer_A500_1.141.07_COM_GEN1 (and less)- Upgrade to OS version: Acer_A500_4.010.11_COM_GEN2Currently, revised (unofficially):Country: USA- Supported OS version: Acer_A500_4.010.08_COM_GEN2 and Acer_A500_4.010.07_COM_GEN2- Upgrade to OS version: Acer_A500_4.010.10_COM_GEN2- Update!: ~7/27/2011. Upgrade to OS version: Acer_A500_4.010.10_COM_GEN2People who are on old build 1.141.07 or lower are no longer being incrementally updated. They are going straight to Acer_A500_4.010.11_COM_GEN2, a full 3.1 update.People on 4.010.08 are going to Acer_A500_4.010.10_COM_GEN2, an incremental update.People on 4.010.07 are also reporting going to Acer_A500_4.010.10_COM_GEN2, an incremental update.Note that 4.010.07a U.S version that some users got while most got 4.010.08. I don't know what differences there are between the 2 builds.This information is based on several user reports of going from.07 or lower to.11, and first hand as I have gone from.08 to.10 along with others as well.Update (7/27/2011)U.S users are being updated by a small patch and are now at 4.010.13.Last month Crypto Insider reported that Cryptonomos and Giga Watt were launching the WTT token to make cost-effective bitcoin mining available to everyone. The WTT tokan sale started a few days ago and will continue until July 31. WTT token holders will be able to mine bitcoin with equipment hosted by Giga Watt for 50 years. In terms of return on investment, this looks like a very compelling value proposition – so compelling, in fact, that one wonders about hidden costs and small print. I concluded our previous post noting that: “If you ask me, this sounds much too good to be true: make an initial investment to buy mining equipment and enough WTT tokens to host it at Giga Watt, and keep printing money out of thin air for 50 years… the question that comes to my mind is, where is the catch? I’ll explore further in a forthcoming report.” Crypto Insider contacted Dave Carlson, founder of Giga Watt, to find out more. Could you give me a simulation of total cost and income for a realistic case? For example, suppose I want to earn a profit of $1,000 per month mining bitcoin. What equipment do I need to buy from you, and how much it costs? How many WTT tokens I have to buy to service my equipment, and how much it costs? In your case we recommend buying three S9 miners. You can see the numbers by using this automatic calculator. Please remember that the numbers can vary greatly because of the changes in bitcoin rate and mining difficulty. Here is a detailed simulation from May 25. This screenshot shows how it works. Right now three S9s will cost you $4,239, their total power consumption is 4,365W (according to the manufacturer’s specs; it varies from one devices to the other and fluctuates depending on seasonal weather). At the current bitcoin rate it will bring in $30.49/day ($914.7 per 30 days). This amount is net of daily hosting fees ($10.21) which have already been deducted. To ensure the availability of spots for your equipment at the facility you need to buy the number of tokens equal to your power consumption – which is 4,365 tokens. Assuming that you buy them during the first 2 weeks of the sale, when the rate is $1 per token, your total token cost will be $4,365. Tokens will also give you a significant discount on hosting services – you can check the numbers using this calculator. Here is a screenshot – 4,365 tokens give you $7.07 daily in savings which is $212.1 per month. So your total mining rewards are $1,126.8 monthly (calculation from May 25). How much do you charge me for electricity per month? Giga Watt’s charges are based on the power consumption of your miners. In your simulation, the total hosting fee will be calculated as follows: $10.21 (standard fee, as you can see in the first screenshot) minus $7.07 (savings due to tokens) = total of $3.14 daily, which equals to $94.2 monthly. This amount is your total hosting fees (electricity + maintenance). The standard hosting fees also include fees for facility rent, which the token holders don’t pay. The equivalent all-in hosting costs (electricity + maintenance) are 3.3c per kWH. How long before recovering the initial investment? At the current bitcoin rate you get mining rewards of $1,126.8 monthly. The cost of mining equipment was $4,239 so it will take approximately 3,8 months to recover your initial costs. We do not include the cost of tokens in this estimate because their lifecycle is 50 years and you can sell them at any time after they are issued. How long before I need to buy replacement equipment from you? It depends on the mining difficulty and the bitcoin price: Equipment can mine until the mining costs surpass your mining rewards. The lower cost of hosting may allow you to mine for a longer period of time. Currently, the average lifecycle of bitcoin miners for token holders is estimated to be about 2 years. You can also decide not to mine once your equipment becomes outdated and choose to rent out your tokens. Why did you build Giga Watt in the US? Isn’t electricity cheaper in some foreign countries? Giga Watt is located in central Washington state, where, to the best of my knowledge, hydro power is cheapest in the world. Its especially important to be able to access large amounts of power at these prices. What is the Giga Watt capacity limit? Giga Watt is building 34.5MW for tokenization (30MW for sale and 4.5MW for the team, partners and advisors). We have additional power projects outside of that as well. Do you plan to build new facilities in the US and/or abroad? We continue to develop new facilities here in Washington, and are now looking into projects involving wind & solar as well as oil & gas industries. At very large scale, new economics are opening up to us. Picture from Giga Watt.Last week, we saw a lodge in Chile that looked like a hobbit hotel and this week we bring you a woodland home with a similar aesthetic. Though this domain doesn’t gush gallons of water, it is an alternative living space for a natural homestead. Photographer Simon Dale is responsible for the design and construction of this eco-home, despite his inexperience in architecture and carpentry. The 32-year-old photographer was tired of mortgage payments and had a passion for nature. Equipped with a chainsaw, hammer, and 1-inch chisel, the determined family man began construction on a plot of land in the woods, which the family luckily gained ownership of in return for their care of the area. With the help of his father-in-law, who just happened to be a builder, Dale set forth to build his ecological dream home on a budget. The home, which was constructed for a grand total of 3,000 (approximately $5,200) features plenty of sustainable materials. It uses scrap wood for flooring and bales of straw on dry-stone walling for the interior walls. Other unique attributes to the house include lime plaster instead of cement for the walls and a compost toilet. The emerging architect even diverted water from a nearby spring and incorporated solar panels to provide power. Within four months, Dale built an unhindered habitat for his family in Wales that takes pride in a low-impact lifestyle. It may not boast the technology of Apple’s headquarters, but it is a natural haven for a young eco-friendly family. Dale is currently working on constructing his first home in the Lammas Village, Wales’ first eco-development. Simon Dale’s website via [Daily Mail]The working class and the Detroit Industry murals at the DIA Diego Rivera’s “Battle of Detroit” By Tom Mackaman and Jerry White 3 October 2013 When Diego Rivera arrived in Detroit in April 1932 to create what he was later to consider his greatest work, the Detroit Industry murals, he entered an extraordinarily charged political and social environment. Such were the tensions in the city that the painting itself became a major political event. Rivera called the struggle over the murals’ production “the Battle of Detroit.” Demonstrators on Miller Road outside of the Rouge Plant flee as teargas and bullets are released on them by Dearborn Police and Ford Servicemen during the 1932 Ford Hunger March [Source: Reuther Library] In 1932, Detroit was an industrial colossus laid low by the Great Depression. Auto production had fallen from 5,337,000 units in 1929 to 1,332,000 in 1931, a decline of 75 percent. The annual average wage of workers had plummeted by 54 percent. In the winter of 1932-1933, nearly half of Detroit workers were unemployed and one third of all households, 125,000 in all, were surviving with no cash income. The suicide rate had increased nearly fivefold in the five years from 1927 to 1931. A study of Detroit schoolchildren in 1932 found that nearly one in five were “underweight.” The city’s working class had only begun to fight back, a process that would culminate in 1936-1937 with the eruption of strikes and factory occupations led by socialist-minded auto workers, which led to the formation of the mass industrial unions. Just weeks before Rivera’s arrival in Detroit, on the bitter cold day of March 7, 1932, the Detroit Unemployed Council led a march of about 5,000 workers and youth from Detroit to Ford’s massive River Rouge factory system in Dearborn in what became known as “The Hunger March.” The workers, going forward against a howling wind under banners such as “Tax the Rich and Feed the Poor,” “Give Us Work,” and “We Want Bread Not Crumbs,” aimed to present 14 demands to Henry Ford, the world’s richest man, including calls for the hiring of the unemployed, the right to organize in unions, no discrimination against blacks in hiring, and an end to the hated company spy system. When the marchers reached Dearborn, police and Ford’s private goons attacked with tear gas, fire hoses, clubs, and live fire. Four members of the Communist Youth League were killed: Joe York, Coleman Leny, Joe DeBlasio, and Joe Bussell, just 16 years old. Twenty-two more were wounded, among them Curtis Williams, who died from his injuries three months later. The New York Times reported on the scene’s aftermath: “Dearborn streets were stained with blood, streets were littered with broken glass and the wreckage of bullet-riddled automobiles, and nearly every window in the Ford plant’s employment building had been broken.” In an astonishing display of solidarity, on March 12, as many as 60,000 workers marched down Woodward Avenue past the Detroit Institute of Arts and six miles west to Woodmere Cemetery where the four workers killed on March 7 were to be buried. Mourners were forbidden from entering Dearborn, where they would be met “first with stocks, then tear gas, then stench gas, and finally with guns if the other means fail,” threatened Fred Faustman, acting chief of Dearborn police. Detroit Sunday Times photo of March 12, 1932 funeral procession passing the Detroit Institute of Arts [Source: Reuther Library] There was no religious service, press reports complained; instead, workers sang the Internationale—the anthem of international working class solidarity. Because Curtis Williams was African American, Woodmere cemetery refused to allow his remains to be interred there; his ashes were instead scattered from an airplane over the River Rouge plant. Rivera working on the Detroit murals [Photo: Detroit Institute of Arts] Rivera came to Detroit within weeks of the Hunger March, on April, 21, 1932, already a famous artist and the subject of bitter attacks from both the right wing and the Stalinist Communist parties of the US and Mexico. Rivera had been expelled from the Communist Party of Mexico in 1929 for ideological “deviation,” and had been pegged as a “Trotskyite,” the greatest of political sins. The Stalinists labeled Rivera a “millionaire artist for the establishment” and a “false revolutionary.” He arrived in Detroit from California, where he had recently completed Allegory of California at the San Francisco Stock Exchange. Rivera was to be paid $21,000, entirely out of the pocket of Edsel Ford. An amateur artist and trustee of the Detroit Institute of Arts, Edsel was certainly more progressive-minded than his father, Henry. The elder Ford had become a virulent anti-Semite, responsible for the first publication of Protocols of the Elders of Zion in the US. Henry Ford was a bitter anti-communist and opposed to any independent organization of the working class in his plants, using his notorious “Service Department” to spy on, intimidate, and beat workers who stepped out of line. A portion of the north wall of Rivera's murals in the DIA Ford workers later testified about a reign of terror in the company town of Dearborn. Homes were broken into and searched without warrants, city officials threatened violence against workers’ committees and denied workers the right to assemble, while unemployed workers applying for welfare relief were denied. In one case, an official from the city’s “Safety Commission” stuck a gun in the face of one workers’ leader and told him, “We put four of your kind in their graves with this and we’ll put a lot more if we have to.” The DIA’s brilliant director, Wilhelm Valentiner, a German émigré profoundly influenced by the socialist movement, had commissioned Rivera to do a set of murals in the central Garden Court of the museum based on the theme of “The Spirit of Detroit.” The muralist believed this spirit was to be found in the factories. “Over the next three months, Rivera proceeded to race from factory to factory across the greater Detroit area,” according to historian Alex Goodall. “He visited dozens of locations around the city, but his chief inspiration came from the Ford Company’s River Rouge plant: the largest mechanized site of communal industrial activity in the world.” The plant was a massive conglomeration of productive capacity and power, taking up the space of a small city, in which raw materials such as coal, wood and iron ore were brought in by ships and railroad, and were worked up in steel mills, foundries and factories operated by as many as 100,000 workers. Iron ore that arrived by boat would emerge as a finished motor on the assembly line 33 hours later. When he finally began work on the murals on July 25, 1932, giving himself and his assistants a schedule of 18-hour shifts “as demanding a schedule as any speedup set by Ford’s plant managers,” in Goodall’s words, “the murals proved to be socially incandescent.” In an unpublished manuscript, Valentiner described them as “a sort of encyclopedia of the scientific and mechanical knowledge of his era, beginning with the human being’s development from an embryo.” Man’s activities, he continued, are “are shown spreading out like the roots of a tree” from the development of agriculture, to the discovery of natural resources and the invention of technological methods of the peoples of the world for making use of coal, iron, lime and sand, the basis of modern industry. At the center of his work, Rivera placed the industrial working class, portrayed not as a gray mass but an immense, living, social power, whose collective labor puts into motion all of mankind’s historic achievements. Opposition to Rivera’s murals was concentrated in Detroit’s upper classes. “Senor Rivera has perpetrated a heartless hoax on his capitalist employer, Edsel Ford,” said Marygrove College president George Derry, “[H]e has foisted on Mr. Ford and the museum a Communist Manifesto.” For his part, Rivera later recalled “[b]eautiful, well-dressed ladies complain[ing] about the loss of their peaceful, lovely garden, which had been like an oasis in the industrial desert of Detroit.” In their attacks, the critics revealed their narrowness. The Detroit Free Press howled over the fact that both Rivera and DIA director William [Wilhelm] Valentiner were not American. “An art director is brought in from Germany to commission a Mexican artist to interpret the spirit of an American city,” it wrote. “Why not hire a French director to find us a Japanese muralist to tell us what he thinks we look like.” The Detroit News called the murals “un-American, incongruous and unsympathetic” and proposed “to whitewash the entire work.” The most bitter denunciations came from the fascistic Detroit-based “radio priest,” Father Charles Coughlin, whose syndicated radio program reached millions of American homes, and Rev. H. Ralph Higgins of Detroit’s St. Paul’s Methodist church, both of whom sought the murals’ destruction. “Father Coughlin began to honor me daily with long diatribes, condemning the Institute frescoes as immoral, blasphemous, anti-religious, obscene, materialistic, and communistic,” Rivera remembered. “As a result, the whole city of Detroit began to argue about what I was doing.” “[T]hese murals are about as appropriate to the classical court of our art museum as a jazz band in a medieval cathedral,” fulminated Higgins. “[T]he murals presume to typify the spirit of Detroit. If the genius of our people be unmixed materialism and atheism, if our gods be science and sex, if the brutality of the machine age is the sole virtue which our fair city expresses, if these things be true, Mr. Rivera should be hailed as a modern Michael Angelo [sic].” The threat against the murals was not idle. Later, in 1934, Rivera was compelled to stop work on his mural Man at the Crossroads at the Rockefeller Center in New York City. Sponsor Nelson Rockefeller objected to the inclusion of an image of Lenin in the painting. The entire Rockefeller Center mural was destroyed and lost forever in March 1934. In Detroit, Rivera won the support of prominent intellectuals and artists. Famed architect Albert Kahn, in defending Rivera, turned the tables on the murals’ religious critics. “There is nothing new in these attacks by churchmen. Michelangelo portrayed as devils the churchmen who tried to interfere with him when he was doing the Sistine Chapel,” Kahn said. “Rembrandt was just as guilty of the charges of sacrilege as Rivera. But who throws stones at Rembrandt today?” The grave markers of four of the slain hunger marchers: Joe York, Joseph Bussell, Kalman Leny and Joe DeBlasio But the most powerful defense of Rivera and his work came from the working class. As many as 100,000 visitors came to visit the mural in its first month after opening, March 1933, one year after the Hunger March. Before the murals, the DIA had seen its budget fall by 1932 to one tenth of its 1929 level. Valentiner recalled, “There was talk at City Hall of closing the museum, even of selling its art objects. Thus, the entire effort of ten years to build up a remarkable public collection with limited means seemed to be in jeopardy. Worse still was the problem of the staff, to whom the city could pay no salaries.” The smashing success of Rivera’s mural bolstered the museum. The year 1934 saw the highest attendance in DIA history to that point. In his autobiography, Rivera expressed gratitude for the enthusiastic response from industrial workers, who, he said, felt the murals “had been created exclusively for the pleasure of the workers of this city.” Rivera said he came to the United States from Mexico to assess “the action and reaction between my painting and the great masses of industrial workers.” His murals, he believed, could never be the focus of the private contemplation of the privileged few. They would instead inspire and become an active agent in the revolutionary transformation of society. In this Rivera continues to be proven correct.Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) told Bill Maher on HBO's "Real Time" Friday that a special prosecutor should be appointed to probe President Donald Trump's potential ties to Russia. Issa, former chair of the House Oversight Committee, was careful to acknowledge that there "may or may not be fault" with regard to Trump and his associates' ties to Putin and Moscow. But he added that Americans are beginning to understand that Putin and his lackeys are bad actors that commit crimes, up to and including murder. The congressman also said that Attorney General Jeff Sessions, because he was both a part of the Trump campaign and then later appointed by Trump as head of the Department of Justice, should not take the lead on such an investigation. "You cannot have somebody, a friend of mine Jeff Sessions, who was on the campaign and who is an appointee," the California Republican said in response to a question from host Bill Maher. "You're going to need to use the special prosecutor's statute and office to take — not just to recuse. You can't just give it to your deputy. That's another political appointee." Issa was a supporter of Trump during his 2016 campaign, and was hence a target for Democrats who sought to block his bid for a ninth term in the House. He is considered a top Democratic target in the upcoming 2018 mid-term elections due to his narrow win to keep his seat in 2016, and the fact that Hillary Clinton soundly defeated Trump in Issa's home state of California during the presidential race. According to the Politico, Trump vouched for Issa during the congressman's 2016 bid, tweeting on Nov. 1: "@DarrellIssa is a very good man. Help him win his congressional seat in California."Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The Thai satellite firm said the objects were yet to be identified A Thai satellite has detected some 300 objects in an area of the southern Indian Ocean being searched for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. The images were taken by the Thaichote satellite on 24 March, a day after images from a French satellite purported to show 122 floating objects. Flight MH370 disappeared on 8 March with 239 people on board. No debris has been recovered from the ocean so far. Searches by planes were suspended on Thursday because of poor visibility. MH370 - Facts at a glance 8 March - Malaysia Airlines Kuala Lumpur-Beijing flight carrying 239 people disappears Plane's transponder, which gives out location data, was switched off as it left Malaysian airspace Satellite 'pings' indicate plane was still flying seven hours after satellite contact was lost 16 March - first satellite image of potential debris in southern Indian Ocean 24 March - Based on new calculations, Malaysian PM says "beyond reasonable doubt" that plane crashed in southern Indian Ocean with no survivors What we know The search for flight MH370 Ships are trying to continue the operation despite the bad weather, Australian officials said. The latest Thai images were carried in The Nation and were said to show some 300 floating objects scattered over an area about 2,700km (1,680 miles) south-west of Perth. The objects were about 200km (120 miles) from the site of the French satellite images. The newspaper quoted officials as saying the information had been passed on to the Malaysian team involved in the search. Anond Snidvongs, of Thailand's Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency, told the BBC the objects ranged from 2m to 15m (6.5ft to 50ft) in size. He said he could not confirm they were debris from the plane. The French images showed objects up to 23m (75ft) in length and were the first to suggest a debris field rather than just isolated objects. They had been described as the most credible lead so far. Image caption The Thaichote images were taken on 24 March... Image copyright MRSA Image caption... a day after the French images. The two sites are about 200km apart Image copyright Getty Images Image caption A P3 returns to Perth from the suspended air search. Bad weather may continue for 24 hours Image copyright Reuters Image caption A slideshow tribute to victims in Beijing The BBC's Paul Adams, in Kuala Lumpur, says the latest image forms part of a growing body of circumstantial evidence suggesting that it is in this inhospitable part of the Indian Ocean where the flight of MH370 came to an end. The Thaichote is Thailand's Earth observation mission and was launched in 2008. 'Zero visibility' Malaysia said on Monday that fresh analysis of satellite signals had shown that the plane had gone down in the southern Indian Ocean, with no survivors. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption BBC's Jonathan Head: "Experts are saying this is probably the most difficult search in modern aviation history" The plane had been en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing when it disappeared from air traffic controllers' screens over the South China Sea. The search is being coordinated by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (Amsa). It said that aircraft had spotted three objects on Wednesday but despite several passes had not been able to relocate them. Eleven planes were sent out again on Thursday. Some of the people we may need to put on suicide watch to try to protect them Paul Yin, Psychologist Plane relatives: 'Embracing the finality' However, Amsa later tweeted: "Update: Ships staying in search area & will attempt to continue searching but all planes returning. Bad weather expected for next 24 hours." Amsa spokesman Sam Cardwell said eight of the 11 planes had reached the search zone and looked for about two hours before the suspension. He said: "They got a bit of time in, but it was not useful because there was no visibility." Lt Cmdr Adam Schantz, in charge of the US Navy's Poseidon P8 plane, said: "The forecast in the area was calling for severe icing, severe turbulence and near-zero visibility. Anybody who's out there is coming home and all additional sorties from here are cancelled." It is the second time this week the operation has been hampered by poor conditions. The Australian Navy ship HMAS Success is in the search area and has been joined by five
2000 for his performance in the A Moon for the Misbegotten revival. Join Independent Minds For exclusive articles, events and an advertising-free read for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month Get the best of The Independent With an Independent Minds subscription for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month Get the best of The Independent Without the ads – for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month The actor first came to the public's attention playing a leading character in the BBC's 1971 adaptation of A.P. Herbert's Misleading Cases. A few years later, Dotrice played Charles Dickens in the miniseries Dickens of London. Dotrice also played various sci-fi roles, appearing in Space: 1999 and the Buffy the Vampire spin-off Angel. Shape Created with Sketch. Notable deaths in 2017 Show all 28 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Notable deaths in 2017 1/28 Hugh Hefner, the creator of Playboy magazine, died 28 September 2017 aged 91 Central Press/Stringer - Getty 2/28 Liz Dawn as Vera Duckworth in Coronation Street, pictured with co-star Bill Tarmey who played her husband Jack. Dawn died 25 September 2017, aged 77 ITV 3/28 Walter Becker, one of the founders of the band Steely Dan, died September 3 aged 67 Rex 4/28 David Tang, one of Hong Kong's most famous businessman, died of liver cancer aged 63 on 29 August AFP/Getty Images 5/28 Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington died July 20 Getty Images 6/28 Holocaust survivor and stateswoman who fought for abortion rights, Simone Veil, died July 4 Getty 7/28 Michael Bond, author and creator of Paddington Bear, died June 28 PA 8/28 TV's Batman, Adam West, died June 12 AFP/Getty Images 9/28 Peter Sallis, who starred in Last of the Summer Wine and voiced Wallace and Gromit, died on June 5 Rex 10/28 John Noakes, The action hero of Blue Peter, died May 29 Rex 11/28 Former MotoGP world champion, Nicky Hayden, died age 35, on May 26. He was knocked off his bicycle by a car in Italy. Getty 12/28 Sir Roger Moore died on May 23 Getty Images 13/28 Soundgarden singer, Chris Cornell, who helped define grunge music died May 17 Kevin Winter/Getty Images 14/28 Moors Murderer Ian Brady died May 15 Getty Images 15/28 Powers Boothe, star of Deadwood and Sin City, dies, aged 68 on May 15 Todd Williamson/Invision/AP 16/28 Robert Miles, Trance DJ behind hit track 'Children', died from cancer aged 47 on May 12 PA 17/28 Happy Days child star, Erin Moran, died at the age of 56 on April 24 Getty Images 18/28 Ex-player and Tottenham U23 coach Ugo Ehiogu died after he suffered a cardiac arrest at the training ground, aged 44 on April 21 Getty 19/28 British athlete Germaine Mason, silver medalist at the Beijing Olympics, died following a motorcycle crash, aged 34 on April 21 Rex 20/28 Actor Tim Pigott-Smith star of TV, film and theatre died on April 7 Getty 21/28 Rupert Cornwell an award-winning foreign correspondent who embodied the spirit of The Independent died on April 1 22/28 Morse creator Colin Dexter died on March 21 PA 23/28 Rock and roll legend Chuck Berry died on March 18 Getty 24/28 Sir Howard Hodgkin, one of Britain's greatest abstract painters of the post-war period died on March 9 Rex 25/28 Sir Gerald Kaufman was the oldest of the longest-serving MPs and Father of the House of Commons when he died on February 27 PA 26/28 Joost van der Westhuizen died at the age of 45 on February 6 Getty 27/28 John Hurt died aged 77 on 28 January Getty 28/28 Lord Snowdon, husband to Princess Margaret died on January 13 Getty 1/28 Hugh Hefner, the creator of Playboy magazine, died 28 September 2017 aged 91 Central Press/Stringer - Getty 2/28 Liz Dawn as Vera Duckworth in Coronation Street, pictured with co-star Bill Tarmey who played her husband Jack. Dawn died 25 September 2017, aged 77 ITV 3/28 Walter Becker, one of the founders of the band Steely Dan, died September 3 aged 67 Rex 4/28 David Tang, one of Hong Kong's most famous businessman, died of liver cancer aged 63 on 29 August AFP/Getty Images 5/28 Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington died July 20 Getty Images 6/28 Holocaust survivor and stateswoman who fought for abortion rights, Simone Veil, died July 4 Getty 7/28 Michael Bond, author and creator of Paddington Bear, died June 28 PA 8/28 TV's Batman, Adam West, died June 12 AFP/Getty Images 9/28 Peter Sallis, who starred in Last of the Summer Wine and voiced Wallace and Gromit, died on June 5 Rex 10/28 John Noakes, The action hero of Blue Peter, died May 29 Rex 11/28 Former MotoGP world champion, Nicky Hayden, died age 35, on May 26. He was knocked off his bicycle by a car in Italy. Getty 12/28 Sir Roger Moore died on May 23 Getty Images 13/28 Soundgarden singer, Chris Cornell, who helped define grunge music died May 17 Kevin Winter/Getty Images 14/28 Moors Murderer Ian Brady died May 15 Getty Images 15/28 Powers Boothe, star of Deadwood and Sin City, dies, aged 68 on May 15 Todd Williamson/Invision/AP 16/28 Robert Miles, Trance DJ behind hit track 'Children', died from cancer aged 47 on May 12 PA 17/28 Happy Days child star, Erin Moran, died at the age of 56 on April 24 Getty Images 18/28 Ex-player and Tottenham U23 coach Ugo Ehiogu died after he suffered a cardiac arrest at the training ground, aged 44 on April 21 Getty 19/28 British athlete Germaine Mason, silver medalist at the Beijing Olympics, died following a motorcycle crash, aged 34 on April 21 Rex 20/28 Actor Tim Pigott-Smith star of TV, film and theatre died on April 7 Getty 21/28 Rupert Cornwell an award-winning foreign correspondent who embodied the spirit of The Independent died on April 1 22/28 Morse creator Colin Dexter died on March 21 PA 23/28 Rock and roll legend Chuck Berry died on March 18 Getty 24/28 Sir Howard Hodgkin, one of Britain's greatest abstract painters of the post-war period died on March 9 Rex 25/28 Sir Gerald Kaufman was the oldest of the longest-serving MPs and Father of the House of Commons when he died on February 27 PA 26/28 Joost van der Westhuizen died at the age of 45 on February 6 Getty 27/28 John Hurt died aged 77 on 28 January Getty 28/28 Lord Snowdon, husband to Princess Margaret died on January 13 Getty Game of Thrones fans will also recognise Dotrice's voice, the actor having recorded audiobooks for each of George R. R. Martin A Song of Ice and Fire novels. Dotrice was originally meant to play Grand Maester Pycelle, yet withdrew from the part for medical reasons, Julian Glover eventually taking the role. The actor was married to fellow actress Kay Newman, the pair having three daughters, one of whom, Karen Dotrice, played Jane Banks in Disney's Mary Poppins.European astronomers have detected an unprecedented binary system featuring two hot blue O-type stars in orbits so tight they're actually touching each other — and they're not entirely sure what will happen when the stars complete their massive merger. Located in the Giraffe Constellation, MY Camelopardalis (MY Cam for short), is one of the most massive binary star systems ever discovered. Individually, the two hot blue O-type stars contain 32 and 38 times the mass of our sun. Advertisement MY Cam is an eclipsing binary system in which one star passes in front of the other each time an orbit is completed. It has the shortest orbital period ever detected in a binary pair — a mere 1.2 days. The resulting changes in the brightness of the system is what enabled astronomers from the University of Alicante to confirm that it was in fact a binary system and not one massive star. An illustration of MY Cam to scale at the quadrature phase. (J. Lorenzo et al./University of Alicante) But given their immense size, they have to be in extremely close orbits to make a full turn so quickly. This means the stars are actually touching each other and that the material on their outer layers are forming a common envelope. Physicists call it a 'contact binary.' Both components are churning away on the main sequence, and are probably not far from the initial zero-age main sequence. Advertisement Indeed, the astronomers say that MY Cam is a young system that formed about two million years ago. Its current configuration may very well be the one it was born into, but it wasn't meant to last. According to the researchers, the system will eventually merge and create one massive single object. But some theoretical models are predicting an extremely fast merger process culminating in a massive release of energy in the form of an explosion. That said, many astrophysicists believe that the merger of close binaries are the most efficient way to generate extremely massive stars. If true, MY Cam is the first example of such a system. Read the entire study at Astronomy & Astrophysics: "MY Camelopardalis, a very massive merger progenitor". Advertisement Image: J. Lorenzo et al./University of AlicanteToday, we will see how to use the Netcat utility. Netcat is a versatile tool that is known as the Hackers' Swiss Army knife. It exists as both Unix and Windows binaries. Netcat is a tool that can read and write to TCP and UDP ports. It can run in two modes: client and server. We will be exploring Netcat on a Mac machine which ships the BSD variant of the software. If you are on Linux or Windows, the command line options could slightly differ. Consequently, let's see Netcat’s various options: open the terminal, I suggest iTerm if you are on Mac, and type nc -h Please take time to inspect Netcat’s command line options: The syntax is very easy: nc [options] host port Now let’s have Netcat connect to a port to check if that port is listening for connections. We use the -v option to ask Netcat to give more verbose information. nc -v host port Two things to keep in mind. First, Netcat doesn't do https. Secondly, Netcat will try to initiate by default a TCP connection, if you want to send a UDP packet, you can use the -u option. nc -u host port nc host firstPort-lastPort ### Netcat, the portscanner Netcat can be a basic but effective portscanner. You can specify a range of ports by placing a dash between the first and last port: If we want to get much more verbose and useful information, we just need to add some options. nc -z -v example.com 1-80 If you want to use the IP address: nc -z -n -v 192.168.1.100 1-80 Keep in mind that netcat is only a basic portscanner. Nmap is much much better. But this starts to show why Netcat is seen as the Hackers' Swiss Army Knife. Netcat, the chat server Netcat can work as a chat server: you can listen on a port for an incoming connection as shown next. nc -l 4444 Now, open a new Terminal tab, connect to localhost to chat. nc localhost 4444 Now type some text and press enter, switch to the other Terminal tab and you will see the text appear. Netcat works perfectly as a basic chat server. Netcat, the file transfer utility Netcat can also transfer file. Well, it can do millions of things as you can see. Open a new Terminal tab and type nc -l 3000 > FileToReceive In this case, instead of outputting what comes into your listener to the screen, we use the '>' symbol in order to output it to a file. Open again a new Terminal tab and type echo "Hello, this is hacklabo" > FileToSend Now Press enter. We have just created a file which contains the "Hello, this is hacklabo" string. Now type nc localhost 3000 < FileToSend And press enter. We are simply sending the content of FileToSend to the Netcat listener on port 3000. The Netcat listener will then output the result into FileToReceive. Conclusion Netcat is an amazing tool not only for penetration testers but also for sysadmins. We have only slightly touched what Netcat can do, but we will dive into more complex use of this amazing tool in the next articles. The best is still to come. Stay awesome and keep hacking, NicolaIllustration: Emiliano Ponzi I arrived on a Tuesday morning, armed with a ticket to Denver that I would not be using, on an airline that may or may not exist, and made my way through security. Over the next 24 hours, I learned a lot. Hover over or tap highlighted passages for more information. For example: The biggest grumps are flying to Phoenix. The iPhoniest go to San Francisco. Those waiting for a flight to Milwaukee should just go rent a car already. JetBlue and American Eagle tie for the hottest flight attendants. Whoever organizes the racks at Hudson News considers Strawberry Shortcake: A Berry Bitty Ballet to be “Inspirational Reading.” The Admirals Club is for smug bastards who would rather block out the sun than give the rest of us a moment of warmth. Anyone under the age of 40 wearing a neck pillow is a loser, anyone over 10 with a stuffed animal is a budding sociopath, and if it were possible to deep-fry existential despair, it would look like a $2.29 seafood rangoon from the Manchu Wok near Gate H5. When my editor offered me $200 in pocket money to spend the night at the world’s busiest airport, I said yes, reasoning that it was $200 more than I’ve ever gotten before to spend the night at an airport. The goal, presumably, was to try out the amenities available to travelers. Find O’Hare’s beating heart. But I had a different agenda: Could 24 hours reverse my long-held belief that O’Hare is not, in fact, an airport but rather Beelzebub’s waiting room, a 7,200-acre living colonoscopy full of unhappy souls and Dean Koontz paperbacks? The interfaith chapel Photos: Courtesy Chicago Department of Aviation My first stop was to be the interfaith chapel on Terminal 2’s mezzanine level, where I could fortify my spirit for the task ahead by attending Mass. Instead, Garrett Popcorn’s buttery aroma lured me, though I approached the empty counter with great suspicion because no one has ever gotten to the front of the line at Garrett before, and there I bought a mix of sticky caramel and orange-cheese corn ($5.05). Advertisement In a glassed-in room outfitted with a makeshift Lady of Loreto tapestry and a giant crucifix, I watched two kindly white-haired priests named Donohue and O’Brien conduct a service. Although I am not Catholic, I found the proceedings lovely and strangely touching. Neither the 737 taking off nor the harried passengers rolling suitcases over each other’s feet beyond the windows could stop the Lord from washing away our iniquities. A prayer even popped into my head: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to not eat that popcorn in my backpack right now because it smells so damn good. Soul clean but belly empty, I sought out Tortas Frontera, Rick Bayless’s Mexican sandwich place, near Gate K4. All around O’Hare, you catch snippets of people discussing Tortas Frontera’s three locations (“The one in Terminal 1 has the shortest line,” “My brother ordered six Cubanas and fed his whole row on the plane,” etc.). In a bathroom near Gate L6, I heard a German hilariously attempting to pronounce cochinita pibil to his friend. As I awaited my order, I spotted two celebrated journalists from national magazines in the long line and went to say hello. While polite, both gentlemen were obviously more enthusiastic about lunch. “We took a train from another terminal to eat here,” one gushed. “Tortas Frontera,” the other whispered. “Is it as good as they say?” It is, sort of. In an airport, you’re grateful for any restaurant that tries, and Tortas Frontera tries mightily. My handmade cochinita pibil ($12), complete with slow-roasted, antibiotic-free Berkshire pork on a crisp Labriola bolillo, served as a good approximation of Bayless’s beloved sandwiches at Xoco. The margarita ($11) was another story. Herradura Silver tequila deserves a better fate than living out its final moments in a plastic cup in an airport terminal. Across the hall, I spied Bubbles, a wine bar with a player piano. I heard they stocked a good selection of prosecco and that anyone who wished to play the piano could do so. I wished to, but decided to wait until later. Instead, I settled in at Facades, a cozy bar hidden at the end of Concourse K, to drink a cold Samuel Adams Rebel IPA ($10 with tip) under an enormous skylight. With the sun streaming in, the reassuring soundtrack of a ball game on the TV, and a pale malt blend mingling with tequila in my bloodstream, I felt that rarest of airport feelings: contentment. But it was while recharging my phone on the cushy curved love seat in a corridor between Gates H6 and K6 in Terminal 3 that I achieved total enlightenment. Tossing back my Garrett popcorn with filthy abandon and blasting Fang Island on my headphones, I watched jets lift off through the massive window in a choreographed aeronautical ballet and felt a fleeting euphoria. Maybe it was the buzz and mysteriously free Wi-Fi. I embarked on a cockeyed odyssey and began to notice horribly out-of-place upscale shops. Brooks Brothers? Erwin Pearl? Who’s buying suits and jewelry in an airport? “It’s usually men on business trips who have forgotten something for their wife,” said the employee at the Erwin Pearl near Gate H6. She pointed over her shoulder at a guy in khakis and loafers sheepishly perusing necklaces before slinking away. Ladies and gentlemen, keeping your airport economy thriving: America’s army of corporate pinheads. The yoga room As my buzz wore off, a melancholy sank in, one that could be cured only by O’Hare’s free yoga room. I’ve never gotten into yoga—my throat chakra is full of fury and ranch dressing—but when I entered the tranquil studio on the mezzanine level of the Terminal 3 rotunda and met a stunningly gorgeous woman named Emily from Kansas City, I gave it a shot. Tattooed, toned, and clad in an outfit so skimpy I could see pretty much her whole Shakti, Emily contorted her frame into improbable shapes on the sustainable bamboo floor while I alternated between unsettling arousal and stunned disgust. After pretending to do yoga for 20 minutes, I returned Emily’s breathy “Namaste” and left to cool off. Less erotic but equally zen, the aeroponic garden towers over the mezzanine outside the yoga room. Vertical vines of Swiss chard, Genovese basil, and Asian red leaf lettuce grow without soil, aided by light pouring through floor-to-ceiling windows. If you need a place to feel ashamed for brazenly objectifying a stranger’s body, it’s as good as any. Kids on the Fly To repair my fractured karma, I needed culture. And culture I found in Ice: Portraits of Vanishing Glaciers, a wonderfully random collection of photos near Gate F1. Just down the Terminal 2 corridor is Kids on the Fly, an interactive aviation exhibit to frolic in, though it turns out if you’re a middle-aged man without your kids and giving off skeevy postyoga vibes, you may not feel welcome. Better to visit the Butch O’Hare exhibit beneath a giant F4F-3 Wildcat around the corner from Terminal 2’s TSA security screening and learn the sad history of the man the airport is named after. Dude shoots down five Japanese bombers in four minutes over the Pacific and all he gets is his name cursed every time a flight to Dallas is delayed. Tough break, Butch. Advertisement I was nosing around Hoypoloi, an eclectic art gallery obsessed with bronze frogs near Gate B6 in Terminal 1, when I heard a jazz version of “See Emily Play” and realized I had jacked up my shoulder in the yoga room. Good thing for the Terminal Getaway Spa next to Gate B12, where I sprang for a wonderful deep-tissue massage ($23) administered by a large man with meaty hands that emitted pure sunshine. Within 10 minutes, he had worked a grapefruit-size knot from my upper back. For dinner, I perched myself on a swivel stool at Terminal 2’s sleek Wicker Park Seafood & Sushi, which my masseur had recommended (after suggesting Tortas Frontera). The long blue-toned bar was filled with pristine sashimi, nigiri, and people Skyping on iPhones. No one’s in a hurry at Wicker Park Seafood & Sushi, least of all the sushi chefs, who apparently go all the way to Wicker Park to get the fish. I liked my eel roll ($10), spicy salmon-tuna roll ($9), and miso soup ($4), but wish I had avoided the cloying Skinny Buddha ($14.49), a cocktail of Hendrick’s gin, sake, and cucumber and an insult to Buddhists and skinny people alike. My plan to get a haircut at the gentlemen’s barbershop on the other side of security, in the underground walkway between Terminal 2 and the parking garage, hit a snag when I realized that it had closed at 7 p.m. Then all at once, everything else started to shut down, including the shoe doctor, the yoga room, and pretty much every restaurant and bar. Oh no. Bubbles. I hustled back to Terminal 3, only to find the wine bar’s plush chairs upside down, the player piano empty, and a bartender wiping up. “We close at 9,” he said. It was 9:02. I eyed the piano longingly. He shook his head.That’s when O’Hare’s shadows began creeping in and my wandering became aimless, desperate. The guy driving the little airport car honked at me for no ostensible reason. I played Which Flight Sounds the Worst, which ended in a tie between the 8:40 to Harrisburg and the 9:25 to Flint. I sat down at Gate G20 with passengers bound for Fargo in hopes of hearing some good accents. Then the power-tripping horn whore honked at me again from the other direction. When I found myself watching live lacrosse on TV, I knew the airport officially had nothing left to offer. So I circled back to the Love Seat of Complete Consciousness, which, now that I was sober, proved to be an unforgiving curved four-foot cushion in an echoey corridor. Our hero’s overnight perch Around 12:45 a.m., using a wadded-up thermal shirt for a pillow, I drifted off. It was less a drift than a shove, a desire to be anywhere else—say, the Singapore airport, in a reclining leather chair in its free private napping area, or at its butterfly garden, nature trail, pool, free movie theater, or four-story slide. But my lot in life right now was four feet of squeaky pleather, numb and pretzeled legs dangling, back twisted into a question mark. No human could fit on this thing. Emily, maybe. Oh, Emily … My long night on the little scoliosis crib, during which the thermal shirt alternated as a pillow when my neck got sore and a blanket when my body went into hypothermia, ended in pathetic surrender at 6 a.m. Around me, bodies sprawled on love seats, shifting, moaning, stiff, miserable. The corridor, which, apart from a few janitors and employees passing through, had been quiet most of the night, was waking up. Just a few hundred feet away, I found Concourse K in full swing. Tortas Frontera already had nine people in line. Advertisement “Long night?” an enthusiastic waiter asked as he slid a fresh-squeezed orange juice ($3) on my table at Wolfgang Puck Café. I grunted my desire for a goat cheese omelet ($13), which I ate while watching the sun rise over Terminal 3. Really great omelet, the sort of gooey-fluffy specimen that gives you an inexplicable rugged hope for the day. The kind of omelet that tells you an airport can be a pleasant place, to a point, and that point is roughly 9 p.m., when it morphs into something eerie and stuffy and a little sad. But every morning, the air and action refresh, and the whole thing starts over with an optimistic energy. New day rising, circle of life, that whole thing. While paying the check, I felt a niggling itch in my bellybutton, which, upon further inspection, turned out to be a sticky shard of Garrett popcorn. Did I eat it? Yes, I did. That’s when it was time to go home.In January, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback announced that his state would use a network of volunteer mentors to help welfare recipients find work. It is the latest in a string of reforms by the Brownback administration to the state's welfare system. Since 2011, the governor has shortened the time that low-income households are eligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) from five years to three years. He has also signed into law measures to prevent people from misusing benefits on gambling, entertainment and expensive food. Under Brownback's watch, the number of people accessing TANF benefits in a given month has dropped dramatically, from about 39,000 to 13,000. While state officials point to lower caseloads as a sign that poor people are becoming less dependent on the government, critics say the state isn't doing enough to help TANF recipients find employment before they lose their benefits. Brownback's Hope, Opportunity and Prosperity for Everyone (HOPE) Mentoring program is an answer to that criticism. It's modeled after an existing volunteer mentoring program for soon-to-be-released Kansas prison inmates. Over the next year, the goal is to sign up 1,100 volunteer mentors to be matched with 1,100 TANF recipients who are approaching their lifetime limit for TANF eligibility. In July, the state Department of Children and Families also plans to match mentors with young people aging out of the foster care system. Governing spoke with Jim Echols, the HOPE Mentoring program director, about the new initiative. The following interview has been edited for clarity and length. How many volunteers have signed up for training so far? We've got 50 projected individuals over the next four weeks who are attending the training in different locations throughout the state of Kansas. In the first training, we had First Lady Mary Brownback participate. She will soon to be matched up with a mentee herself. She has taken a leading role as a volunteer, and it's helping us with others. I noticed that TANF clients don't have to participate. It's just an option. Yes, it is a voluntary program. At this point, it's not a mandate for the client to participate. But we think we have enough features and benefits to encourage them to want to work with a mentor. Who are your ideal mentors? My hope is people in the faith-based community and people from the nonprofit sector -- people who are involved in a lot of community and civic activities -- will participate. We also plan to get as much support as we can from the private sector because we realize that a lot of the chamber groups and business associations could be a source of entry-level employment for individuals who successfully go through our program. We want to make the [mentor pool] as diverse as we can. What makes you think a volunteer mentorship program like this will be successful? We've seen how much success it's had within corrections. Within the first year out of prison, those with a mentor had a recidivism rate of 8.7 percent compared to 20.7 percent for the whole population. We think the corrections community has had success because in many cases the basic stumbling blocks and barriers that could become problematic have been discussed and addressed. We think if we can be that successful in a situation where an individual has been incarcerated, we will have a greater success rate in TANF. What goes into the training? What do they learn? Our current training is about half a work day. We cover issues that typical clients experience in their daily lives and the types of things that would be important as far as them becoming independent. We point out issues that deal with income, job skills, employment in general, transportation and child care. In many cases, our TANF clients do not have a good grasp of how to navigate the resources available to them. We train our volunteers on all of the major resources available so that they can guide clients to them and can empower clients to access those resources on their own. I would imagine that some people would say this is really the job of a professional case manager or social worker. Have you heard that criticism, and if so, what's your justification for relying on volunteer mentors? What we've found is, there is a great chance, if not an even better chance, of successful outcomes with volunteers who are from a diverse cross section of society. The most educated person is not necessarily the best mentor, even if they're in a field such as therapy or social work. My hope is that some of the individuals who participate as mentees will become volunteer mentors in the future. In The Wichita Eagle, the president of Kansas Action for Children said she thought there were already good mentoring programs offered by local nonprofits and that the TANF money being spent on volunteer mentoring -- about $545,000 over two years -- would be better used on things like housing, diapers and child care. What's your take on that criticism? I've heard criticism on both extremes of the spectrum. I've heard that what we've been doing in the past was not enough as far as the amount of money being invested or provided as benefits to clients. I've heard it argued by some that it was too much. There is always a variance in the perception. It's hard to find a happy medium, but we do believe the energy and expense with the HOPE Mentoring program will more than pay for itself in a short time.The NBA and its locked-out players are unlikely to meet again before Monday, almost assuring the first two weeks of regular-season games will be canceled. Who's to blame for scuttling a proposed weekend meeting between the sides depends on who you ask. Sources told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard that the union asked for the meeting, and the owners agreed -- on the condition the players agree to a 50-50 split of basketball-related income. When the union rejected that stance, the owners said there was no need to meet, the sources said. NBA spokesman Tim Frank confirmed to ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher that the owners are sticking to the 50-50 revenue split. But he said it was the players, not the owners, who declined to meet. "We told the union today that we were willing to meet as early as Sunday," Frank said. "We also advised them that we were unwilling to move above the 50-50 split of revenues that was discussed between the parties on Tuesday but that we wanted to meet with them to discuss the many remaining open issues. The union declined." As a result, the first two weeks of the season will almost certainly be canceled. The players' union was optimistic it would meet with the league one last time, so much so that union president Derek Fisher remained in New York rather than return to Los Angeles after Tuesday's session, sources told ESPN's Bucher. Commissoner David Stern and union executive director Billy Hunter talked Wednesday and Thursday and sources say both sides were hoping to meet in one last effort to save the scheduled start of the season on Nov. 1. But when the owners demanded an up-front agreement to the 50-50 split, which was raised during Tuesday's bargaining session, the players balked. In comments after Tuesday's bargaining session, Stern said the owners offered a 50-50 split of BRI. There is disagreement over the details of the proposed 50-50 split. Sources told Broussard the owners actually offered the players 49 percent, increasing to 51 percent based on incentives related to the projected growth of the league. The players countered with a proposed 51 percent share, increasing to 53 percent, which the owners turned down, sources told Broussard. Instead of meeting with the owners, Hunter will fly to Los Angeles on Sunday for a Monday meeting with players. Another union official will facilitate a meeting with players in Miami, where LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are holding a charity game Saturday night, sources said. Players were guaranteed 57 percent of basketball-related income under the previous collective bargaining agreement, which expired July 1, and have proposed lowering it to 53 percent in a new deal. No further talks have been scheduled in the lockout, which entered its 99th day on Friday, and Hunter has said it could be a month or two before the sides meet again. While there had been no formal discussions since Tuesday, there was an expectation they would try to talk sometime before the end of the weekend. If not, the NBA will have its first shortened season since the 1998-99 schedule was reduced to 50 games by a work stoppage. The entire preseason schedule has already been scrapped. Each BRI percentage point is worth about $40 million dollars, so the sides are some $120 million apart in the first year of a deal, with the union proposing 53 percent and the league seeking the 50-50 split. Chris Broussard is a senior NBA writer for ESPN The Magazine. ESPN The Magazine senior NBA writer Ric Bucher and The Associated Press contributed to this report.Seventy years ago, the first programmable computer in the United States began humming away in a basement lab on Harvard University’s Cambridge campus. The Harvard Mark I was of “light weight, trim appearance,” according to a brochure published a year later, in 1945. Designed by Harvard mathematician Howard Aiken (1900-1973) and built by IBM, it was 51 feet long, 8 feet high, and weighed 10,000 pounds. The machine contained thousands of gears, switches, and control circuits, and was driven by an electric motor that turned a 50-foot shaft. In May 1944, the Mark I was put to work with the Navy, performing basic mathematical functions to support the war effort. Among its tasks: calculating Bessel functions used in designing torpedo shapes, which led to the nickname “Bessie,” according to Juan Andres Leon, a former doctoral student in Harvard’s History of Science Department who conducted research on the machine. Leon’s work, together with that of Laura Neuhaus, a former curatorial fellow in the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments, and several others, is on display at the Science Center in the first update of the Mark I exhibit in 17 years. A section of the machine is also part of the show. The Mark I had a long life by today’s standards, running for 15 years. It was broken up after being decommissioned in 1959. Large pieces went on display at the Science Center and at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., with smaller pieces sent to other museums and to IBM. The previous Science Center exhibition of the Mark I was completed in the mid-1990s, Leon said, and reflected its times. In the mid-1990s, personal computers ran Windows 95, hardware speed was critical, and the Web was still taking shape. As a consequence, Leon said, the importance of the Mark I’s software wasn’t emphasized, and neither, Neuhaus added, were the contributions of Grace Hopper, a Navy officer and computer scientist who was the machine’s first programmer. An enthusiastic crowd jammed the hallway around the downsized machine — about half of the original is on display — during a ceremony last week to launch the new exhibit. Speakers including Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Michael D. Smith, Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Cherry Murray, and Pellegrino University Professor Peter Galison, the faculty director of the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments, talked about the Mark I’s significance. The highlight of the event came when the machine was switched on, filling the Science Center’s ground floor lobby with a hum. Though the Mark I works mechanically, it wasn’t performing calculations, Neuhaus said, in part because the machine itself is incomplete and in part because the programming expertise needed to run it has faded with time. New life for Mark I, world's first programmable computer The Harvard Mark I computer, the world’s first programmable, mechanical computer, sprang to life when officials switched it on to mark the opening of a refurbished exhibition in Harvard’s Science Center. For Neuhaus, one of the most interesting aspects of the Mark I is the effect it has had on the language of today’s programmers. Terms such as “patch” and “loop” are often thought of as metaphorical but are actually rooted in the machine’s programming, which was accomplished through holes punched in paper tape. “Patches” were physical patches covering holes in the tape; a “loop” was formed by attaching the ends of the
Department of Public Health and the Placer County Air Pollution Control District – advisory for June 30, 2016 through July 4, 2016 AUBURN, Calif (June 30, 2016) — The Placer County Public Health Officer and Placer County Air Pollution Control District are issuing a joint air quality advisory to notify the public of poor air quality conditions primarily due to smoke from the Trailhead Fire in Placer and El Dorado Counties. Areas of smoke may affect Placer County from the valley to the Lake Tahoe area, dependent upon wind direction, until the fire is extinguished. In the evenings, smoke tends to move downhill becoming more concentrated in lower elevation areas including the foothills and the Lake Tahoe region. In the afternoon and early evening hours, conditions may improve as smoke rises. Smoke contains very tiny particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs. While all people may experience varying degrees of symptoms, the more sensitive individuals, such as young, aged and those with respiratory conditions are of greatest risk of experiencing more aggravated symptoms. Symptoms may include, but are not limited to coughing, watery and itchy eyes, scratchy throat and difficulty in breathing. Intermittent smoke is likely to affect different parts of the county at different times of the day until the fire is extinguished. Because of this, individuals should be aware that it is possible for smoke to affect both indoor and outdoor activities. If you can see or smell smoke, avoid all unnecessary outdoor activities, especially if you are in an area where visibility is greatly reduced. Here are recommended ways to reduce your smoke exposure: Stay indoors with the windows and doors closed; if possible run the air conditioner on the “recirculation” setting Limit outdoor exertion and physical activity Leave the smoke-impacted areas until conditions improve, if possible Reduce unnecessary driving. If traveling through smoke-impacted areas, be sure that your vehicle’s ventilation system is on recirculate Avoid the use of non‐HEPA paper face mask filters, which are not capable of filtering out extra fine particulates Anyone experiencing questionable or severe symptoms should contact their doctor if they have any questions. Keep in mind that air quality can change rapidly at different times during the day due to wind shifts; therefore, it is important to monitor the smoke throughout the day in your area and make outdoor plans accordingly. Information on air quality and smoke can be found at www.placer.ca.gov/apcd. June 30, 2016 at 10:01 AM Yesterday, crews on the north side of the Middle Fork of the American River worked to construct containment line on the west and southwest sides of the fire, constructing line from Peachstone Gulch north up the Western States Trail to protect the communities of Todd Valley and Foresthill. Work will continue on that today. Contingency lines are also being constructed to further protect those communities. On the southside of the American River, Spot fires along the south side of Otter Creek occurred yesterday with the afternoon arrival of upcanyon winds. Steep, inaccessible terrain in Otter Creek made firefighting in the drainage too dangerous, and crews will work today to build indirect from Fords Bar south to Bottle Hill and then east along the Hornblend Mountains, towards Jakeys’ Hill. The firefighters will also scout and construct line northwest from Jakeys Hill northwest toward Buckeye Point, tying back into the Middle Fork of the American River to protect the community of Volcanoville. As of 9:00 am this morning, a VOLUNTARY EVACUATION has been issued for the community of Volcanoville. Weather today is predicted to be similar to yesterday, with hot, dry conditions prevailing. Afternoon winds are predicted to be similar to yesterday. June 30, 2016 at 9:52 AM Helicopters are working the fire already. Air tankers will be back on the fire as soon as the smoke lifts sufficiently to allow for targeted retardant drops. June 30, 2016 at 9:04 AM The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office is issuing a VOLUNTARY EVACUATION NOTICE for residents on the following streets: 4 Wheel Drive Road Bear State Road Bearfoot Road Breedlove Road, North of Bottle Hill Road Bojac Court Cassill Mine Road Cecil Lane Cedar Maddone Road Christmas Tree Lane Country Court Country Road Dusty Camp Road Dusty Mine Road El Bosque Place Haven Ridge Road Haven Ridge Court Hobby Horse Lane Kentucky Flat Road Lake Avenue Lofty Peak Lane Merkel Drive Mosswood Road Narrow Way Pay Master Mine Road Ringtale Road Shotgun Lane Spring Tunnel Mine Road Spirit Creek Star Lake Sticker Bush Trail Sunset Peak Lane Tall Timber Road Thumper Lane Tin Ranch Road Tinsel Trail Tipten Hill Court Tullamore Lane Wolfridge Road Volcanoville Road Unnamed Road (west of Volcanoville Road) Possibly Cock Robin Road An Evacuation Shelter has been established at Golden Sierra High School at 5101 Garden Valley Road in Garden Valley, and this shelter can accommodate small animals. All large animals need to be transported to 1100 Cold Springs Road, where Animal Services has arranged for accommodations. The El Dorado County Fire Hotline (530)642-7263 is now staffed and any questions or concerns can be addressed by calling this number. Current Road Closures are: Bottle Hill Road at Wentworth Springs Road Mameluke Hill Road at Canyon Creek Breedlove at Canyon Creek NEW CLOSURE: Volcanoville Road at Wentworth Springs Road will be limited to RESIDENTS ONLY. June 30, 2016 at 8:55 AM Interesting comparison between the fire at night (photo below) and this morning. Thanks to Placer County Sheriff’s Office for sharing their deputy’s photo, also taken from Mosquito Ridge Road in Foresthill. June 30, 2016 at 8:48 AM A community meeting for the Trailhead Fire will be at Garden Valley High School (5101 Garden Valley Rd., Garden Valley, CA) at 7:00 PM tonight. June 30, 2016 at 8:18 AM At 9:00 am voluntary evacuations will be initiated for Volcanoville. There will be a soft road closure on Wentworth Springs. June 30, 2016 at 8:04 AM The fire was active overnight, as evidenced by this photo, courtesy of Joe Dondelinger. June 30, 2016 at 7:09 AM The fire is divided in two branches. Branch I is the El Dorado side, Branch II the Placer side of the river. The containment figures reflect line build on the Placer side up from African Bar to Peachstone Gulch in Division A. Contingency dozer lines have been completed to reinforce protection for the homes located in Toadd Valley and Skyview. June 30, 2016 at 6:21 AM According to CAL FIRE, the fire is 1,264 acres and remains at 12% containment. NorCal Team 2 arrived last night and among many other things produced this map and the IR kmz you see above. June 29, 2016 at 9:25 PM Working closely in Unified Command, CAL FIRE and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) fire crews worked throughout the day to construct control lines around the fire. Heavy use of aircraft including air tankers, helicopters and air attack command and control aircraft helped in keeping the fire to approximately 1,000 acres. Firefighting personnel were able to make progress in limiting further spread on the Foresthill side of the river. The fire, burning in a larger area on the Eldorado National Forest side of the river, burned at times aggressively throughout the day. Both the Placer and El Dorado County Sheriff’s Departments imposed additional mandatory evacuation zones in an effort to protect residents in advance of the danger. The fire is now burning south of Otter Creek which is what prompted evacuations in El Dorado County. Northern California Interagency Team II is on forest and transitioning to take command of the incident. June 29, 2016 at 6:15 PM 1,928 firefighters working the 1,000-acre fire, 22 dozers, 121 engines, 65 handcrews assigned. Containment is up to 12%. June 29, 2016 at 5:46 PM Current road closures in El Dorado County are: Bottle Hill Road at Wentworth Springs Road Mameluke Hill Road at Canyon Creek Breedlove Road at Canyon Creek June 29, 2016 at 5:01 PM Due to increased fire activity the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office is issuing a MANDATORY EVACUATION NOTICE for residents on the following streets: East to West: Mameluke Hill Road, East side of from Canyon Creek to Bottle Hill Bottle Hill Road, East from the intersection of Cement Hill Road Roanoak Bear Flat Bear Flat South Bottle HI Antwine Jinnor Kelliher, South of Otter Creek N Hyder S Hyder Miners Delight Air Shaft Little Miner Breedlove Road, North of Canyon Creek La Cresta Drive Strawn Mining Claim Paymaster Loop Otter Creek Road, South of Otter Creek Four Wheeler Drive Earthsong Lane Slow Go Road Bottle Hill Bypass Rowdy Road Stag Lane Dru Barner, North of Wentworth Springs Road Tierra Lane NF 13N16a Garden Tower Lane An Evacuation Shelter has been established at Golden Sierra High School at 5101 Garden Valley Road in Garden Valley, and this shelter can accommodate small animals. All large animals need to be transported to 1100 Cold Springs Road, where Animal Services has arranged for accommodations. The El Dorado County Fire Hotline (530)642-7263 is now staffed and any questions or concerns can be addressed by calling this number. June 29, 2016 at 4:52 PM Mandatory evacuation order about to be issued: Otter Creek on the north to Canyon Creek on the south, east to Wentworth Springs Road – in El Dorado County. This is due to a half-acre spot fire on the south side of the river resulting from a roll out from Otter Creek. This information has not been confirmed by El Dorado Sheriff’s Office. June 29, 2016 at 4:41 PM New estimated acreage is 800 acres. Tanker 910 (VLAT) on order. June 29, 2016 at 4:05 PM From Placer County: Contingency line construction June 29, 2016 at 3:59 PM Spot fire on Otter Creek, Air Attack is directing air resources to it. The spot is about half an acre, well-established. June 29, 2016 at 3:04 PM Lots of tanker drops in the Otter Creek, on the Eldorado side of the fire. Heavy tankers are placing contingency retardant lines further up. June 29, 2016 at 2:44 PM Air tankers are in heavy rotation, increased fire behavior with observed spotting. June 29, 2016 at 1:58 PM Air Quality Health Advisory for sensitive groups – high ozone forecast Wednesday, June 29 and Thursday, June 30, 2016 in Western Nevada County Ozone concentrations are expected to reach the “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” range on Wednesday and Thursday, June 29th and 30th in Western Nevada County. Due to the combination of high temperatures, mild winds from the Sacramento region, poor atmospheric dispersion and an abundance of ozone precursors (NOx and VOCs) associated with the Trailhead Fire in Placer County, ozone is likely to increase throughout the day on Wednesday and remain high Wednesday evening. Levels are likely to drop early Thursday morning, but then increase again by Thursday afternoon. In addition, an intermittent haze of smoke from the Trailhead Fire may exacerbate the health effects of ozone at times. Sensitive Groups (those most at risk from exposure to ground level ozone) are typically comprised of individuals who may be elderly, children, asthmatics, adults with pre-existing heart and lung disease, pregnant women and people who are exercising outdoors. Exposure to unhealthful ozone concentrations can result in eye and throat irritation, headaches, nausea, shortness of breath, congestion, coughing, impaired lung function and chest pain. Sensitive individuals are advised to avoid prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion, especially during the late afternoon and evening. June 29, 2016 at 1:56 PM Per El Dorado County Sheriff: Due to increased fire activity and the need to move fire equipment into the area, there is now a hard road closure of Bottle Hill Road at Breedlove Road and Bottle Hill Road at Mameluke Hill Road. Deputies will be contacting any affected residents shortly. June 29, 2016 at 1:45 PM Air tankers are resuming operations. June 29, 2016 at 1:24 PM Mandatory evacuations Skyview Terrace Mobile Home Park Oakwood Ct Vinewood Ct Trail Head Ct Green Pine Ct Alton Trail Ct Gray Ct Tevis Ct White Tail Ct Nugget Dr All residents living east of Green Ridge Dr. to Oakwood Ln. to Nugget Dr. Residents to the west of the above listed roads in the Foresthill/Todd Valley area are under an advisory evacuation order. A phone message will be sent to the affected areas for those who have signed up for the Placer Alert service. Please keep calls into the 911 center for emergency requests. Road Closures Nugget Road is closed from start to end, both sides of the road. June 29, 2016 at 1:04 PM Helicopters are starting to work the fire again. This is a critical time for air operations to lay down retardant lines and cool down hot spots. Drone operators need to be aware of the existing TFR, stay away from the incident and not interfere with firefighting efforts. June 29, 2016 at 12:38 PM Air operations have one Air Attack and 2 tankers over the fire at high altitude. Air operations are on hold. June 29, 2016 at 12:29 PM Another drone incursion is shutting down air operations. June 29, 2016 at 12:18 PM Better mapping for a new estimated size of 650 acres. Still 5% contained. June 29, 2016 at 11:43 AM Hard road closures in the Georgetown are at Mameluke Road and Wentworth Springs. June 29, 2016 at 10:48 AM Residents are urged to heed the evacuation orders and follow directions by PCSO deputies. Air tankers are reinforcing the existing retardant lines, dozers and firefighters are building hand lines. Dozers are also working to build contingency lines. Please be extremely careful and watch for heavy equipment traveling on Foresthill Road. Numerous strike teams are arriving today. NorCal Team 2 will take over command of the fire by tomorrow. June 29, 2016 at 10:30 AM Red Cross moving the #TrailheadFire evac center from Forest Hill HS to the Gold Country Fairgrounds in Auburn at the Sierra Bldg. June 29, 2016 at 10:08 AM Per Placer County Sheriff: The Placer County Sheriff’s Office is issuing a mandatory evacuation order in Foresthill for the following: All residents living east of Green Ridge Dr. to Oakwood Ln. to Nugget Dr. Residents with animals and livestock can respond to the Gold Country Fair Grounds in Auburn where staff, food and water are available. Residents to the west of the above listed roads in the Todd Valley area are under an advisory evacuation order. An Everbridge phone message will be sent to the affected areas for those who have signed up for the service. Please keep calls into the 911 center for emergency requests. June 29, 2016 at 9:50 AM As the sun begins to hit the fire, thermal activity is increasing the fire behavior. As of now, there has been no change in evacuations. If you are a Placer County resident, sign up for the Placer Alert system June 29, 2016 at 9:18 AM The Trailhead Fire is being managed under unified command by CALFIRE and the U.S. Forest Service. The fire continued to burn through the night, though without significant growth. Crews working night operations took direct and indirect action, putting in hand and dozer line through steep terrain. Dense vegetation and heavy timber has made progress difficult and dangerous. A significant augmentation of resources including hand crews, dozers, engines and aircraft will occur throughout the day. Aircraft will take advantage of all opportunities for air operations. Law Enforcement will continue to patrol the area, maintaining road blocks and evacuation areas as necessary. A Type 2 Incident Management Team is en route. Additional updates will be made available as the incident develops. While the fire is still under investigation, investigaotrs are asking for the public’s help for any information about how the fire started. While the area is very remote it is often frequented by rafters. Anyone with information is urged to contact the CAL FIRE Arson Tip Line at – 1-800-468-4408. Mandatory Evacuations: Oakwood Ct, Vinewood Ct, Trail Head Ct, Green Pine Ct. Nugget Dr. Evacuation Advisory in place for: White Tail Ct Alton Trail, Gray Ct, Tevis Ct. June 29, 2016 at 8:56 AM Report of a rafter attempting to get to the fire. June 29, 2016 at 8:20 AM The fire is very active right now, lines in the Nugget Drive area are being tested. Firefighters are creating contingency lines in the Todd Valley area. June 29, 2016 at 7:40 AM No injuries to firefighters have been reported. Evacuations will be reevaluated today. June 29, 2016 at 7:28 AM The fire has been renamed again, it is now back to Trailhead Fire. There is as soft closure in place currently manned by CHP at Todd Valley and Foresthill Road. Residents are OK past that location up until the hard closures. Hard closures currently manned by PCSO at Oakwood + Nugget Birchwood + Nugget Potter + Nugget. June 29, 2016 at 7:10 AM Hot weather will persist today with poor overnight humidity recovery. Air tankers will be over the fire starting at 8:00 am. June 29, 2016 at 6:37 AM The morning briefing will take place at 7 am. Latest updates will be available then. June 28, 2016 at 10:14 PM CAL FIRE has entered into unifed command on the fire with Eldorado National Forest with assistance from Placer Co Incident Management Team. June 28, 2016 at 9:58 PM Per Placer County PIO: Sheltered at the Gold County Fairgrounds from the #TrailFire are 8 horses, 11 rabbits, 1 dog, 3 cats and a goose. June 28, 2016 at 9:53 PM A Temporary Flight Restriction is in effect over the Trail Fire. The TFR includes drones. Issue Date : June 29, 2016 at 0434 UTC Location : FORESTHILL, California near HANGTOWN VOR/DME (HNW) Beginning Date and Time : June 29, 2016 at 1300 UTC Reason for NOTAM : TO PROVIDE A SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR FIRE FIGHTING AVIATION OPERATIONS Type : Hazards Airspace Definition: Center: On the HANGTOWN VOR/DME (HNW) 325 degree radial at 15.5 nautical miles. (Latitude: 38º58’10″N, Longitude: 120º51’13″W) Radius: 5 nautical miles Altitude: From the surface up to and including 7000 feet MSL June 28, 2016 at 9:37 PM Per CAL FIRE: Fire currently boxed in by retardant lines with little containment. 250 acres in El Dorado County, 50 acres in Placer County. Mandatory evacuations continue due to the steep and inaccessible terrain. Cause: Under Investigation Assisting Agencies: Local Fire Departments, Placer county, Nevada County, Sacramento County, El Dorado County Structures Threatened: 400 RESOURCES Personnel: 250 Engines: 48 Crews: 5 Dozers: 6 Watertenders: 3 June 28, 2016 at 9:32 PM Currently 48 engines, 6 water tenders, 5 hand crews, and 6 dozers are assigned. Significantly more resources are en route to the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation. June 28, 2016 at 9:23 PM Smoke will settle overnight into the canyons and low-lying areas. As of now, the Trail Fire near Foresthill is the only fire burning in the area. June 28, 2016 at 9:12 PM El Dorado County Sheriff: As of 9 pm, the fire activity has greatly diminished and Fire and Law Command staff are calling for NO evacuations tonight [on the El Dorado side of the fire only!]. The evacuation center at Golden Sierra High School will be closing shortly as no one has shown up. All El Dorado County Sheriff Office OES staff will be in very early tomorrow and we will monitor the fire throughout the day. We wish our firefighter brothers and sisters a very productive and safe night. June 28, 2016 at 8:18 PM Red Cross: The Forest High School Evac Center could easily transition to a shelter. We have cots ready for people! June 28, 2016 at 8:04 PM Aircraft traffic is resuming. Air Attack states the drone is not in sight at this time and wants all available tankers from McClellan to make one last drop before cutoff time. June 28, 2016 at 8:03 PM El Dorado County Sheriff: The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office is in unified command with Fire and we are monitoring the progress of the Trail Fire as it burns into El Dorado County. As a precaution, we have established an evacuation center at the Golden Sierra High School at 5101 Garden Valley Road, in Garden Valley. If anyone wishes to evacuate, there will be resources to assist you at this site. June 28, 2016 at 7:57 PM Per Placer Sheriff: CalFire is attacking the #TrailFire from all angles, including with the DC-10. Thanks to everyone for orderly evacuations, which are now completed. Deputies are roving the evacuated streets, doing their best to keep homes safe. June 28, 2016 at 7:44 PM ALL air traffic now halted. The drone is back over the Eldorado side of the fire, near the Georgetown Airport. June 28, 2016 at 7:32 PM Report of a possible drone over the fire. A Temporary Flight Restriction has been requested over the fire. The drone was reportedly on the Eldorado side of the fire, did not ground air traffic – has now moved away. June 28, 2016 at 7:11 PM VLAT (a DC 10) is on approach again. Currently over Garden Valley, will be visible over Georgetown in a minute. June 28, 2016 at 6:59 PM All personnel in the CALFIRE NEU unit is held on duty due to the Trail Fire. Striketeam from Neada County is arriving at the staging area in Foresthill. June 28, 2016 at 6:46 PM Per PCSO the closure at Todd Valley and Foresthill is now a soft closure. Residents may enter as long as they know there is hard closure further down at Nugget. June 28, 2016 at 6:28 PM From Placer County: Foresthill Road closed at Todd Valley Road. Animals can go to Gold Country Fairgrounds in Auburn. Evacuees can go to Foresthill High School (23319 Foresthill Rd.). Trailers and RVs can go to the Lower Mill site (adjacent to the Foresthill High School). June 28, 2016 at 6:20 PM Updated estimated acreage is 250 acres. 50 acres on the Placer County side and 200+ acres on the Eldorado side of the Middle Fork of the American River. June 28, 2016 at 6:11 PM No fuel available for the helicopters at the Auburn Airport. Helicopters will leave the fire and head to Grass Valley if fuel is available there. June 28, 2016 at 6:05 PM The fire is now called the Trail Fire. Branch 1 of this CAL FIRE incident is 20 acres on ENF in American River canyon. Main fire is 100+ acres, per Eldorado National Forest. June 28, 2016 at 6:00 PM Forward progress of the fire on the Placer side has been stopped. Two tankers are being released for the evening. June 28, 2016 at 5:52 PM Foresthill Rd closed at Todd Valley Rd. Animals go to Gold Country Fairgrounds, Auburn. Evacuees can go to Foresthill High School. June 28, 2016 at 5:51 PM Mandatory evacs: Oakwood Vinewood Trail Head Green Pine Nugget Advisory: White Tail Alton Trail Grey Ct Tevis Ct Engines are in place for structure protection in Todd Valley. The Placer side of the fire is holding and firefighters are ready to defend structures. The Eldorado side is continuing to grow. June 28, 2016 at 5:42 PM Latest estimate puts the fire at 100 acres. Evacuations and road closures remain in effect. June 28, 2016 at 5:35 PM Air Attack is estimating the fire at 50 acres, initially ordering 4 Type 2 copters & 4 Type 1 copters for tomorrow morning. This is just the initial order. June 28, 2016 at 5:22 PM A Very Large Air Tanker (VLAT) has been ordered to the fire. June 28, 2016 at 5:16 PM Air Attack is guiding heavy equipment into the incident. Air tankers continue to reinforce the retardant line on the Placer side. June 28, 2016 at 5:08 PM Evacuees can go to Memorial Hall, pets are welcome. June 28, 2016 at 5:05 PM Road closures for the Todd Valley area. PCSO is not letting traffic into the fire area as a safety precaution. June 28, 2016 at 5:00 PM Red Cross is monitoring this fire & is on standby for potential sheltering requests. Air Attack 230 reports the fire is doing well on the Placer side. The fire is hung up on the retardant line and helitack crews are starting to attack the fire from the flank. The spots on the Eldorado side are 20-25 acres. The fire is well established and the greatest potential for spread is on the Eldorado side. June 28, 2016 at 4:53 PM The fire has burned through the retardant on the Eldorado side of the river and is starting to spread on both sides of the river now. June 28, 2016 at 4:46 PM Per Placer County Sheriff: Advisory evacuations for Foresthill: Nugget Drive White Tail Court Trailhead Court Revised Court Alton Trail Gray Ct Oakwood Ln June 28, 2016 at 4:40 PM Air Attack 230 has been over the fire since shortly after it was reported. You can see their flight pattern: June 28, 2016 at 4:32 PM Dozers are on order to the fire. They can cut line at the top of the ridge. Combined with retardant drops, this can slow or stop the progress. Placer County Sheriff deputies are continuing with evacuations. Please stay out of the area, lots of heavy equipment on the move. June 28, 2016 at 4:31 PM Resources arriving are staging at Station 90 before being dispatched to the fire. June 28, 2016 at 4:24 PM Two additional Washington Ridge crews to the incident, numerous local, state and federal engines en route. Per the IC, there is little chance to anchor a line at the heel of the fire. The fire is burning in extremely steep terrain and heavy brush and timber. June 28, 2016 at 4:15 PM Mandatory evacuations on Vinewood Court, per Placer County Sheriff. Evacuation advisory now in place for Todd Valley. June 28, 2016 at 4:13 PM Air Attack recommending evacuations in the area of Vinewood Ct in Foresthill. Additional evacuations possibly for Todd Valley as fire approaches. June 28, 2016 at 4:12 PM Possible structure threat for Oakwood Lane and Nugget Drive. No evacuations ordered yet. June 28, 2016 at 4:05 PM Air Attack is requesting two type 1 helicopters to the fire. June 28, 2016 at 4:02 PM Fire is still in the canyon but is burning towards Todd Valley. Likely to get out of the canyon at Todd Valley. Firefighters are staging at Todd Valley Road, prepositioning resources to attempt to halt the progress of the fire. June 28, 2016 at 3:58 PM Fire is on the Middle Fork, column is bending towards the north. Spots are on the El Dorado side of the river. Air Attack is hopeful they will be able to catch the fire on top of the ridge after sundown. June 28, 2016 at 3:52 PM There are two spots on the eastern side of the river, well established. Retardant on the main fire is slowing progress. A total of 8 tankers will be working the fire, including heavy tankers. June 28, 2016 at 3:50 PM Air tankers over the fire will try to lay a retardant line for struture protection on Drivers Flat. June 28, 2016 at 3:47 PM Air Attack is over the fire, reports the fire has started at the bottom near the river. Burning uphill, at a moderate rate of spread. One spot has established on the eastern side of the rive. Possible structure threat on the Drivers Flat area. Additional tankers and ground resources on order. June 28, 2016 at 3:42 PM Air Attack is on approach and reports a large column developing. June 28, 2016 at 3:37 PM Report of a vegetation fire near Foresthill on Trailhead Court. Full wildland dispatch on order, including aircraft. Could be in the Amador-Eldorado Unit."Today I have approved a series of changes to the implementation of the current statute." His words were measured, but they'll have a big impact. On Thursday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates made the biggest change since 1993 in the military's policy toward gays. He introduced new, more stringent regulations, which will slow - or could even virtually stop - the explusion of gay servicemembers. "I believe these changes represent an important improvement in the way the current law is put into practice," Gates said, "above all by providing a greater measure of common sense and common decency, to a process for handling what are difficult and complex issues for all involved." It's another step on the path taken by President Obama since assuming office. Having criticized "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" as a punishment of patriotic Americans who have stepped forward to serve their country, Mr. Obama said in his State of the Union address that he would work with Congress and the Pentagon to "to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are." It's a path that might seem straightforward, but that has historically been filled with political and social landmines. It's another step on the path President Obama has taken since assuming office. "I will end 'Don't ask, don't tell,' that's my commitment to you," said President Obama. Don't ask, don't tell - the policy that's led to the discharges of more than 13,000 gay servicemembers, at times an average of one every day. Servicemembers like Lacye Presley and Holly Tomson. When we talked with them, they were setting up house in a small town in south Texas. Full disclosure: I have a personal interest in Sgt Presley's story. I first met her in 2006. She helped keep me alive when our CBS News team was hit by a car bomb. "You kept asking, 'When are we getting out of here? When are we getting out of here?'" said Presley, who was a medic. "I just, 'Just hold on. We're getting out,'" she said. Sergeant Presley was honored for her work saving lives that day. "The Army gave me a bronze star for my actions in that incident," she said. "And this is what they gave me for being gay." "This" was an honorable discharge, given during her second tour in Iraq, after she reported a superior commander for suspected drug dealing... and someone struck back. "I was called into my first sergeant's office," Presley recalled. "And he told me that there was allegations that I was participating in homosexual conduct and that there were pictures that had been sent to my battalion commander." (CBS) The pictures were of Presley and her girlfriend, Sergeant Holly Tomson. Sgt. Tomson was serving in another unit stateside handling bomb-sniffing dogs, a decorated soldier in her own right. She was NCO of the Year. She was also discharged. "I was planning on having a career in the military, 'cause I like it," said Tomson. "I love the Army." The cause of gay servicemembers has been picking up quite a bit of support lately. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Admiral Mike Mullen, made his personal views clear just a few weeks ago. "It is my personal belief that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do," he said. "No matter how I look at this issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens." And there is gathering momentum in Congress, where the drive to repeal "Don't ask, don't tell" has a number of new champions, some of whom might surprise you. "We had a saying when I was a young cadet: Lead, follow or get out of the way," said Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Pa., the first Iraq War veteran elected to Congress. On the House floor last October 6, Murphy said, "The 'Don't ask don't tell' policy goes against the very fabric of what makes our country the greatest country on Earth, the fact that we're all created equal." Murphy told the House, "It has cost the American tax payer $1.3 billion dollars to throw these young American heroes out of our military, just because of their sexual orientation." "Yeah, a lot of people ask me, you know, why is an Irish Catholic former altar boy taking a lead on this, who happens to be a Blue Bog Democrat, a fiscal conservative?" said Murphy. "And I tell them, one, for national security, the fact that we need every able body, qualified American to serve right now because our troops are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan." That's an argument that President Obama has found cuts both ways. "The president has to walk a very careful line on 'Don't ask, don't tell,'" said CBS News political analyst John Dickerson. With a military under stress, Dickerson says many in Congress will be loath to change the controversial policy. "He's asking a lot of the military on two war fronts. He's also trying to move the military along here, but he's also trying to provide cover for Members of Congress who won't do anything brave on this question until they feel like they can point to the military and say, the military is going along with repealing 'Don't ask, don't tell.'" History teaches that it's an issue studded with land mines. In 1993 gays were prohibited from serving in the armed forces. President Bill Clinton vowed to let them serve openly. "The issue is whether men and women who can and have served with real distinction should be excluded from military service solely on the basis of their status," said Clinton. "He somewhat glibly, I think, promised that he would lift the ban, and at one point said he would do it with the stroke of a pen, echoing President Truman's 1948 decision to integrate the military racially by executive order," said Nathaniel Frank, a scholar at the University of Santa Barbara's Palm Center. He opposes "Don't ask, don't tell." "When Clinton took office, he found that he had underestimated the resistance of some in the military and of social conservatives in particular," Frank said. So a military working group looked for another path. Bob Maginnis, who helped craft that deal, which he supported - known as "Don't ask don't tell" - described it as "a political backroom deal. Nobody was happy. "The military pretends that homosexuals aren't serving, and the homosexual has to pretend they're not homosexual. So all of a sudden if by chance you're discovered, then under the law you have to discharge him through a process that's been in place for a long time." In their debate they heard warnings about the spread of AIDS. (Keep in mind this was 1993.) And AIDS was devastating the gay community. And they considered the often-mentioned fear in conservative military circles that gay men would make unwelcome advances toward their heterosexual peers. "Because the same-sex attractiveness is hard to control, perhaps, or predict, that the easy thing to do is to discriminate against a group of people who bring a behavior characteristic that we think is going to undermine the cohesion, the trust and confidence of building those fighting forces," said Maginnis. That's essentially the reason given in the discharge papers for Lacye Presley and Holly Tomson: "If the soldier were to remain in the service, her conduct would only continue causing her to be a disruptive influence in this unit and the United States Army." "So being gay would be 'disruptive'?" said Dozier. "It would, yes," said Tomson. (CBS) "How's that make you feel?" asked "I think this is ridiculous." We asked two members of Presley's former platoon, Sergeants Rebecca Myers and Michael Cabaday (pictured, left, with Presley receiving their rank promotions to Sergeant), what they thought. "What was she like to work with?" asked Dozier.
mm tall 1/7 scale, ~220mm tall Product Type: prepainted GK prepainted GK Announce Date: Unknown Unknown Release Date: Unknown Unknown Price: 15,540 yen (taxed in) 15,540 yen (taxed in) Note: 16 parts in total Super Sonico Swimsuit Santa Ver. Manufacturer: Alter Alter Scale: 1/7 scale 1/7 scale Product Type: PVC figure PVC figure Announce Date: Unknown Unknown Release Date: Unknown Unknown Price: Unknown Nendoroid Levi Manufacturer: Good Smile Company Good Smile Company Scale: Non-scale, ~100mm tall Non-scale, ~100mm tall Product Type: PVC action figure PVC action figure Announce Date: Unknown Unknown Release Date: Unknown Unknown Price: Unknown Nendoroid Eren Yeager Manufacturer: Good Smile Company Good Smile Company Scale: Non-scale, ~100mm tall Non-scale, ~100mm tall Product Type: PVC action figure PVC action figure Announce Date: October 2013 October 2013 Release Date: April 2014 April 2014 Price: 4,000 yen (taxed in)Flame Monroe (right) and actress Thea Vidale attend the 2005 BET Comedy Icon Awards. Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images If Marcus Parker gets his reality show—and based on the sizzle reel he and his wife posted on Facebook last week, I expect TLC is already on the phone—you can expect a rash of tortured articles not seen since the My Husband’s Not Gay mini-boom of early 2015. Parker, perhaps better known by his drag persona Flame Monroe, is a bisexual, self-identified transgender person who has had surgical interventions to create breasts and other feminine characteristics but who currently lives as a man when he’s at home with his three children and lesbian wife. He’s also a conservative Christian who doesn’t support full marriage equality. According to a short profile that ran in the Chicago Tribune back in 2011, Parker explored his gender identity from an early age. The author of the piece happened to know Parker from their days growing up in a South Side project: Parker rarely played sports, but he jumped double Dutch rope better than most of the girls. He was petite and cute and walked like a girl, which in our neighborhood also meant he had to fight and that, too, was like a girl. And yet he was outgoing and self-assured with a tough exterior. Parker began to reshape his body at the age of 23, but, according to his own account, stopped short of a “bottom” M-to-F surgery after participating in sex with a heterosexual couple. He continued to live his life as a woman, however, until his girlfriend, the mother of his children, left him. “Before I had children, I was living a whole ‘nother life—I was living as a girl 24 hours a day,” Parker recounts in the video. “My sacrifice came when I had children and their mom left, and I had a choice: Do I take my career, or do I take my children?” He goes on to explain his choice: “I’m a transgender man who lives his life now as a man, so that my children can have some kind of normalcy in their lives. Because I’m already extreme.” What I love about Parker is his refusal—or perhaps inability is a better word—to live his life by the current LGBTQ politically correct playbook. Like the men profiled in My Husband’s Not Gay, Parker’s political and moral commitments challenge the idea that all queer people must share the same values to merit the descriptor. But more than that, his very body and shifting gender expression do not compute under a paradigm of discrete identities and ever-broadening enumeration. Is he a trans man, as he puts it? Or is trans woman more accurate? How does being a professional drag queen factor in? Can a trans woman do female drag? Does his “living as a man” mean he’s doing a kind of male drag at home? And we haven’t even broached the topic of which sexuality labels are “appropriate” considering his relationship with a sort-of-butch lesbian woman. Of course, the value of a show like this is to demonstrate that, at some point, these kinds of questions cease to matter. Parker has made a family and a life for himself that clearly brings him joy; the details shouldn’t concern us. But then again, individuals like Parker who live at the margins of our neatly schematized vision of gender and sexuality—or really, who bounce from the margin to the center of the page and back again—do the important work of highlighting how arbitrary and fragile such schemas always are. I’m someone who spends much of my waking life thinking about sexuality and gender, and I’ll be honest: Parker’s story throws me for a loop. I, for one, welcome the ride, and if the series gets picked up, I hope reality show viewers will, too.The glacier did indeed collapse on Sunday, with around 300,000 cubic metres crashing down into the valley, although the debris didn’t reach the houses. No one was injured. According to the Tages Anzeiger the evacuation was able to be carried out in time thanks to Martin Funk, a glaciologist at technology institute ETH Zurich, who insisted that an expensive radar system was reinstalled to monitor the glacier just three days before it collapsed. The story dates back to summer 2014 when rangers in the Saas-Grund area saw that the north face of the Weissmies had broken off. They sent photos to Funk, who saw them as evidence the glacier tongue would at some point collapse. “I was quite frightened when I saw these photos,” he told the paper. “It looked as if the glacier would slip right into the valley.” The authorities reacted quickly, installing a radar in the region to monitor the speed at which the glacier was shifting. But at 400 francs a day, the radar didn’t come cheap – so after two years had passed and the glacier hadn’t showed signs of imminent collapse, those financing the apparatus decided to remove it and replace it with a high definition camera that took hourly photos instead. Nothing further happened until August this year when Funk observed from the photos that the glacier had once again started to move rapidly. In early September he asked the Zurich company that had developed the radar to reinstall it – however they didn’t have any available, the last one in Switzerland having been sent to Bondo in Graubünden to monitor the risk of further landslips after the huge rockfall that caused chaos in the valley at the end of August Finally, another radar was sent over from Germany and installed at the Trift on September 7th, allowing Funk to see that the collapse was likely to happen three days hence. “Without the radar we wouldn’t have been able to predict the avalanche as precisely,” he told the Tages Anzeiger. Although a third of the glacier tongue remains unstable it does not pose a threat to houses and residents have already returned home. Bruno Ruppen, president of the commune, told Blick he was satisfied with the way the evacuation was carried out. “The glacier has broken off without damaging anything. It could not have gone better,” he said. He even added that the area – a popular ski resort in winter – may have benefitted from the media attention it had received. “We have never seen so many journalists in the village,” he said.Written on 16 November 2015. Posted in News It is very important to monitor the temperature in your brooder for about the first 3 weeks. Around that time is when chicks will begin getting their true feathers which help them to control their own body temperature. For the first week, keep the brooder temperature between 90-95 degrees. We use a brooder lamp and hang it about 18 in. or so from the bottom of the brooder depending on how many watts the light bulb is. A red light bulb will help decrease the tendency of the chicks to peck at one another. Set up the lamp so that it can be adjusted up and down to increase or decrease the temperature of the brooder. We put a cheap thermometer on the floor of the brooder, directly under the lamp to monitor the temperature. Reduce the temperature of the brooder by raising the lamp an inch or so. You will want to reduce the temperature by 5-10 degrees per week until the brooder is at a temperature of 70 degrees. This allows them to gradually acclimate to cooler temperature they will experience outdoors.(Title Image: Carl Roberts @carltrev via Twitter) Following a meeting with the Labour Assembly group this afternoon – reportedly said to be “inconclusive” – the First Minister made a statement at Cathays Park; his first official statement since the death of Carl Sargeant earlier this week. His voice cracking, Carwyn Jones said it has been “an awful time for everyone” and he acknowledged the “great hurt, anger and bewilderment.” Paying tribute to Carl Sargreant he said he had never had an argument with him and he had served Wales “with distinction”, driving through the most legislation of any other Minister by sheer will. He criticised “inacuracies in the press” but believed it would be inappropriate to go into any detail as it’s subject to a Coronor’s inquest and the Sargeant family deserve answers to their questions. He maintains that he handled the accusations “by the book” and “had no alternative but to take the actions he did”. There’s a legal process to go through and he welcomes scrutiny of his actions in the future, which should be done independently. He ended by saying Wales, “has lost a person of great warmth, ability and charisma”. These were some of the darkest days for the Assembly, but we all needed to remember that they were even darker days for Carl’s family. So, Carwyn stays on. Judging by the levels of media interest there was perhaps an expectation he would resign – and it’s unlikely those calls will end based on this statement. Calls for Carwyn to stand down mainly came from those close to either the Sargeant family or close friends of Carl himself, as well as a Tory MP and UKIP – the latter saying they will seek to table a motion of no confidence in the Assembly. Crucially, there haven’t been any calls for a resignation from Labour AMs and I suspect that if there is a no confidence motion tabled soon, Carwyn would likely survive. Whether backbenchers start to have misgivings will probably come down to what was said in the meeting earlier today and whether they were convinced or not. The Timeline I’ve tried to piece together what’s known so far. Mon 30th October The First Minister attends a meeting with the Prime Minister, after which he requests a meeting of party leaders in the Senedd to discuss their handling of harassment allegations against staff and elected members. Reportedly, he’s informed around this time of allegations against Carl Sargeant but sources told BBC’s Vaughan Roderick (and, later, ITV’s Adrian Masters) that the First Minister knew long before then and a previous allegation – which now formed part of this investigation – was already dealt with and explained. This hasn’t been confirmed. The initial investigation is handed to the First Minister’s special advisor, Matt Greenough, who spoke to the women involved. Tues 31st October The Llywydd, Elin Jones (Plaid, Ceredigion), confirms that a cross-party meeting on harassment would be held the following Tuesday. Wed 1st November Rumours start circulating that a cabinet reshuffle was imminent and Carl Sargeant could lose his post as Communities Secretary as part of a wider plan to promote some of the new intake of AMs. Thur 2nd November BBC Wales journalist, Elliw Gwawr, recounts her personal experiences of unwanted advances/harassment by politicians. Fri 3rd November The reshuffle; Carl Sargeant loses his job. Following the meeting with the First Minister, he releases a statement demanding an “urgent investigation” and a chance to clear his name, denying “shocking and distressing” allegations made against him about his “personal conduct” but also saying the details were not given to him. He hopes to rejoin the government at a later time, but is suspended by the Labour Party. The First Minister says Carl was “removed”/sacked and that the allegations were the reason behind his decision. Carl Sargeant is later informed via e-mail by Louise Magee – General Secretary of Welsh Labour – that he’s being investigated for “unwanted attention, inappropriate touching or groping”. Matt Greenough and colleagues are pictured “celebrating” in Cardiff city centre that evening (take it with a pinch of salt, given the source). Sun 5th November Deryn Consulting’s Cathy Owens (a former Labour special advisor) appears on Sunday Politics Wales to recount her personal experiences of sexual harassment saying there were “sexual predators” in politics who were being protected by their parties and that parties didn’t have appropriate procedures in place. Finance Secretary, Mark Drakeford (Lab, Cardiff West), also appears saying harassment shouldn’t be tolerated at the Assembly. Mon 6th November The First Minister gives an interview broadcast on both BBC Wales and ITV Wales, insisting he only knew about the allegations last week and that following “multiple allegations” against Carl Sargeant (via the initial investigation) he had no choice but to refer the matter to the party – though he confirms the police are not involved. Carl Sargeant’s solicitor, Huw Bowden, corresponds with Labour’s head of disputes, Sam Matthews, saying Carl hasn’t yet heard from the investigations officer and believes the First Minister’s interview had prejudiced Carl’s case. A Labour disciplinary hearing is pencilled in for January 2018. Huw demands to know the specifics of the allegations so Carl can prepare his defence and be satisfied with the “transparency and legitimacy” of the procedure. He also demands details of how the initial complaint was dealt with. The “anxiety and distress” caused to his client is made apparent and he raises the possibility that the complaint’s handling by the First Minister and the Cabinet Office impacts its impartiality and could lead to evidence being manipulated. An anonymous Labour AM criticises the fact the matter was dealt with by the First Minister’s staff and not the civil service because Carl Sargeant was a crown appointment – so should’ve kept his job, pending an inquiry under the Ministerial Code. Tues 7th November Carl Sargeant dies. All Senedd business is suspended for the week amidst a palpable sense of shock. Weds 8th November Outside his home in Bridgend, the First Minister gives his first comments on camera since Carl Sargeant’s death, saying he was “saddened” and that the Sargeant family’s desire for privacy needed to be respected. Carl Sargeant’s family later release the correspondence between his legal team and the Labour Party (above), saying he had been denied “natural justice” – sentiments echoed by Jenny Rathbone AM (Lab, Cardiff Central) and other anonymous Labour figures. There are some calls for the First Minister to resign over his handling of the matter. UK Labour’s Shadow Equalities Minister, Dawn Bulter MP, suggests an independent investigation is required, but later backtracks and says it wasn’t needed. She’s later joined by Labour’s former Director of Strategy, Steve Howell, who said correct procedure had been followed. Former Welsh government Minister, Leighton Andrews, appears on BBC’s Wales Live programme to criticise the First Minister’s appearance in interviews while the investigation was ongoing. Thur 9th November Jeremy Corbyn refuses to be drawn on speculation about the First Minister’s future when questioned. Education Secretary, Kirsty Williams (Lib Dem, Brecon & Radnor) – the first government minister to speak since Carl’s death – gives the First Minister her “absolute and complete confidence”. Lobbyist, Daran Hill, visits the Sargeant family and says people in Connah’s Quay were angry that the First Minister was due to explain the matter to AMs before the family. The Coroner confirms an inquest into Carl Sargeant’s death will open on Monday (13th November). Leighton Andrews publishes a blog claiming Carl Sargeant was a “workplace target” and there was a “toxic atmosphere” within the “Fifth Floor” (Welsh Government offices at the Senedd) that included bullying, favouritism and personal undermining/misinformation that impacted his own and Carl’s mental health. He made a complaint to the First Minister in the autumn of 2014 but this was never formally investigated. The First Minister attends a Labour group meeting at the Assembly and afterwards makes the statement at Cathays Park saying the due legal process must be respected, defending his actions as “by the book”.July 15, 2014 Lately I’ve been supporting several legacy projects. As many of you may know, working on legacy projects sucks most of the time, usually because most of the code is ugly and difficult to understand or read. I decided to make a list of common bad practices, or what I consider bad practices, and how to improve the code or avoid this bad practices. Summary Using Query Methods Outside Models Using Logic Inside The Views Using Meaningless Names On Variables Or Methods Using Unless Or Negative Expressions On Conditionals Not Using Tell, Don’t Ask Using Complex Conditionals Using “self.” On Models Instace Methods When There’s No Need To Using Conditionals And Returning The Condition Using Inline CSS In Your Views Using JavaScript Inside Your Views Passing Method Call As An Argument When Calling A Method Not Isolating Rake Tasks Using Classes Not Following Sandi Metz’ Rules Using Query Methods Outside Models Bad # app/controllers/users_controller.rb class UsersController < ApplicationController def index @users = User.where(active: true).order(:last_login_at) end end This code is not reusable or easy to test. If you want to look for all active users and order them again somewhere else on your code, you’ll end up duplicating code. Good Instead of using query methods on your controllers, we just isolate them using scopes on your model as the example below. This makes the code reusable, easier to test and read. # app/models/user.rb class User < ActiveRecord::Base scope :active, -> { where(active: true) } scope :by_last_login_at, -> { order(:lasst_login_at) } end # app/controllers/users_controller.rb class UsersController < ApplicationController def index @users = User.active.by_last_login_at end end Everytime you’re about to use where, order, joins, includes, group, having or some other query method, remember to use them inside your models. Using Logic Inside The Views Bad <!-- app/views/posts/show.html.erb -->... <h2> <%= "#{@comments.count} Comment#{@comments.count == 1? '' :'s'}" %> </h2>... This small piece of code might seem not causing harm at first but this makes the HTML a bit complicated to read and it’s for sure that if you added one piece of logic in the view, you’ll end up adding more logic in the future. The other problem this code presents it’s that we can’t reuse it or test it in isolation. Good Isolate the logic using Rails’ helpers. # app/helpers/comments_helper.rb module CommentsHelper def comments_count(comments) "#{comments.count} Comment#{comments.count == 1? '' :'s'}" end end <!-- app/views/posts/show.html.erb --> <h2> <%= comments_count(@comments) %> </h2> The first benefit we get to see at first sight is that the HTML is easier to read. Also we can re use the code and test easily. Another good aproach to avoid this problem is using decorators. Please refer to draper gem. Note: You can use pluralize method to achieve the same result. I just used this code to make a point. Using Meaningless Names On Variables Or Methods Bad # app/models/topic.rb class Topic < ActiveRecord::Base def self.r_topics(questions) rt = [] questions.each do \|q\| topics = q.topics topics.each do \|t\| if t.enabled? rt << t end end end Topic.where(id: rt) end end The main problem with this kind of legacy code is that you spend most of time trying to figure what does the code do. What does method like r_topics do, or variables like rt means. Other variables meaning like the one used on blocks can be deducted, but they do not reveal the intention at first sight. Good Always use intention revealing names when naming methods or variables. This will help other developers to understand your code easily. # app/models/topic.rb class Topic < ActiveRecord::Base def self.related(questions) related_topics = [] questions.each do \|question\| topics = question.topics topics.each do \|topic\| if topic.enabled? related_topics << topic end end end Topic.where(id: related_topics) end end The benefits of this approach are: The first time you read the method name, you may have an idea of what the method will return. A collection of topics related to a collection of questions. Now you know that related_topics is an array which stores the collection of the topics related to a collection of questions. In the previous code, it wasn’t clear what was the meaning of rt. is an array which stores the collection of the topics related to a collection of questions. In the previous code, it wasn’t clear what was the meaning of. Using topic instead of t and question instead of q, makes your code easier to read the first time, because you don’t have to do Mental Compilation. Now you just read it and the code speaks for itself. Using Unless Or Negative Expressions On Conditionals Bad # app/services/charge_user.rb class ChargeUser def self.perform(user, amount) return false unless user.enabled? PaymentGateway.charge(user.account_id, amount) end end This code may not be difficult to understand at all, but using unless or negative expressions will add a little additional complexity to the code, because you have to do Mental Compilation. Good The example above it’s easier to read if we use if or positive expressions. # app/models/user.rb class User < ActiveRecord::Base def disabled?!enabled? end end # app/services/charge_user.rb class ChargeUser def self.perform(user, amount) return false if user.disabled? PaymentGateway.charge(user.account_id, amount) end end Don’t you think this way it’s easier to read? Prefer the use of if instead of unless and positive expressions over negative expressions. Remember to create opposite methods if you don’t have one, just like we did on the User model. Not Using Tell, Don’t Ask Bad # app/models/user.rb class User < ActiveRecord::Base def enable! update(enabled: true) end end # app/controllers/users_controller.rb class UsersController < ApplicationController def enable user = User.find(params[:id]) if user.disabled? user.enable! message = "User enabled" else message = "User already disabled" end redirect_to user_path(user), notice: message end end The problem with this is that you’re adding control logic where it doesn’t belong. You are asking if a user is disabled, and if that’s the case, then it should enable that user. Good A good approach would be to move that control logic inside our enable! method. # app/models/user.rb class User < ActiveRecord::Base def enable! if disabled? update(enabled: true) end end end # app/controllers/users_controller.rb class UsersController < ApplicationController def enable user = User.find(params[:id]) if user.enable! message = "User enabled" else message = "User already disabled" end redirect_to user_path(user), notice: message end end Now our controller doesn’t need to know which conditions needs to meet a user to get enabled. The responsable of that is the User model and the enable! method. Using Complex Conditionals Bad # app/controllers/posts_controller.rb class PostsController < ApplicationController def destroy post = Post.find(params[:id]) if post.enabled? && (user.own_post?(post) \|\| user.admin?) post.destroy message = "Post destroyed." else message = "You're not allow to destroy this post." end redirect_to posts_path, notice: message end end This conditional is asking too many things, when it should really be asking for one thing. Can this user destroy this post?. Good Now we realised that a user needs to own a post or be an admin to destroy that post, and also that post needs to be enabled. Extracting that conditional to a method which we can re use later would be the best way to go. # app/models/user.rb class User < ActiveRecord::Base def can_destroy_post?(post) post.enabled? && (own_post?(post) \|\| admin?) end end # app/controllers/posts_controller.rb class PostsController < ApplicationController def destroy post = Post.find(params[:id]) if user.can_destroy_post?(post) post.destroy message = "Post destroyed." else message = "You're not allow to destroy this post." end redirect_to posts_path, notice: message end end Whenver you have a conditional that uses && or \|\| extract that conditional into a method which you can re use later. Using “self.” On Models Instace Methods When There’s No Need To Bad # app/models/user.rb class User < ActiveRecord::Base def full_name "#{self.first_name} #{self.last_name}" end end This code it’s simple to read but there’s no need to use self., removing self. will make the code easier to read and the code will keep working. Good On your models, self. is only needed on instance methods when you need to make assignments, otherwise, using self. will make your code a bit complicated to read. # app/models/user.rb class User < ActiveRecord::Base def full_name "#{first_name} #{last_name}" end end Using Conditionals And Returning The Condition Bad # app/models/user.rb class User < ActiveRecord::Base def full_name if name name else "No name" end end end or # app/models/user.rb class User < ActiveRecord::Base def full_name name? name : "No name" end end The problem with this codes is that they add control when there’s no need to. Good There’s an easier way to get the same result. # app/models/user.rb class User < ActiveRecord::Base def full_name name \|\| "No name" end end Basically this code returns the name if it’s different from false or nil, otherwise, it will return “No name”. \|\| and && are very powerful operators which can help you to improve your code quality if you use it right. Using Inline CSS In Your Views Bad <!-- app/views/projects/show.html.erb -->... <h3 style="font-size:20px;letter-spacing:normal;color:#95d60a;line-height:100%;margin:0;font-family:'Proxima Nova';"> SECRET PROJECT </h3>... Here we have only one tag which is receiving all that style. Now, imagine all your tags receiving inline styling. This will turn our HTML into an unreadable document and not only that, we will have to duplicate our styling code every time we have to introduce another h3 element with the same style. Good // app/assets/stylesheets/application.css.project-title { font-size: 20px; letter-spacing: normal; color: #95d60a; line-height: 100%; margin: 0; font-family:'Proxima Nova'; } <!-- app/views/projects/show.html.erb -->... <h3 class="project-title"> SECRET PROJECT </h3>... Now we can re use our style on any elements we want and our HTML is more readable and easy to understand. Note: This example is pretty simple, you should consider splitting your CSS into several small files and use your application.css to load the css your need. Also you can and you should use inline CSS for email templates only. Using JavaScript Inside Your Views Bad <!-- app/views/questions/show.html.erb -->... <textarea rows="4" cols="50" class='wysihtml5'> Insert your question details here. </textarea>... <script> $(document).ready(function(){ $('textarea.wysihtml5').wysihtml5({ "font-styles": true, //Font styling, e.g. h1, h2, etc. Default true. "emphasis": true, //Italics, bold, etc. Default true. "lists": true, //(Un)ordered lists, e.g. Bullets, Numbers. Default true. "html": false, //Button which allows you to edit the generated HTML. Default false. "link": true, //Button to insert a link. Default true. "image": true, //Button to insert an image. Default true. "color": true //Button to change color of font. Default true. }); }); <script> This is bad because this logic gets attached to this specific view. You can’t re use this code. Good Rails has it own place to store and organize all your javascript, the app/assets/javascripts/ path. // app/assets/javascripts/application.js... $(document).ready(function(){ $('textarea.wysihtml5').wysihtml5({ "font-styles": true, //Font styling, e.g. h1, h2, etc. Default true. "emphasis": true, //Italics, bold, etc. Default true. "lists": true, //(Un)ordered lists, e.g. Bullets, Numbers. Default true. "html": false, //Button which allows you to edit the generated HTML. Default false. "link": true, //Button to insert a link. Default true. "image": true, //Button to insert an image. Default true. "color": true //Button to change color of font. Default true. }); });... <!-- app/views/questions/show.html.erb -->... <textarea rows="4" cols="50" class='wysihtml5'> Insert your question details here. </textarea>... Now we can re use our code in any view. We just need to add a textarea element with the wysihtml5 class and our javascript code will be executed. Note: This example is pretty simple, you should consider splitting your JavaScript into several small files and use your application.js to load the JavaScript your need. Also, if you are using CoffeeScript instead of JavaScript, please, be consistent and stick with it, don’t write some code using CoffeeScript and other in JavaScript. Passing Method Call As An Argument When Calling A Method Bad # app/services/find_or_create_topic.rb class FindOrCreateTopic... def self.perform(user, name) find(user, sluggify(name)) \|\| create(user, name) end... end The issue with this relies when calling find and passing as arguments user and sluggify method which receives name as an argument. You might be thinking, what’s the problem with this? I can understand the code perfectly. Yes, the code might be easy to read, but you have to make a little Mental Compilation which I like to avoid every time I can. Good A good way to avoid Mental Compilation when this happens is using variables with meaningful names. # app/services/find_or_create_topic.rb class FindOrCreateTopic... def self.perform(user, name) slug = sluggify(name) find(user, slug) \|\| create(user, name) end... end This way you’ll avoid doing Mental Compilation. Our variable has an intention revealing name, and now when your call the find method, you know that find is receiving a user and a slug. Not Isolating Rake Tasks Using Classes Bad # lib/tasks/recalculate_badges_for_users.rake namespace :users do desc "Recalculates Badges for Users" task recalculate_badges: :environment do user_count = User.count User.find_each do \|user\| puts "#{index}/#{user_count} Recalculating Badges for: #{user.email}" if user.questions_with_negative_votes >= 1 \|\| user.answers_with_negative_votes >= 1 user.grant_badge('Critic') end user.answers.find_each do \|answer\| question = answer.question next unless answer && question days = answer.created_at - question.created_at days_count = (days / 1.day).round if (days_count >= 60) && (question.vote_count >= 5) grant_badge('Necromancer') && return end end end end end There are several problems with this rake task. The main problem is that this rake is very long and difficult to test. It’s not easy to read or understand at first sight. You have to trust that it recalculates the badges for your users because it say so. Good The best way to proceed with this is to move all your logic to an specific class. So, lets create a class specific for this job. # app/services/recalculate_badge.rb class RecalculateBadge attr_reader :user def initialize(user) @user = user end def grant_citric if grant_citric? user.grant_badge('Critic') end end def grant_necromancer user.answers.find_each do \|answer\| question = answer.question next unless answer && question if grant_necromancer?(answer, question) grant_badge('Necromancer') && return end end end protected def grant_citric? (user.questions_with_negative_votes >= 1) \|\| (user.answers_with_negative_votes >= 1) end def days_count(answer, question) days = answer.created_at - question.created_at (days / 1.day).round end def grant_necromancer?(answer, question) (days_count(answer,question) >= 60) && (question.vote_count >= 5) end end # lib/tasks/recalculate_badges_for_users.rake namespace :users do desc "Recalculates Badges for Users" task recalculate_badges: :environment do user_count = User.count User.find_each do \|user\| puts "#{index}/#{user_count} Recalculating Badges for: #{user.email}" task = RecalculateBadge.new(user) task.grant_citric task.grant_necromancer end end end As you can see, now the rake task is easier to read and you can test every grant badge method on isolation. Also we could reuse this class if we need to. Of course this code could be written in a better way, but lets keep it simple. Thanks @luislavena for the suggestion of refactoring this example. Not Following Sandi Metz’ Rules Classes can be no longer than one hundred lines of code. Methods can be no longer than five lines of code. Pass no more than four parameters into a method. Hash options are parameters. Controllers can instantiate only one object. Therefore, views can only know about one instance variable and views should only send messages to that object (@object.collaborator.value is not allowed). Check out this article from thoughtbot, Sandi Metz’ Rules For Developers for more details about these rules. 596 KudosTwo politicians sit on front bench to contest Walesa's assertion that homosexuals belong on backbenches at best Poland's first openly gay and transsexual parliamentarians have taken seats on the front bench of the national assembly to protest against hostile remarks by former president Lech Walesa. Walesa, the leading hero in Poland's successful anti-communist struggle in the 1980s, said last Friday that gay people belonged on the back benches of parliament, or "even behind the wall". The words sparked outrage among liberal Poles, with some questioning whether the Nobel peace prize winner had permanently damaged his legacy as a champion of democracy. But Walesa said he had repeatedly proved himself as a democrat and had been misunderstood. He did not elaborate and refused to apologise. On Wednesday, Robert Biedron, a gay rights activist, and Anna Grodzka, who had a male-to-female sex-change operation, took seats in the front row of the assembly. Both are members of the progressive Palikot's Movement party, and party leader Janusz Palikot arranged for the two to sit in, relinquishing his own seat to Biedron. "Lech Walesa is an important symbol for us all and for the whole world," Biedron told the Associated Press before attending the session. "I respect him and I'd rather he used other words – words of acceptance and of respect for other people." Walesa, a Roman Catholic and a father of eight, is known for his strong views and distinctive way of expressing himself. The first row in the semi-circular lower chamber, or Sejm, is reserved for party leaders and prominent lawmakers. Biedron and Grodzka – who have been in parliament since 2011 – usually sit in the third row.Malcolm Turnbull, the Abbott government's Communications Minister whose job it is to clean up the mess of Labor's national broadband network, lamented last week the brain drain from the federal bureaucracy as governments have turned increasingly to private consultants. "There has been a practice for government to outsource what should be the legitimate work of the public service to consultants," Turnbull told The Australian Financial Review's National Infrastructure Summit in Sydney. "So the public service departments just become, you know, mail boxes for sending out tenders and then receiving the reports and paying for them." He is not the first to complain about this trend. AFR Graphic Expertise gone Gary Banks, the former head of the Productivity Commission and now dean of the Australia New Zealand School of Government, warned the Rudd government that the bureaucracy no longer had the expertise to provide the evidence-based policy advice the prime minister was demanding. Banks bemoaned the decline in the number of public servants with the necessary quantitative and analytical skills. He also warned about the varied quality and motives of the consultants involved in developing policy. Advertisement While there were highly professional consultancies, he said, there were also consultants who cut corners, provided superficial reports and second-guessed what ministers wanted to hear. Consultants had different motives to professional public servants, for obvious reasons. If prime ministers wanted evidence-based advice, Banks said, they would have to invest in its production. That's a tall order for a prime minister who is as short of money as Tony Abbott. So, how might the process of rebuilding proceed? Probably out of necessity, and with a politician who enjoys wrestling with interesting problems and who would rather hear bad news than blarney. Turnbull concluded quickly that one problem he had to wrestle with was the quality of advice coming from his department and the NBN. Making managers accountable He says he started by making his managers and public servants "absolutely accountable". No doubt you would prefer that I let him tell his story, so here is an edited slice of Turnbull's off-the cuff remarks to the summit: Advertisement "I've got nothing against consultants – nothing at all. But there has been a practice for government in particular to outsource what should be the legitimate work of the public service to consultants. "What we have to do in government in my view is stop panning public servants and do more to ensure that they do their job better. And one of the ways to do that is to make sure they do the work that is their
the 2015 NHL Draft Gavrikov put up seven points in 54 games for Lokomotive in the KHL. He also added five points in 15 playoff games. He was part of Team Russia on the European Hockey tour as well as at the World Championships, putting up three points in 16 games combined. Skating Gavrikov is a good skater for his size. He has decent top end speed, a good first step, and above average acceleration. More importantly his backwards skating is as strong as his forwards movement, allowing him to play the shut down style of defensive game that he is known for. Gavrikov also has good edge work and pivots which allow him to keep the play in front of him and cover a lot of ice. His balance and lower body strength give Gavrikov the ability to win board battles. Offensive Game There is not much to talk about when it comes to Gavrikov’s offensive game. While he has a decent first pass out of his zone, and his slap shot is average, he really does not bring a lot of offense to the game. He is a stay at home type of defender, who does not join the rush often, and is not one to pinch a lot at the blue line. He is more valued for his defensive contributions, than for any kind of offence he puts up. Defensive Game Gavrikov has excellent size and is not afraid to use it. He plays a very physical game, standing up zone entries at the line, punishing opponents who try to go wide on him, throwing plenty of hits in the corners, and clearing the front of the net. He plays excellent positional defense, maintaining good gap control and forcing attacker to the outside and away from key danger areas in his zone. Gavrikov is also a willing shot blocker who is not afraid to get into shooting lanes, and uses his long stick to cut down on passing lanes. Gavrikov proved to be particularly strong in the penalty kill when playing for the Russian national junior teams. To top it all off, he is a player who shows leadership on the ice and was rewarded by being named the captain of Team Russia, and the captain of his MHL club in 2014-15. Adding muscle over the last two years is a big reason why he was so much better in board battles and clearing the net now. Outlook Gavrikov signed a two-year deal with CSKA Moscow this summer, one of the KHL’s top clubs. The Blue Jackets hope to bring him to North America in 2019. He is in the mix for the Russian Olympic Team. Prospect #7: Kevin Stenlund Center — shoots Right Born September 20th, 1996 — Stockholm, Sweden Height 6’3″ — Weight 205 lbs [191 cm / 93 kg] Drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2nd round, #58 overall at the 2015 NHL Draft Stenlund put up 13 goals and 20 points while playing for HV71 in the SHL, Sweden’s top men’s league. He also added four goals and 10 points in 16 playoff games, helping the team to the SHL Championship. Skating A big centre, Stenlund’s skating is a bit of a work in progress. His speed and acceleration can be improved. He could clean up his footwork and initial strides. Stenlund has good agility and edge work for a big man. He changes directions quickly and makes good cuts. His strong lower body and good balance is a real asset in controlling the puck down low and playing the cycle game. Offensive Game Stenlund uses his size and stick handling ability to control the puck down low. He wins battles on the boards and gets to the front of the net. He is also a very smart player, keeping the puck moving effectively, and finding open spaces in the defence. Stenlund has very good vision as well as the skill to make these passes to open areas. He can score with a good wrist shot, and strong release. Defensive Game Stenlund back checks hard and supports the defence down low. He uses his size effectively to contain the cycle game. He also uses his long stick and good positioning to cut down passing lanes. Stenlund is not afraid to block shots. Outlook Stenlund will spend another season in Sweden. He could be a third or fourth line centre for the Jackets down the road. They will hope he continues to improve and comes to North America next season. Sleeper Prospect: Tyler Motte Center — shoots Left Born March 10th 1995 — St. Clair, Minnesota Height 5’9″ — Weight 193 lbs [175 cm / 88 kg] Drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 4th round, #121 overall at the 2013 NHL Draft Traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets in June 2017 Motte was acquired as part of the Artemi Panarin trade. He played in 33 games for the Blackhawks last season, scoring four goals and seven points. He also player in 43 AHL games, scoring 10 goals and 16 points. Skating Motte is another diminutive player with excellent speed and skating ability. He has a good stride and picks up acceleration quickly. He is also extremely elusive, both with and without the puck, thanks to his good agility and edge work. Motte will probably need to add some more muscle to play at the pro level, but in college was strong on the puck and showed good balance in board battles. Offensive Game Motte is pure sniper. He has a strong wrist shot and an outstanding release. Motte understands how to get open in the offensive zone and has a knack for finding the soft spots in a defence. He also has an excellent one-timer. Motte is more goal scorer than passer, though he does have good vision and the ability to thread the puck through tight areas. Motte makes up for his lack of size by being tenacious. He never stops moving his feet and is often in on the fore check, in front of the net, or battling in the corners. Defensive Game Motte brings his tenacity to the defensive end. His ability to continually pressure the puck is a very effective asset in his own end. He continues to bring the tenacious, hard working style in all three zones. Motte is a smart player with good positioning as well. He was part of the Wolverines penalty kill units. Outlook Motte will try to win the Jackets fourth line centre spot. He will compete with Schroeder for the position. William Karlsson leaves a void on the team in terms of his defensive role, and the penalty kill minutes he provided. Whoever can best take some of those minutes has a leg up in grabbing the role. System Outlook The Jackets have a strong young team. With the number of good young players who have graduated in recent years, the system’s depth has taken a hit. That should not be a big concern though, as there is plenty of team to rebuild the team’s depth. The Blue Jackets did not have a first round pick this year. They added an intriguing prospect in French forward Alexander Texier in the second round. Other intriguing forwards picked this year include Emil Bemstrom, Kale Howarth, and Jonathan Davidsson. Forwards Calvin Thurkauf and Markus Hannikainen are further down the depth chart. Paul Bittner had a rough year, even taking some time away from the rink. It is hoped he can get back on track as a top prospect. Andrew Peeke is a big, hard-hitting, defensive defenceman. He is joined by Jacob Graves, and Blake Siebenaler. This is the Jackets weakest position which makes it so important that they get Gavrikov to come to North America in a couple of years. Daniil Tarasov was a third round pick. He joins Elvis Merzlikins and Matiss Kivlenieks as the Jackets goalie prospect depth. Main Photo BUFFALO, NY – JUNE 24: Pierre-Luc Dubois gives an interview after being picked third overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets during round one of the 2016 NHL Draft on June 24, 2016 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Jen Fuller/Getty Images)Size: 31" x 25" x 2" Locale: Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, & Ontario Connected to the Atlantic Ocean through the Saint Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes Waterway, this collection of freshwater lakes represents the largest group on Earth and contains 21% of the world's surface fresh water. Though the lakes reside in separate basins, they form a single, naturally-interconnected body of water. Of the five lakes, Lake Michigan is the only one that is located entirely within the United States; the others form a water border between the US and Canada. Over the past century, the lakes' water level has only varied by about 6 feet. Niagara Falls connects Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. Construction: This piece comes ready to hang, pre-framed in a custom, solid-wood frame. Its rich contours are carefully crafted from laser-cut layers of Baltic birch, which are hand colored and glued together with the intent that each becomes a prized conversational piece and treasured heirloom. It was designed in the United States, crafted overseas, and imported Points of Interest: Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Lake Ontario, Lake Superior, Chicago, Madison, Toronto, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit, Lansing, Mississippi River, and more! Related Charts: Individual Great Lakes ChartsPune, Dec 17 (PTI) A female national-level shooter has filed a complaint against a fellow shooter, who is a Arjuna awardee, for allegedly threatening and intimidating her during the 60th National Shooting Championship Competition held here, police said today. The woman had earlier this month filed a case of rape in Delhi against the shooter. On December 4, the victim had alleged that she was raped by the shooter, who was her also her coach, following which an FIR was lodged against him at Chanakyapuri police station in Delhi. The latest complaint was registered on Friday evening at the Hinjewadi police station here. The female shooter was in the city to participate in the competition where the accused was also competing, police said. As per the complaint, both shooters confronted each other at the venue and the accused allegedly threatened and intimidated her, a police official said. "After the incident, the male shooter disappeared from the event and he is not reachable now," he added. The female shooter, in her earlier complaint with Chanakyapuri police station, stated that she had known the accused for over two years as they used to practise together. The woman also had stated that she was training for the national championships at the shooting range of the Sports Authority of India and the accused, who had competed in international events, used to guide her. The two got involved in a relationship and the shooter promised to marry her, according to the FIR. An FIR was lodged under section 376 and 328 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The complainant had said that the coach had recently visited her at her residence in Chanakyapuri on her birthday and allegedly offered her a drink which was spiked with sedatives. She had alleged that she was raped by the accused after she fell unconscious after having the drink. Later, she stated that she had met him at the shooting range, but he refused to acknowledge that he had promised to marry her and when she protested, he threatened to kill her. The woman had then approached the police to register a complaint, following which she was sent for a medical examination, which confirmed rape, police added. PTI SPK NRB SRYWASHINGTON – As the Latina daughter of an illegal immigrant, 24-year-old Miriam Cepeda is not the mainstream media’s notion of a typical supporter of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. But she is defying stereotype to wage a relentless one-woman campaign, telling CNN, “I completely agree with Donald J. Trump’s policies as far as creating a stronger border and enforcing our border security.” And that’s because the self-described “Trump girl” agrees with so much of what his critics have called immigrant bashing. Trump drew intense criticism from the left when he said a year ago, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” What do YOU think? Who is your choice to be Trump’s running mate? Sound off in today’s WND poll. But Cepeda said, “He’s right about everything he says – if we don’t have a strong border, we don’t have a nation.” She illustrated that with her own experience. “I first-hand have seen … friends that are getting involved with illegal activity that’s associated with drugs or human trafficking,” adding, “It’s an issue that people need to realize is reality.” Trump has pointed out the statistics on the systematic rape of women crossing the border was first reported by Fusion, a website run by the Spanish-language network Univision. “Well, if you look at the statistics of people coming, you look at the statistics on rape, on crime, on everything coming in illegally into this country, it’s mind-boggling!” said the candidate. “It’s unbelievable when you look at what’s going on. So all I’m doing is telling the truth,” he added. That appears to be backed up by the article Fusion published in 2014 titled, “Is rape the price to pay for migrant women chasing the American Dream?” It reported, “A staggering 80 percent of Central American girls and women crossing Mexico en route to the United States are raped along the way, according to directors of migrant shelters interviewed by Fusion.” But, facts are one thing, impressions are another. Campaigning for Trump in Texas’ Hidalgo County, where 90 percent of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, has been an uphill battle for Cepeda, but she said she’s making inroads. “I get shot down maybe four (out of) five times,” she admitted. “But at the same time, it just takes one positive feedback to keep you going.” The University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley graduate student of history said most of the Trump signs she has posted in her region get trashed, but she just keeps going. Cepeda is not formally part of the Trump team but she began campaigning for him before Super Tuesday on March 1 when, she told CNN, she saw something unique and special in the candidate. The network called Cepeda “an unlikely spokesperson for Trump” because “he doesn’t poll well with Latinos or women,” but she took issue with that. “Just look at his daughter, Ivanka Trump,” she replied. “Look at an inspiration she is to any woman, any woman that’s seeking a career, and wants to be a mother. She’s the perfect example of the ideal, classy, professional woman. That just shows as a reflection of her father.” She said she met Trump at a San Antonio fundraiser on June 17, just two after holding her own mixer for his supporters at the Hidalgo County Republican Party office. At the event, CNN found more Latinos who support Trump. “I’ve watched him grow as a presidential candidate,” said Dario Garcia. “I’ve been exposed to the border my entire life … He’s the only one who will fix the problems at the border.” Rumelda Cantu said, as the only Republican in her family, “It’s sometimes stressful during the holidays.” But, she added, “I always try to get my family to see things the way I see them. Trump said he’ll help the veterans. Who else will do that?” As for Cepeda, she wants to be become an official member of team Trump, saying, “I want to maybe be a paid staffer.” And she warns not to bet against her. “For those who shoot me down, watch me.”“I didn’t just want to go back to the agency [as a contractor] as so many people do,” said Mel Gamble. The 40-year CIA veteran worked for a Herndon-based defense contractor. (Michael S. Williamson/THE WASHINGTON POST) In the decade since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, private intelligence firms and security consultants have peeled away veterans from the top reaches of the CIA, hiring scores of longtime officers in large part to gain access to the burgeoning world of intelligence contracting. At least 91 of the agency’s upper-level managers have left for the private sector in the past 10 years, according to data compiled by The Washington Post. Several of the top positions have turned over multiple times in that period: In addition to three directors, the CIA has lost four of its deputy directors for operations, three directors of its counterterrorism center and all five of the division chiefs who were in place the day of the Sept. 11 attacks. In many quarters in Washington, government officials decamp for the private sector as a matter of course. Defense consultancies routinely hire generals retiring from the Pentagon; the city’s lobbying firms are stacked with former members of Congress and administration officials. But the wave of departures from the CIA has marked an end to a decades-old culture of discretion and restraint in which retired officers, by and large, did not join contractors that perform intelligence work for the government. It has also raised questions about the impact of the losses incurred by the agency. Veteran officers leave with a wealth of institutional knowledge, extensive personal contacts and an understanding of world affairs afforded only to those working at the nation’s preeminent repository of intelligence. Among the CIA’s losses to the private sector have been top subject-matter experts including Stephen Kappes, who served as the agency’s top spy in Moscow and who helped negotiate Libya’s disarmament in 2003; Henry Crumpton, who was one of the CIA’s first officers in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 attacks; and Cofer Black, the director of the agency’s counterterrorism center on Sept. 11. The exodus into the private sector has been driven by an explosion in intelligence contracting. As part of its Top Secret America investigation, The Post estimated that of 854,000 people with top-secret clearances, 265,000 are contractors. Thirty percent of the workforce in the intelligence agencies is made up of contractors. Those contractors perform a wide range of tasks, among them assessing security risks, analyzing intelligence and providing “risk mitigation” services in foreign countries. “Since 9/11, the demographics of the agency have been out of whack. A number of people left the agency earlier than you would think, and you had a large influx of younger people,” said Robert Grenier, a 27-year agency veteran who is now chairman of ERG Partners, a boutique investment bank specializing in the intelligence industry. “The average experience of an officer now is much lower than it has been traditionally, and that has its effects on the agency.” For private firms seeking to tap into the lucrative industry of intelligence contracting, the value of having agency officers on the payroll is hard to overstate. And although the agency pays its top managers large salaries — the most senior officers make nearly $180,000 a year — private firms are generally able to offer more. This report is based on interviews with more than a dozen current and former CIA officials. The Post compiled its list of more than 90 upper-level managers by identifying agency personnel who left for the private sector after serving as directors, deputy directors or chiefs of the CIA’s various divisions, as well as other members of the leadership of the Directorate of Operations, now known as the National Clandestine Service. CIA spokesman George Little said that “any suggestion that there isn’t world-class, senior expertise at the CIA is flat wrong.” “Retirement is a fact of professional life,” Little said, “and the CIA has created strong mechanisms to assist our officers as they explore opportunities after retirement and to retain their knowledge before they go.” The bulk of the agency’s losses to the private sector came roughly from 2002 through 2007, as business with intelligence contractors spiked. In fiscal 2010, a senior U.S. official said, attrition rates at the CIA were at an all-time low. Some of the officials quoted for this report spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivities involved in discussing the agency’s inner workings. Few of them cited problems at the agency as their reason for leaving. Rather, they said, the choice was often financially driven. One former senior official who had worked in government service for more than 25 years said he looked at the opportunities for advancement at the agency on the one hand and at the looming costs of college tuition for his children on the other. He chose the private sector. “It was a practical matter,” he said. Contractors calling Years of intelligence reforms found the CIA unprepared for the events that followed the Sept. 11 attacks. From 1990 through 1996, Congress had slashed the intelligence community’s budget every year, and from 1996 through 2000, it effectively left the budget flat. Suddenly, with a demand for better intelligence, the agency needed more bodies. It needed people to deploy to Afghanistan. It needed top-level linguists. It needed interrogators. Insiders and outsiders quickly concluded that the CIA needed contractors. Richard “Hollis” Helms, a longtime overseas officer and former head of the agency’s European division, founded Abraxas Corp. in the days after the attacks. Helms identified the areas in which the agency needed the most help and began aggressively recruiting current and former intelligence professionals. Those professionals included mid-level analysts from the Directorate of Intelligence. But they also included top brass such as Rod Smith, a former chief of the agency’s Special Activities Division, and Fred Turco, one of the original architects of the CIA’s counterterrorism center and the former chief of external operations. Meredith Woodruff, one of the agency’s most senior female operatives, signed on to Abraxas in 2006. “Hollis is brilliant; he realized there was a huge market out there to exploit. He printed money for a while — hired tons of CIA staffers and doubled their salary. He was the first agency guy to figure it all out,” said one former chief of station, the term for the top CIA officer at a U.S. embassy. “You would see people leave the CIA on a Friday and come back on Monday in the same job but working for Abraxas.” Barry McManus, an agency veteran, was among those who saw the promise of Abraxas. McManus had worked for the CIA his entire career, with the exception of a few years on the D.C. police force. He started out as a bodyguard for CIA Director William J. Casey, then climbed through the ranks, eventually doing work in more than 130 countries. By 1993, he had become the CIA’s chief operations polygraph examiner and interrogator, responsible for interviewing high-level terrorism suspects and others in the process of interrogation. But when he turned 50 in 2003 and found himself eligible for retirement, McManus said, he realized he wanted to do something else. Now, as vice president of training and education at Abraxas, he spends much of his time training others in the law enforcement and intelligence world. Among his contracts is one with the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, which hired him to lead a four-day class that covers an introduction to terrorism. According to government contracting documents, in a separate four-day period in 2006, McManus made nearly $40,000 for leading a seminar for immigration officers in “detecting deception and eliciting responses.” A year later, he secured a $238,000 contract to perform guest lectures. Pretty soon, more contracts began rolling in. McManus said he is well compensated for his work at Abraxas. One of his first big purchases in post-agency life: a black Maserati GranTurismo, which retails for $160,000. Helms, Abraxas’s founder, declined to be interviewed. In 2009, the privately held firm had an estimated 470 employees and annual revenue of $90 million. Late last year, Cubic, another defense contractor, acquired Abraxas for $124 million. Growing demand Many former CIA officers say they are surprised at their worth in the private sector. Some are surprised the private sector wants them at all. At a 2009 conference hosted by the Digital Government Institute, John Sano, former deputy director of the National Clandestine Service and now a director of business development at Cisco, cracked a joke about his background. “Let me tell you about my technological expertise: I have none,” Sano told conference attendees at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington. “I just figured out how the spring on this pen works. That is the limit to my expertise.” If he didn’t bring technical expertise to Cisco, Sano, a 28-year veteran of the agency, did bring something else: the ability to help the firm navigate the sometimes mystifying layers of bureaucracy in Washington. The same can be said of countless other CIA veterans. A top-level official with experience at the agency might know the right people on the right committees or be able to help identify federal employees who play a key role in awarding a lucrative intelligence contract. They also know how the intelligence world works. “If you worked on the seventh floor of the agency, you have a view of everything that’s going on in the world from Marrakesh to Bangladesh,” one former operations officer said. “That knowledge is invaluable to companies working internationally.” Outside the intelligence world, corporations have found reasons to turn to CIA veterans in the post-9/11 era. Many former officers now head security for multinational firms. Among others, Robert Dannenberg, a former Central Eurasia division chief, left the CIA to run BP’s international security affairs division and now is the director for global security at Goldman Sachs. When Mel Gamble, a 40-year veteran of the agency, retired in 2008, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. He was retiring as the chief of recruitment for the National Clandestine Service, after serving in jobs that included being operations officer and eventually a chief of station in Africa. In the old days, through the 1990s, there had been an “unwritten rule,” Gamble recalled: “You would retire and go away. Go raise tulips or dogs.” But some officials with the agency now have concluded that their retirement income is not enough, and they don’t want to stay at the agency working as “instructors or doing task-specific duties,” Gamble said. “I didn’t just want to go back to the agency [as a contractor] as so many people do,” said Gamble, who ultimately settled on a position at Electronic Warfare Associates, a defense contractor based in Herndon that advertises services including network penetration testing and computer forensics analysis. “They knew the ins and outs of how to deal with [the Defense Department], but they didn’t understand other agencies at all and how they were structured,” said Gamble, who has since left EWA for another company. “I tell them, you need to talk to people at this level, or it’s actually this person at the National Security Council who would make a decision on this project.” A loss of experience At the agency, some say the wave of departures has led to a sense of unease. In 2009, after a double agent blew himself up at a CIA base in Afghanistan, killing seven of the agency’s officers, many former officials suggested that the tragedy might have been prevented had the CIA retained more senior personnel at the outpost. Some officials questioned why the agency had given one of the top assignments there to an officer who had never served in a war zone. Other former officials raised concerns about how intelligence assets were being handled in the field. “The tradecraft that was developed over many years is passe,” a recently retired senior intelligence official said at the time. “Now it’s a military tempo, where you don’t have time for validating and vetting sources.... All that seems to have gone by the board. It shows there are not a lot of people with a great deal of experience in this field.” Only a year before the bombing, the agency had instituted a new program to mitigate the loss of institutional memory. The program required officers heading out the door to train their successors or participate in oral histories about their own careers. Some officers even make manuals describing specialized work. At times, though, a transfer of knowledge has not been enough. In 2010, after the CIA lost Michael Sulick, the head of its clandestine service, to retirement, it chose not to replace him from within its current ranks. Rather, the agency tapped John D. Bennett, a CIA veteran who had served as station chief in Pakistan and who had retired only two months before. Back from retirement As far back as 1989, the agency established a retirement program to help former employees adjust to life outside the bubble of the agency. The program, now three months long, teaches agency officials about their benefits and financial management skills. But these days, it also functions as a recruitment space. When the retirement program was conceived, fewer than 20 firms came to speak to the retiring classes about opportunities in the workforce outside the agency. Today, 40 to 50 companies vie to attend an agency-sponsored job fair held 10 times a year at the CIA’s retirement center in Reston. Major contractors — including SAIC, Booz Allen Hamilton and CACI — are regular participants. One agency participant who interviewed with top defense contractors described the conversations as an exercise in figuring out whom he knew in the intelligence world. “With a couple of firms, it was sort of a blatant, how-can-we- exploit-your-Rolodex conversation,” said one former intelligence officer. The chief executive of the company he ended up working for told him: “We want to know how the intelligence world works and how we can provide services to them.” At the agency, Director Leon Panetta has helped slow the exit of talent. But this year he has seen his top three leaders leave the agency. Collectively, they represented more than 75 years of institutional knowledge and operations talent. One former official said the loss of so many insiders has taken a toll on those connected to the agency. “Honestly, it’s painful to see, and it’s not in the national interest to see so many men and women at the peak of their experience walk out of the agency at the age of 52 or 53,” the former official said. “The agency would be well served to implement stronger incentives to encourage people to stay.” Bob Wallace, a 32-year agency veteran who now runs Artemus Consulting Group in Herndon, suggested that the departures from the agency reflect more than the draw of a big salary outside government. Rather, he said, some veterans who have risen to the management level are leaving for a much more mundane reason: bureaucracy. “People tire of meetings,” Wallace said. “Eventually, they decide they want to jump to the private sector so they can be back on the street again — doing what they love.”Before noon, Pa said, "Whoa!" The wagon stopped. "Here we are, Caroline. Right here we'll build our house." Laura and Mary scrambled over the feedbox and dropped to the ground in a hurry. All around there was nothing but grassy prairie spreading to the edge of the sky. (Little House on the Prairie, chapter five) A long time ago, when this journalist was a little girl in 70s London suburbia, the fairytale prose of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie and its heroine with identical dark plaits captured my imagination and fuelled a lifelong fascination with the American wild west. My friend Reena and I re-enacted it for hours in the tall trees at the end of her garden, each of us taking multiple parts. To be honest, it was the long-running TV series that I knew, with its "prairie bitch" Nellie Oleson, the rich storekeeper's daughter who bullied the good-hearted Laura and her country family episode after episode. A kind of Louisa May Alcott with catfights: Desperate Little Women. I finally bought the nine out-of-print Puffins with their famous Garth Williams illustrations on eBay two years ago. At first I found what I had expected; happy tales of semi-autobiographical childhood pleasures based on family bonds and the seasons: a corn cob for a doll, sugaring parties after the maple syrup had been gathered, a house and life made entirely by their own hands – Pa even made his own bullets; only the nails were "boughten". Laura Ingalls Wilder in the 1930s. Photograph: Bettmann/Corbis Appropriately enough, the first book, Little House in the Big Woods, was a great success in 1932, marketed as "the book the depression couldn't stop". In the epilogue to The First Four Years, the ninth and final book in the series, Wilder wrote: "In the seventh year a mysterious catastrophe was worldwide. All banks failed. From coast to coast the factories shut down and business ceased. This was a panic." There is a current credit-crunch vogue for Manhattanites to rediscover the Little House books with their own apartment-dwelling daughters. Here was a woman who recognised "that in my own life I represented a whole period of American history". Born in 1867, just two years after the end of the civil war, Wilder was part of a pioneer family who moved west to farm the "unpopulated" western prairies. She lived through the coming of the railroad, the mass eviction of the Osage Indian tribe (documented in Little House on the Prairie) and the rise of Elvis Presley. She died aged 90 in 1957, just seven months before the launch of Sputnik. Having slowly grown in prosperity after the great 1893 panic and banking collapse, she and her husband Almanzo Wilder saw their life savings wiped out in the 1929 Wall Street Crash. Her novels – progressively darker and more ambivalent – revealed a woman with a robust hatred of debt and credit, and a deep suspicion that only the government and rich financiers back east made any money out of the great land-rush dream. She married in her black cashmere dress to save the trouble and expense of an elaborate wedding, and refused to say "I obey" in her marriage vows, defying social convention. She wrote, "I could not obey anybody against my better judgment" – a view possibly forged by watching her mother suffer from her father's disastrous financial decisions. While she often writes of her desire to be "free like the Indians", riding bareback, Little House on the Prairie is built illegally on occupied Osage Indian land and the family live in fear of a massacre. Her father's bad judgment forces him to abandon it before they are evicted by federal troops. He buys a Minnesota farm, apparently oblivious to the regular plagues of grasshoppers that, combined with prairie fires and duststorms, drive the Ingalls into crushing debt. She then documents heartrending hardship in The First Four Years, which dealt with her early married life and was published posthumously in 1971. The couple are burdened by a massive mortgage; drought, hailstorms and fires destroy their farmhouse and then Almanzo is crippled at 31 by diphtheria. The book tells of the secret sorrows of women. In one incident Wilder recounts her horror as their desperate childless neighbours the Boasts offer her their best horse in return for her baby daughter, Rose. Wilder herself lost her only son in infancy. "It's a queer country out here. Strange things happen." Pa in "These Happy Golden Years" Wilder, who was by her 50s an experienced farming journalist, brought an artist's eye to the remarkable events she'd witnessed.Wilder also pioneered new literary terrain, including the very first young adult fiction in the later novels – including Little Town on the Prairie and These Happy Golden Years – which document Laura's teenage anxieties and romance with touchingly modern woes. Memorably she describes her self-loathing for the "short round girl", she sees in the mirror, when she longs to be like slender, willowy blonde Nellie (who really does try to steal her boyfriend). She had to push her publishers hard for the books to be branded and marketed as a series; when they were, they proved a great model for future book marketing. Brought up to be a sentimental Victorian on Walter Scott's novels and Tennyson's poetry, Wilder turned out to be as sharp and no-nonsense a businesswoman in her own way as the feisty Hollywood characters being played on screen in the 30s by the likes of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Wilder has a special status in American culture despite posthumous allegations of racism. The Osage nation, according to biographer Pamela Smith Hill, still condemns her work, which was based on their eviction. The novels are full of phrases that are unacceptable today, even in her own lifetime Wilder apologised for her thoughtlessness and amended a line in Little House on the Prairie that said Kansas had "no people, only Indians". It now reads, "no settlers, only Indians". The various sites where her family lived in Wisconsin, Kansas, Dakota and Missouri are now much-visited museums. There is an industry of books and merchandise churned out by her daughter's heirs. The trio of child stars from the TV series have recently published their own Gen X memoirs of growing up on screen – notably Alison "Nasty Nellie" Arngrim's delightfully titled Confessions of a Prairie Bitch. There is a musical. I'm sure Wilder, who once ran for political office and ran a local bureau administering farm loans, would have loved the fact that the TV "Laura", Melissa Gilbert, grew up to head the powerful Screen Actors' Guild. Even Rocky Ridge Farm, in the Ozarks, Wilder's final home for 55 years, hosts a biannual "Laurapalooza" celebration. But it seems to me impossible to read the books without appreciating the integrity of one woman's view of a remarkable and sometimes cruel century. One day I know I will take my own family on a pilgrimage to Rocky Ridge Farm, built entirely out of local materials, with its teeny kitchen handmade to suit Wilder's 4ft 11in frame. Her books, like the Thanksgiving holiday yesterday, are a celebration of endurance and survival in the face of disaster – natural and manmade. As Wilder wrote of her family in Little House in the Big Woods: "They could not be forgotten, she thought, because now is now. It can never be a long time ago." Samira Ahmed is a Channel 4 News presenter. Laura Ingalls Wilder is her specialist subject on Celebrity Mastermind on BBC1 this Christmas. This article contains affiliate links, which means we
merry voices, I could not help exclaiming mentally: Indeed my eyes see men making haste to free the slave of all names, nations and tongues, and my ears hear them driving, thick and fast, nails into the coffin of despotism. I can but look on the establishment of this phalanx as a step of as much importance as any which secured our political independence; and much greater than that which gained the Magna Charta, the foundation of English liberty. Looking upon the most ordinary scene of village life—a dusty orchard, a gristmill, men swinging hammers—Nathan Meeker saw the earth shifting on its axis. His impression may be hyperbolic, but it captures the daily experience of many utopians: a sense of actively transforming the world, of living on the cusp of an incandescent future. The spirit of improvisation that prevailed within these communities charged life with extraordinary creativity. The utopians were in the business of reinventing society from the ground up, and they left no flaw or inconvenience unturned. Along with a flurry of radical social institutions, they produced dozens of new inventions: the flat broom, the lazy Susan, the clothespin, a new mop ringer, a hernia truss, motorized washing machines, a new mousetrap, vacuum-sealed cans, the circular saw, cut nails, a superior animal trap, a cheese press, a corn cutter, a pea sheller, an elastic women’s sneaker, and new types of barns and houses. Almost every community designed some new type of costume, usually one that liberated female colonists from the suffocating garb of the Victorian era. Whatever truth there is in the axiom that communism suppresses innovation, the long list of marketable inventions to come out of the communistic utopian colonies offers a strong counterpoint. * * * One young communard wondered how, having known such intimacy and freedom, she could possibly face the ‘chilling cordiality of the world.’ Along with this invigorating sense of creativity, the citizens of the small utopias tended to have much more fun than the people living beyond their fences. Except for the Shakers, who felt theologically compelled toward tranquility outside of their raucous prayer meetings, most of these communities kept up a dizzying schedule of contra dances, lectures, card games, séances, philosophical debates, cotillions, history lectures, picnics, stargazing expeditions, concerts, plays, tableaux vivants, boating trips, berry-picking outings, ice-skating parties, quilting bees, fishing trips, baseball games, oyster suppers, and croquet tournaments. All of this took place at a time when rural Americans often went months without seeing a nonrelation. When the British journalist Frances Trollope (mother of novelist Anthony) came upon a rural western homestead in 1832, the woman working the stove told her, “I expect the sun will rise and set a hundred times before I shall see another human that does not belong to the family.” By contrast, the utopians sat down to supper each afternoon with more than a hundred people. And while most Americans, even in big cities, seldom conversed with people outside of their class or denomination, the utopians lived intimately and in (theoretical) equality with people of every class and creed, although not every race. African Americans were mostly absent from these communities. This jumble of experience and opinion produced predictable tensions, but it also bred intellectual excitement and an enduring liberalism. When the end inevitably came, some utopians returned to the World with a sense of relief, exhausted by the thousand small frustrations of clumsily enforced equality. Others were sick with disappointment. For a great many, their years spent living “in association,” as they said, would be remembered as the highlight of their lives: a merry springtide of intellectual ferment, pleasure, and hope. For many, the end came like a casting out. After the Brook Farm Phalanx disbanded, one young communard wondered how, having known such intimacy and freedom, she could possibly face the “chilling cordiality of the world” or “feel contented again with the life of isolated houses, and the conventions of civilization.” * * * Influential utopian novels.... are seldom read, let alone written, anymore, yet we require fifteen-year-olds to spend their holidays underlining paperbacks of Brave New World and 1984. Today, thinking grandly about the future is regarded as a sin in and of itself. Calling a proposal “utopian” is among the more routine slurs on Capitol Hill. The supposed end of history—with the laurels for “final form of human government” going to Western liberal democracy—has been trumpeted for at least three decades. The prevailing view on both the left and the right is that the current state of affairs, while far from ideal, is better than the hazards inherent in trying to make things too much better. Not long before his death, the historian Tony Judt wrote that the task of today’s intellectuals and political philosophers “is not to imagine better worlds but rather to think how to prevent worse ones.” At best, American politics, in both rhetoric and practice, is concerned with finding the least bad version of the status quo—the prevailing assumption being that what we have is well enough and well enough ought to be left alone. Tocqueville saw this coming in 1835: “I cannot overcome my fear that men may come to the point of looking upon every new theory as a danger, every innovation as a vexing disturbance, and every sign of social progress as a first step toward revolution.” Literature is a sensitive indicator of utopian sentiment. The shift in attitude from the 1840s to today can be tracked in the library. Influential utopian novels of the kind written by Thomas More, Francis Bacon, Étienne Cabet, or Edward Bellamy are seldom read, let alone written, anymore, yet we require fifteen-year-olds to spend their holidays underlining paperbacks of Brave New World and 1984, chilling visions of utopia run amuck. Dystopian blockbusters dominate the summer box office. When utopia is not depicted as soul crushing, it is farce. Laurel and Hardy’s late, second-rate film Utopia (1951) nails the modern view of utopia as fool’s errand. When the fat man and the thin man set out to build paradise on a remote island, their naive fantasy is overrun with slapstick venality. (Their island, the world discovers, sits atop a uranium mother lode.) The cumulative moral is precise: Anyone nuts enough to try building heaven on earth is bound for a hell of his own making. One reason that history does not look kindly upon the utopians of the nineteenth century is that they trafficked in extreme, absolutist visions of the future. Today, we have ample reason to recoil from such visions. Many of the darkest episodes of the twentieth century—the Thousand-Year Reich, Soviet gulags, the Khmer killing fields—were born of utopian and millenarian ideologies. Regardless of the details, we now flinch at the notion that there is one specific way in which the world ought to be arranged. This reflex is well justified. Again and again, collectively held visions of paradise have been used to justify systems of terror and repression. Surprisingly, the American utopians of the nineteenth century and the European visionaries who inspired them shared our post-twentieth century fears about the hazards of revolutionary social change. Owen, Cabet, and Fourier were all intimately aware of the darkest and most utopian episodes of the French Revolution. While their Jacobin comrades descended into paranoid, self-consuming terror, the communal utopians tried to take a different road to a similar, although not identical, paradise. They hoped that discrete experimental communities would demonstrate—to worker, boss, and baron—the obvious superiority of an egalitarian society. For their faith in the basic decency of the rich and powerful, the utopians were derided by the next generation of radicals as terminally bourgeois. Rather than exerting influence incrementally through politics and propaganda, or instantly through insurrection, the utopians hoped to construct the perfect society in miniature and then lead by example—to pull, rather than push, the world toward perfection. Although it surely did not feel this way to them, theirs was a relatively low-stakes method of reform. If the scheme fails, the corrupt old world will always be right where you left it, just outside the gates. For the utopian vision to spread beyond the seminal prototype, it must prove itself. As Albert Brisbane, the leading American Fourierist, put it, the new order will take hold only “when practice has shown its superiority over the present system.” In utopia, size makes all the difference. When Brook Farm collectivized agriculture and sent the intellectuals out to mow wheat, the results were goofy and edifying. When Mao Tse-tung tried the same trick, forty million starved. * * * An Age of Reason in a patty-pan. Because of their small scale and grand ambitions, these communities offer an unusually clear window onto the practical working out of various social theories. Every community, utopian or not, is composed of notions about how people ought to live together. The state, Hegel wrote, is the ethical idea made actual. But on the scale of nations and empires, those actualized ideas are submerged in an obscuring bath of time and happenstance. A political notion—say, democracy—is animated within the history of a democratic state, but only under the influence of countless personalities and externalities over the course of generations. By contrast, utopias, both literary and experimental, tend to be born fully formed from the mind of one individual. Fourier plotted every detail of his perfect society—what time everyone would eat, how many people would work in the pear orchard, how they would elect their foremen—before he recruited a single follower. Within utopian communities, social and ethical ideas are put into play in a very narrow span of time and space. Tracking the miniature revolutions that repeatedly sundered New Harmony or the various Icarian villages is like watching several centuries of modern history—the glacial advance and retreat of big ideas about power, liberty, and community—transpire inside a beaker. Emerson rightly called Brook Farm “a French Revolution in small, an Age of Reason in a patty-pan.” The brief histories of these miniature societies reveal, with remarkable clarity, how their citizens approached a set of timeless questions. Must the family be the base unit of civilization? How does diversity affect a highly socialized society? Can citizens really be transformed by the institutions within which they live? Is monogamy required for a stable, prosperous society? Is private property? How much must theory bend in the face of circumstance? How does spiritual authority interact with political authority? Does social progress flow from the initiative of self-advancing individuals or from broad, collectivist reforms? Is competition the ideal motor of innovation and prosperity? Can social solidarity be stimulated or must it arise spontaneously? Hovering above all of these questions is the overarching dialectic that defines civil society: the back-and-forth between individual liberty and mutual aid, between the freedom to do as you please and the freedom from being cold, hungry, and alone. * * * Sensing a deficit in our own time, a way in which their story mocks us. The ideas that undergirded these communities, like the ideas enshrined in our founding documents, were born out of the European Enlightenment. While the utopians’ aspirations can seem alarmingly foreign, their basic outlook was hyper-American—American, but more so (in terms of ideals, if seldom reality). Americans cherish freedom of conscience; where better to nurture new heresies? America is profoundly egalitarian; where better to abolish property? Americans cherish liberalism; where better to emancipate women? America is a land of new beginnings; where better to kick off the millennium? The lunatic optimism and creativity of our utopian predecessors can be infectious. They took no social institution for granted. With bearings fixed toward a meridian of joy and perfection, everything old and familiar—monogamy, property, hierarchy, family—went overboard. Mistakenly sensing that the world was on the brink of total transfiguration, they built their tiny societies according to a single criterion: their own shining vision of the future. It is almost impossible not to mock the extravagant hopes of the nineteenth-century utopians. Yet it is difficult to linger amid the ruins of those hopes without sensing a deficit in our own time, a way in which their story mocks us. In the company of these strange, familiar Americans, we might revive their essential question: What sort of a future do we want? * * * From the Book: PARADISE NOW: The Story of American Utopianism by Chris Jennings Copyright © 2016 by Christopher Jennings Published by arrangement with Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLCFormer Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price Thomas (Tom) Edmunds PriceIs a presidential appointment worth the risk? Former Ryan aide moves to K street Grassley to test GOP on lowering drug prices MORE wrote two checks to the federal government for his wife's travels in Asia and Africa the day before he resigned, according to documents obtained by The Hill. The checks, which were dated Sept. 28, total a combined $7,502.66. He also wrote a check the same day for more than $50,000 to cover his expenses, which was previously reported The two checks were intended to reimburse the federal government for the cost of his wife when she accompanied him on trips overseas on military aircraft, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed. ADVERTISEMENT Price resigned Sept. 29 after an investigation by Politico found that his use of military flights and private jets has cost taxpayers more than $1 million. He held the job for less than 10 months, but in that time he traveled to Asia, Africa and Europe on official business aboard military aircraft, the investigation found. His wife Betty, a physician and Georgia state representative, accompanied him on those trips as an adviser. The military aircraft trips were approved by the White House. Price sent three separate checks to the U.S. Treasury on Sept. 28, according to documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request; two checks for his wife, and one to cover the cost of his seat on domestic trips aboard a chartered jet. A check for $1,489 was written to cover Price’s wife’s seat on a trip to Asia, while a check for $6,013.66 was written to cover her seat on a trip to Africa. The dates and amounts of the reimbursement for Price’s wife have not been previously reported. The full cost of the overseas trips to Europe, Asia and Africa was more than $500,000. Price did not reimburse the government for his seat on the military flights, but paid $51,887.31 for his share of the domestic flights. Some of those flights overlapped with personal events, including a lunch with his son. He did not reimburse the government for the full cost of the domestic flights. An HHS spokesperson in September said Price was taking an “unprecedented step” by reimbursing the federal government for his share of the travel. “The taxpayers won’t pay a dime for his seats on charter planes,” the agency said. Price’s travel tab exceeded $1 million, when both the overseas and domestic flights are taken into account. His travel expenditures are the subject of an ongoing investigation by the HHS Office of Inspector General, as well as by bipartisan members of the House Oversight Committee. Tom Price checks by M Mali on ScribdTHE world’s oldest living conjoined twins have defied doctors’ predictions and reached their 50th birthday. George and Lori Schappell, who are joined at the head, celebrate their special day this Sunday. And the pair are marking the landmark birthday with a trip to London. Remarkably, the Siamese twins are able to live very different and separate lives, with Lori having had relationships and George — who was originally named Dori — deciding to live life as a man. Lori is also a champion ten-pin bowler and George performs as a country and western singer. Lori says: “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong. “We have learned so much in the last 50 years and will continue living life to the full.” While Lori, who is 5ft 1in, was born able-bodied, 4ft 4in George suffers from spina bifida, which has caused severe mobility problems. As George cannot walk, he sits in a wheelchair-type stool which Lori pushes so the two can move together. George says: “Most people don’t believe us but we do have very normal lives. “We travel, tidy our flat and Lori has even had a boyfriend. Nothing stops us doing what we want.” The twins, from Pennsylvania in America, were born sharing 30 per cent of their frontal lobe brain tissue and critical blood vessels, meaning they cannot be separated. A court then decided their parents couldn’t care for the twins properly and they were placed in an institution in which the majority of patients were suffering from severe mental disabilities, despite neither twin having such a disability. Lori says: “There was absolutely nothing wrong with us, apart from physically. “But people didn’t know any better. “We learned to look after ourselves from a very young age and got excellent grades at school.” When the pair turned 21, they entered into a legal battle with the institution so Lori could attend secretarial college — and won. She adds: “We had to prove we could live on our own and we were finally allowed to be independent. Now we have a two-bedroom flat and alternate the nights we sleep in each other’s rooms. “My room is much more girly and reflects my personality, while George’s has all his music posters.” The twins not only had to deal with their birth defect but George was hiding a secret torment from his sister. He says: “I have known from a very young age that I should have been a boy. “I loved playing with trains and hated girly outfits. I kept my desire to change sex hidden — even from Lori — for many years.” George came clean about his desire four years ago. He changed his name from Dori and began living as a man. He says: “It was so tough, but I was getting older and I simply didn’t want to live a lie. I knew I had to live my life the way I wanted.” George has not had a sex change, but dresses and introduces himself as a man. Lori says: “Obviously it was a shock when Dori changed to George, but I am so proud of him. “It was a huge decision but we have overcome so much in our lives and together we are such a strong team. Nothing can break that.” Lori considers herself a girly girl and does all the cooking for herself and George while he will do all the DIY around their flat. Although the pair are both single, Lori has dated men. She says: “I lost my virginity at the age of 23 to my second boyfriend. “When I went on dates, George would bring along books to read and, as we don’t face each other, he could ignore any kissing. I don’t see why being a conjoined twin should stop me having a love life and feeling like a woman.” Five years ago Lori was engaged, but four months before the couple were due to marry, her fiancé was killed by a drunk driver. Lori says: “It was devastating and my heart is broken. “I am still in contact with his family and have only recently started dating again. “George looked after me. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know if I could have lived through the heartbreak.” After college Lori worked in a hospital laundry room. While she was working, George would read or listen to music. Throughout the Nineties, George had a successful music career in the States and won an LA Music Award for Best New Country Artist. Lori says: “My life was working in a laundry room while George’s career took us travelling all over the world, to perform in Japan and Europe. “It was such different extremes, but we supported each other the whole time.” Strangers are fascinated by the lifestyle of the world’s oldest conjoined twins and they constantly approach them to ask questions about how they live. George says: “It’s the little things that intrigue people the most. “I don’t drink but Lori loves a vodka and orange occasionally. She can feel terrible with a hangover and I’ll feel absolutely fine as our bodies are completely separate.” Lori loves bowling and shopping for bargains, while George is more introverted and not into fashion. While they are enjoying their own hobbies, the other twin will often “zone out”. Lori says: “We are able to enjoy ourselves in our own way, while the other will read a book or do a puzzle. “It’s the best way we have found to cope with being conjoined.” The famous pair have been the subject of television documentaries, appeared on talk shows and even made a cameo appearance on the hit American TV drama Nip/Tuck. “Turning 50 is something we were told would never happen, but we are both over the moon that it has.”We are parents of children with severe, intractable epilepsy. This means that our biggest fear is that our children will die before we find something that will stop them from having seizures every day. Collectively, our children have endured countless pharmaceuticals and brain surgeries, all in desperation to stop their seizures. We are advocating for medical marijuana in Minnesota so that our children have the opportunity to safely access this viable treatment. In fact, two of our children have tried medical marijuana in an oral form in Colorado and Oregon and have seen great improvements in seizure control and quality of life. To be clear, we are always in favor of and supportive of research, especially with a generous $2.2 million appropriation, as Gov. Mark Dayton suggested last week with his idea of funding Mayo Clinic trials of cannabis-based medications for children with severe forms of epilepsy, as well as a more comprehensive study of medical marijuana. But we aren’t in favor of his proposal because, as written, it would be ineffective for our children and for other suffering patients in Minnesota. Recently we met with the governor’s staff. We were asked to review the proposal, and we voiced the following concerns: 1) There needs to be a viable source for medical marijuana to perform clinical trials. 2) The clinical trials focus only on epilepsy and exclude other patients in Minnesota who need medical marijuana. We were assured that our input would be taken to help make this proposal work, and Dayton’s chief of staff led us to believe that the governor would consider an updated bill if it were to cross his desk. However, given the governor’s recent statements incorrectly implying that we support this proposal as written and actually suggesting that we could buy marijuana off the street, it is clear that he is taking neither the issue nor the parents of vulnerable children seriously. To ensure that the law helps our children and other patients in Minnesota, a well-regulated supply needs to be grown in our state. For most of the patients who need this medicine, time is of the essence. Unfortunately, research that requires involvement at a federal level (as outlined in this proposal) is not likely to happen soon. This is one of the reasons that nearly half of the states in this country have taken the matter into their own hands regarding medical marijuana. If the governor’s research proposal passes in this form, it means that 7-year-old Greta will not be able to come home from Colorado, where she is receiving treatment. It means that other families with children who have medically complex situations, like 2-year-old Wyatt and 7-year-old Amelia, will have to travel to other states to try this medicine. If it works, they will need to move — and stay there, like 5-year-old Pax. It means that the children of families who cannot afford to move will suffer needlessly in Minnesota. It also means that countless other vulnerable patients who need medical marijuana — with cancer, AIDS, Crohn’s disease, muscular dystrophy, PTSD and glaucoma — will be excluded and forced to “buy it off the street.” The way this research proposal is written constitutes an empty promise. It is heartbreaking that, on top of fighting for our children’s lives, we are being manipulated by our governor, who falsely states that our children will benefit from a proposal that will do nothing to help anyone in Minnesota. We believe that research is tremendously important and that Minnesota could be a leader in this emerging frontier of medicine. To ensure that this happens, we support amending HF1818 to include the governor’s research proposal to address the concerns we note above. That way, a safe and well-regulated supply can exist in the state, the clinical trial can be performed and, at the same time, patients can access medical marijuana to relieve their symptoms in the near term. The only way a medical marijuana bill will help children in Minnesota is if it is good enough to bring Greta home and keep Wyatt, Amelia and Pax in Minnesota. Please bring Greta home. Maria Botker, Greta’s mom, lives in Clinton, Minn. Jessica Hauser, Wyatt’s mom, lives in Woodbury. Angie Weaver, Amelia’s mom, lives in Hibbing. Angela Garin, Pax’s mom, lives in St. Paul.Police and customs officials are failing to curb the supply and demand of illegal drugs, a new report claims. The drugs market in Britain is worth £5.3bn, says the UK Drug Policy Commission report, published today, and it is proving "extremely resilient" to crackdowns by law enforcement agencies. Hundreds of millions of pounds are spent every year on tackling the flow of drugs into the country, and there have been significant seizures and convictions of high-profile traffickers and dealers, but there has been little impact on supply and demand, says the commission. Its report says the market is too big to be affected by police and customs action, and is able to adapt quickly to disruptions. The number of class A drug seizures in England and Wales more than doubled between 1996 and 2005, according to the report. However, an estimated 60% to 80% of drugs would need to be seized regularly to put major traffickers out of business, even though seizure rates on this scale have never been achieved in the UK or elsewhere. Tim McSweeney, one of the report authors, said: "Within the research literature, there is a consistent call for a better understanding of how drug markets operate and the role that enforcement can have in reducing the damage caused by them. "We were struck by just how little evidence there is to show that the hundreds of millions of pounds spent on UK enforcement each year has made a sustainable impact and represents value for money." The report calls for more to be done to reduce the effect of drugs on communities, with measures such as tackling drugs-related "collateral damage" including gang violence and prostitution. The authors argue this would have a greater impact on the drugs trade than big hauls. David Blakey, of the UK Drug Policy Commission, added: "All enforcement agencies aim to reduce drug harms and most have formed local partnerships to do this, but they still tend to be judged by measures of traditional supply-side activity such as seizure rates. "This is a pity as it is very difficult to show that increasing drug seizures actually leads to less drug-related harm. Of course, drug dealers must be brought to justice, but we should recognise and encourage the wider role that the police and other law enforcement officials can play in reducing the impact of drug markets on our communities." The report said the government channelled £380m in 2005-06 in England towards reducing supply. It added the broader criminal justice costs arising from class A drug use were estimated to be more than £4bn. Willie MacColl, the national drugs coordinator with the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, said today there was no such thing as a "meaningless conviction" but said a balanced approach was needed in tackling drugs misuse. "It is widely recognised within policing that there is a need to reduce the harm associated with drugs as well as the demand for those drugs," he said. "The police have a key role to play within the partnerships that already exist in our communities to reduce harm. A lot of police effort is also dedicated to supporting this work." • Teenage girls are as likely to try cannabis as young men, new research shows today. For many years, there was a gender divide over use of the drug, with boys being much more likely to try it than girls. But researchers at the University of New South Wales in Australia say girls' use of cannabis has caught up with that of boys in the 14-19 age group. This mirrors trends in teen smoking and drinking.Literal Insider’s Guide to New York City Avoid tourist traps like a true insider with these alternatives. Ryan Mazer Blocked Unblock Follow Following Feb 16, 2017 City Vibes Tourist Trap: Times Square To a tourist who’s never been, Times Square’s flashing lights might prove an irresistible draw. But wade through the clogged frenzy and you’ll be pleading for a stress-free alternative. Times Square? More like a square time! Insider Alternative: Your Room As you miss out on nothing but headaches by forgoing Times Square, you can feel uniquely at ease staying put in your room as an alternative to it. Don’t expect to find savvy insiders skipping out of their apartments to be there. Green Respite Tourist Trap: Central Park Tourists swarm Central Park like there were no other parks in the city. When you live here long enough, you’ll need a getaway that isn’t flooded with tourists getting away. Over it! Insider Alternative: Your Room Insiders know better than to expect peace and quiet beyond the confines of their room, where they’re free to take in nature by opening a window at their leisure. Shopping Tourist Trap: Macy’s Peruse overpriced garb with other clueless tourists at this tired department store. Pass! Insider Alternative: Your Room Beat the crowds on Fifth Avenue by transcending material wants. Purge all inessential belongings, cleansing your room and spirit of their toxic baggage. Sightseeing Tourist Trap: Empire State Building The skyline view might make for an obvious Instagram opp, but it’s not worth the stress of quietly standing by people in line for an hour. Next! Insider Alternative: Your Room Skip the lines at the Empire State Building by recognizing essential sights right in front of you, like discolorations on your room’s newly bare surfaces. Black patches could indicate a toxigenic species of mold, posing a health risk if you don’t eliminate every trace. Romantic Evening Tourist Trap: Serendipity III Hot date? You won’t be turning on anyone with the played-out pick of dessert at Serendipity III. We’ve had our fill, so to speak. Check please! Insider Alternative: Your Room Think before throwing out a suggestion to your Tinder match. Namely, think about your many defects, and ask yourself if it’s worth subjecting anyone to them. Use a hand mirror to catch another glimpse of your bald spot. How long has it been since your last relationship? Reflect on your ex’s recent attack of you on social media, apropos of nothing, and speculate on defects you’re not even aware of. But don’t mope. Channel it all towards an affirmative goal: quelling romantic hope so you can focus on mold. For every black patch you scrub away, several more seem to grow. Sometimes, you could swear, they call out to you. Feels Tourist Trap: Broadway Play When it comes to soaring spectacle, a lavish Broadway production is hard to beat. Unfortunately the only show with real buzz is Hamilton, and it’s sold out until the end of time. Ha! Insider Alternative: Your Room Create your own cathartic thrills by peeing only when your roommates are out of the apartment, holding it in for hours to avoid them. If they should ever offer you a ticket to Hamilton, let them off the hook and decline. They’d resent you for taking them up on it, inviting you clearly out of pity as all you do is scrub and run from mold now. Nightlife Tourist Trap: 1 OAK Tear up the dance floor with Manhattan’s elite at this happening spot. But while you’re doing that, wonder whether you’re the only one not having fun, causing you to feel more alone than if you’d stayed in by yourself. Oof! Insider Alternative: Your Room Tear up the floorboards to ward off mold as it chases and berates you. Ultimately accept that you can’t outrun it, that it’s part of you now. Give yourself over to it and howl with ecstatic relief, unshaken by the intrusions of your roommates and paramedics. Where to Stay Tourist Trap: Midtown Hotel Tourists and their midtown. SMDH! Insider Alternative: Your Room Things don’t go the way you dream they will. As a seasoned insider, you no longer hope for the brownstone in the heart of Manhattan. You learn to make the most of other living situations, like a hospital in the mountains of Tennessee. And sure you may have transmogrified into mold, but your parents and doctors leave you alone as long as you pretend not to think that anymore. This grants plenty of time to proliferate along the floor and walls. Point is, contentment comes from within. So stay inside — there’s nothing good out there.Update (9/18/2016): As this update has rolled out, we’ve gotten more information on how it works. Integrating Facebook into your Oculus account will change the real name associated with your Oculus device to the real name associated with your FB account. Your username, which can be different than your real name, will remain unchanged. Only FB friends on the Oculus platform will see your real name, and who sees your VR activity can be adjusted with FB’s privacy controls. Ever since Facebook bought Oculus several years ago, there’s been fears that the social media company would begin requiring mandatory Facebook integration or would otherwise hijack the VR headset in some way. Oculus’ new 1.8 software update doesn’t make that integration mandatory, but it includes capabilities that may raise eyebrows with its current users. The new update prompts users to log into Facebook, according to Ars Technica. Once you do, your Oculus username changes to your Facebook real name, without prompting and without any ability to switch it back. Once you sign in via Facebook, all of your friends who own a Rift are automatically populated into your Oculus friends list. But since Oculus Home doesn’t offer any filtering options or the ability to block individuals from seeing what games you’re playing, that means you can either be online and visible to everyone, or online and invisible with no option in-between. It’s not clear if you can remove people once they’ve been added; Oculus’ help pages note that: “When you connect to Facebook, your Oculus friend list is continuously updated so your can share VR easily.” Oculus came under fire earlier this year for some of its privacy and data collection and was asked to submit information to Congress clarifying what it collects and how it uses that information. Recent surveys have suggested that headsets like the Vive, with its integrated motion controllers, are more popular than Oculus Rift, but sales data from HTC and Oculus isn’t currently available. Sony will roll out PlayStation VR in a matter of weeks, and how well or poorly that platform sells will probably set expectations for developers and investors regarding the long-term feasibility of virtual reality. Some Oculus owners are reporting they aren’t seeing the new Facebook integration even after upgrading to 1.8, so it’s possible that the feature is rolling out slowly in particular areas.Although outer space is often imagined to be a desolate, empty place, the region around Earth swarms with millions pieces of man-made debris that create potential hazards for their functioning neighbors. Where did all of this junk come from? Will it ever go away? What kind of problems might it create for people stationed on Earth? Let's take a look. This computer illustration depicts the density of space junk around Earth in low-Earth orbit. (Image: © ESA) The source of space junk With the launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik in 1957, mankind began its journey to reach the stars. But although the first probe in space returned to Earth after only three short months, it kicked off a series of launches that not only inspired people around the world but also filled the region with large chunks of inert metal. Inactive satellites, the upper stages of launch vehicles, discarded bits left over from separation, and even frozen clouds of water and tiny flecks of paint all remain in orbit high above Earth's atmosphere. When one piece collides with another, even more debris is released. Over 21,000 pieces of space trash larger than 4 inches (10 centimeters) and half a million bits of junk between 1 cm and 10 cm are estimated to circle the planet. And the number is only predicted to go up. There are also millions of pieces of debris smaller than a third of an inch (1 cm). In Low Earth-orbit, objects travel at 4 miles (7 kilometers) per second. At that speed, a tiny fleck of paint packs the same punch of a 550 pound object traveling at 60 miles per hour. Not only can such an impact damage critical components such as pressurized items, solar cells, or tethers, they can also create new pieces of potentially threatening debris. For fifty years, the primary source of all of the junk came from objects that exploded by accident. However, in 2007, the intentional destruction of the Chinese weather satellite Fengyun-1C as part of an anti-satellite missile test created a significant field of space debris. Two years later, a defunct Russian military satellite struck an operational American Iridium satellite over northern Siberia, blowing even more trash into space. [Worst Space Debris Events of All Time] An ounce of prevention Despite the small size of most of the objects in space, the U.S. and Russian military are able to keep track of a great deal of the mess. Objects as small as 4 inches (about 10 cm) can be seen by radars or optical telescopes on Earth. When preparing a launch, mission controllers screen the predicted post-launch orbit for potential collisions to avoid as much damage as possible. Similarly, crafts such as the space shuttle and the International Space Station can change their orbits if a larger object approaches. But everything sent into space still faces potential collisions with smaller, untrackable objects that can pit or damage them. Satellites and space craft are heavily shielded to protect vital components. At NASA's Hypervelocity Impact Technology Facility in Texas, new protective materials can be tested by shooting objects from a Light-Gas gun to simulate space junk collisions. This
on her part might seem counterproductive: faced with the challenges of surviving and caring for her offspring, what adaptive value would depressive symptoms have? How would low energy, a lack of interest in important everyday activities, and perhaps even suicidal ideation help make her situation better? If anything, they would seem to disincline her from taking care of these important tasks, leaving her and her dependent offspring worse off. This strangeness, of course, wouldn’t just exist in mice; it should be just as strange when we see it in humans. The most compelling adaptive account of depression I’ve read (Hagen, 2003) suggests that the ultimate why of depression focuses on social bargaining. I’ve written about it before, but the gist of the idea is as follows: if I’m facing adversity that I am unlikely to be able to solve alone, one strategy for overcoming that problem is to recruit others in the world to help me. However, those other people aren’t always forthcoming with the investment I desire. If others aren’t responding to my needs adequately, it would behoove me to try and alter their behavior so as to encourage them to increase their investment in me. Depression, in this view, is adapted to do just that. The psychological mechanisms governing depression work to, essentially, place the depressed individual on a social strike. When workers are unable to effectively encourage an increased investment from their employers (perhaps in the form of pay or benefits), they will occasionally refuse to work at all until their conditions improve. While this is indeed costly for the workers, it is also costly for the employer, and it might be beneficial for the employer to cave to the demands rather than continue to face the costs of not having people work. Depression shows a number of parallels to this kind of behavior, where people withdraw from the social world – taking with them the benefits they provided to others – until other people increase their investment in the depressed individual to help see them through a tough period. Going on strike (or, more generally, withdrawing from cooperative relationships), of course, is only one means of getting other people to increase their investment in you; another potential strategy is violence. If someone is enacting behaviors that show they don’t value me enough, I might respond with aggressive behaviors to get them to alter that valuation. Two classic examples of this could be shooting someone in self-defense or a loan-shark breaking a delinquent client’s legs. Indeed, this is precisely the type of function that Sell et al (2009) proposed that anger has: if others aren’t giving me my due, anger motivates me to take actions that could recalibrate their concern for my welfare. This leaves us with two strategies – depression and anger – that can both solve the same type of problem. The question arises, then, as to which strategy will be the most effective for a given individual and their particular circumstances. This raises a rather interesting possibility: it is possible that the sex difference in depression exists because the anger strategy is more effective for men, whereas the depression strategy is more effective for women (rather than, say, because women face more adversity than men). This would be consistent with the sex difference in depression arising around puberty as well, since this is when sex differences in strength also begin to emerge. In other words, both men and women have to solve similar social problems; they just go about it in different ways. “An answer that doesn’t depend on wide-spread sexism? How boring…” Crucially, this explanation should also be able to account for within-sex differences as well: while men are more able to successfully enact physical aggression than women, not all men will be successful in that regard since not all men possess the necessary formidability. The male who is 5’5″ and 130 pounds soaking wet likely won’t win against his taller, heavier, and stronger counterparts in a fight. As such, men who are relatively weak might preferentially make use of the depression strategy, since picking fights they probably won’t win is a bad idea, while those who are on the stronger side might instead make use of anger more readily. Thankfully, a new paper by Hagen & Rosenstrom (2016) examines this very issue; at least part of it. The researchers sought to test whether upper-body strength would negatively predict depression scores, controlling for a number of other, related variables. To do so, they accessed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), netting a little over 4,000 subjects ranging in age from 18-60. As a proxy for upper-body strength, the authors made use of the measures subjects had provided of their hand-grip strength. The participants had also filled out questions concerning their depression, height and weight, socioeconomic status, white blood cell count (to proxy health), and physical disabilities. The researchers predicted that: (1) depression should negatively correlate with grip-strength, controlling for age and sex, (2) that relationship should be stronger for men than women, and (3) that the relationship would persist after controlling for physical health. About 9% of the sample qualified as depressed and, as expected, women were more likely to report depression than men by about 1.7 times. Sex, on its own, was a good predictor of depression (in their regression, ß = 0.74). When grip-strength was added into the statistical model, however, the effect of sex dropped into the non-significant range (ß = 0.03), while strength possessed good predictive value (ß = -1.04). In support of the first hypothesis, then, increased upper-body strength did indeed negatively correlate with depression scores, removing the effect of sex almost entirely. In fact, once grip strength was controlled for, men were actually slightly more likely to report depression than women (though this didn’t appear to be significant). Prediction 2 was not supported, however, with their being no significant interaction between sex and grip-strength on measures of depression. This effect persisted even when controlling for socioeconomic status, age, anthropomorphic, and hormonal variables. However, physical disability did attenuate the relationship between strength and depression quite a bit, which is understandable in light of the fact that physically-disabled individuals likely have their formidability compromised, even if they have stronger upper bodies (an example being a man in a wheelchair having good grip strength, but still not being much use in a fight). It is worth mentioning that the relationship between strength and depression appeared to grow larger over time; the authors suggest this might have something to do with older individuals having more opportunities to test their strength against others, which sounds plausible enough. Also worth noting is that when depression scores were replaced with suicidal ideation, the predicted sex-by-strength interaction did emerge, such that men with greater strength reported being less suicidal, while women with greater strength reported being more suicidal (the latter portion of which is curious and not predicted). Given that men succeed at committing suicide more often than women, this relationship is probably worth further examination. “Not today, crippling existential dread” Taken together with findings from Sell et al (2009) – where men, but not women, who possessed greater strength reported being quicker to anger and more successful in physical conflicts – the emerging picture is one in which women tend to (not consciously) “use” depression as a means social bargaining because it tends to work better for them than anger, whereas the reverse holds true for men. To be clear, both anger and depression are triggered by adversity, but those events interact with an individual’s condition and their social environment in determining the precise response. As the authors note, the picture is likely to be a dynamic one; not one that’s as simple as “more strength = less depression” across the board. Of course, other factors that co-vary with physical strength and health – like attractiveness – could also being playing a roll in the relationship with depression, but since such matters aren’t spoken to directly by the data, the extent and nature of those other factors is speculative. What I find very persuasive about this adaptive hypothesis, however – in addition to the reported data – is that many existing theories of depression would not make the predictions tested by Hagen & Rosenstrom (2016) in the first place. For example, those who claim something like, “depressed people perceive the world more accurately” would be at a bit of a loss to explain why those who perceive the world more accurately also seem to have lower upper-body strength (they might also want to explain why depressed people don’t perceive the world more accurately, either). A plausible adaptive hypothesis, on the other hand, is useful for guiding our search for, and understanding of, the proximate causes of depression. References: Hagen, E.H. (2003). The bargaining model of depression. In: Genetic and Cultural Evolution of Cooperation, P. Hammerstein (ed.). MIT Press, 95-123 Hagen, E. & Rosenstrom, T. (2016). Explain the sex difference in depression with a unified bargaining model of anger and depression. Evolution, Medicine, & Public Health, 117-132 Sell, A., Tooby, J., & Cosmides, L. (2009). Formidability and the logic of human anger. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106, 15073-78.The Northern Ireland Assembly has failed to elect a new speaker, as the DUP and Sinn Féin are at loggerheads over the replacement for the DUP's William Hay in the high-profile role. The impasse come days after the two parties accepted a UK Treasury loan to avoid breaking the public spending budget for this year. The DUP promised Sinn Féin the post next as a result of a deal that dates back to Ian Paisley's time as First Minister. But no one was elected this afternoon after the DUP abstained. Sinn Féin had expected its South Antrim MLA Mitchel McLaughlin to be elected speaker in his place. The dispute is the latest to affect the power-sharing administration, which is riven by division over a range of issues. Father of the House Sam Gardiner, the oldest Stormont representative, said: "As a speaker has not been elected it will be necessary to return to this matter at a further sitting." In the interim, deputy speakers will continue to chair plenary sessions of the Assembly. Mr Hay, who was recently elevated to the House of Lords, stepped down as speaker following a bout of ill health. He commanded respect across the house, with members from all parties paying tribute to his adroit handling of fractious debates. DUP leader and First Minister Peter Robinson has said the matter should be dealt with as part of inter-party talks that are due to begin this week on issues left outstanding from the peace process. Earlier this month, the head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service wrote to his counterpart at the UK Treasury warning that Stormont was on course to break its budget as the ministerial Executive was locked in a logjam over the need to cut £220m (€280m) of spending this year, including on welfare. Chancellor George Osborne agreed a £100m (€127m) loan last week, with a range of conditions.To start the month of March, Udemy made a big announcement. The old model, allowing sellers to price their courses anywhere from $1 to $300 and using huge promotional deals (often up to 90% off) to generate sales was gone. Going forward, all paid courses on the Udemy platform will be priced between $20 and $50, without the gigantic price-cutting sales. As soon as I saw this, I was interested in the effect that this would have on online course sellers and entrepreneurs. I decided to ask some experts for their take on the change, people who have made money from the Udemy platform in the past who would be directly affected by this change. I asked them a simple question: “How can Online Course sellers and Entrepreneurs benefit from Udemy’s recent price structure change?” If you’re not familiar with Udemy it is the largest marketplace for teachers to sell online courses. Just as Amazon is a natural place for entrepreneurs that want to test out the physical product market, Udemy is a very attractive place for course sellers. According to an email that Udemy sent out recently, they have reached a milestone 10 million students on their platform. 10 million people who have actively sought out education for the topic they are interested in and financially committed to it. Thousands of bloggers, coaches, and experts have created online courses and many of them use Udemy to reach an audience who is already interested in their product. You don’t even need an audience to market your course too. Udemy supplies the audience (and a lot of marketing too). If you haven’t considered creating an online course, you should. For the upfront of investment of time, effort, or both, you can build a product that potentially could provide you with passive income for years to come. A truly ‘set it and forget it’ type product. Benefits of Udemy’s Price Change: 7 Experts Weigh In. My goal was to get a wide range of course publishers, from Authors, to tech experts, consultants and thought leaders. The only thing that all seven of these people have in common is that they have at least one online course selling on Udemy. Thier courses have hundreds of 5-star reviews, they’ve made a nice source of passive income from their work, and they have helped thousands by passing on their knowledge. Thier courses have hundreds of 5-star reviews, they’ve made a nice source of passive income from their work, and they have helped thousands by passing on their knowledge. So here are the experts, in no particular order: #1 Seth Godin (www.sethgodin.com) – Entrepreneur, Thought Leader, and Best-Selling Author I think the price change was a smart way to avoid the super giant coupon pricing antics Which forces/encourages teachers to not use short-term discounts to cause action All the way back to first principles–build a tribe, create a story, produce real value, be remarkable… #2 Alex Genadinik (GlowingStart.com and ProblemIO) – Entrepreneur, App Developer, Author First, online course sellers can sell more premium courses for above $50 on their own websites. They can also break up older bigger courses and make more smaller courses. Also, since the current Udemy 10 million student base has shown a propensity for buying courses at $10, my advice would be to make your courses $20 so that you can run the $10 sales more often. At the $10 price you will generate the most sales than at any other price, and that will work to positively affect the Udemy algorithm in your favor because the more people buy your course, the more Udemy’s recommendation algorithm will prefer your course over competitive courses. #3 Bryan Cohen (BryanCohen.com and sellingforauthors.com) – Author and Entrepreneur Udemy’s price change comes with benefits and detriments for course creators. On one hand, uniform pricing will allow educators to focus on the content rather than running sales and promotions. On the other, instructors who’ve created very high-value content may be tempted to go elsewhere. Once the dust settles, we should see whether entrepreneurs will be able to benefit from Udemy’s big change. Udemy’s price change comes with benefits and detriments for course creators. On one hand, uniform pricing will allow educators to focus on the content rather than running sales and promotions. On the other, instructors who’ve created very high-value content may be tempted to go elsewhere. Once the dust settles, we should see whether entrepreneurs will be able to benefit from Udemy’s big change. #4 Nick Loper (SideHustleNation) – Side Hustle expert and Entrepreneur I don’t know yet! I think the average selling price will actually go up but curious to see the impact the sweeping changes have on the platform for instructors and students. I don’t know yet! I think the average selling price will actually go up but curious to see the impact the sweeping changes have on the platform for instructors and students. #5 Jonathan A. Levi (jle.vi) – Entrepreneur and Investor Udemy’s price change is a boon for anyone looking to build a serious and diversified business around their content. The new pricing makes product differentiation a no-brainer, clearly distinguishing Udemy courses from both lower ticket products (like Kindle eBooks) and from premium products (like our self-hosted SuperLearner MasterClass). The strategy is brilliant; their new pricing will fit squarely in the middle. Udemy’s price change is a boon for anyone looking to build a serious and diversified business around their content. The new pricing makes product differentiation a no-brainer, clearly distinguishing Udemy courses from both lower ticket products (like Kindle eBooks) and from premium products (like our self-hosted SuperLearner MasterClass). The strategy is brilliant; their new pricing will fit squarely in the middle. While Udemy will remain one of the most profitable and attractive marketplaces for online content creators, taking its place alongside Amazon and iTunes, this new move helps Udemy courses fit into a clearer and more appropriate place on the demand curve. The winning strategy is, and always has been, to offer products at every price point your customers demand. #6 Ron Stefanski (OneHourProfessor) – College Professor and Entrepreneur I’ve already embraced the changes that Udemy is doing and changed the pricing of all of my courses to a much lower price point. The verdict? Four sales in the first ten days of a month where I usually manage to get zero sales, and maybe one for the entire month overall. I think that the idea of $300, $400, $500+ courses are pretty much dead unless you’re one of the top authorities in your niche. By making this change, Udemy is forcing us to price our courses at a reasonable level and now allow us to price them extremely high with “special discounts” that give us 80-90% off. By doing this price decrease, people see the courses for a cost that they’re willing to pay and although urgency of a sale won’t be what it once was, it is allowing people to afford the course at any time. I’ve already embraced the changes that Udemy is doing and changed the pricing of all of my courses to a much lower price point. The verdict? Four sales in the first ten days of a month where I usually manage to get zero sales, and maybe one for the entire month overall. The way I see it, Udemy is now letting us do the one thing that we really want which is to get the most students. Sure, we all want to make money as well, but by forcing us to price our courses a little lower, we’re breaking down walls that once existed with pricing and making it possible to help more people enjoy our content. Regardless of what niche you’re in, your main goal should always be to help your audience and this makes it so that you can help (and connect) with more people. #7 Phil Ebiner (www.philebiner.com and www.VideoSchoolOnline.com) – Video Expert and Entrepreneur I believe instructors will have a better time focusing on creating great content, and not worrying about how to price and discount their courses to literally ‘trick’ people into thinking they’re getting a great deal. With the new structure, and other recent changes like a better review system, Udemy students will be purchasing courses based off of the real quality of the course. We’re in a more level playing field now, and the best courses will thrive. I’m looking forward to more sales every day of the year, and not on big blowout sales. I believe instructors will have a better time focusing on creating great content, and not worrying about how to price and discount their courses to literally ‘trick’ people into thinking they’re getting a great deal. With the new structure, and other recent changes like a better review system, Udemy students will be purchasing courses based off of the real quality of the course. We’re in a more level playing field now, and the best courses will thrive. I’m looking forward to more sales every day of the year, and not on big blowout sales. Takeaways As I have been reading through these quotes several common themes can be seen, and I’d like to highlight them. The initial benefits outweigh the negatives. The experts seem to be very keen on avoiding the huge sales that had started to happen, the clearly defined space that Udemy is aiming to fill, and the fact that going forward more time can be spent on content production and less on promotion. 2. The Urgency is gone. One thing that the 80-90% sales did remarkably well was creating a sense of urgency that prompted students to buy now. With this gone, sales still should come at more of a constant flow while people are able to buy at a convenient time for them, not before the sale ends. 3. A clearly defined space With this change Udemy has really defined the type of marketplace it will be. As Jonathan, and several others alluded to, high-end courses no longer have a place on Udemy, but the content here should be a step above ebooks. This really lends itself to a diversification of your content… ebooks on Amazon, basic online courses with Udemy, and using both to drive traffic to high-end, significant courses on your own platform. 4. Time will tell the final results. As Nick said when asked this question, “I don’t know”. The long lasting effects of this change are yet to be completely known. Change often comes with opportunity though, and the most successful will find a way to benefit from this change. 5. Quality Content is still King. Putting out top notch quality content that your audience, or the audience you’re hoping to help, is, and always will be, goal #1. Wrap Up The early votes are in and it seems like Udemy’s price change is being met with very positive reviews. That being said, time will tell the full impact of this change. The question I’d like to leave you with is this: What opportunities do you see? What are some of the ways you plan to benefit from Udemy’s price change? Would love to hear your replies in the comments section below!Appeals Court Gives Google A Clear And Total Fair Use Win On Book Scanning from the move-on-already dept Google’s making of a digital copy to provide a search function is a transformative use, which augments public knowledge by making available information about Plaintiffs’ books without providing the public with a substantial substitute for matter protected by the Plaintiffs’ copyright interests in the original works or derivatives of them. The same is true, at least under present conditions, of Google’s provision of the snippet function. Plaintiffs’ contention that Google has usurped their opportunity to access paid and unpaid licensing markets for substantially the same functions that Google provides fails, in part because the licensing markets in fact involve very different functions than those that Google provides, and in part because an author’s derivative rights do not include an exclusive right to supply information (of the sort provided by Google) about her works. Google’s profit motivation does not in these circumstances justify denial of fair use. Google’s program does not, at this time and on the record before us, expose Plaintiffs to an unreasonable risk of loss of copyright value through incursions of hackers. Finally, Google’s provision of digital copies to participating libraries, authorizing them to make non-infringing uses, is non-infringing, and the mere speculative possibility that the libraries might allow use of their copies in an infringing manner does not make Google a contributory infringer. Plaintiffs have failed to show a material issue of fact in dispute. The ultimate goal of copyright is to expand public knowledge and understanding, which copyright seeks to achieve by giving potential creators exclusive control over copying of their works, thus giving them a financial incentive to create informative, intellectually enriching works for public consumption. This objective is clearly reflected in the Constitution’s empowerment of Congress “ To promote the Progress of Science... by securing for limited Times to Authors... the exclusive Right to their respective Writings.” U.S. Const., Art. I, § 8, cl. 8) (emphasis added). Thus, while authors are undoubtedly important intended beneficiaries of copyright, the ultimate, primary intended beneficiary is the public, whose access to knowledge copyright seeks to advance by providing rewards for authorship. the purpose of Google’s copying of the original copyrighted books is to make available significant information about those books, permitting a searcher to identify those that contain a word or term of interest, as well as those that do not include reference to it. In addition, through the ngrams tool, Google allows readers to learn the frequency of usage of selected words in the aggregate corpus of published books in different historical periods. We have no doubt that the purpose of this copying is the sort of transformative purpose described in Campbell as strongly favoring satisfaction of the first factor. Google’s division of the page into tiny snippets is designed to show the searcher just enough context surrounding the searched term to help her evaluate whether the book falls within the scope of her interest (without revealing so much as to threaten the author’s copyright interests). Snippet view thus adds importantly to the highly transformative purpose of identifying books of interest to the searcher. With respect to the first factor test, it favors a finding of fair use While we recognize that in some circumstances, a commercial motivation on the part of the secondary user will weigh against her, especially, as the Supreme Court suggested, when a persuasive transformative purpose is lacking... we see no reason in this case why Google’s overall profit motivation should prevail as a reason for denying fair use over its highly convincing transformative purpose, together with the absence of significant substitutive competition, as reasons for granting fair use. Many of the most universally accepted forms of fair use, such as news reporting and commentary, quotation in historical or analytic books, reviews of books, and performances, as well as parody, are all normally done commercially for profit. While each of the three Plaintiffs’ books in this case is factual, we do not consider that as a boost to Google’s claim of fair use. If one (or all) of the plaintiff works were fiction, we do not think that would change in any way our appraisal. Nothing in this case influences us one way or the other with respect to the second factor considered in isolation. To the extent that the “nature” of the original copyrighted work necessarily combines with the “purpose and character” of the secondary work to permit assessment of whether the secondary work uses the original in a “transformative” manner, as the term is used in Campbell, the second factor favors fair use not because Plaintiffs’ works are factual, but because the secondary use transformatively provides valuable information about the original, rather than replicating protected expression in a manner that provides a meaningful substitute for the original. As with HathiTrust, not only is the copying of the totality of the original reasonably appropriate to Google’s transformative purpose, it is literally necessary to achieve that purpose. If Google copied less than the totality of the originals, its search function could not advise searchers reliably whether their searched term appears in a book (or how many times). Without doubt, enabling searchers to see portions of the copied texts could have determinative effect on the fair use analysis. The larger the quantity of the copyrighted text the searcher can see and the more control the searcher can exercise over what part of the text she sees, the greater the likelihood that those revelations could serve her as an effective, free substitute for the purchase of the plaintiff’s book. We nonetheless conclude that, at least as presently structured by Google, the snippet view does not reveal matter that offers the marketplace a significantly competing substitute for the copyrighted work. Google has constructed the snippet feature in a manner that substantially protects against its serving as an effectively competing substitute for Plaintiffs’ books. In the Background section of this opinion, we describe a variety of limitations Google imposes on the snippet function. These include the small size of the snippets (normally one eighth of a page), the blacklisting of one snippet per page and of one page in every ten, the fact that no more than three snippets are shown—and no more than one per page—for each term searched, and the fact that the same snippets are shown for a searched term no matter how many times, or from how many different computers, the term is searched. In addition, Google does not provide snippet view for types of books, such as dictionaries and cookbooks, for which viewing a small segment is likely to satisfy the searcher’s need. The result of these restrictions is, so far as the record demonstrates, that a searcher cannot succeed, even after long extended effort to multiply what can be revealed, in revealing through a snippet search what could usefully serve as a competing substitute for the original. Especially in view of the fact that the normal purchase price of a book is relatively low in relation to the cost of manpower needed to secure an arbitrary assortment of randomly scattered snippets, we conclude that the snippet function does not give searchers access to effectively competing substitutes. Snippet view, at best and after a large commitment of manpower, produces discontinuous, tiny fragments, amounting in the aggregate to no more than 16% of a book. This does not threaten the rights holders with any significant harm to the value of their copyrights or diminish their harvest of copyright revenue. the type of loss of sale envisioned above will generally occur in relation to interests that are not protected by the copyright. A snippet’s capacity to satisfy a searcher’s need for access to a copyrighted book will at times be because the snippet conveys a historical fact that the searcher needs to ascertain. For example, a student writing a paper on Franklin D. Roosevelt might need to learn the year Roosevelt was stricken with polio. By entering “Roosevelt polio” in a Google Books search, the student would be taken to (among numerous sites) a snippet from page 31 of Richard Thayer Goldberg’s The Making of Franklin D. Roosevelt (1981), telling that the polio attack occurred in 1921. This would satisfy the searcher’s need for the book, eliminating any need to purchase it or acquire it from a library. But what the searcher derived from the snippet was a historical fact. Author Goldberg’s copyright does not extend to the facts communicated by his book. It protects only the author’s manner of expression. There is no merit to this argument. As explained above, Google does not infringe Plaintiffs’ copyright in their works by making digital copies of them, where the copies are used to enable the public to get information about the works, such as whether, and how often they use specified words or terms (together with peripheral snippets of text, sufficient to show the context in which the word is used but too small to provide a meaningful substitute for the work’s copyrighted expression). The copyright resulting from the Plaintiffs’ authorship of their works does not include an exclusive right to furnish the kind of information about the works that Google’s programs provide to the public. For substantially the same reasons, the copyright that protects Plaintiffs’ works does not include an exclusive derivative right to supply such information through query of a digitized copy. While Plaintiffs’ claim is theoretically sound, it is not supported by the evidence.... Google has documented that Google Books’ digital scans are stored on computers walled off from public Internet access and protected by the same impressive security measures used by Google to guard its own confidential information. As Google notes, Plaintiffs’ own security expert praised these security systems, remarking that “Google is fortunate to have ample resources and top-notch technical talents” that enable it to protect its data. JA 1558, 1570. Nor have Plaintiffs identified any thefts from Google Books (or from the Google Library Project). Plaintiffs seek to rebut this record by quoting from Google’s July 2012 SEC filing, in which the company made legally required disclosure of its potential market risks.26 Google’s prudent acknowledgment that “security breaches could expose [it] to a risk of loss... due to the actions of outside parties, employee error, malfeasance, or otherwise,” however, falls far short of rebutting Google’s demonstration of the effective measures it takes to guard against piratical hacking. Google has made a sufficient showing of protection of its digitized copies of Plaintiffs’ works to carry its burden on this aspect of its claim of fair use and thus to shift to Plaintiffs the burden of rebutting Google’s showing. Plaintiffs’ effort to do so falls far short. Although Plaintiffs describe the arrangement between Google and the libraries in more nefarious terms, those arrangements are essentially that each participant library has contracted with Google that Google will create for it a digital copy of each book the library submits to Google, so as to permit the library to use its digital copy in a non-infringing fair use manner. The libraries propose to use their digital copies to enable the very kinds of searches that we here hold to be fair uses in connection with Google’s offer of such searches to the Internet public, and which we held in HathiTrust to be fair uses when offered by HathiTrust to its users. The contract between Google and each of the participating libraries commits the library to use its digital copy only in a manner consistent with the copyright law, and to take precautions to prevent dissemination of their digital copies to the public at large. In these circumstances, Google’s creation for each library of a digital copy of that library’s already owned book in order to permit that library to make fair use through provision of digital searches is not an infringement. If the library had created its own digital copy to enable its provision of fair use digital searches, the making of the digital copy would not have been infringement. Nor does it become an infringement because, instead of making its own digital copy, the library contracted with Google that Google would use its expertise and resources to make the digital conversion for the library’s benefit. The Authors Guild's never-ending lawsuit against Google for its book scanning project has been hit with yet another blow. The 2nd Circuit appeals court has told the Authors Guild (once again) that Google's book scanning is transformative fair use. This is not a surprise. Though this case has gone through many twists and turns, a few years ago it was also before the 2nd Circuit on a separate issue (over the appropriateness of it being a class action lawsuit) and the 2nd Circuit panel ignored that question, saying that it shouldn't even matter because it seemed like this was fair use. Thus it was sent back to the district court, where Judge Danny Chin correctly said that the scanning was fair use. That ruling was appealed, and the AG trotted out some truly nutty legal theories (arguing that it wasn't fair use because someone like Aaron Swartz might hack into Google's computers and free the books).These arguments did not work. The 2nd Circuit has affirmed the lower court ruling and given another nice appellate ruling establishing the importance of fair use --a reminder that, yes, commercial uses can still be fair use:There are some really great statements in the ruling, which isn't a huge surprise, given that it was done by Judge Pierre Leval, who has written some of the most thoughtful things about fair use. For example, he clearly and directly notes that theThis, of course, is the same argument that we've made here in the past many times (often mocked by copyright extremists). Notice that the section of the Constitutional copyright clause that Leval chose to highlight is the ever-important "to promote the progress" language. In a footnote, Leval similarly notes that UK copyright law actually comes with a similar preamble: "for the Encouragement of Learning."From there, Leval has a short discussion on the history of fair use, and the key Supreme Court rulings on it, before jumping into the necessary four factors, which is carefully written and nuanced. It's worth reading in its entirety, but a few snippets. First, the court finds that the use of search here makes the Google books program transformative:Then there's the question of whether Google's snippet view is fair use, and again, the court finds that it is:But, you say, Google is a big for-profit business, and doing this to make money, so how can that be fair use? By this point, we've debunked the "commercial use can't be fair use" myth so many times on Techdirt it almost doesn't seem worth repeating, but since peoplebring it up... here's what the court says:On the second factor (the nature of the work) the court notes that it's somewhat unimportant here, but still leans towards fair use.Factor three (the amount of the work) is obviously one that the Authors Guild leaned heavily on, but the court is not convinced that it weighs against Google here either, noting that because the use is transformative, copying the entire work is. The argument here is that the real intent of factor three is to see if the defendant copiedfor the transformative use, and that's not true with Google books:On the question of snippets, the court again finds for Google noting that it's only displaying a small portion of the work -- again, no more than necessary. The court notes that if snippets were done differently, it could impact the fair use analysis, but that Google does a good job of not revealing too much.Finally, the all-important fourth factor (the impact on the market). Again, the court finds in favor of Google, noting how unlikely it is that Google's book project is a substitute for actually getting a book:Yes, the court notes, it'sthat it might lead to some lost sales, but that's not enough to find against fair use -- especially since in those cases, it probably means that the amount of information sought was not protectable by copyright in the first place:I'd also argue that if we're talking about the theoretical rare cases where it leads to a lost sale, it should be noted that it's probably just as likely that Google Books leads toas people find snippets of books that make them want to buy the full book (I've personally bought a few books because of snippets found through Google's book search.) But the court doesn't go there.The court then takes on the question of whether or not Google has deprived the Authors Guild of a derivative right to create or license their own search and snippets features. The court dismisses this argument with ease, reminding the Authors Guild of the important fact that, and nothing in copyright includes a special right to limit the ability to search or create snippets:Finally, the court laughs off the argument that an Aaron Swartz like hacker might free all of the files in Google's database:Similarly, the court is unimpressed by the Authors Guild's claim that even if Google's own security is good, the fact that it shares scans with libraries who donate books to be scanned, opens up a new line of attack.As the court points out, sure it's possible that a library might use such files in an infringing matter, but if that happens, then the copyright holders can go after that library. They can't go after Google for the theoretical possibility that someone else might infringe a copyright at some future date.And, in case you were wondering, there was no dissent at all. This was a unanimous decision by all three judges on the panel, giving yet another complete victory to Google saying that its book scanning project is fair use -- and, as an appeals court ruling, is useful in creating precedent in the all important 2nd Circuit (with some pretty damn good quotes for future cases). This is a big andwin for fair use. It's likely that the Authors Guild will try to appeal to the Supreme Court, but without
with, but if you learn that an army is marching for you I’d seriously relocate some of your forces to that front. Use spies to steal technology from militaristic civs which aren’t in the top-3 of the game. They’re likely to declare on you sooner or later anyway, so pissing them off isn’t too dangerous unless you’re miles behind. Once stealing isn’t useful or takes too long, send your spies to neighboring City States for diplomatic bonuses with them. Organizing a coup can often result in them outright shifting to you – and they make for excellent buffer zones around your territory. Before you declare war, plant a spy in a city you plan to take. A few turns later, you gain full vision on the city, letting you easily use siege weapons, long range naval vessels or bombers to take it down. (Thanks to IAMA_DEGU_AMA) Culture Bonus This tip is great for those after a big Culture Boost. Ensure you have your Writer’s Guild up before the World Congress is formed. Once the World Congress has been formed, propose a World’s Fair. Your aim is to win this; if necessary, change all your cities to produce towards the World’s Fair. Once you’ve won it – you’ll have a bonus of 100% culture and you want to pop your Great Writers for a massive culture boost. Make sure you have a few Great Writers so you can pop them during the duration of this bonus or you will not have this benefit. You can easily acquire 4-5 social policies at the same time this way. Rushing Great Library allows you to get Drama and Poetry as a free tech ages before any other civ can get it, allowing you to rush Parthenon. Parthenon comes with a pre-built great work of art, providing +2 tourism before anyone in the game has a great person. This can help you to start gaining the tourism necessary for a culture victory. (Thanks to BraavosiNinja) Finding the Sea! This may sound obvious once you know it, but not many players think of this. It’s a well-known tip among Civ veterans: If you’re trying to find the Sea/Ocean – zoom in on the nearest river and see what direction it flows in. Rivers always flow towards the Ocean. Resource Trading Many players don’t consider trading away the last copy of their luxury resource as you’d lose the +4 bonus to happiness from it. However, if the resource you get in return would trigger a ‘We Love The King’ day, or fulfill a City State Quest, you’d actually end up with a net gain. Look for such opportunities! When you start next to multiple copies of the same luxury resource, trade the first one away for an AI luxury immediately upon improving it. You’ll get more, and lose no happiness. If you wait until receiving your second “surplus” copy, the AI might have traded all of theirs away already. It’s also a great way to bait resource quests and ‘We Love the King’ for a luxury that is one tile from your capital. (Thanks to goodolarchie) Science Science is absolutely paramount in Civ for any victory type. If you fall behind, you will most likely lose. Education is one of the most important technologies in the game. It can often nearly double your science output and should be an absolute priority after you have unlocked the luxuries around your early cities. After this, go straight for Philosophy -> Civil Service -> Education. Workers You can steal workers from nearby City States without too much punishment, instead of building them yourself. This can provide a huge saving in production efforts early in the game and make a difference between staying ahead of all competition and falling behind. You want 2 workers early on if you’re really going to push for victory, with a focus on production over growth. It’s likely you cannot sustain the happiness anyway, especially as you’re looking to get your other 3 cities up as soon as possible. You’ll catch up in growth very easily with the other tips in this guide, so don’t worry about that for now. To add to the above as it’s that important: build mines/production first, farms later. Of course the primary focus is connecting luxury resources, but do those which give production first. Chop! Forests may seem tempting, but in most cases (Iroquois being an exception) they’re only good for one thing: chop them. Each time you chop a forest you gain a production boost for the city worth 3-4 turns of production. I don’t need to explain how important it is early on to gain those few turns. Don’t be tempted to save them for later, these additional turns are worth far more early on, even if you may gain a smaller amount of production at this stage. This goes hand in hand with other tips, for example getting Education and building Universities. Faster Universities, more science, more chance to dominate. Micro Management Early on, Prioritize Production and micro manage your citizens in a way which will build your early scout and other buildings as quickly as possible. If you have to sacrifice on food and growth for 1 turn to allocate some citizens to production and prevent production spill. Switch to production when you’re building a settler. Cities cannot starve whilst they’re producing a settler, and whilst excess food does contribute towards the building of a settler, pure hammers provide more production. You can build the settler a tiny bit faster without any population loss, as long as you remember to switch back after the settler has been build. Barbarians Experience gain from Barbarian units caps at 30 experience points, which means you cannot farm Barbarians to level your units. (Thanks to MetropolitanVanuatu for suggesting that this would be useful for new players.) Barbarians can only spawn in ‘dark’ areas of the map, e.g. any tile on which no Civ has any vision. You can use this to your advantage by strategically placing units around your territory. In some cases you can completely prevent any barbarians from spawning at all on your island or continent. Purchasing tiles in cities helps with this as well – as you always have vision within your own territory as well as directly next to it. Pillage When at war ensure you make liberal use of the pillage function to cut supply lines and deny your opponent access to luxury and strategic resources, as well as reducing both their production and food income to levels where their city is starved for both. It is key to winning a war at higher difficulty levels. On easier difficulty levels you can even declare war and pillage purely to keep a Civilization from advancing too quickly. Don’t do this at higher difficulties as the AI will not accept peace easily. (Thanks to rawreffincake) Cities Remember when your significant other said that size doesn’t matter? She was lying. Size is everything. In Brave New World, the game meta has significantly decreased the performance of ICS (infinite city sprawl) and Wide Empires. In the vast majority of cases, unless you’re playing for Domination, you should aim for a Tall Empire. Big Cities are immensely powerful. To grow a city to an enormous size, you need food. And loads of it. Luckily, there are some fairly simply tricks which give you massive quantities of food for even the worst starting position. City States First, don’t underestimate maritime City States. These provide a food bonus which really adds up over time. Become friendly with a few of these and you’ll notice a massive influx in the amount of food and thus city growth. Internal Trade Routes Most people overlook this as a waste – trust me it isn’t. If you have settled your first 4 cities and have your granaries, consider establishing internal food trade routes from your 3 other cities to your capital. That’s right, food. Sea trade routes work especially well for this as they provide about twice as much food as land routes do. Get three of these going and your city will suddenly grow a lot faster. Religion There are a few religious beliefs which provide a big bonus to growth. Namely, the Founder Belief Fertility Rites (+10% Growth) and the Follower Belief Swords into Plowshares (+15% Growth when not at War). These stack with all other bonuses. They’re not vital and come at the cost of not having other useful Beliefs – but if you’re min/maxing city growth, they’re the ones to pick. Social Policies The Tradition policy tree is vital if you’re aiming at pure City Growth and should always be picked if you’re going for a Tall Empire. Landed Elite gives +10% Growth and +2 Food in your Capital, whilst finishing the Tradition tree provides an additional +15% Growth and free Aqueducts for your first four cities. Aqueducts happen to be vital to City Growth at around size 10+, so this is a powerful combination. Wonders Normally, going for these Wonders can really hurt you long-term. Veterans will tell you that most wonders are a distraction from your victory conditions and a giant waste of time. However, for those min/maxing City Growth there are two wonders worth mentioning: Temple of Artemis (DLC): +10% Growth in all Cities. Hanging Gardens: +6 Food. (+10 if you don’t have the expansions.) The former is very powerful if your goal is to grow huge cities by end-game, the latter should only be build if your capital is in a truly terrible location food wise, such as a huge desert. To add to the wonders: don’t focus on these, especially at higher difficulty levels. You’re better off with a few units or buildings than one wonder. All wonders do is make you a nice shiny target and piss off the other Civs. National Wonders are an exception, they’re very important and should often be your focus. Keep them Happy! Never ever let your people grow unhappy. This almost always results in an enormous setback and is almost never worth it. Learn to grow and expand without ever going into unhappiness and you’ve acquired one of the most fundamental skills to winning on higher difficulty levels. Plan ahead with your research. Outside a strong emphasis on reaching Education as quickly as possible, ensure you plan ahead for the techs which provide a bonus to happiness. Settling Where to settle your cities? And when? This is always the difficult question. The when part is easy – as soon as you can, without compromising other aspects of your game. The sooner that second city is up, the sooner it can contribute to your empire. The where part is very situational, but generally speaking don’t follow the advice the game gives you on city spots. You want to settle near or on luxury resources so that the city doesn’t negatively impact your happiness straight away. In addition, it’s often worth settling on a hill. This both provides a defensive bonus as well as ensure your city starts with a higher base production. This in turn ensures your city is capable of getting through the hardest part of building it up early on. If you can settle along the coast, this is a huge plus as it means access to sea trade routes, lighthouse, harbors, etc. Rivers are also very important. If you really want to hit the jackpot – settling next to a mountain provides a whopping 50% additional research later once you hit Observatories. Finding the right combination of these factors is key. You also don’t want to forget ‘special’ tiles. Ensure there’s a good mixture of production and food available for your city, as well as luxury and strategic resources. If you’re only going for 4 cities, make sure to find sweet spots – remember that cities expand their workable tiles to 3 hexes in all directions. Therefore, your cities should ideally have 5-6 hexes between them if you wish to really min-max this. That’s it! Well, that’s it for now. If you have a tip you want to share or think should be added to this guide, leave a reply and we’ll get right on it! Equally if you just want to say thanks – I always love to hear from people. Let us know the story of your next Civilization – will it stand the test of time? If you haven’t checked it out yet, be sure to also read our Civilization V: Civilizations & Leaders Guide.The nearly three-year-old battle of a Noida-based RTI activist to obtain details of Congress leader Priyanka Vadra Gandhi’s land deals in Chharabra – about 13 km from Shimla in Himachal Pradesh – ended abruptly when in a surprising move, the deputy commissioner of Shimla, who had till now vehemently opposed sharing information, revealed all the important details of the deal. According to the activist, Dev Ashish Bhattacharya, the deputy commissioner, Rohan Chand Thakur, had revealed all the details about Gandhi’s land deals in a letter sent to the branch head of the Central Bureau of Investigation, Shimla. What the letter contains Bhattacharya said the letter sent by the deputy commissioner has revealed that Gandhi was allowed to purchase land three times between 2007 and 2013. He said in all 0.45.52 hectares (nearly 4.25 bighas or 4552 square metres) of land was purchased by her for horticulture and residential purposes in three tranches. Out of this, 0.31.84 hectare was purchased in 2007 for residential and horticulture purpose – 0.09.22 hectare in 2011 for horticulture purpose and 0.04.46 hectares of land in 2013 for horticulture. Stating that the supporting file notings of the case have still not been provided to him, Bhattacharya said he would try and obtain them with the assistance of the court. DC Shimla Letter by The Wire on Scribd The four major flaws in the case According to the RTI activist, the information provided by the deputy commissioner reveals that there are four major wrongs that have been committed as far as the land deal goes. He charged that the deputy commissioner tried to cover up these aspects in his letter to the CBI. Irregularity 1: Three land deals are not permissible Bhattacharya said under section 118 of the H.P. Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972, land can be purchased only once for one purpose irrespective of the quantum of land purchased at the first instance. “In this case, Priyanka Gandhi was allowed to purchase 0.31.84 hectare of land in 2007 for residential and horticulture purposes. Thereafter she was again allowed to purchase land twice for horticulture purposes which is not allowed as per the rules,” he insisted. Irregularity 2: Purchase only allowed with permission of board, which was never constituted The second count on which the deal was faulty, Bhattacharya charged, was that under section 118, the land for horticulture purposes can be allowed to be purchased only in special cases when a board consisting of horticulture secretary, horticulture director and others are convinced that the person who is seeking the land for horticulture purposes is an expert in horticulture trade and has some experience in it. “What kind of experience Priyanka Gandhi had in horticulture trade?” he asked, adding that in her case no board was constituted to ascertain this fact. Irregularity 3: Construction not completed in two years The RTI activist said in his letter that the deputy commissioner of Shimla stated that “the provision of Section 118(2)(H) stipulate that the non-agriculturist shall put the land to use within a period of two years or a further period not exceeding one year as may be allowed by the government of Himachal Pradesh.” However, in the case of Gandhi, Bhattacharya alleged that the deputy commissioner tried to cover the non-compliance to this guideline by stating that “the applicant had taken steps to put the land to use for the purpose for which permission was granted in her favour within the stipulated period, as such no notice was required to be issued to Priyanka Gandhi”. Bhattacharya said attempts were still being made to protect the Congress leader. He said “the construction of the residence is yet not finished in 2017 whereas it was supposed to be completed by 2009 and at the most by 2010 with special permission. There was no horticulture activity too which took place by 2010 for the land purchased in 2007.” Irregularity 4: No notice served to Gandhi The petitioner said the deputy commissioner of Shimla has accepted that no notice was issued to Gandhi for not putting the land to use within the stipulated period. Stating that the deputy commissioner of Shimla had also not stated a word about any extension been given to her to put the land to use within the stipulated period, Bhattacharya demanded to know if the deputy commissioner believed that a person who had purchased land under Section 118 was allowed an indefinite timeframe to construct on the said plot. On how the information just landed on his lap after the deputy commissioner had in the past refused to part with it, forcing him to go to court, Bhattacharya said: “I had filed a complaint with the CBI on June 20, 2016 informing them about various irregularities being committed by the officials of Himachal Pradesh government in allowing three time purchase of land by Priyanka Vadra Gandhi.” He said the CBI headquarters in Delhi had transferred the complaint to its Shimla branch for further necessary action. “The head of the Shimla branch of CBI forwarded my complaint to the additional director general of police of the State Vigilance and Anti Corruption Bureau and Directorate of Land Records, Department of Revenue for further action.” The RTI activist said it was after he filed two RTI applications on February 10 in the offices of the ADGP (SV& ACB) and Directorate of Land Records to get the copies of the action taken that the PIO of the Directorate of Land Records provided him the information and file notings. “This letter of the PIO also contained the certified copy of the letter dated 18/10/2016 written by Rohan Chand Thakur, DC Shimla, to the branch head of CBI Shimla,” he said, adding that it was the DC’s letter which contained much of the information he had sought in his original RTI petition. In the past two months, this is the second time that Bhattacharya has been left pleasantly surprised by the turn of events. Last month, the Himachal Pradesh high court had appointed senior advocate R.K. Bawa – who was an attorney general when BJP’s P.K. Dhumal government was in power in the state – to assist the court as the lawyers of Bhattacharya had quit the case citing personal reasons. The move was important for Bhattacharya as the lawyers he had approached for a replacement were reluctant to counsel him. Apart from fighting a legal case against Gandhi – in which he has alleged that a plot of land in Chharabra, 13 kms from Shimla, was wrongfully allotted to Gandhi – Bhattacharya has also repeatedly raised several issues regarding the manner in which the case has been fought in court. At one point of time last year, he even urged the state’s high court to send a reference to the Supreme Court to transfer the case out of Himachal Pradesh. Citing the fact that Gandhi is based in Delhi, he said, she “should not have any objection if the case is transferred to Delhi high court”. Additionally, he had stated that Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan, who was the presiding judge in the case, was compromised due to a “conflict of interest” as Chauhan’s wife had contested the election for Shimla Municipal Corporation in 2012 on a Congress ticket. Prior to that, in July 2016, Bhattacharya had cried foul about how a court order pertaining to the case had been announced by the public relations officer even before it had been formally pronounced. A year before that, in July 2015, the state high court had stayed the state information commission order directing Shimla’s deputy commissioner to disclose information about Gandhi’s land. She had purchased over 4.25 bighas of land between 2007 and 2013 in relaxation of section 118 of Tenancy and Land Reforms Act that bars any non-agriculturist from purchasing land without the permission of the government. The Wire has sought Gandhi’s response in the matter and the story will be updated once it’s received.Leave no stone, piece of furniture, cardboard box or loose board unturned in the home, garage or yard before accepting that you have a lost dog and your worst nightmare has become a reality. Dogs, especially small dogs, can get themselves into the darnedest places. Check closets, even if the doors are closed, under beds, under furniture and under the laundry in the laundry basket. After every possible, or seemingly impossible, hiding place has been eliminated it is time to accept that you have a lost dog. Do not despair. Even though your dog is lost and you are forced to cope with every dog owner’s worst nightmare, there are many resources designed to help you cope. There is no need to go at it alone, and you certainly should not try to. It is time to rally the troops and begin the exhaustive search down every avenue! READ ALSO: Don’t Lose Your Dog! Why Our Pets Need Dog ID Tags Lost Dog: How to Cope With Every Dog Owner’s Worst Nightmare Start Close to Home Talk to everyone living in the house to determine when the dog was last seen. Knowing approximately when the dog was lost will help give you an estimated search area radius. While many dogs can travel quite far before people even know they are lost, most will wander and explore in their own neighborhood for a while. He may still be very close to home. Make Sure He Isn’t Just Visiting Contact the neighbors to make sure the dog isn’t there. Dogs often make friends with their owner’s neighbors. If a neighbor saw the dog loose, they may have taken him in. He may be enjoying a friendly visit with the neighbor instead of beginning that lost-dog nightmare that every dog owner dreads. If the dog isn’t with the neighbor, enlist their help. Many neighbors have dogs of their own. They will likely recognize that their worst nightmare is coming true for you and want to help in any way they can. RELATED: Microchips and Identification Tags – How to Pick the Right One? Comb the Neighborhood Before you assume the worst – thinking your beloved furry friend has begun his worst nightmare at the dog pound – grab his leash and go for a walk. Be sure to take his favorite dog treat with you and reward him when you find him. Do not yell at him or punish him. If he has been gone for more than ten or fifteen minutes, he will not make the connection. He will associate the punishment with letting you find and catch him. Appeal to his Sense of Fun Drive the car around the neighborhood, calling for the lost dog out of an open window. Some dogs love to run and, rather than viewing the situation as their owner’s worst nightmare, may be loving their “new-found freedom.” To him this may be nothing worse than a thrilling excursion, giving the lost dog an opportunity to explore all those lovely scents that he has only gotten a brief whiff of until now. The lost dog may not be in a hurry to return home to his owner. He may even try to avoid you when he sees you walking toward him. Almost all dogs love to ride in cars, though. The car may be just the ticket to bringing your lost dog home and ending the nightmare as soon as it begins. When you see him, simply open the door and ask him if he wants to go for a ride. Chances are he will be safe and sound in the back seat of your car in 1.2 seconds. Remember to reward him. Take him for that ride around the block before taking him back home. RELATED: 10 Tips on How to Keep Your Dog From Running Away Eliminate a Scary Possibility Drive the car along any nearby busy roads that your lost dog may have crossed. As unpleasant as this possible nightmare outcome is, you need to make sure your lost dog hasn’t been hit by a car. Check ditches and the area on either side of the road to make sure he isn’t laying there in need of veterinary care. Utilize All Lost-Dog Resources Contact local rescue organizations if you don’t find your lost dog on your own within a few hours. They understand that you are going through every dog owner’s worst nightmare and want to help you cope with the situation. Start with the local animal control department or dog pound. Call nearby dog and animal rescue organizations like the Animal Protective League (APL) and American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). Call the smaller organizations, too. Many cities have smaller animal rescue groups. Check on-line listings and the local telephone book. Tell them you are the owner of a lost dog and about what time your worst nightmare began. They will need to know the dog’s breed, size and color. Let them know if he has been microchipped. RELATED: 7 Best Dog Life Jackets for Safety and Comfort Near Water Spread the Word Make up flyers to post around the neighborhood. Put a recent photo of the lost dog on the flyer along with a description of him. Indicate whether the dog is male or female. If you can only do black and white copies, be sure to list the color of his fur on the flyer. List your phone number as the owner of the lost dog and ask anyone who has seen him to call you with information that can help end your worst nightmare. Hang the flyers in grocery store lobbies, at veterinarian’s offices, the lobby of the Public Library and in any other public place where flyers are allowed. Lampposts in public places with lots of foot traffic and dog parks are great spots for lost dog flyers. Take them to the local police station so the officers can keep an eye out for the lost dog when they go on patrol. Distribute the flyers to the local animal rescue groups and animal control, too. RELATED: DIY Cold Weather Dog House – Keep Your Dog Warm in Winter Give Your Resources a Chance After exhausting all of these resources, the waiting begins. This is the worst part of being a lost-dog owner. The feeling that the situation is hopeless and there is nothing more you can do begins to sink in. It is not easy to cope with every dog owner’s worst nightmare but cope you must. Do not give up hope. Keep your phone on and with you at all times. Continue to drive or walk around the area a few times each day for the next few days. Call for the dog every once in a while so he knows you’re looking for him if he is within earshot. Phone animal control and the animal rescue groups every few days to let them know the dog is still missing. READ ALSO: 13 Dog GPS Trackers’ Service Costs Compared Continue to Keep Watch Lost dogs will often return on their own. You may be surprised in the middle of the night, or first thing in the morning, by that naughty little furry face at your door looking so happy to see you. If you are blessed with such good fortune, do not punish him. Reward him for coming home. Remember, if you yell at him or punish him, he will associate the punishment with coming home. In his mind that means – running around the neighborhood, good; coming home, bad. Be sure to let animal control and the animal rescue groups know that he has returned home. Begin to Accept the Loss As the weeks turn into months, you may need to cope with the worst possible outcome of every dog owner’s worst nightmare. You hear about dogs being reunited with their owners years after they are lost but it is important to be realistic. That rarely happens. There is no harm in continuing to check with the local animal control department and animal rescue groups every few weeks, though, at least for a few months. As long as they know your lost dog is still missing, they can watch for him and return him to you if they find him. READ NEXT: 8 Laws All Dog Owners Should Be Aware OfMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption John Sudworth says many people think Kim Jong-il is preparing to hand over power North Korea's ruling party will hold its first conference in a generation on 28 September, state media reports say, amid speculation that leader Kim Jong-il is about to name his successor. The Workers Party is widely expected to promote Mr Kim's third son, Kim Jong-un, to a senior position. Observers believe a promotion would anoint him as the heir to his father, the self-styled Dear Leader. Analysis Finally, we have confirmation of a date for the meeting that North Korea has been calling "historic" and "a turning point". So, next Tuesday, all eyes will be on one young man - Kim Jong-un, widely believed to be the favourite to take over from his father, but about whom very little is known in the outside world. It's unlikely to look like much of a coronation, but if he is elevated to a senior party position it will be a clear signal that a successor has been chosen. How easy it will be for a young, inexperienced third-generation heir to gain the confidence of the military and other powerful leading figures is another matter. Is Kim poised to name his successor? North Korea's secretive 'first family' Mr Kim, 68, is believed to have suffered a stroke in 2008. The Korean Central News Agency carried a short statement early on Tuesday announcing the party meeting. "The conference of the WPK [Workers Party of Korea] for electing its supreme leadership body will take place in Pyongyang on 28 September," the statement said. The announcement ends weeks of speculation about the date of the meeting, which was originally due to take place sometime early this month. The news agency gave no indication of why it had been postponed. There has been speculation that it was delayed because of severe flooding in the north of the country, or because the health of the leader has taken another turn for the worse. Successor Kim Jong-il was promoted at a previous conference in 1980, which at the time was seen as confirmation that he would succeed his father, Kim Il-sung. He eventually became leader after his father's death in 1994, and has led the country into isolation from the outside world. In recent years Mr Kim is believed to have sought medical treatment in China, one of the country's few allies. Neither nation has confirmed details of any illnesses or treatments. The reclusive leader, who rarely travels abroad, last visited China in August. One South Korean TV station cited a South Korean official as saying Kim Jong-un had accompanied his father on the trip. Rumours emerged last year from the secretive state that Kim Jong-un, thought to be aged 26 or 27, was his father's chosen successor. Little is known of Swiss-educated Kim Jong-un, and he has never been photographed by Western media.Here’s our project : A little 2.5D footyvolley game. What’s FootyVolley? a popular brazilian mix of beach volley and soccer. Basically it’s volleyball but played with foots.The ball must not touch the ground, and players kick back the ball out of their field until it touches the ground inside the gamezone of the other side (and win) or touches the ground outside of the gamezone (and lose). Although this type of game can be full 2D, we’re up to make it in 2.5D just for play with little 3D effects and perspective. Here’s what you’ll need estimated time : 2 hours 30 mn ingredients needed : Unity / Playmaker On to the Menu : (grayed recipes will be available soon) Setting Up create a scene, integrate Playmaker. We’ll be using playmaker for some FSM. You can of course make it without it, but the development will be faster with its help. Adding 2.5D Elements add a 3D plane and insert a sprite to it. The 3D plane will be our main game field, were the players will move. We display a 2D sprite on the plane. adding a 2.5D character. Now we integrate a 2d sprite character, our player, in a 3D world. pickup a ball on the asset store. We need a ball for our game, and as we’re lazy in a hurry, we directly pick up a free asset for it. Moving things moving player with a character controller component. Although there is a lot more ways to control our play, we can use the character controller which fits well for this type of game (no heavy physics, no Y axis move). Then when our player moves at will, we’ll constrain his moves on the gameField. Colliding creating colliders and test them. Once the collision works well, we need to think a bit more of our gameplay and adapt the collisions to it. Gameplay thoughts : So far we have an area of reception around the player that can detect the ball. Imagine that the opponent is kicking the ball to your side; we want the player to move toward the ball before the ball hits the ground. If the ball is inside the reception area of the player, he will be able to sent it back, if the ball touches the ground before the player reaches it, the player lose the point. step1 Pretty simple but not fun enough, because we don’t have a real challenge. So let’s spice the gameplay a bit. The player can moves freely, but what if we add a kick button that will force the player to push a button to be able to collide with the ball? We’ll add like this a coordination challenge. step2 Mmmm, it’s okay but not challenging enough. Besides, let’s think of the colliding logic first.We’ll make the collider circle appears only when the kick button is pressed. Like this if the player just moves toward the ball and doesn’t kick, there’s no circle collision so the ball will just hit the floor, and the player lose the point. step3 But nothing stops the player to let the kick button pressed to let the circle collision active, and just move towards to sent it back like in our not real funny step 1. It’s time to add constraints to these sneaky little players that want to ruin the fun. Gameplay test rule 1 : When kick button’s pressed, the player cannot move anymore. For the moment it seems cool to me. First let’s add those gameplay tunings to the game, we’ll change them a bit later. Gameplay tuning 1 : here we make the collider disappear while our kick button isn’t pressed, we add force to the ball when colliding, and we stop moving while pressing kick button. Gameplay test rule 2 : displaying visual gameplay clues. Now we’ll add more challenge to our game. Let’s say than while the shot button is pressed we stock power to sent back the ball harder. And while we’re ate it, our sphere colliding radius will be shrinking, forcing the player to guess a good spot to wait for the ball. Gameplay tuning 2 : we make our collider circle shrink, while a power variable grows than add it as a force when releasing our button. Gameplay tuning 3 : Waiting to sent back the ball only when we release our shot button. Instead of hit the ball as soon as the ball enters in our collider circle, we wait that we release our kick button THEN we check if the collision occurs. This rule will force the player not only to wait into the trajectory of the ball, but to guess more precisely where the landing zone will be and wait to the last moment to release the kick button. Aiming Gameplay tuning 4 : moving an aim that will give direction to the ball. “Fun is not a straight line”, it’s also true for our game : we’ll now give direction to the ball. Our gameplay will be like this, when you keep the shot button pressed, an aim cursor will appear on the opponent field, and you can can control it (remember while shot button’s pressed you cannot move, but your aim can). Gameplay tuning 5 : And when we release our shot button, the ball will be aimed towards the zone you pointed out and we can move freely. We adjust the height and power of the shot while pressing the kick button too. Gameplay testing and adding new features Gameplay Tuning 6 : we sent back the ball to our player for feel the gameplay and tweak some things a little. Then we add a new feature : the slides. Gameplay Tuning 7 : add a net, put a collider to avoid passing through (player & aim) make the ball rebound on the net. Animating Animate sprites : here we get initiated to the animator states. We’ll pass variables from code to the animator object in order to switch between animation states. Animating slide : another quick exemple to animate the slide in the animator, with a little code to dynamically pass from a state to another. Polishing Adding sand particles."It's no surprise that someone who makes a living glorifying crime and violence is a cop-hater, too," said Lynch. "The police officers that Quentin Tarantino calls'murderers' aren't living in one of his depraved big screen fantasies — they're risking and sometimes sacrificing their lives to protect communities from real crime and mayhem." "When I see murders, I do not stand by... I have to call a murder a murder and I have to call the murderers the murderers," the film director said to the crowd in Washington Square Park, according to the New York Post. Tarantino flew in from California to speak at the rally, which was the third #RiseUpOctober event over the past week and organized by the Stop Mass Incarceration Network. The New York Police Department union has called for a boycott of Quentin Tarantino's movies, after the film director participated in an anti-police violence protest in New York City over the weekend. Read more The New York Police Department union has called for a boycott of Quentin Tarantino's movies, after the film director participated in an anti-police violence protest in New York City over the weekend. Tarantino flew in from California to speak at the rally, which was the third #RiseUpOctober event over the past week and organized by the Stop Mass Incarceration Network. "When I see murders, I do not stand by... I have to call a murder a murder and I have to call the murderers the murderers," the film director said to the crowd in Washington Square Park, according to the New York Post. Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, called Tarantino a "purveyor of degeneracy" in a statement on Sunday. "It's no surprise that someone who makes a living glorifying crime and violence is a cop-hater, too," said Lynch. "The police officers that Quentin Tarantino calls'murderers' aren't living in one of his depraved big screen fantasies — they're risking and sometimes sacrificing their lives to protect communities from real crime and mayhem." Lynch said that New Yorkers "need to send a message" to Tarantino that he is not welcome in the city to "peddle his slanderous 'Cop
. Her electrolyzer uses a nickel-based electrode to extract hydrogen from urea (NH2)2CO, the main component in urine. Hydrogen is less tightly bound to the nitrogen in urea than to the oxygen in water, so the electrolyzer needs just 0.37 volts across the cell to oxidize the urea, according to Botte. That's less than half the amount of energy in an AA battery and considerably less than the 1.23 volts needed to split water. One of hydrogen's biggest stumbling blocks to use as an alternative fuel is the amount of energy needed to produce it. And then there's the matter of distributing it. Botte says her gadget eliminates such problems because it's small enough to integrate into an automobile. Urine is also readily available — your body produces two to three liters of it each day, and it is the most abundant form of waste on the planet. We could treat waste water while fueling our cars. "Urea is the same stuff we use to fertilize our flower beds. It's a solid that dissolves in water and is therefore easy to move," Botte told Wired.com. "An electrolyzer built into a car would eliminate the need for a hydrogen storage tank, and with the right partnership, I believe we could have pee-powered cars capable of 60 miles per gallon on the road within a year." Continue reading →Introduction Last year I was not so aware how serious Cooler Master, more specifically CM Storm, were about their keyboards. It wasn't until I received the Trigger with Cherry MX green switches that I realized they were taking real strides to innovate and give customers a full gamut of choices when it comes to switch types offered on their keyboards. CM Storm is one of the only manufacturers on the market even offering green switches, let alone the fact that they offer multiple choices on all of their designs as of late. This means that the customer does not have to sacrifice anything with CM Storm choices just to get a keyboard with your particular favorite switch on it; you just order the one that feels best for you. One of the cooler things I got to see at CES 2013 was in the Cooler Master suite, and is also where I got to meet Carter who is designing these keyboards and trying to make CM Storm one of the top names in mechanical keyboards. In his pursuit to come up with something out of the box without taking it too far, he designed a mechanical keyboard where initially I thought all of the letters, icons, and numbers had been removed, when I saw it at a distance. After asking Carter about it, he then pulled the keyboard out so I could take a closer look. The idea behind this keyboard was to give the purists and elitists something they would be proud to own, while still making something a visual typist could use and just feel cool for having the top of his key caps blanked out, while still having something to go off of to locate where the key is on the keyboard, too. There are quite a few "hidden features" in the latest submission from CM Storm. Hence the naming of this keyboard, the Quick Fire Stealth. Just like in warfare, this comes all black to sneak up on the enemies - at a quick glance it has nothing to give it away as far as bold lettering that is plainly visible, and just like the plane, with this keyboard, you can order it with whatever switch type serves the job best under the key caps for you. I say we dive right in and see what these hidden features and all this talk about the blanked out key caps is all about so that you can make the call for yourself whether or not this is one of the coolest keyboards you have ever seen.REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke Basic income has finally reached the White House. In an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, US President Barack Obama was asked directly about his feelings on basic income, a system of wealth distribution in which people receive a monthly check on top of their existing income to help cover expenses, thereby strengthening the social safety net. Obama's response: Job automation is getting too sophisticated not to at least consider it. He told Bloomberg: "The way I describe it is that, because of automation, because of globalization, we're going to have to examine the social compact, the same way we did early in the 19th century and then again during and after the Great Depression. The notion of a 40-hour workweek, a minimum wage, child labor laws, etc. — those will have to be updated for these new realities." Obama is no stranger to the threat of robots replacing entire swaths of the American workforce. In his February economic report to Congress, the president offered data that showed a high probability of automation replacing the lowest-paid workers: those manning the deep fryers, call centers, and supermarket cash registers. Other evidence is just as damning for the low-wage American worker. A 2013 Oxford report, for example, found that automation could replace 50% of all jobs within the next 20 to 30 years. A McKinsey report released last year even suggested that today's technology could feasibly replace 45% of jobs right now. Economists and entrepreneurs alike have started turning toward basic income as a way to avoid that looming unemployment crisis. Now Obama seems to be leaning in the same direction. "If we're smart right now, then we build ourselves a runway to make that transition less abrupt, because we're still growing, and we're beating the competition around the world," he told Bloomberg. He pointed to the advent of driverless cars as one sign that disruption is knocking on the auto industry's door. People who work for companies like Lyft and Uber will soon have to face a reality where they may no longer have jobs. Multiplied out across many industries, basic-income advocates argue, the simpler solution might just be to give people money regardless if they work or not. Separating the rise of automation from the obligation to keep people healthy and financially stable would be a huge misstep, Obama said. "It's not an either/or situation. It's a both/and situation," he said. If the idea works as its advocates say it will, then there's a very real chance that the candidates running in the 2044 or 2048 elections could be using basic-income policy as their ticket to Washington.Rodney Harrison says Colin Kaepernick can't understand what it's like to be a black man in America and that Kaepernick is approaching making change the wrong way. (1:10) Former NFL player and current NBC analyst Rodney Harrison has apologized on Twitter after criticizing Colin Kaepernick and his refusal to stand for the national anthem while suggesting that the San Francisco 49ers quarterback is not black and doesn't truly understand racism. In an interview with iHeartRadio, Harrison said Tuesday that Kaepernick has the right to stand for what he believes, but he "has to understand there might be consequences and might be backlash to what he's saying." "I tell you this, I'm a black man. And Colin Kaepernick -- he's not black," Harrison said. "He cannot understand what I face and what other young black men and black people face, or people of color face, on an every single [day] basis. When you walk in a grocery store, and you might have $2,000 or $3,000 in your pocket and you go up into a Foot Locker and they're looking at you like you about to steal something. "You know, I don't think he faces those type of things that we face on a daily basis." Kaepernick, the biological child of a white mother and black father, was adopted and raised by white parents. He has been outspoken on his Twitter account on civil rights issues and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Harrison took to Twitter later Tuesday to apologize for the remarks, saying he "never even knew [Kaepernick] was mixed." I never intended to offend anyone, I was trying to speak about my experiences as a African American. — Rodney Harrison (@Rodney_Harrison) August 30, 2016 I apologize to anyone that I offended, wasn't meant to be hurtful to anyone. God bless — Rodney Harrison (@Rodney_Harrison) August 30, 2016 Last point I want people to know. I never even knew he was mixed. — Rodney Harrison (@Rodney_Harrison) August 30, 2016 I should not have called Colin Kaepernick's race into question during this morning's radio interview. It was a mistake and I apologize. — Rodney Harrison (@Rodney_Harrison) August 30, 2016 Harrison will not be disciplined by NBC for his remarks and is expected to be on air for "Football Night in America" on Sept. 11, an NBC Sports executive told TMZ Sports. Harrison said earlier Tuesday that he thinks Kaepernick's "heart is in the right place, I just think he's going about it the wrong way." He added that sitting during the national anthem isn't going to cause a change, and it will upset people who "served before his time" to "give him the freedoms, the liberties and the opportunities that he has to be able to make the money he has, the ability to speak and have a voice." Harrison said Kaepernick should consider alternative ways of seeking change. "If he really wants to make change, maybe what he needs to do is write a check out of that $11 million salary he's making and maybe donate it toward a cause or something like that, people that are fighting for injustices against people of color," Harrison said. "That's how you make change. And I'm not just saying writing a check, but just sitting against the national anthem you're offending a lot of people that sacrificed and died for the freedoms we have right now." Harrison added: "I'm not saying that he has to be black. What I'm saying his heart is in the right place, but even what he's doing, he still doesn't understand the injustices that we face as a black man or people of color, that's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying. "It's one of those situations where it's a very sensitive topic and you know, right now, he has to understand, too, he's in the midst of a quarterback battle, he's in the midst of trying to keep a job, and sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture. And people say, well maybe what he's standing for is bigger than him winning the job, or something like that. But my thing is I look at the timing of the situation. Why is he doing it now?" Rodney Harrison, an analyst at NBC, thinks Colin Kaepernick's "heart is in the right place, I just think he's going about it the wrong way." Ben Cohen/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images Kaepernick is competing with Blaine Gabbert to be the 49ers' starting quarterback this season. Niners coach Chip Kelly said Tuesday afternoon that the organization has not considered releasing Kaepernick despite his controversial position on the anthem. "He's in a quarterback battle, he's fighting for his life," Harrison said. "Yes, he's guaranteed $11 million; well, what happened to all this Colin Kaepernick talk when he was making $300,000? You know, I guess it's easier to sit there and say I know I'm guaranteed $11 million, I made eight figures last year, so I'm set financially for the rest of my life, now I can get up and talk and feel like I have the freedom to say whatever I want. But what happened to that... years ago when he was making little money? "See, that's my thing. It's the timing.... I was always taught by [Patriots coach Bill] Belichick, don't cause distractions in the locker room, don't force your teammates to have to answer questions for you. Now what are his teammates doing? They have to answer questions. It becomes a distraction. And this team, frankly, is not good enough to handle trying to get better and to handle these distractions. I just think it's not the right timing." Asked what Kaepernick's stance has done to the 49ers' locker room, Harrison said he believes his teammates understand Kaepernick's intentions are good, but again questioned the timing. "I think it's one of those things where he just needs to address the team," Harrison said. "If I'm him and I feel strongly about something, I call a players-only meeting, I get in front of the team and say, 'Hey guys, this is what my thoughts are, you know, because I know there are a lot of kind of backdoor conversations, a lot of side conversations' and stuff like that. "It can alienate your teammates, but it can also bring dissension in that locker room. And most guys understand what he's doing; it's like his heart and his intentions are good, but I don't think it's the right time right now, because it's the football season, they've got a lot of positive things going, why bring something like this to the forefront? Because you know there's going to be a lot of backlash with it."This article is about the US "naval base". For the titular locales, see Guantánamo (disambiguation) "Gitmo" redirects here. For other uses, see Gitmo (disambiguation) Coordinates: Map of Cuba showing location of Guantánamo Bay on the southeastern coast Map of Guantánamo Bay showing approximate U.S. Naval Base boundaries Guantanamo Bay Naval Base (Spanish: Base Naval de la Bahía de Guantánamo), officially known as Naval Station Guantanamo Bay or NSGB (also called GTMO because of the abbreviation of Guantanamo or Gitmo because of the common pronunciation of this word by the U.S. military[1]), is a United States military base and detention camp located on 120 square kilometers (45 sq mi) of land and water at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, which the U.S. leased for use as a coaling station and naval base in 1903. The lease was $2,000 in gold per year until 1934, when the payment was set to match the value in gold in dollars;[2] in 1974, the yearly lease was set to $4,085.[3] The base is on the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the oldest overseas U.S. Naval Base.[4] Since the Cuban Revolution of 1959, the Cuban government has consistently protested against the U.S. presence on Cuban soil and called it illegal under international law, alleging that the base was imposed on Cuba by force. Since 2002, the naval base has contained a military prison, the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, for alleged unlawful combatants captured in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other places during the War on Terror.[5] Cases of torture of prisoners,[6] and their denial of protection under the Geneva Conventions, have been condemned internationally.[7][8] Units and commands [ edit ] Resident units [ edit ] Assigned units [ edit ] Homeported watercraft [ edit ] Civilian contractors [ edit ] Besides servicemen, the base houses a large number of civilian contractors working for the military. Many of these contractors are migrant workers from Jamaica and the Philippines, and are thought to constitute up to 40% of the base's population.[23] Major contractors working at NSGB have included the following: KBR Schuyler Line Navigation Company (SYLF) Satellite Communication Systems Incorporated Centerra EMCOR Islands Mechanical Contractor Munilla Construction Management RQ Construction MCM Construction J&J Worldwide Services Vectrus - https://vectrus.com Cargo Shipping [ edit ] Ocean Transportation is provided by Schuyler Line Navigation Company, a US Flag Ocean Carrier. Schuyler Line operates under government contract to supply sustainment and building supplies to the Base. History [ edit ] The base in 1916 US Fleet at anchor, 1927 United States training ship Monongahela, around 1903 An aerial view of the naval base with the Navy Exchange and McDonald's at left and an outdoor movie theater at bottom right, 1995 Spanish colonial era [ edit ] The area surrounding Guantanamo bay was originally inhabited by the Taíno people.[24] On 30 April 1494, Christopher Columbus, on his second voyage, arrived and spent the night. The place where Columbus landed is now known as Fisherman's Point. Columbus declared the bay Puerto Grande.[25] The bay and surrounding areas came under British control during the War of Jenkins' Ear. Prior to British occupation, the bay was referred to as Walthenham Harbor. The British renamed the bay Cumberland Bay. The British retreated from the area after a failed attempt to march to Santiago de Cuba.[25] Guantanamo Bay during the Spanish–American War [ edit ] During the Spanish–American War, the U.S. fleet attacking Santiago secured Guantánamo's harbor for protection during the hurricane season of 1898. The Marines landed at Guantanamo Bay with naval support, and American and Cuban forces routed the defending Spanish troops. The war ended with the Treaty of Paris of 1898, in which Spain formally relinquished control of Cuba. Although the war was over, the United States maintained a strong military presence on the island. In 1901 the United States government passed the Platt Amendment as part of an Army Appropriations Bill. Section VII of this amendment read That to enable the United States to maintain the independence of Cuba, and to protect the people thereof, as well as for its own defense, the government of Cuba will sell or lease to the United States lands necessary for coaling or naval stations at certain specified points to be agreed upon with the President of the United States After initial resistance by the Cuban Constitutional Convention, the Platt Amendment was incorporated into the Constitution of the Republic of Cuba in 1901.[27] The Constitution took effect in 1902, and land for a naval base at Guantanamo Bay was granted to the United States the following year.[28] USS Monongahela (1862), an old warship which served as a storeship at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba was totally destroyed by fire on March 17, 1908. A 4-inch gun was salvaged from her wreck and put on display at the Naval Station. Since the gun was deformed by the heat from the fire, it was nicknamed "Old Droopy". The gun was on display on Deer Point until the command disposed of it, judging its appearance less than exemplary of naval gunnery. Lease [ edit ] Agreement for the lease to the United States of lands in Cuba for coaling and naval stations Signed 16 February 1903 ( ) ; 23 February 1903 Location Havana; Washington Effective 23 February 1903 Signatories Cuba Cuba United States Citations TS 418; 6 Bevans 1113 Agreement providing conditions for the lease of coaling or naval stations Signed 2 July 1903 ( ) Location Havana Effective 6 October 1903 Signatories Cuba Cuba United States Citations TS 426; 6 Bevans 1120 The 1903 lease agreement was executed in two parts. The first, signed in February, consisted of the following provisions:[28] Agreement – This is a lease between the U.S. and Cuba for properties for naval stations, in accord with Article VII of the Platt Amendment. Article 1 – Describes the boundaries of the areas being leased, Guantanamo Bay and Bahia Honda. Article 2 – The U.S. may occupy, use, and modify the properties to fit the needs of a coaling and naval station, only. Vessels in the Cuban trade shall have free passage. Article 3 – Cuba retains ultimate sovereignty, but during the occupation, the U.S. exercises sole jurisdiction over the areas described in Article 1. Under conditions to be agreed on, the U.S. has the right to acquire, by purchase or eminent domain, any land included therein. The second part, signed five months later in July 1903, consisted of the following provisions:[29] Article 1 – Payment is $2000 gold coin, annually. All private lands within the boundaries shall be acquired by Cuba. The U.S. will advance rental payments to Cuba to facilitate those purchases. Article 2 – The U.S. shall pay for a survey of the sites and mark the boundaries with fences. Article 3 – There will be no commercial or other enterprise within the leased areas. Article 4 – Mutual extradition Article 5 – Not ports of entry. Article 6 – Ships shall be subject to Cuban port police. The U.S. will not obstruct entry or departure into the bay. Article 7 – This proposal is open for seven months. SIGNED Theodore Roosevelt and Jose M Garcia Montes. In 1934, the United States unilaterally changed the payment from gold coin to U.S. dollars per the Gold Reserve Act. The lease amount was set at $3,386.25 USD, based on the price of gold at the time.[30] In 1973, the U.S. adjusted the lease amount to $3,676.50, and in 1974 to $4,085, based on further increases to the price of gold in USD.[31] Payments have been sent annually, but only one lease payment has been accepted since the Cuban Revolution and Fidel Castro claimed that this check was deposited due to confusion in 1959. The Cuban government has not deposited any other lease checks since that time.[32] The 1903 Lease for Guantanamo has no fixed expiration date.[33] World War II [ edit ] During World War II, the base was set up to use a nondescript number for postal operations. The base used the Fleet Post Office, Atlantic, in New York City, with the address: 115 FPO NY.[34] The base was also an important intermediate distribution point for merchant shipping convoys from New York City and Key West, Florida, to the Panama Canal and the islands of Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago.[35] The aircraft carrier USS Lexington departs Guantanamo in 1991 Until the 1953–59 revolution, thousands of Cubans commuted daily from outside the base to jobs within. In mid-1958, vehicular traffic was stopped; workers were required to walk through the base's several gates. Public Works Center buses were pressed into service almost overnight to carry the tides of workers to and from the gate.[36] During the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, the families of military personnel were evacuated from the base. Notified of the evacuation on 22 October, evacuees were told to pack one suitcase per family member, to bring evacuation and immunization cards, to tie pets in the yard, to leave the keys to the house on the dining table, and to wait in front of the house for buses.[37] Dependents travelled to the airfield for flights to the United States, or to ports for passage aboard evacuation ships. After the crisis was resolved, family members were allowed to return to the base in December 1962. From 1939, the base's water was supplied by pipelines that drew water from the Yateras River about 4.5 miles (7 km) northeast of the base. The U.S. government paid a fee for this; in 1964, it was about $14,000 a month for about 2,500,000 U.S. gallons (9,000 m3) per day. In 1964, the Cuban government stopped the flow. The base had about 14,000,000 U.S. gallons (50,000 m3) of water in storage, and strict water conservation was put into effect immediately. The U.S. first imported water from Jamaica by barge, then relocated a desalination plant from San Diego (Point Loma).[38] When the Cuban government accused the United States of stealing water, base commander John D. Bulkeley ordered that the pipelines be cut and a section removed. A 38 in (97 cm) length of the 14 in (36 cm) diameter pipe and a 20 in (51 cm) length of the 10 in (25 cm) diameter pipe were lifted from the ground and the openings sealed. 21st century [ edit ] As of 2005, the military facilities at Guantanamo Bay have over 9,500 U.S. sailors and Marines stationed there.[39] It is the only military base the U.S. maintains in a socialist country. In 2005, the U.S. Navy completed a $12 million wind-power project at the base, erecting four 950-kilowatt, 275-foot-tall wind turbines, reducing the need for diesel fuel to power the existing diesel generators (the base's primary electricity generation).[40][41] In 2006, the wind turbines reduced diesel fuel consumption by 650,000 gallons annually.[42] By 2006, only two elderly Cubans, Luis Delarosa and Harry Henry, still crossed the base's North East Gate daily to work on the base, because the Cuban government prohibited new recruitment since its revolution. They both retired at the end of 2012.[43] In January 2009, President Obama signed executive orders directing the CIA to shut what remains of its network of "secret" prisons and ordering the closing of the Guantánamo detention camp within a year.[44] However, he postponed difficult decisions on the details for at least six months.[45] On 7 March 2011, President Obama issued an executive order that permits ongoing indefinite detention of Guantánamo detainees.[46] The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 authorized indefinite detention of suspected terrorists,[47] but enforcement of the relevant section was temporarily blocked by a federal court ruling in the case of Hedges v. Obama on 16 May 2012,[48] a suit brought by a number of private citizens, including Chris Hedges, Daniel Ellsberg, Noam Chomsky, and Birgitta Jónsdóttir.[49] After a series of decisions and appeals, the lawsuit was vacated because the plaintiffs lacked standing to file the suit.[50] As of April 2018, the detention center was in operation. At the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2013, Cuba's Foreign Minister demanded the U.S. return the base and the "usurped territory" which the Cuban government considers to be occupied since the U.S. invasion of Cuba during the Spanish–American War in 1898.[51][52][53][54][55] Geography [ edit ] The Naval Base is divided into three main geographical sections: Leeward Point, Windward Point, and Guantánamo Bay. Guantánamo Bay physically divides the Naval Station into sections. The bay extends past the boundaries of the base into Cuba, where the bay is then referred to as Bahía de Guantánamo. Guantánamo Bay contains several cays, which are identified as Hospital Cay, Medico Cay, North Toro Cay, and South Toro Cay. Leeward Point of the Naval Station is the site of the active airfield. Major geographical features on Leeward Point include Mohomilla Bay and the Guantánamo River. Three beaches exist on the Leeward side. Two are available for use by base residents, while the third, Hicacal Beach, is closed. Windward Point contains most of the activities at the Naval Station. There are nine beaches available to base personnel. The highest point on the base is John Paul Jones hill at a total of 495 feet.[11] The geography of Windward Point is such that there are many coves and peninsulas along the bay shoreline providing ideal areas for mooring ships. Cactus Curtain [ edit ] U.S. Marines stack up landmines for disposal in July 1997. "Cactus Curtain" is a term describing the line separating the naval base from Cuban-controlled territory. After the Cuban Revolution, some Cubans sought refuge on the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. In the fall of 1961, Cuban troops planted an 8-mile (13 km) barrier of Opuntia cactus along the northeastern section of the 17-mile (27 km) fence surrounding the base to stop Cubans from escaping Cuba to take refuge in the United States.[56] This was dubbed the Cactus Curtain, an allusion to Europe's Iron Curtain,[57] the Bamboo Curtain in East Asia or the similar Ice Curtain in the Bering Strait. U.S. and Cuban troops placed some 55,000 land mines across the "no man's land" around the perimeter of the naval base creating the second-largest minefield in the world, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. On 16 May 1996, U.S. President Bill Clinton ordered the demining of the American field. They have since been replaced with motion and sound sensors to detect intruders on the base. The Cuban government has not removed its corresponding minefield outside the perimeter.[58][59] Detention camp [ edit ] The entrance to Camp 1 in detention camp's Camp Delta One of the guard towers at Guantanamo Bay, 1991 In the last quarter of the 20th century, the base was used to house Cuban and Haitian refugees intercepted on the high seas. In the early 1990s, it held refugees who fled Haiti after military forces overthrew president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. These refugees were held in a detainment area called Camp Bulkeley until United States district court Judge Sterling Johnson, Jr. declared the camp unconstitutional on 8 June 1993. This decision was later vacated. The last Haitian migrants departed Guantanamo on 1 November 1995. Beginning in 2002, some months after the War on Terror started in response to the attacks of September 11, 2001, a small portion of the base was used to detain several hundred enemy combatants at Camp Delta, Camp Echo, Camp Iguana, and the now-closed Camp X-Ray. The U.S. military has alleged without formal charge that some of these detainees are linked to al-Qaeda or the Taliban. In litigation regarding the availability of fundamental rights to those imprisoned at the base, the U.S. Supreme Court has recognized that the detainees "have been imprisoned in territory over which the United States exercises exclusive jurisdiction and control."[60] Therefore, the detainees have the fundamental right to due process of law under the Fifth Amendment. A district court has since held that the "Geneva Conventions applied to the Taliban detainees, but not to members of Al-Qaeda terrorist organization."[61] On 10 June 2006, the Department of Defense reported that three Guantanamo Bay detainees committed suicide. The military reported the men hanged themselves with nooses made of sheets and clothes.[62] A study published by Seton Hall Law's Center for Policy and Research, while making no conclusions regarding what actually transpired, asserts that the military investigation failed to address significant issues detailed in that report.[63] On 6 September 2006, President George W. Bush announced that alleged or non-alleged combatants held by the CIA would be transferred to the custody of Department of Defense, and held at Guantanamo Prison. Of approximately 500 prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, only 10 have been tried by the Guantanamo military commission, but all cases have been stayed pending the adjustments being made to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld. President Barack Obama said he intended to close the detention camp, and planned to bring detainees to the United States to stand trial by the end of his first term in office. On 22 January 2009, he issued three executive orders. Only one of these explicitly dealt with policy at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, and directed the camp's closure within one year. All three could have possibly impacted the detention center, as well as how the United States holds detainees. While mandating closure of the detention camp, the naval base as a whole is not subject to the order and will remain operational indefinitely. This plan was thwarted for the time being on 20 May 2009, when the United States Senate voted to keep the prison at Guantanamo Bay open for the foreseeable future and forbid the transfer of any detainees to facilities in the United States. Senator Daniel Inouye, a Democrat from Hawaii and chairman of the appropriations committee, said he initially favored keeping Guantanamo open until Obama produced a "coherent plan for closing the prison."[64] As of January 2017, 45 detainees remain at Guantanamo.[65] Represented businesses [ edit ] McDonald's at Guantanamo A Baskin-Robbins ice cream stand, which opened in the 1980s, was one of the first business franchises allowed on the base.[66] In early 1986, the base added the first and only McDonald's restaurant within Cuba.[67][68] A Subway restaurant was opened in 2002.[69] In 2004, a combined KFC & A&W restaurant was opened at the bowling alley and a Pizza Hut Express was added to the Windjammer Restaurant.[70] There is also a cafe that sells Baskin-Robbins ice cream and Starbucks coffee and there is a combined KFC & Taco Bell restaurant.[71] All the restaurants on the installation are franchises owned and operated by the Department of the Navy.[72] All proceeds from these restaurants are used to support morale, welfare, and recreation (MWR) activities for service personnel and their families.[73] These restaurants are inside the base so are not accessible to Cubans. Airfields [ edit ] There are two airfields within the base, Leeward Point Field and McCalla Field. Leeward Point Field is the active military airfield, with the ICAO code MUGM and IATA code NBW.[74] McCalla Field was designated as the auxiliary landing field in 1970.[10] Leeward Point Field was constructed in 1953 as part of Naval Air Station (NAS) Guantanamo Bay.[75] Leeward Point Field has a single active runway, 10/28, measuring 8,000 ft (2,400 m).[74] The former runway, 9/27 was 8,500 ft (2,600 m). Currently, Leeward Point Field operates several aircraft and helicopters supporting base operations. Leeward Point Field was home to Fleet Composite Squadron 10 (VC-10) until the unit was phased out in 1993. VC-10 was one of the last active-duty squadrons flying the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. McCalla Field was established in 1931[75] and remained operational until 1970. Naval Air Station Guantanamo Bay was officially established 1 February 1941. Aircraft routinely operating out of McCalla included JRF-5, N3N, J2F, C-1 Trader,[76] and dirigibles. McCalla Field is now listed as a closed airfield. The area consists of 3 runways: 1/19 at 4,500 ft (1,400 m), 14/32 at 2,210 ft (670 m), and 10/28 at 1,850 ft (560 m). Camp Justice is now located on the grounds of the former airfield. Access to the Naval Station is very limited and must be preapproved through the appropriate local chain of command with the Commander of the station as the final approval. Since berthing facilities are limited, visitors must be sponsored indicating that they have an approved residence for the duration of the visit.[77] Education [ edit ] Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) provides for the education of dependent personnel with two schools. Both schools are named for Rear Admiral William Thomas Sampson. W.T. Sampson Elementary School serves grades K–5 and W. T. Sampson High School serves grades 6–12. The Villamar Child Development Center provides child care for dependents from six weeks to five years old. MWR operates a Youth Center that provides activities for dependents.[78] Some former students of Guantánamo have shared stories of their experiences with the Guantánamo Public Memory Project.[79] The 2013 documentary Guantanamo Circus directed by Christina Linhardt and Michael Rose reveals a glimpse of day-to-day life on GTMO as seen through the eyes of circus performers that visit the base.[80] It is used as a reference by the Guantánamo Public Memory Project. Climate [ edit ] U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay has an annual rainfall of about 61.5 cm (24 in).[81] The amount of rainfall has resulted in the base being classified as a semi-arid desert environment.[81] The annual average high temperature on the base is 31.2 °C (88.2 °F), the annual average low is 22.5 °C (72.5 °F). Climate data for Guantanamo Bay Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Average high °F (°C) 84 (29) 84 (29) 86 (30) 88 (31) 88 (31) 90 (32) 91 (33) 91 (33) 91 (33) 90 (32) 88 (31) 86 (30) 88.2 (31.2) Average low °F (°C) 68 (20) 68 (20) 70 (21) 72 (22) 73 (23) 75 (24) 75 (24) 75 (24) 75 (24) 75 (24) 73 (23) 70 (21) 72.5 (22.5) Average precipitation inches (cm) 1.0 (2.5) 0.9 (2.3) 1.2 (3) 1.3 (3.3) 3.6 (9.1) 2.1 (5.3) 1.1 (2.8) 1.9 (4.8) 3.1 (8) 5.1 (13) 1.8 (4.6) 1.1 (2.8) 24 (62) Source: Weatherbase[82] Notable people [ edit ] Notable people born at the naval base include actor Peter Bergman and American guitarist Isaac Guillory. See also [ edit ] Notes [ edit ] References [ edit ] Further reading [ edit ] Jonathan M. Hansen, Guantánamo: An American History. New York: Hill and Wang, 2011. New York: Hill and Wang, 2011. Alfred de Zayas, "The Status of Guantanamo Bay and the Status of the Detainees" in University of British Columbia Law Review, vol. 37, July 2004, pp. 277–34;, A de Zayas Guantanamo Naval Base in Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law, Oxford University Press 2012) Official U.S. Military websiteI was fine! But then suddenly there were no buyers. Immediately after the DOW plunged 999 points last Thursday, explanations started coming fast and furious. It was a "fat finger error
unable to reach a settlement with the institution.[267] Stephen E. Raynes of Raynes McCarty released a statement that he and his team had been working closely with Michael Rozen to reach a settlement for Victim 9. Because of Penn State's refusal to compensate his client, they filed a civil lawsuit in an attempt to "compel Penn State to finally fulfill its responsibilities to this young man."[268] On April 9, 2015, Penn State trustees voted to approve a settlement with "one or more" victims from the child sexual abuse scandal involving Jerry Sandusky. While both the victims involved and the amount of the settlement remained confidential, another step was taken to provide justice to those whom had suffered at the hands of Sandusky.[269] As of November 27, 2015, the total amount that Penn State owed victims of the Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal was close to $93 million.[270] An audit of the university's financial statements for the 2015 year (ending June 30) revealed that Penn State had made new payments totaling $33.2 million that were all related to the actions of Jerry Sandusky. The audit also indicated that Penn State has already paid or agreed to pay 32 claims relevant to this matter.[271] Pennsylvania Manufacturers' Association Insurance Edit In February 2012, Pennsylvania Manufacturers' Association Insurance, Penn State's liability insurer, asked the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas to limit its exposure from a lawsuit filed by an alleged sex-abuse victim of Jerry Sandusky due to both the time of coverage of the policies and possible "intentional conduct" of the university.[272] The company, which had a business relationship with Penn State dating back to the 1950s, was sued by the school in February 2013, after the company refused to cover claims from 30 men alleging abuse by Sandusky.[273] As part of the litigation, the insurance company brought in a lawyer with expertise in sex abuse cases to examine how Penn State vetted claims before paying alleged victims. Noting a surprising lack of documentation, the lawyer wrote, "It appears as though Penn State made little effort, if any, to verify the credibility of the claims."[274] Penn Live reported that a court order connected to this insurance case stated that Paterno was allegedly told in 1976 about an accusation of child sexual abuse by Sandusky. The PMA Insurance Company's documents alleged that a boy told Paterno he had been molested by Sandusky, who was an assistant coach then. The order also cited reports by unnamed assistant coaches who said they witnessed inappropriate contact between Sandusky and some children, according to the ruling by Philadelphia Judge Gary Glazer. Penn State spokesman Lawrence Lokman said university officials involved in cases related to the Sandusky scandal were aware of the new allegations contained in the insurance case broadly; Lokman said to Penn Live: "Many, many people, potential victims and victims have come forward to the university as part of that (settlement) process... We do not talk about their specific circumstances."[275][276][277] CNN reported one of the victims, identified as Victim A, had told Paterno about an incident in a bathroom as early as 1971.[278] NBC News also reported one former Penn State assistant coach witnessed an incident in the late 1970s, and three other coaches —who have gone on to work in pro level and other colleges— allegedly saw inappropriate conduct between Sandusky and boys in the early and mid-1990s.[279] Risk management expert Raymond Williams identified three incidents with some of the assistant coaches on the Penn State staff at the time, and three others that were reported to university officials; and whether the key officials should have had knowledge about child sex-assault allegations involving Sandusky in each of the six different cases dating to 1976.[280] Mike McQueary alleged former Penn State assistant coaches Greg Schiano and Tom Bradley knew about earlier transgressions by Sandusky. In a deposition related to the insurance case, McQueary claimed that upon telling Bradley what he had seen, Bradley was not shocked and related a story about a time in the 1990s Schiano had witnessed Sandusky doing something with a boy. Bradley and Schiano denied the allegations.[281][282][283] Paterno family members dismissed the accusations. Paterno's wife, Sue, said in a letter read Friday to Penn State's board of trustees "It is time to end this endless process of character assassination by accusation" and asked board members to seek the truth "in the spirit of our love for Penn State and our duty to the victims." Paterno's son Scott called the new claims "bunk," and expressed on Twitter "it would be great if everyone waited to see the substance of the allegation before they assume it's true. Because it's not."[284] Michael Boni, plaintiff's lawyer in the Sandusky scandal, claimed "the headlines of these stories is Paterno knew of Sandusky's molestation in the '70s, '76 or '77. I'm unaware of direct, irrefutable evidence that that's the case... believe me, I'm the last person to defend the guy, but I am the first person to believe in our justice system. And I think you need more than anecdotal evidence or speculative evidence."[284] Penn State President Eric Barron said the accusations were "unsubstantiated and unsupported by any evidence other than a claim by an alleged victim", and claimed the university is being subjected unfairly to "rumor, innuendo and rush to judgment". Barron acknowledged the school's board had spent tens of millions of dollars without making an effort to corroborate claims. "None of these allegations... has been substantiated in a court of law or in any other process to test their veracity," Barron wrote.[274] The university hired settlement experts Kenneth Feinberg and Michael Rozen to handle the claims.[285] The settlement agreements required victims to release several organizations, and anyone connected to them, from lawsuits, including the Second Mile. An Indianapolis attorney who represents sex abuse victims said, "That's not normal. Why would Penn State care about the Second Mile?" and that he had never encountered a defendant requesting a liability release for a separate organization.[274] Penn State alumni trustee Al Lord, said, "There's only one reason [for the release], and that was to protect... members of the board who were involved at the Second Mile."[274] The trustee who chaired the board committee that oversaw negotiations was Ira Lubert, a friend of a former Second Mile board chair as well as part-owner of a summer camp the Second Mile visited. Nicholas Mirkay, a University of Hawaii law school professor and nonprofit governance expert, found it surprising Penn State leadership allowed a board member with even a tangential connection to the Second Mile to lead settlement negotiations.[274] McQueary vs. Penn State Edit In October 2016, a jury found that Penn State had defamed McQueary, and awarded McQueary $7 million in damages.[286] Penn State appealed the ruling in November 2016,[287] and the case judge also awarded an additional almost $5 million to McQueary based on a separate charge that his firing was retaliation for whistleblowing.[288] McQueary eventually settled the case for an undisclosed amount before the appeal was heard.[289] Fines for Clery Act Violations Edit In November 2016, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it seeks to fine Penn State nearly $2.4 million for violating the Clery Act. The violations include failing to alert the public about Mr. Sandusky's conduct and other campus dangers.[290] Penn State officials have said that they will not appeal the fine.[291][292] Findings:[293] Finding #1: Clery Act violations related to the Sandusky matter (proposed fine: $27,500). Finding #2: Lack of administrative capability as a result of the University’s substantial failures to comply with the Clery Act and the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act throughout the review period, including insufficient training, support, and resources to ensure compliance (proposed fine: $27,500). Finding #3: Omitted and/or inadequate annual security report and annual fire safety report policy statements (proposed fine: $37,500). Finding #4: Failure to issue timely warnings in accordance with federal regulations. Finding #5: Failure to properly classify reported incidents and disclose crime statistics from 2008-2011 (proposed fine: $2,167,500). Finding #6: Failure to establish an adequate system for collecting crime statistics from all required sources (proposed fine: $27,500). Finding #7: Failure to maintain an accurate and complete daily crime log. Finding #8: Reporting discrepancies in crime statistics published in the annual security report and those reported to the department’s campus crime statistics database (proposed fine: $27,500). Finding #9: Failure to publish and distribute an annual security report in accordance with federal regulations (proposed fine: $27,500). Finding #10: Failure to notify prospective students and employees of the availability of the annual security report and annual fire safety report (proposed fine: $27,500). Finding #11: Failure to comply with the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (proposed fine: $27,500). Impact Edit See also Edit References EditThe madness grows exponentially. Daily now, the totalitarian prescriptions of the enforcers of political correctness reach new heights of absurdity. The latest victim is the veteran golf commentator Peter Alliss, denounced by the Twitter rabble for “sexist” comments. His crime was to say on air, as he looked at the wife of American golfer Zach Johnson watching her husband preparing to size up a putt to win The Open: “She is probably thinking ‘If this goes in I get a new kitchen.’ “ Oh, what hate speech! What fascist depravity! The collective wail of the chronically offended swamped the Twitterzone. Since Alliss’s employer is the BBC, the offence-takers were knocking on an open door. The only response any sane person would have made to the social media cry-babies was either contemptuous silence or the admonition “Get a life!” Instead, predictably, the Corporation apologised for their broadcaster’s “inappropriate” comment. “Inappropriate” is, of course, the most invoked weasel word employed by the PC enforcers. In what way was Peter Alliss’s remark inappropriate? What is inherently improbable – or outrageous – in the speculation that the wife of a golfer about to win a packet in prize money might well be contemplating fitting out a new kitchen? Do women who have the good fortune to come into affluent circumstances never spend money on kitchens? How many times have we heard women discussing among themselves how much they would like to gut their kitchen premises and make improvements, if only they could afford it? Or is the mere notion of a woman ever entering a kitchen instead of – or even as well as – a boardroom, now a male, sexist defamation? Nick Faldo’s manager, Leslie Anne Wade, tweeted: “Can’t believe he can say this!” In contrast, she congratulated Zach Johnson for calling his wife “the CEO”. Both the kitchen comment and the affectionate CEO nickname are light-hearted remarks, deserving of neither reprobation nor praise. To attach significance of any kind to them is infantile. Yet this lunacy cannot be dismissed, for it is becoming entrenched as a dominant influence in the police state that is Cameron’s Britain. It has recently ended the career of a Nobel Prize winner, Sir Tim Hunt, now banned from an Italian university campus from fear of “some hazardous occurrence” if he were to address a conference. In other words, Academe is suppressing freedom of expression because of violent intimidation by feminist and PC activists. So much for academic freedom. Universities were formerly bastions of freedom of expression. Today they are foremost in suppressing it. In America free speech is guaranteed under the Constitution, but that does not extend to North American campuses which, in the words of one commentator, have become “small, ivy-clad North Koreas”. It is the same in Britain, as UCL’s treatment of Sir Tim Hunt demonstrated. Britain is a police state. All adverse comment on women, homosexuals, minorities of any kind, Islam and every other protected species adopted by the Progressive Consensus is prohibited and punished with heavy sanctions and public opprobrium. The Twiteratti, who collectively possess the thinking power of a geranium, are the voluntary enforcers, the Young Pioneers of our culturally Marxist state. It is notable, whenever the Twitterzone is in uproar over some allegedly “sexist” offence, how many of the offendees are male. These are the girlie men who seek to curry favour with young women, only to be dismayed when they subsequently depart on the pillion of a heavily tattooed and rampantly misogynist biker. Humour, however feeble, is especially anathema (“unacceptable” in PC jargon) to the enforcers. Remember the student arrested for calling a police horse “gay” and the man who was fined £385 and who lost his job for joking on Twitter about blowing up an airport in Nottingham after experiencing severe delays. Although there are legal sanctions, the chief weapon in the armoury of the intolerant left is job loss or withholding of promotion. It is commonplace in Cameron’s Britain for people to be sent for re- education after uttering some non-PC opinion. The worst development is the phenomenon of self- censorship. In conversation one routinely sees normally articulate people stumbling, as they struggle to find acceptable Newspeak terminology to refer to some hallowed minority. Now David Cameron is seeking to extend the policing of speech. In his recent, duplicitous speech on Islamic extremism – which he will do absolutely nothing to contain – he pledged measures to tackle “non-violent extremism”. What is that? It is the expression of opinions of which Dave disapproves – and, in many cases, of which most people might disapprove – at the expense of the principle of free speech. We may be certain, too, that if such measures are introduced, they will chiefly be invoked not against Muslims but against Christians, opponents of homosexual marriage and all other non-PC views. Within the past century, hundreds of thousands of Britons died to protect freedom of speech. We must not allow that sacrifice to be negated by an unholy alliance of minority pressure groups, inquisitorial public-sector pondlife, a politicised police force, the BBC, the Twitter cretins, a pseudo- Conservative government, the European Union and a complicit media. If we cannot say what we think, we shall eventually lose the faculty of thinking – and that is precisely what the new totalitarians want to happen.There’s always a fine line to be had when fostering your child’s dreams. You want to encourage but not inflate; allow them to dream but not falsely fantasize; constructively criticize but not compromise the end goal. Imagine then the situation Alisha Tomley found herself in less than two years ago when her barely six-foot tall 13-year-old son, Miguel Tomley, told her his main goal moving forward was “to be the best player to ever come out of B.C.” He doesn’t possess a seven-foot frame like fellow B.C. natives and NBA pros Robert Sacre (Los Angeles Lakers) and Kelly Olynyk (Boston Celtics) nor is he — by all the coaches’ account — the athlete Steve Nash was as a youngster. But that’s all just hot air for Miguel Tomley. “I see them all the same,” said Tomley, asked about his end-goal of reaching the NBA like Sacre, Olynyk and Nash. “I guess being taller is an advantage but everyone has to work equally as hard to get there — they all deserve it. “With that being said, I want to be better than all three of them; I don’t care how they look.” With big dreams, come some big cojones — and at 15-years-old, Tomley, may just have some of the biggest in B.C. basketball at the moment. The audacity of Tomley’s pursuit isn’t what has overwhelmed coaches and family members the most — many aspire to reach the highest form of their craft — but rather the level of tenacity and accountability the youngster has held himself to at such a young age is. “I remember in Grade 8 he came into the gym and he was asking everyone ‘who’s the best player in the school?’” said Par Bains, Tomley’s co-coach at Tamanawis Secondary School (Doug McKenzie is the other). “Everyone said Sukhjot (Bains) — who was in Grade 12 at the time — so he went straight up to him and challenged him to one-on-one in front of everyone. He would always do it. “Now, don’t get me wrong, he never beat him but the fact that he was willing to do it tells you something about his desire to be the best.” As a ninth-grader, Tomley burst onto the senior boys basketball scene last year averaging 25 points for the Tamanawis Wildcats. For any sort of physical limitation Tomley may have yet to experience, he more than made up for it through a sheer force of will and a skill set beyond his years. Tomley’s fearless approach and confident demeanour may have come as an oddity to those who were seeing the baby-faced guard on the high school scene for the first time last season. But for close onlookers it was exactly that spirit of perseverance and determination that had allowed Tomley to pursue his passion in the first place amid — at times — a tiring childhood. “His attitude definitely comes from his mom,” said Bains, who noted Miguel’s mentorship role to his 10-year-old brother, Kevin. “She does everything she possibly can to provide for them and she’s at all the games and tournaments. “I think Miguel really takes that to heart. When you see something like that everyday in your life, you start to think, ‘why can’t I work just as hard at what I want to do?’ ”Mark Thomas, owner of several counterculture shops at Belmont and Clark, announced he would run for alderman of the 44th ward in 2015. View Full Caption DNAinfo/Serena Dai LAKEVIEW — From its perch just off Clark and Belmont, The Alley weathered 39 years, the ups and downs of punk and goth culture and endless changes along Lakeview's central intersection. In the end, it was the construction that killed it. The Alley's days at 3328 N. Clark St. are numbered, and the store will liquidate and close for good in the next couple of months — likely by the end of 2015, owner Mark Thomas announced Tuesday. "This construction here just slaughtered us," Thomas told DNAinfo Chicago. "And somebody walked in and made an offer I just could not say no to" to purchase the building. Thomas said Internet shopping, loss of tourism beyond Michigan Avenue and crime along Belmont Avenue were other contributing factors. Construction at 3200 N. Clark St. has left nearby buildings "shuttering and shifting" since the project broke ground in August. The $50 million transit-oriented development is slotted to take 16 months to build, setting a projected opening date of early 2017. Based on extremely sluggish foot traffic since construction began, Thomas said The Alley stood to lose too much to survive the length of construction. As he was considering his options, the buyer's offer came at a time when Thomas was questioning The Alley's future anyway. "It's probably the hardest decision I've ever had to make in my life," said Thomas, a past aldermanic candidate in the 44th Ward and co-founder of the Central Lakeview Merchants. Taboo Tabou, the lingerie and adult store in The Alley's lower level, will remain at Belmont and Clark. Thomas said he had been scoping out nearby locations like the closing video store. "Taboo is doing great, and what that means is the neighborhood is willing to support it. Taboo and The Alley have always been destination shops," Thomas said. Small business retail is "in trouble and dying off," Thomas mused. So he's hoping to "start fresh" in Avondale, where he lives, with a multipurpose 10,000-square-foot space he wants to open next year as The Alley 1776. The hub will combine a coffee shop, bar, music stage, piercing studio, retail and space for remote workers and artists. Thomas envisions it growing into something akin to Downtown Project in Las Vegas. For Thomas, the sky's the limit — he pictures food trucks stopping by and regular shows by local bands and bicycle repair shop. The retail will include familiar Alley fare like jewelry, leather jackets, shoes and aromatherapy, but clothing probably won't make the list. "The whole rock and goth thing has just died," Thomas said. Lakeview has gotten too expensive for small businesses other than restaurants to survive, Thomas said. "I can't afford the taxes here anymore. It's time to get away" from the $44,000 he pays annually, Thomas said. Earlier this year, Thomas tried to reboot The Alley, bringing in his daughter Alexis Thomas as a partner to run Taboo Tabou and help meet the needs of a new generation. Alexis Thomas will stay on to head Taboo Tabou in its new location, her father said. The Alley's closure marks the biggest upset of Thomas' retail empire along Clark and Belmont. In the two years since plans for 3200 N. Clark St. development surfaced, Thomas closed Architectural Revolution, 3226 N. Clark St. and Taboo Tabou, 854 W. Belmont Ave. and relocated them inside The Alley's three-story structure. Blue Havana Cigar Shop moved to 3240 N. Clark St. and remains open. For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:North Carolina state Sen. James Forrester appeared on Concerned Women for America radio Tuesday, along with his wife — who just happens to be the Associate State Director of CWA’s North Carolina chapter — to discuss the proposed state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Republicans in the state legislature succeeded in getting a referendum on the marriage amendment on the ballot for May of next year. Earlier this month, Forrester memorably told a town hall meeting that gays “are going to die at least 20 years earlier” than straight people. While proponents of the discriminatory marriage amendment claim that they are only focused on the issue of marriage, Forrester made it clear that there was a much larger goal behind the amendment: to “make it more difficult for the homosexual group to get their agenda recognized as being normal and getting it into schools and things like that.” Listen:Holocrons are hidden throughout every Disney Infinity Star Wars Playset and allow you to unlock some beautiful and amazing pieces of concept art. In Star Wars lore, Holocrons help to preserve the history of the Jedi by acting like a force powered USB drive. Here are the break down of Holocrons as they are spread throughout The Force Awakens Playset: Jakku – 4 Jakku’s Moon – 2 Han’s Freighter – 0 Takodana – 4 Takodana’s Moon – 2 Starkiller Base – 3 Click the Holocron link under each image to jump right into a Youtube Video! Jakku Holocron #1 At the base of the fallen Star Destroyer engines, hit this trigger to reveal a hidden doorway. Holocron #2 Unlock the third switch in the rear wreckage area with a ranged weapon, use platform to access this door and break in using a Jedi Saber. Holocron #3 Access this Jedi Door by jumping down the wreckage platforms next to the Oil Well, this door is hidden under a ledge. Holocron #4 You must replay the Sand Trap mission to get access to this Holocron behind the Jedi door after climbing the first rail. Jakku Moon Holocron #1 Follow the canyon around the moon until you locate this cross point of yellow pipes & scaffolding. On a small rock outcrop you will find this holocron. Holocron #2 Next to another piece of rail pipe support, just under the intersection of the four way red pipe. Follow the canyon along the moon until you reach this location with the tall rock formation. Takodana Holocron #1 Just above the Lake area vehicle spawner, repair the ledge and use it to climb around the rocky formation to reach this Holocron. Holocron #2 In the far corner of the Temple Area, after repairing a ledge, a Jedi Door is accessible with a hidden Holocron behind it. (Next to the third chest from the Treasure Key Mission). Holocron #3 In the grassy area above the path near the Pig Fenced Corral, you will find this Holocron. Holocron #4 On the upper area of the Takodana lakeside cove next to the small outpost building. Takodana Moon Holocron #1 At the end of the long pathways, you will find a large two level platform filled with crates and Stormtroopers. The holocron is on the upper level under the post. Holocron #2 This holocron is at the base of the jumper pad that lands you back on the landing platform, can be found by following the pathway around the moon (see map for reference, one of two green jumper pads) Starkiller Base Holocron #1 The small corridor off the main climbing platforming tower you first drop into in the Starkiller Base, a Jedi Door is right behind you. Holocron #2 In the main chamber where you climb up the tall platforming ledge tower, at the first platform reached, activate the ramp with the ranged attack triggers and pop open the Jedi Door. Holocron #3 At the very top of the platforming ledge tower, a small side corridor hides the last Jedi Door. (Just prior to going into the room to deactivate the shield beam). Visit our other Champion Coin Location Guides for Twilight of the Republic & Rise Against The Empire Visit our other The Force Awakens Playset Collectible Guides: The Force Awakens Playset Mynock Locations The Force Awakens Playset Holocron Locations The Force Awakens Playset Hologame Locations The Force Awakens Toy Box Unlock Guide The Force Awakens Champion Coin Locations Want the latest Disney Infinity News? Check us out on Twitter, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram! Subscribe! Like! Love! Favorite! Retweet! Have You Entered Our Weekly Giveaways Yet? Click Here! Check Out The Best Disney Infinity Deals This Week! Click Here!A new analysis by the non partisan Congressional Budget Office suggests that the U.S. could face another devastating fiscal crisis. The CBO report says that federal debt held by the public will reach nearly 70 percent of the overall U.S. economy by the end of the year -- the highest percentage since shortly after World War II. If current policies are continued, federal debt would grow rapidly from its already high level, exceeding 90 percent of Gross Domestic Product in 2022, according to the report issued on Tuesday. After that, the growing imbalance between revenues and spending, combined with spiraling interest payments, would swiftly push debt to higher and higher levels. Debt as a share of GDP would exceed its historical peak of 109 percent by 2026, and it would approach 200 percent in 2037. RELATED: National Debt: America’s Declaration of Dependence The long-term CBO outlook warns that, absent some grand bargain by the White House and Congress to begin controlling spiraling entitlement and other government spending, the “Growing debt... would increase the probability of a sudden fiscal crisis, during which investors would lose confidence in the government’s ability to manage its budget and the government would thereby lose its ability to borrow at affordable rates.” “Such a crisis would confront policymakers with extremely difficult choices,” the report added. “To restore investors’ confidence, policymakers would probably need to enact spending cuts or tax increases more drastic and painful than those that would have been necessary had the adjustments come sooner.” The report comes amid news about a slowing economic recovery and a potential year-end budget crisis as the federal government appears headed for what Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke called “a fiscal cliff.” The government faces nearly $8 trillion in higher taxes and automatic spending cuts when all of the Bush-era tax cuts expire at the same time that $1.2 trillion of automatic spending cuts on military and domestic programs are scheduled to take effect in early January. In accordance with last summer’s tortuous budget deal, Congress raised the debt limit to $15.2 trillion; in January 2012, the limit rose to $16.4 trillion after Senate Democrats voted down a “resolution of disapproval” that had been passed by House Republicans. The Treasury is likely to bump up against the current limits on borrowing early next year, but House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has vowed to table another increase in the federal debt ceiling unless it is offset by larger spending cuts. The CBO also recently warned that the confluence of expiring tax cuts and automatic spending reductions could lead to another recession. Many Democrats and liberal advocacy groups fear that abrupt changes in government policies – particularly deep cuts in domestic programs – would seriously undermine the economic recovery. Republicans have called for an extension of all the Bush-era tax cuts and a cancellation of the military cuts, and they argue that that a weaker economy -- as reflected by a slight increase in the unemployment rate to 8.2 percent on Friday -- would make it all the more urgent to avoid tax increases this year. President Obama and Congressional Democrats favor allowing tax cuts for the rich to expire and have stood firm on the automatic cuts. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said today that coming on the heels of last Friday’s dismal Labor Department report showing that employers created only 69,000 new jobs last month, the new CBO report underscores that “the President’s policies are not working.” “Americans deserve better than the European-style austerity offered by the President’s broken promises and bankrupt policies,” he said. “Repeating Europe’s mistakes, the President’s policies call for job-crushing tax increases and harsh disruptions for beneficiaries of government programs as the debt spirals out of control.” Ryan added that the CBO report affirms that the massive health-care overhaul fails to address the explosion in health care costs. Mandatory federal spending on Medicare, Medicaid and other health care will increase by 93 percent from 5.4 percent of GDP today to 10.4 percent of GDP over the next 25 years. Democratic and Republican lawmakers are all but certain to wait to see the outcome of the November election before deciding what to do about the fiscal challenges in hopes that voters will give their party the upper hand heading into negotiations over spending, tax reform and long term entitlement reform. The nation’s lawmakers will face difficult tradeoffs in deciding how to phase in any deficit reduction, CBO said. “Abruptly implementing spending cuts or tax increases would give families, businesses and state and local governments little time to plan and adjust,” according to the CBO. “Immediate spending cuts or tax increases would represent an added drag on the weak economic expansion.” Yet “cutting spending or increasing taxes slowly would lead to a greater accumulation of government debt and might raise doubts about whether longer-term deficit reduction would ultimately take effect,” CBO said. The CBO said that the aging baby-boom generation portends a significant and sustained increase in the share of the population receiving benefits from Social Security, Medicare, and long-term care services financed by Medicaid. Moreover, per capita spending for health care is likely to continue rising faster than spending per person on other goods and services. Providing the health care services and retirement and disability benefits that people are accustomed to will consume a greater share of the economy in the future than it did in the past. Specifically, if current laws remained in place, spending on the major federal health care programs alone would grow from more than five percent of GDP today to almost 10 percent in 2037 and would continue to increase thereafter. Spending on Social Security is projected to rise but much less sharply. Taken together, the aging of the population and the rising cost of health care would cause spending on the major health care programs and Social Security to grow from more than 10 percent of GDP today to almost 16 percent of GDP 25 years from now, the report stated. That combined increase is equivalent to about $850 billion today. By comparison, spending on all of the federal government’s programs and activities, excluding net outlays for interest, has averaged about 18.5 percent of GDP over the past 40 years.Barack Obama gets 12 stitches on lip during basketball game. Number of View :14577 President Barack Obama gets 12 stitches in his upper lip during the basketball game. After being accidentally hit with an opposing player’s elbow in the lip while playing basketball.The president played basketball for two hours at Fort McNair gym in Washington.reported press secretary of the White House, Robert Gibbs. According to Gibbs, a player of the opposing team hit the president unintentionally. Medical Medical authorities used “a smaller filament which increases the number of stitches but makes a tighter stitch,” resulting in “a smaller scar. President Obama was given local anaesthetic when he received the treatment, Mr Gibbs said.Gibbs did not release the names of the people playing with the president. Mr Obama had traveled to Fort McNair with a group of family and friends for the early morning game of basketball. A keen sports fan, Obama played a charity basketball game for US troops with NBA stars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and hall-of-fame stars Bill Russell and Earvin “Magic” Johnson in August. He is also a keen golfer. Related articles Obama Stitches: Basketball Injury At Fort McNair, 12 Stitches (nowpublic.com) Related posts:× Expand Photo by Thomas Crone Artica exists blissfully off-center from the city’s robust-but-conventional art festival scene. Yes, it’s a weekend to come and mix with artists and be moved by their work. But that’s where the similarities wrap up. It’s a free-form, deeply interactive happening of site-specific and participatory art in communication with the Mississippi River and the rest of the physical and historical environment. Sounds like a mouthful, but mostly it’s a ton of fun. What’s for sale? Nothing at all. What’s happening at the festival? Excellent question. Really, you’ll have to show up to find out. (It’s loose, but not complete chaos. Check out the schedule here.) Where is it? The two-day festival’s setting is a post-industrial playground by the river north of downtown—navigating it can be its own form of performance art. Different artists and performance troupes are on hand to perform in some way, and spontaneous outpourings of creativity are to be expected. Planned activities include a parade, boat launch, dance, DJs, burns, and more. “There’s always different things every year,” says Lohr Barkley. Barkley is acting executive director of the festival, but he stresses that the festival is a group effort. The board and volunteers are almost entirely unpaid, but the artists are paid, thanks to fundraising and sponsorship from the Missouri Arts Council, the Regional Arts Commission, and others. “I don’t know what’s going to be the big star,” he says. “I’m really looking forward to the surprise—that’s kind of always what it’s about. We’ve gotten used to being surprised.” Past years have seen unplanned performances by a dance troupe that happened to be having raft trouble on an epic journey down the river, unanticipated sculptures, and art cars. “People are doing things that are kind of weird, temporary and experimental. You never know what’s going to happen,” Barkley says. This year, the music stage is a little more planned out and organized than in years past. The more spontaneous outflow of other art forms at the festival is less workable for that crowd, explains Barkley. “Musicians don’t really interact with us in that way,” he says. “We’re trying to bridge that gap.” Musicians have been invited and scheduled for the first stage. A second stage has a little bit of scheduled programming, but it’s mostly open “for artists to do whatever they might come up with.” One thing you won’t need for the festival is cash. There’s no vending on-site, so no matter how much you love the experience you have, it’s ephemeral. “That’s just not what Artica is about,” Barkley says. “It’s an opportunity for artists to make art and be seen.” Too often, he explains, artists get busy creating products for sale. Vending at festivals is great, but Artica is meant to be a place for artists to remember why they got into art in the first place, and what they’d be doing if they had all the time in the world. “It’s kind of born out of the idea of a site-specific installation,” Barkley says. “It’s by nature temporary.” Artica 2017: Artikinetic Entanglement. October 7 at 11 a.m. to October 8 at 10 p.m. 21 O’Fallon Street. Free.UPDATE: There's a potential workaround for the Xbox One TV integration judder issue. HDTVTest, which spotted the problem with UK Xbox One's earlier this week, disovered a way to force the Xbox One to output a 50Hz signal - matching the TV signal pumped into the console through the HDMI-in port. As the site explains, to do this you need to set your Xbox One to auto-detect HDMI from within the display settings, then toggle the resolution from 1080p to 720p or vice versa. This triggers a prompt asking if you'd like to keep the new resolution. Select no. Apparently this tricks the Xbox One into thinking your TV isn't compatible with a 60Hz signal and forces a 50Hz output. Unfortunately, this workaround isn't ideal. It makes everything 50Hz, including video games. So there may be stutter when playing games. You can of course manually switch back to 60Hz to play games. Microsoft is yet to comment on the issue. ORIGINAL STORY: The Xbox One's TV integration suffers noticeable judder in the UK, tests have revealed. Website HDTVTest.co.uk first flagged up the problem, which occurs when you run a live TV feed from your set-top box, such as a Freeview HD, Sky or Virgin Media box, into Microsoft's console using the HDMI-in port. The UK and Europe use a 50Hz broadcasting system. The Xbox One outputs at 60Hz, so if you feed it a 50Hz HDMI source, one out of every six frames will be a duplicate, causing judder. Digital Foundry's Richard Leadbetter told us the following: "Assuming the reports are true, this represents a significant issue Microsoft has to address. Displaying 50Hz video at 60Hz means that every sixth frame will be a duplicate
position helped spin the leaders of Neo-Nazi gangs in Ukraine as modern-day heroes in the American press. President Ronald Reagan at one point claimed he played a role in liberating prisoners from Nazi death camps in WWII, which he didn’t. As a matter of fact, in 1985 Reagan honored members of the Waffen-SS at a cemetery in Bitburg, Germany. Two Spanish Civil War veterans, Charles Nasser and Sam Gonshak, were in Guernica on June 1, 1985 “not long after President Reagan’s infamous visit to the Bitburg cemetery,” as recounted by Nasser. We were there to lay a wreath at the historic Tree of Guernica. I spoke briefly, saying there are those who lay their wreath on the graves of the Nazi criminals, but that we veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade pay our homage to the Tree of Freedom in loving memory of the victims of the fascist murderers. The Fascist Threat Today Seldes met his final deadline at the age of 104 in his Vermont home on July 2, 1995. Twenty years after his death, his influence still resonates with real journalists everywhere, especially when sounding the alarm on the abuse of a state under the domination of capitalist greed. To close with the words of a muckraking crusader who fulfilled his duties as a journalist and citizen despite the barbed-wire obstacles put in place by the “Lords of the Press” as he called them, excerpted from the conclusion of Facts and Fascism: All the enemies of the people of the world are united behind the Fascist International. When that is broken we will have come the main part of the way to a practical reality which previously had been regarded as a dream of idealists. Of course this will be possible only if Fascism (reaction) does not exist in disguise and wrapped in new flags and sheltered by wealth and power and accepted by peoples accustomed to being betrayed by rulers and the propaganda organs of these rulers, the world’s corrupted press. Fascism is Reaction. When we destroy international Fascism we must at the same time destroy national Fascism, we must replace the reactionary forces at home with truly democratic forces which will represent all of us.The Dragon Invitational Tournament #3 was announced by Jeon "Dragon" Yong Soo on Twitter and the TeamLiquid forums on June 23rd, 2014. The tournament is held online, offering $2,000 in prize money and observed and cast by Dragon on his official stream.[1][2] Overview [ edit ] Format [ edit ] 16-player single-elimination bracket. Best of 3 through semifinals. Best of 5 for third place. Best of 5 finals. Casters [ edit ] Main stream: Jeon "Dragon" Yong Soo Secondary stream: Graham "Rifkin" Rogers Daniel Fenner Tertiary stream: Evan "Winter" Ballnik Prize Pool [ edit ] The $2,000 prize pool is split three ways. Participants [ edit ] Results [ edit ] Round of 16 (Bo3) Daisy 0 MMA 2 RagnaroK 2 DongRaeGu 0 Sleep 2 Seed 0 Leenock 2 Ryung 1 First 2 TaeJa 0 Ruin 1 KeeN 2 HyuN 2 MarineKing 1 Impact 0 Life 2 Quarterfinals (Bo3) MMA 0 RagnaroK 2 Sleep 1 Leenock 2 First 2 KeeN 1 HyuN 0 Life 2 Semifinals (Bo3) RagnaroK 0 Leenock 2 First 0 Life 2 Finals (Bo5) Leenock 2 Life 3 3rd Place Match (Bo5) RagnaroK 3 First 2 Racial Distribution [ edit ] Protoss Terran Zerg Random Round of 16 4 5 7 Round of 8 1 2 5 Round of 4 1 3 Finals 2 Winner 1 View Games [ edit ] Streams [ edit ] English [ edit ] VODs [ edit ] See also [ edit ]Police broke down the front door of the house on the right during an armed offenders squad operation on Henry Charles Crescent in Napier as part of a hunt for a wanted man. Hawke's Bay police are still hunting a man who sparked an armed offenders squad callout that forced Napier schools into lockdown. Armed police descended on Henry Charles Crescent, in the suburb of Onekawa, shortly after 9am on Thursday. Police said they were searching for a man, who was potentially armed and had been involved in a domestic dispute at Kelvin Pl, in the neighbouring suburb of Maraenui. GOOGLE MAPS William Colenso College in Napier. Officers broke down the door and sent a police dog into a flat where they suspected the man was hiding, but found the property empty. Nearby William Colenso College, and other schools in the area, were told to keep students indoors during the incident, which lasted about two hours. Police said they completed all inquiries addresses believed to be linked to the man they were hunting "but will continue to look for him". They said they did not believe he posed a safety risk to the community. Some Henry Charles Crescent residents said they were phoned by police and told to stay inside and lock their doors while the operation was under way. Colenso principal Daniel Murfitt said the school had a police officer stationed with them providing updates during the lockdown.The McGillicuddy Serious Party (McGSP) was a satirical political party in New Zealand in the late 20th century. Between 1984 and 1999, it provided "colour" to ensure that citizens not take the political process too seriously. The party's logo, the head of a medieval court jester, indicated its status as a joke party. The party stood candidates in the 1984, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1996 and 1999 general elections and the 1986, 1989, 1992, 1995 and 1998 Local Body elections;[1] along with local-body and parliamentary by-elections and university student association elections.[2] It gained its highest number of votes in the last first-past-the-post (FPP) general election in 1993, when it stood candidates in 62 out of 99 electorates and received 11,714 votes, 0.61% of the vote. Origins [ edit ] The party was formed in 1984[3] in Hamilton as the political arm of Clan McGillicuddy (established in 1978). Members of the Clan had stood as candidates in the 1983 local-body elections in the Waikato,[3] and the party came together in time to contest the 1984 General Election. It had a strong Scottish theme, with the kilt considered one of its symbols. Candidates included street performers and comedic musical groups such as The Big Muffin Serious Band. Challenge for the Crown [ edit ] After discovering that he had some (rather obscure) relationship to the Stuart pretenders, Bonnie Prince Geoffie the Reluctant was advanced by Clan McGillicuddy in 1979 as replacement for Queen Elizabeth II.[4] The Clan's armed wing, the McGillicuddy Highland Army (McGHA), attempted to settle the matter by trial by combat, challenging the New Zealand Army to a winner-takes-all pillow-fight; the army declined the offer. Armed "pacifist" insurrection using harmless weapons having failed, the Clan reluctantly turned to the ballot-box, contesting general elections from 1984 to 1999. The Clan has not totally given up the fight, as it continues to occasionally battle the loyalist forces of Alf's Imperial Army,[5] a pro-British pacifist-warfare group that supported the Wizard of New Zealand and promoted the McGillicuddies' rival for the silly vote, the Imperial British Conservative Party. The two groups' most recent battle was on Sunday 15 February 2015, in Wellington. The party sometimes became the subject of aggression from unexpected quarters—in 1990 Green Party candidate Warrick Pudney challenged his Te Atatu rival to a paper-sword fight in Aotea Square. The fight ended in a declared draw, with both combatants treated for paper cuts.[citation needed] At one point the party selected its candidates through trial by combat, with newspaper swords and water-balloons, the loser of the combat becoming the candidate. In 1996 a giant game of musical chairs took place in Cathedral Square, Christchurch to select the Canterbury electorate candidates. Whoever remained sitting on one of the labelled chairs when the music stopped became the candidate for that seat. Potential candidates for proportional representation (list) seats vied Cinderella-style by trying to fit into labelled shoes.[citation needed] Policies [ edit ] The party selected its policies on the basis of their absurdity and their impracticality. Central policies in every election included a return to a mediaeval lifestyle, known as the "Great Leap Backwards"[6] and (superficially) the restoration of a monarchy supposedly based on the Scottish Jacobite line, in the name of Bonnie Prince Geoffie the reluctant. At a deeper level the party invoked the political system of Tibetan Buddhism, with "stspm" (singularly transferable spirit possession monarchy) used as justification for the selection of Bonnie Prince Geoffie as the undeniable head of the McState. This embodied the principles stated by the ancient Greeks that "no-one who seeks power should be allowed it." Bonnie Prince Geoffie refused consistently and permanently to have anything to do with the authority that this position gave him, and ran for all he was worth and never had anything to do with party again, thus proving his indisputable worthiness for the position.[citation needed] Other policies included: Decline [ edit ] The party attracted a surprising level of support, and became one of the larger parties outside parliament. On a number of occasions, particularly following the introduction of the mixed member proportional (MMP) electoral system, pundits[who?] predicted that the party might actually win parliamentary representation, but this never happened. When the major parties boycotted the Tauranga by-election 1993 in 1993, the party's candidate Greg Pittams, who appeared in nationwide newspapers during this campaign wearing his "emperor's new kilt" outfit, consisting of only a shirt and sporran, finished second to Winston Peters. Votes for the party presumably most often represented protest votes, something that the party encouraged with one of its slogans: "If you want to waste your vote, vote for us."[citation needed] The party began to encounter the problem that often appears in joke parties—a debate about exactly how serious it should become. The founders of the party essentially saw it as "a bit of fun", aimed at providing humour and entertainment. This remained a major part of the party. However, later recruits to the party sometimes saw the party's satire in a more serious context, regarding it as a tool with which people could ridicule and challenge the political establishment. In particular a number of anarchists joined the party, seeing it as an antidote to the traditional order and intending to use the party as a vehicle to give anarchist policies a higher public profile. The dichotomy, in essence, grew between "satire for fun" and "satire to make a political point". Many of the party's original members resented what they saw as a usurpation of the party for more avowedly political and overdefined anarchist purposes, and felt that for the party to become openly "anarchist" would thus make some area of politics "off-limits" to satire. They saw this as an anathema. In addition they saw having a clearly identifiable stance as lessening the party's effectiveness as satirists. However other members had little problem with the expression of more openly anarchist viewpoints.[citation needed] In the 1996 general election the party put up 65 list candidates, and 45 candidates stood as an electorate candidate.[14] Disbandment and deregistration [ edit ] The 1999 election campaign proved a disappointment. The party gained only 0.15% of the vote, a considerable drop. Shortly after the election, the party disbanded and the Electoral Commission officially deregistered it as a political party.[15] Party leader Graeme Cairns marked the event and did penance for the loss by placing himself in stocks in Garden Place in Hamilton in December 1999 as disgruntled party members pelted him with rotten fruit.[16] Electoral results [ edit ] The following table summarises the party's support in general elections. Election Number of electorate votes Share of electorate votes Number of party votes Share of party votes Number of candidates Seats Outcome of election 1984 178 0.01% - - 3 0 Labour Party victory 1987 2,990 0.16% - - 19 0 Labour Party victory 1990 9,918 0.54% - - 59 0 National Party victory 1993 11,714 0.61% - - 62 0 National Party victory 1996 12,177 0.59% 5,990 0.29% 65 0 National-based coalition government 1999 3,633 0.18% 3,191 0.15% 64 0 Labour-based coalition government By-election Year Candidate # votes % of vote Placing Result Tamaki 1992 Adrian Holroyd 73 0.42% 7th National hold Tauranga 1993 Greg Pittams 271 2.15% 2nd Independent gain Selwyn 1994 Tim Owens 26 0.12% 8th National hold Taranaki-King Country 1998 Paul Cooke 76 0.38% 11th National hold A number of former members went on to stand as candidates for "real" parties. Former co-leader of the Green party, Metiria Turei,[17] formerly held party membership, and was number 27 on the party list for the 1999 General Election.[18] Other prominent candidates from this first generation of electioneering included founder and Party Leader Graeme Cairns, the "Laird of Hamilton"; Mark Servian; KT Julian, a long-time Party Deputy Leader; Adrian Holroyd; Cecil G. Murgatroyd (who subsequently stood against Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke under the Imperial British Conservative Party banner);[19] Sam Buchanan; Steve Richards; Donna Demente; and Penni Bousfield. Younger pretenders [ edit ] Some of the party's original members became upset at the cancellation of their lifetime membership. In July 2005 a "McGillicuddy Serious Party" put out a press-release announcing plans to participate in the 2005 election, one initial policy involving replacing MPs with harmless jargon-generators.[20] A former member put out the press-release without the knowledge of the Clan McGillicuddy's senior members or of the party's former leadership.[citation needed] After intense discussions within the Clan McGillicuddy, no further press releases appeared, no official party registration took place, and neither the party nor any candidates appeared on the 2005 ballot.[citation needed] One candidate stood under the McGillicuddy Serious banner in the 2008 general election: Steve Richards contested the West Coast-Tasman electorate and received 259 votes.[21] A member from the Party's early days, Richards had stood as a candidate in previous elections. Current status [ edit ] Despite the demise of the party, Clan McGillicuddy still holds regular public events. A pacifist battle in Oamaru on 31 December 2007 saw McGillicuddy "Martians" take on Alf's Imperial Army in an enactment of The War of the Worlds.[22] YouTube hosts a video of this battle.[23] On 31 December 2013, there was a pacifist battle in Waitati in which the McGillicuddies defended Castle Almond (the castle-like home of one their members) against an "attack" by the local Waitati Militia.[24] See also [ edit ] References [ edit ] Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand Parliamentary Election Results 1946-1987: Occasional Publications No 1, Department of Political Science. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington. ISBN 0-475-11200-8. VideosThe truth hurts, goes the old saying. Nowhere is that better illustrated than in the liberal media’s treatment of Donald Trump’s presidential announcement. Not to mention the reaction of Hillary Clinton. Mediaite is up in arms about Donald Trump, specifically his views on illegal immigration and Mexico. In his announcement speech Trump had the audacity to say this of illegal immigrants coming over the southern US border: “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists and some, I assume, are good people.” Suffice to say, Mediaite did not approve. The site headlined a furious story by Matt Wilstein this way: Trump Doubles Down on Mexican ‘Rapist’ Comments: ‘It’s Common Sense’ Wilstein opened his piece by saying Trump’s insistence that rapists were crossing the border from Mexico was “outlandish.” It cited a disapproving MSNBC questioner named Kasie Hunt who “confronted” Trump, who then “double-downed” with Mediaite writing it this way: “They’re sending us not their finest people,” Trump reiterated. “And it’s people from countries other than Mexico also. We have drug dealers coming across, we have rapists, we have killers, we have murderers. I mean it’s common sense, what do you think they’re going to send us their best people, their finest people? The answer is no.” Then Wilstein went to this column by Jonathan Capehart at The Washington Post. Capehart’s column was headlined: Donald Trump’s ‘Mexican rapists’ rhetoric will keep the Republican Party out of the White House Uh-oh. Hillary Clinton is incapable of embarrassment. But the embarrassing problem for Wilstein and Capehart and their respective journalistic homes that provided them space for these attacks? In fact, Trump is exactly right. And it doesn’t take long to document, as here: The Daily Caller, March 12, 2015. Headline: Illegal Immigrant Charged With Rape, Sodomy Of 10-Year-Old Alabama Girl. The story begins: “An illegal immigrant was arrested Monday in Alabama after sexually assaulting a young girl. According to reports, Ramiro Ajualip, a 27-year old who entered the country illegally, was accused earlier this week of raping a 10-year old girl on Feb. 27 while he was living with the child’s family.” What do you think? The Washington Times, July 6, 2014. Headline: Two-time illegal immigrant charged with rape in Philly’s sanctuary city. The story begins: “He could become the Willie Horton of the immigration crisis. Milton Mateo Garcia, 28, was caught one year ago entering the U.S. illegally across the Mexican border and was deported back to his native Honduras. But Mr. Garcia soon re-entered the U.S. illegally — federal authorities either don’t know how, or they won’t say. He settled with relatives in Philadelphia where Mayor Michael Nutter had signed an executive order in April declaring it a “sanctuary city” for illegal immigrants. More than 100 communities nationwide have enacted similar policies, with the tacit blessing of the Obama administration…. ….Living and working in sanctuary, Mr. Garcia last month, according to police, approached a 26-year-old Philadelphia doctor who was walking to her home in the city’s fashionable Rittenhouse Square neighborhood after a night out with friends. He is accused of forcing the woman into her apartment and raping her repeatedly. Police said Mr. Garcia then stole the victim’s cellphone and rode away on his bicycle.” NBC News 7, San Diego, October 14, 2011. Headline: Illegal Immigrant Raped, Terrorized Girl: Police: Investigators said the suspect was "fixated" on the 12-year-old girl. The story begins: “Escondido police have arrested an illegal immigrant on charges of raping and molesting a 12-year-old girl in his neighborhood. Investigators said Jose Manuel Ayala,18, has been "fixated" on the girl since August.” HNGN links to WWL-TV (CBS New Orleans affiliate) April 20, 2015. Headline: Illegal Immigrant Raped Girlfriend's 10-Year-Old Daughter Three Times, Police Say. The story begins: “A 25-year-old man has been charged with three counts of aggravated rape for allegedly having sex with a 10-year-old girl, according to police. Kenner Police said that Hermes Rivera is an undocumented immigrant living in Kenner.” One could go on and on. Trump says drug dealers are coming across the border. They are, as documented here: Washington Times, August 1, 2013. Headline: With bombs away, drug traffickers and illegal immigrants make their play: Crossings are easy on land banned to federal patrol. The story says: “Crossing a bombing range doesn’t seem to make sense at any time — but in the Southwest, the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range has become a key route for drugs and illegal immigrants looking to avoid detection as they make the trek into the U.S. …The area is used so commonly by drug gangs that it is known in the region as the “Goldwater East Tactical Range Smuggling Corridor.” Breitbart, October 13, 2014. Headline: Drug Cartels Turn Illegal Immigrants Quest for the American Dream into a Nightmare. The story begins: “MCALLEN, Texas — The recent immigration surge in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley where thousands of illegal immigrants from Central America came across the border en masse exposed a deep dark secret that victimized people all across the continent. Unbeknownst to most, drug cartels in the Mexican border state of Tamaulipas and in South Texas had taken control of the human smuggling routes having diversified their criminal activities to not only include the transport of drugs but also human smuggling and a myriad of other activities that turned the quest for the American dream into a horrifying nightmare. The court records read like horror stories, women and girls getting raped by multiple men along the way, decrepit houses with subhuman conditions, minimal food and water, kidnappings for ransom and gruesome acts of torture all await the hopeful illegal immigrant wanting to make his way north.” Breitbart, January 23, 2015. Headline: Illegal Immigrant Free on Bond Allegedly Murders Store Clerk. The story begins: “An illegal immigrant—who video surveillance reportedly shows calmly murdering a young store clerk in order to steal a box of cigarettes—was already out on bond from U.S. Immigration services and even had a previous conviction from which he had received no jail time.” On….and on and on….go the stories like these that are easy to document and verify every single word that Trump has said. Yet there is Hillary Clinton out there saying that on the one hand America has “to have a candid national conversation about race, and about discrimination, hatred, prejudice…”. But when Trump does just that? Mrs. Clinton wants him to be quiet, saying of Trump without naming him: “…a recent entry into the Republican presidential campaign said some very inflammatory things about Mexicans. Everybody should stand up and say that’s not acceptable.” Realizing that the context for her remarks were the Charleston shootings, one can only be appalled that in effect she is trying in some fashion to pin the blame for that on - of all people - Trump. It didn’t take long for Trump to respond to Clinton, either - here at Instagram calling her attack “pretty pathetic,” an understatement. One gets the sensation in hearing from Hillary and reading the outraged Trump media critics that the response to Trump on this issue is not unlike President Obama’s refusal to use the words “Islamic radicals” or “Islamic terrorism.” To wit: if one just doesn’t admit the truth somehow the problem will go away. Take of note an interesting media curiosity here. The above story about the illegal immigrant in Kenner, Louisiana who raped the ten-year old girl is to be found on HNGN, a headline news service that accurately headlines the words “illegal immigrant” in the headline and in the opening paragraph. It links to the story posted by the CBS New Orleans affiliate - which refuses to use the words “illegal immigrant” in its headline, replacing it with “man.” The story itself refuses to give the subject’s status until the second paragraph - and then calls him an “undocumented immigrant” rather than an “illegal immigrant.” In other words, political correctness has infected the CBS New Orleans affiliate. This should be embarrassing, although don’t look for any Brian Williams-style mea culpas from either Clinton or the rest. In the haste to whack Donald Trump Mediaite’s Wilstein and the Washington Post’s Capehart tried to imply that what Trump was saying was somehow bizarre - “outlandish” to use Wilstein’s words. Or, in Capehart’s case, Trump was playing to “far-right Republican primary voters desperately clinging to an America that no longer exists.” Not only was there nothing really “outlandish” in what Trump said about immigration and crime, but one can only be astonished at the notion Capehart believes the future of America is rape, drug-running and murder - and that somehow one is a far-right winger if one raises a voice in protest. Even more telling is the unspoken assumption that somehow Latinos can’t be expected to act responsibly, so why bother? Wow. In a snapshot there is the ancient left-wing view of race. In fact, as these stories demonstrate, Trump was exactly right if deeply politically incorrect. There are indeed illegal immigrants coming across the Mexican border and, once here, committing rape. Smuggling drugs. Committing murder. As the above stories indicate -- and they are far, far from alone -- this is literal, repeatedly documented fact -- that the liberal media avoid. If the liberal media, not to mention Hillary Clinton, are going to take Trump on, they should probably have a grasp of whether what he says is factually true or not. As it is, Mediaite and the Washington Post writers have written up Trump’s entry by simply ridiculing what are, to borrow from Al Gore, Trump’s “inconvenient truths.” Inconvenient truths that Mrs. Clinton dare not mention and the rest cannot admit without admitting that the liberal world view is in fact a fraud with a heavy dependency on playing the race card. But inconvenient truth or not, it doesn’t make what Trump is saying any less true. For a reason. He told the truth. And neither Hillary Clinton or liberals in the media like it one bit.This spring, moments before 1.8 million soon-to-be college graduates walk across stages with a diploma in hand, many will likely hear the words, “Don’t be afraid to fail.” Nearly every motivational (or commencement) speaker makes reference to the idea of embracing failure. It’s become ingrained in educational culture and, even more so, in startup culture. The idea is that a fear of failure paralyzes people. By flipping this fear on its head—instilling a fear of not trying and then learning from your mistakes—we can motivate ourselves to try. It’s a great idea, but even when people gave anecdotes of their own failures, it always seemed a bit too abstract to me. In my life, I’ve embraced this idea with a slight twist. Break stuff. When I was seven years old, I broke my parents’ only vacuum cleaner. Earlier that day, my dad had taught me how to use a screwdriver when I helped him tighten the hinges on the storm door. Armed with this knowledge, I took the vacuum cleaner out of the closet, pushed it to my room, and removed every screw. I put all of the belts, springs, gaskets, hoses, brushes, motor, and every other part I could remove in a pile on my bed (including the dust bag—filled with dirt, of course). This particular vacuum cleaner happened to hold a bit of sentimental value to my parents as well. It was their first purchase as a couple. When my dad discovered what I’d done, he was understandably upset. He grabbed the repair manual from the closet and sat down to help me follow one of the most complex lego instruction manuals I had seen. I found nearly every screw. We ended up having to wait until the next day to get a couple replacement parts from the hardware store. While we were putting it back together, we cleaned the brushes and hoses and the vacuum cleaner ended up working better than before. The idea of breaking stuff certainly isn’t new. Punk rockers have been doing it since I was born (I’m a child of the late 80s). And the larger idea of learning how something works by taking it apart is likely as old as human curiosity. Breaking stuff even seem to be instinctual. Building blocks wouldn’t be nearly as fun to play with if kids couldn’t knock their towers over afterwards. Still, it’s an important lesson to be taught. It’s easy to fall into the trap of being overly cautious, especially with the things we own. I take the idea that you don’t truly own something unless you can modify it a step towards the philosophical - you don’t truly own something unless you can break it. It took me a while, but I eventually learned that breaking stuff is an excellent learning opportunity. When my sister broke the battery case on my Gameboy, I was in tears. Once I regained my composure, I learned that, while not ideal, electrical tape does a decent job of holding the case together. When the family dog chewed up the cable to my Super Nintendo game controller, my dad taught me how to solder it back together. As a teenager, when I broke the end of an audio cable off in my bass guitar, and then broke the guitar’s connector trying to remove it, I took the entire guitar apart to fix it. I learned how the guitar’s pickups and electronics work, how the neck of the guitar attaches to the body, and how to repaint the body and put the it all back together. These lessons carried over into my formal education as well. I studied computer engineering in college. There’s a commonly repeated joke in electronics that all electronics components work because they contain “magic smoke” and once you let it out, the magic is gone. I have accidentally set fire to plenty of parts throughout my schooling. Every spark and smell of burning electronics symbolized progress. Nowadays when I set fire to a resistor or melt a wire, it’s usually on purpose. In my role as CTO of thimble.io, an electronics kit subscription company, a big part of my job is breaking stuff. It’s slowly even becoming part of our corporate culture. When we send a kit out, we want our makers to have a true learning experience. Kits that just snap together have their place, particularly in trying to get people interested in the world of electronics. But we don’t only want to spark their interest, we want people to learn. And to us, that means allowing them to make mistakes in a way they won’t get discouraged. So, we decided to make it very easy for people that purchase our kits to get replacement parts. And, just as I used the repair manual to put my family’s vacuum cleaner back together, we are building a learning app so that our makers can make and break with guidance. Obviously, there needs to be some degree of caution to protect from injury, but I want to encourage everyone to not be afraid of breaking stuff. Go out and break something. Then fix it. It’s truly a great way to learn.It was all the way back in Week 2 when Joe Flacco looked befuddled, when he threw four passes to the Cincinnati Bengals in a five-point Ravens' loss and looked like he was ready to implode. In the life of an NFL quarterback, it was an eternity ago. Fifteen weeks later, the Bengals are on the horizon again and there is no befuddlement in Flacco. There was no implosion, either. He is, as expected, leading the Ravens into the postseason for the third straight year. He has, as was hoped, shown signs of blossoming into one of the league's elite quarterbacks. Ask Flacco about that Week 2 loss in Cincinnati – when he was intercepted four times and worn the look of disgust after the fourth – and he breezes on past the question. "I haven't really been thinking about it for [15] weeks," Flacco said. "Maybe [I've been hearing about it] from you guys, but not too much. We put that behind us pretty quickly and moved on, and we've had a pretty good season." Moving on is the mantra of the NFL. But even with the Bengals arriving at M&T Bank Stadium for Sunday's season finale, Flacco has moved well beyond the specter of that September game. It's what he does best of all, perhaps. His teammates and his coaches recognize in him the stoic ability to play the game, accept the results and just be Joe. It's a consistency that mirrors his performance on the field. It's a consistency wide receiver Derrick Mason marvels at. "It's because he doesn't get too high, he doesn't get too low," Mason said. "He threw … what? Three, four interceptions against Cincinnati? And he didn't get too low. He came in to work, hammered it out, and came back the next week and played a good game. "Or when he's thrown three or four touchdowns, he's never gotten too high. He came back to work, he hammered it out another week. So that's the thing about Joe. Regardless of if he doesn't play so well or if he plays great, he's going to come in here the next day and be the same guy. He just wants to get better." Cam Cameron, the Ravens offensive coordinator, has been predicting stardom for Flacco since the day the team drafted him in 2008. Quietly, steadily, almost imperceptibly, Flacco has put together numbers that portray a quarterback coming into his own. He has thrown 60 touchdown passes in three years for the Ravens, with a career-high 25 this year. He is the sixth player in NFL history to throw for 10,000 yards (he's at 10,081) in his first three seasons. He has made 52 starts, including the postseason, the most by any NFL quarterback in his first three years. But the numbers that really count — the numbers that truly separate Flacco from most of his generation — are the wins. Flacco has won 34 times since being rushed into the starting job as a rookie after Troy Smith was felled by a throat ailment. "The bottom line is, the quarterbacks are in this business to win, and it really doesn't matter how they win," Cameron said. "This guy, we said Day One, is a winner, and he's continuing to get better. I think that's the most important thing. And it's easy to forget that, for whatever reason. This guy knows how to win." Since 2008, Flacco's 34-18 record ranks third behind the Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning (37-14) and the New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees (35-14) in win total. Sunday could very well be a measuring stick for Flacco. He beat the Bengals twice as a rookie and did not throw an interception in either game. But the last three times against Cincinnati, Flacco made some of his poorest decisions, threw eight interceptions and lost all three games. What the Bengals had last year was one of the league's best defenses and one of its top cornerback tandems in Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph. The toughest corners he's faced in the league? "I don't know," Flacco hedged. "They're definitely really good ones. You see tough ones week-in and week-out, but these guys have done a great job against us. They've done a good job of getting a little bit of pass rush on us. And those corners have done a great job of being tight on the guys and making the lanes and the space for throwing very tight." Cameron gave Cincinnati credit for its success defending Flacco the last three games, but he said disguised coverages were not the difference. Neither does he believe Flacco has trouble against cover-2 defenses, which Cincinnati plays ("There's nothing to back it up," he says). Flacco reduced Cincinnati's defensive prowess to fundamentals. "I don't think they're doing anything spectacular," Flacco said. "They're playing the game the way it's meant to be played, and they're doing a good job of doing it. So we've got to make sure we come in there and we run route full speed. I have to take my drops full speed and get back and set ready to throw, and make aggressive throws and really attack these guys to try to put them on their heels." Since that Week 2 loss, Flacco has been otherworldly, if not Brady-esque. He has thrown for 24 touchdowns and only four interceptions in the ensuing 14 games. His passer rating of 105.1 over that period is second only to Tom Brady (112.1 with 29 touchdowns, two intercepts) of the New England Patriots.Share According to the researchers, devices upgrading from Windows 10 versions 1511 and 1607 using hardware that doesn’t support Enhanced Anti-Spoofing are vulnerable to their photo-based approach. This method relies on a head-on shot of the device owner in a near-infrared state. They also manually changed the brightness and contrast levels to meet the requirements of Windows Hello, and printed the image using a laser printer. Typically, Enhanced Anti-Spoofing isn’t toggled on by default. On Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise, you can load up the Local Group Policy Editor and enable the feature by navigating to Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Biometrics > Facial Features. In Windows 10 Home, you can turn it on by editing the registry. But regardless of the Windows version, the camera must still provide support on a hardware level. The proof-of-concept hack relies on the Dell Latitude E7470 with a LilBit USB camera. When testing with Windows 10 versions 1709, 1703, 1607, and 1511, the researchers were even able to break into the laptop with Enhanced Anti-Spoofing turned on. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 supports Enhanced Anti-Spoofing on a hardware level. With the feature enabled, the researchers couldn’t get into Windows 10 versions 1709 and 1703, but they did access the device on Windows 10 version 1607. “In the spring of 2018 we will publish further results and details of our research project, for example on different variations of the attack,” Syss reports. “For example, our proof-of-concept video ‘Biometrics: Windows Hello Face Authentication Bypass PoC II’ shows two variants of the spoofing attack using different means.” The
000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000. So we've filled the entire observable universe with tightly-packed balls and we're still nowhere near a Googol. Even multiplying this number by a trillion, we're still short. So how can we reach the big 100 zeros? Here's a way. Imagine the entire universe full of silver balls. One second later, remove them all and replace them with another set of identical balls. Do this every second for 4,000 years. The total number of silver balls is a googol! And that's a load of balls!UPDATE: Georgia held its primary runoff on Tuesday (July 24), completing its list of candidates on both sides of the aisle for the November 6 midterms. Brian Kemp, the current secretary of state of Georgia, won the GOP Governor nomination with almost 70 percent of the votes. Democrats picked their candidates for the U.S. House Districts 6 and 7, where Lucy McBath and Carolyn Bourdeaux took the party nominations respectively. They are joining growing ranks of female candidates selected for the midterm races – an election battle of great importance to the Democrats, who are currently a minority in both the House and Senate. WHO’S NEXT? Next in line are primaries in Tennessee on August 2. Primary season for the Appalachian states is slowly coming to an end. Two more states, New York and Maryland, held their primary races on Tuesday, leaving Tennessee as the last remaining of the lucky thirteen. Both New York and Maryland are marginally represented in Appalachia in terms of the number of counties being part of the region. New York’s Appalachian southern tier represents three congressional Districts (19, 22 and 23), while Maryland’s northwestern tip is fully contained within the 6th District. You can see official Appalachian Regional Commission’s map of Appalachian counties here. NEW YORK On November 6, New Yorkers will vote for members of the U.S. House, Senate, as well as for their governor and lieutenant governor. In all three Appalachian districts of New York the GOP is currently in power. The Republican incumbents–John Faso in District 19, Claudia Tenney in District 22 and Tom Reed in District 23– all ran unopposed. The Democratic field was a little more crowded. Out of seven candidates in District 19 Antonio Delgado took the nomination by a margin of four percent. District 22 saw one uncontested Democratic candidate, Anthony Brindisi, a state assemblyman representing District 119. In District 23, Democrats had five candidates to choose. Max Della Pia and Tracy Mitrano got 32.4 and 32.3 percent of the vote, respectively. As of press time, the winner has not been called yet. New Yorkers also picked their candidates for the November 6 U.S. Senate midterms, but in these districts, the primaries were largely symbolic. Current Democratic incumbent, Kirsten Gillibrand, will face the GOP’s Chele Farley, who ran unopposed. Farley is a New York Republican operative with background in the finance industry and with Wall Street giants like Goldman Sachs. New York’s closed primaries for the state’s governor and lieutenant governor will take place on September 13. Political commentators have widely speculated that the upset in District 14, where Democratic incumbent Joseph Crowley lost the primary to 28 years old newcomer Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez could be an indicator of a generational groundswell that could challenge Gov. Cuomo’s position. The primary race for New York governor this fall will see the actress Cynthia Nixon and Greg Waltman as Cuomo’s challengers. MARYLAND Maryland’s District 6 field was crowded and interesting on both sides of the aisle. The Democratic incumbent, John Delaney, did not run in the primaries, as he focuses on his bid for the White House in 2020. Delaney’s decision not to run left the doors open for eight other Democratic candidates. David Trone won the Tuesday’s primaries with 40.4 percent of the votes. Meanwhile, the GOP had four candidates, with Amie Hoeber emerging victorious. Maryland is another state in which a crucial Senate general election will take place on November 6, a race that will prove to be particularly important for the Democrats as they try to regain control of the Senate and defend the seats they already have. Maryland, however, is considered a safe blue state. The last time the state saw a Republican Senator was in 1987. Democratic incumbent Senator, Ben Cardin, faced seven opponents and won with 80.4 percent of the votes. The second place went to Chelsea Manning, with 5.7 percent. The GOP field was packed with the total of 11 candidates, where Tony Campbell took the nomination. Last but not least, Maryland also held its primaries for the state’s governor. The GOP’s incumbent, Larry Hogan, ran unopposed, while Democrats chose from among eight candidates. Ben Jealous won the race with comfortable lead of over 10 percent over his closest opponent, getting the total of 39.8 percent of the votes. SOUTH CAROLINA AND MISSISSIPPI RUNOFFS Two Appalachian states that already held primaries (see all the primary races recaps below) held runoff races on Tuesday as well. Henry McMaster won a GOP nomination for the South Carolina’s Governor with 53.6 percent of the votes, defeating John Warren. In Districts 2,4 and 7 Sean Carrigan, Brandon Brown and Robert Williams won the nominations on the Democratic side. William Timmons was the winner of the GOP runoff race in South Carolina’s District 4. In Mississippi David Baria faced Howard Sherman in a runoff race for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate. Baria won with 58.5 percent of the votes. On the GOP side Michael Guest defeated Whit Hughes and will be the candidate for the Congressional seat representing District 3. WHO’S NEXT? Next in line are primaries in Tennessee on August 2. ––– Two more Appalachian states held their primaries on Tuesday (June 12). Voters in Virginia picked candidates to run for one of the state’s US Senate seats and all 11 Congressional Districts. South Carolinians picked candidates to run for their seven Congressional Districts, the governor and several other public offices. VIRGINIA Democratic Incumbent and Hillary Clinton’s presidential running mate Tim Kaine secured his spot on the ballot running uncontested. GOP voters picked Corey Stewart, a Prince William County supervisor. Nick Freitas, a controversial candidate with documented past of connections to white nationalists, won the nomination with less than 2 percent advantage over a member of the Virginia House, 44.9 to 43.1 percent respectively. The third GOP candidate, E.W. Jackson, secured a low 12 percent. The format of the midterm elections for several of the Congressional Districts was a little different in Virginia than in other states, with both parties holding conventions to select their candidates for the District 5, and the GOP holding conventions for Districts 6, 7 and 8. Results for these Districts are not yet available. In Districts 1 and 9 GOP incumbents Rob Wittman and Morgan Griffith ran unopposed. The Republican Incumbent from District 2, Scott Taylor, secured a comfortable win over Mary Jones, winning with 75.9 percent of the votes. The GOP did not file a candidate in District 3. Ryan McAdams took the nomination with over 72 percent of the ballots in District 4. District 10 Incumbent, Barbara Comstock, defeated Shak Hill, while Jeff Dove ran uncontested in District 11. In Districts 3, 4, 8 and 11, Democratic Incumbents Robert C. Scott, A. Donald McEachin, Don Beyer and Gerald E. Connolly respectively, ran unopposed. Districts 1, 2, 6, 7 and 10 all saw female candidates securing nominations. Vangie Williams, Elaine Luria, Jennifer Lewis, Abigail Spanberger and Jennifer Wexton will seek to win the House seats on November 6 for the Democrats for their respective Districts. District 9 went to Anthony Flaccavento who ran away with the nomination, securing over 78 percent of the votes. SOUTH CAROLINA Come November 6, South Carolinians will choose their next governor. Democrats picked James Smith as their candidate, while on the GOP side the Incumbent Henry McMaster failed to secure over 50 percent of the votes, forcing a runoff race with John Warren. Runoff races in South Carolina will take place on June 26. In Districts 2, 3, 5 and 6 the GOP Incumbents ran unopposed. Joe Wilson, Jeff Duncan, Ralf Norman and Gerhard Gressman respectively secured their spots in the November general election. Incumbent in District 7, Tom Rice, secured a comfortable victory, with over 83 percent of the votes, over Larry Hammond. District 1 was probably the biggest surprise of the entire GOP primary. Incumbent Mark Sanford lost to Katie Arrington by almost four percent of the votes. Sanford, who openly spoke against President Trump seems to have paid the political price. Arrington was endorsed by the President in the hours before the closing of the polls. District 4 will hold a GOP runoff race with Lee Bright as one of the candidates. As of press time the second candidate was not yet announced, as the votes are still being counted in a close race between the next two candidates. On the Democratic side, the only Incumbent, James E. Clyburn in District 6, ran unopposed. District 1 picked Joe Cunningham, District 3 Mary Geren and District 5 Archie Parnell. Districts 2, 4 and 7 will see runoff races. Annabelle Robertson will face Sean Carrigan, Doris Turner will run against Brandon Brown and Robert Williams against Mal Hyman, respectively. WHO’S NEXT? Next in line are primaries in New York and Maryland on June 26. ––– Mississippi and Alabama, two of the southernmost Appalachian states, held their primaries on Tuesday, June 5. MISSISSIPPI The state of Mississippi will elect one of its Senators in the general election on November 6 and the second one in a special election. GOP voters picked the incumbent, Sen. Roger Wicker, over Richard Boyanton, a small business owner and anti-establishment candidate who openly rejected donations and assistance from the Republican party, to run in the regular race. Mississippi holds a nonpartisan special Senate election, also in November, in which voters will pick a replacement Senator for the Republican Thad Cochran, who retired from the US Senate due to health issues. The Democratic field in the Senate primaries for the state looked significantly broader, with six candidates running. David Baria, State House minority leader, will face Howard Sherman in the runoffs. Three out of the four Congressional districts of Mississippi are currently in GOP hands. Out of the three incumbents, only two — Trent Kelly in District 1 and Steven Palazzo in District 4 — ran in the primaries, leaving District 3 entirely to the new candidates. Incumbent Trent Kelly ran unopposed in District 1, while Steven Palazzo won his race in District 4 against his only opponent E. Brian Rose. Democrat Bennie Thompson is the incumbent in the District 2 and ran unopposed in his party primary. The GOP didn’t file a candidate. District 3 saw a competitive race on the GOP side, with six candidates. Michael Guest and Whit Hughes will go against each other in the runoffs. Democrats presented a two-candidate field, with State Representative Michael Evans, winning the nomination. ALABAMA Alabama picked candidates for all of it’s seven Congressional Districts, as well as for governor and several other public offices, including the state’s Supreme Court. The GOP incumbent Governor, Kay Ivey, faced three other candidates (Michael McAllister, fifth name on the ballot, passed away in April) and took the nomination with 56 percent of the votes. But the Democratic field was even more crowded. Out of six candidates, the voters picked Walter Maddox, Mayor of Tuscaloosa, to represent their party. He won with 53 percent of the votes over Sue Bell Cobb, the former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, among others. Of the seven Districts, the GOP has control over six of them. In Districts 1, 3 and 6 GOP incumbents, Bradley Byrne, Mike Rogers and Gary Palmer respectively, are unopposed. In District 2, the incumbent Martha Roby will face off with Bobby Bright, former Democratic U.S. Representative, now a Republican. District 4 and 5 each had two GOP candidates. Robert Aderholt, the incumbent, won District 4 with overwhelming 81.5 percent of the votes, while District 5 also went to the incumbent, Mo Brooks, who won over Clayton Hinchman by margin of over 22 percent of the votes. The GOP didn’t have a candidate in the District 7, where the Democratic Incumbent, Terri Sewell, ran unopposed. Districts 1, 2, 3 and 4 had two Democratic candidates each, while in District 5 Peter Joffrion ran uncontested after Butler Cain dropped out of the race in February. District 6 saw Danner Kline also run uncontested. Robert Kennedy, Tabitha Isner, Mallory Hagan and Lee Auman won Districts 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively in the Democratic primaries. WHO’S NEXT? Next in line are primaries in Virginia and South Carolina on June 12, ––– KENTUCKY Kentuckians were next in line to cast their ballots in Tuesday’s (May 22) primaries. All six Congressional districts were up for grabs and both parties had candidates running in all of them. GOP politicians currently fill five of the Congressional seats. Rep. John Yarmuth is the only Democratic Incumbent who will be defending his seat on November 6. He was uncontested in yesterday’s primaries. On the other side of the aisle, districts 1,2 and 4 also saw uncontested incumbents, with James Comer, Brett Guthrie and Thomas Massie respectively getting ready to defend their seats in November general elections. In the third District, the GOP voters chose Vickie Yates Glisson to run against John Yarmuth. Glisson has experience in public service as secretary of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. She was appointed to the post in 2015 by Governor Matt Bevin. District 5 incumbent, the “Prince of Pork” Hal Rogers won against Gerardo Serrano by a landslide, getting 84 percent of the votes. Rogers earned his nickname by bringing a lot of controversial investments to his District, like prisons, with another one on the horizon to be the most expensive prison built in the history of the United States. Yet, some of the counties he represents remain consistently among the poorest in the country. He’s been in office as the fifth District’s Representative since 1981. In District 6, the GOP incumbent Andy Barr faced off with Chuck Eddy and won with almost 84 percent of the votes. He will face Amy McGrath, a marine fighter jet veteran, who defeated Lexington’s Mayor, Jim Gray, and State Senator Reggie Thomas. Here are winners of the Democratic primaries: District 1: Paul Walker District 2: Hank Linderman District 3: John Yarmuth District 4: Seth Hall District 5: Kenneth Stepp District 6: Amy McGrath GEORGIA In Georgia, voters picked candidates for all 14 Congressional Districts, State Legislature, the Governor and several other public offices. In Appalachian Congressional 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, and 14 districts all GOP candidates were incumbents, and won their respective races. In District 13 Incumbent David Scott run uncontested on the Democratic side. In the third District, Drew Ferguson defeated Philip Singleton with an overwhelming 74.4 percent of the votes. District 10 went to Jody B. Hice who defeated two other opponents with almost 79 percent of the votes. Karen Handel and Robert Woodall won GOP primaries in District 6 and 7, respectively. Handel run uncontested, while Woodall won easily, getting almost 72 percent of the votes. Lucy McBath and Kevin Abel in District 6 and Carolyn Bordeaux and David Kim in District 7 qualified for the runoffs in the Democratic races. Districts 9 and 11 saw republicans Doug Collins and Barry Loudermilk take the nominations after uncontested races. Democrats will see Chuck Enderlin running as the third District candidate, Josh Mccall in the District 9, Tabitha Johnson-Green in District 10, Flynn Brody in District 11, David Scot and Steven Foster in District 14. Brody and Foster run uncontested. In the Governor’s race primaries the Democrats elected Stacey Abrams to be the candidate in November, while on the GOP side Casey Cagle will face off with Brian Kemp in June 24 runoff. Abrams is the first African American major party nominee for Governor in the history of the United States. WHO’S NEXT? Next in line are primaries in Mississippi and Alabama on June 5 and Virginia and South Carolina on June 12, ––– Pennsylvania’s Tuesday primaries were another highly anticipated, bellwether political event this year, ahead of the November 6 midterm elections. Primaries took place after highly controversial Supreme Court ruling in January of this year that ordered a redrawing of the state’s 18 congressional districts. The new districts, previously shaped by Republican gerrymandering efforts, were intended to result in more balanced race. (Here’s the New York Times detailed map of the new districts.) Republicans’ hopes were somewhat restored on Tuesday following a blow during the March special elections in Pennsylvania’s 17th District, where Democrat Conor Lamb defeated Rick Saccone. The majority of the GOP winners this week were endorsed, strong pro-Trump candidates. Rick Saccone took a second shot at elections, taking on the State Senator Guy Reschenthaler in the redrawn 14th District. Saccone repeated his March failure and lost to favored Reschenthaler by over 10 percent of the votes. In the Senate primaries, the Democrat Bob Casey Jr. ran unopposed, while on the Republican side, Lou Barletta won the race against Jim Christiana, securing a victory with 63 percent of the votes. Barletta was endorsed early on by the President Trump, who, soon after the results were called, congratulated him on twitter. Democratic Governor, Tim Wolf will face off with Scott Wagner after defeating two opponents, Paul Mango and Laura Ellsworth by comfortable margins of around 7.5 and 25.5 percent respectively. Results in Pennsylvania’s Appalachian Congressional Districts: DISTRICT DEMOCRATIC winner REPUBLICAN winner 7 Marty Nothstein (projected) Susan Wild 8 John Chrin Matt Cartwright (incumbent, uncontested) 9 Dan Meuser Denny Wolff 10 Scott Perry (incumbent, uncontested) George Scott (projected) 12 Tom Marino (incumbent) Marc Friedenberg (projected) 13 John Joyce Brent Ottaway (uncontested) 14 Guy Reschenthaler Bibiana Boerio 15 Glenn Thompson (incumbent, uncontested) Susan Boser 16 Mike Kelly (incumbent, uncontested) Ron DiNicola 17 Conor Lamb (incumbent, uncontested) Keith Rothfus (incumbent, uncontested) 18 Mike Doyle (incumbent) — Another fact that made the Pennsylvania’s primary stand out this year was a number of female candidates running–and winning–across all 18 districts. In the 11 Appalachian districts three of the winners were female, while in all 18 districts, 8 women won their races. The current 115th Congress’ Pennsylvania caucus is all male. WHO’S NEXT? Next in line are primaries in Georgia and Kentucky on May 22. ––– First Wave of the Primaries – Roundup This Tuesday (May 8, 2018) brought the first wave of primary elections before the House and Senate midterm elections on November 6. Some of the highest profile races that grasped the attention of the national media took place in Appalachia: West Virginia, Ohio and North Carolina. WEST VIRGINIA Among the most anticipated and scrutinized races was the GOP Senate primary in West Virginia, where two mainstream Republican politicians, Patrick Morrisey (West Virginia Attorney General) and Evan Jenkins (Congressman from West Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District) faced off with an outsider, ex-coal baron and Massey Energy CEO, Don Blankenship, best known for serving a year in prison for his involvement in a tragic mining incident that left 29 miners killed. Patrick Morrisey won the race, taking 35% of the votes. Jenkins came in second with 29% and Blankenship third with just under 20%. In a rare instance of a top-to-bottom party unity, the entire GOP establishment came together to denounce Blankenship and urged West Virginia voters to reject the controversial candidate, whom President Trump portrayed as unable to defeat the Democratic incumbent, Sen. Joe Manchin III. Manchin won his party’s primary with an overwhelming 70% percent of the votes, defeating challenger Paula Jean Swearengin. The Democratic Primary race for the West Virginia’s U.S. House District 3 was another highly anticipated race, where an unorthodox candidate, Richard Ojeda pulled off a landslide victory over his opponents, with over 50% of the votes. He will face Carol Miller, the winner of a much tighter GOP primary. Richard Ojeda, a US Army veteran and a member of the West Virginia Senate, is an unconventional Democrat, whom many point out as the kind of candidate that the Democratic party might need to win back at least some of the West Virginia seats. Most notably, Ojeda can boast the support of worker unions. Recently, he has shown support for West Virginia teachers striking across the state. In West Virginia U.S. House Districts 1 and 2, the Democratic primaries were won by Kendra Fershee and Talley Sergent respectively. They will face GOP incumbents, David B. McKinley and Alex X. Mooney. OHIO In Ohio, a number of consequential primary races took place last night. Richard Cordray celebrated a comfortable win over Dennis Kucinich in the Democratic Senate primary, earning over 60% of the votes to Kucinich’s 20%. Cordray, the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, will face Republican Mike DeWine, Ohio’s Attorney General and a former U.S. Senator. DeWine defeated Mary Taylor with an almost 20% lead. GOP voters had a chance to vote for their candidate to the U.S. Senate and picked Rep. Jim Renacci (R-OH 16). He will run against the Democratic incumbent, Sen. Sherrod Brown. It was Brown who unseated current GOP’s governor candidate Mike DeWine in 2007. Renacci was endorsed by President Trump and will be at the frontlines of a contest over what is perceived as part of a lost Democratic territory. Ohioans voted for candidates in all 16 U.S. House Districts. Here are the detailed results compiled by the New York Times. Ohio voters also voted in support of Issue 1, a bipartisan proposal to change the rules for redistricting in Ohio. The bipartisan proposal is an attempt to fix the process, which has a long and scandalous history in the state. It was approved with an overwhelming support of almost 75% of the votes. NORTH CAROLINA In North Carolina voters picked candidates for all 13 U.S. House Districts. Some races, like District 1, had uncontested candidates on both sides of the aisle. Others, like District 2 Democratic primary, where Linda Coleman took the victory over Ken Romley, or District 9 GOP race, where Mark Harris narrowly defeated the incumbent Robert Pittenger, turned out to be slightly more competitive.First Giganti Redux 5: Tempo First Giganti Redux 4: Measure » Proposed Order of Defense We are now at the stage of the rapier peerage where the language for the changes to Corpora has been made public for further comments. Honestly, this feels like it is a done deal, but given the time spent getting here, it is worthy of our attention and consideration. This is a Big Deal, and, to repeat myself on the topic: “Wooooohhhhhooooooooo!” Everything herein is speculative, of course, but speculating on future events is an entertaining endeavor. I might be wildly mistaken on how things actually play out, but that’s the risk we all take when thinking about what might be. Whatever happens is going to turn out fine in the end. Glossary, page 9. DELETE [• Peerage: Collectively, the members of the Order of Chivalry, the Order of the Laurel, and the Order of the Pelican, are referred to as the Peerage. A member of any of these Orders is a Peer.] ADD • Peerage: Collectively, the members of the Order of Chivalry, the Order of the Laurel, and the Order of the Pelican, and the Order of Defense are referred to as the Peerage. A member of any of these Orders is a Peer. The thing of note here is the name of the peerage, from Order of the Masters of Defense. I actually prefer the truncated name, as before one might be correctly styled a Master of the Masters of Defense, which begins to sound like a character from Catch-22. VIII. PERSONAL AWARDS AND TITLES A. Patents of Arms 2. Order of Precedence Within the Peerage DELETE [The Crown may establish the order of precedence within the peerage according to the laws and customs of the kingdom. However, the Chivalry, the Laurel, and the Pelican, and Defense are of equal precedence and must be considered as one group.] ADD The Crown may establish the order of precedence within the peerage according to the laws and customs of the kingdom. However, the orders of the Chivalry, the Laurel, and the Pelican, and Defense are of equal precedence and must be considered as one group. This is a simply change to include the Order, but read it over a few times. Say it out loud. That is pretty fantastic. 4. Patent Orders: ADD d. The Order of Defense: (i) Members of the Order of Defense may choose to swear fealty, but are not required to do so. The candidate must be considered the equal of his or her prospective peers with the basic weapons of rapier and/or cut-and-thrust combat. The candidate must have applied this skill and/or knowledge for the instruction of members and service to the kingdom to an extent above and beyond that normally expected of members of the Society. This is where things become most interesting, as we begin to get a direct sense of what the Order of Defense entails. I have no doubt that the actual practice will be much more complex, but the description provided in Corpora will serve as the guiding light. First, the fealty option is standard. Only the Order of Chivalry adopts different titles and regalia depending on whether or not one has taken an oath of fealty. I would guess that most Masters of Defense will opt to swear fealty, and that most places will culturally encourage that. A lot of people do not realize that they can customize their fealty oath (I had about 15 minutes of notice to write mine; when fealty was presented as an optional thing, I froze up for a moment, stunned that I could have gone without it. It had always been a foregone conclusion in my mind, but I didn’t know that they weren’t all the same like our Academie oaths.), so you can make it what it needs to be for you. Second, it addresses the skill level needed to be elevated. “Equal” is actually pretty clear (eventually), in that it is not too difficult to answer whether or not someone is of approximately the same skill as you: you fight them a whole bunch and look at the results. More goes into “equal” than just that, but it is also a irrefutable starting point. If you lose to someone 70% of the time, you are not their equal. Styles and matchups create some leeway in the 60-40 to 40-60 range, but much more than that is a skill discrepancy or some other deficit in most cases. This item will be a bit odd at first as the initial group made will not have any prospective peers to be the equal of, but realistically I would say that each kingdom probably has between 10-15 fighters who really stand out, and maybe half of those are the consistent tournament winners and high performers. Many try to discount the importance of tournament success as an indicator of skill, but it seems odd to make the statement, “Lord/Lady XYZ is one of the very best fencers we have, but also never makes it past the quarterfinals and also only sometimes gets that far.” That fencer might be quite good, but is far from “the very best” by any authentic definition of “best”. I strongly suspect that the initial group elevated in most kingdoms will be those of that top 10-15 who are already peers, because they will have to poll for future peers and that guarantees legitimacy in those pollings. It stands to reason that it will be established peers who advise the Crown on who will be the first Masters of Defense to sit vigil. Third, we get a final sentence with two main ideas and a clarifying clause: it says that a Master of Defense must have applied their skill with and/or knowledge of fencing weapons for instruction or service above and beyond what is normally expected for Society members. I read that to mean that a Master of Defense has an expert level of skill and knowledge, and uses that expertise to make others better and to benefit the kingdom. It is noteworthy that the language specifies that the service to the kingdom must be related to their fencing skill and knowledge. It is also noteworthy that it must be done in a way that exceeds normal expectations; while it certainly warrants discussion, I would think of this as someone who is especially active and involved in growing and improving rapier even when compared to other White Scarves (or equivalent). (2) The duties of the members of the order are as follows: (a) To set an example of courtesy and chivalrous conduct on and off the field of honor. (b) To respect the Crown of the kingdom; to support and uphold the laws of the kingdom and Corpora. (c) If in fealty, to support and uphold the Crown of his or her kingdom. (d) To enrich the kingdom by sharing his or her knowledge and skills. (e) To enhance the renown and defend the honor of the peer’s Lady or Lord. (f) To advise the Crown on the advancement of candidates for the Order of Defense (The section on royal peerage becomes section e, etc.) Nothing here is unusual or outlandish. Ultimately, several of the peerage requirements condense (as I see it; more experienced peers may have a different view) down to the imperative to be someone who makes the experience of the Society better for others by virtue of his or her presence and involvement. That final line about advising is typical for any polling order, and nearly everyone under consideration for a peerage has probably entered into another polling order beforehand. D. Titles 4. The titles listed here are considered standard, and may be used by those who have earned or been granted the appropriate rank or award within the Society. The College of Arms publishes a more extensive list of titles and alternative forms, which may also be used freely by qualified persons. In addition, the College of Arms has full approval authority over new alternative titles, which must be added to their list before being released for use in the Society. DELETE [TITLE Master/Mistress Members of the Orders of the Laurel, the Pelican, and Mastery of Arms.] ADD TITLE Master/Mistress Members of the Orders of the Laurel, the Pelican, Mastery of Arms, and Defense. This is more straightforward incorporation. IX. Society Combat DELETE: [C. Rapier Fighting in the Society The Board acknowledges rapier combat as an ancillary activity of the Society when properly supervised by the Marshals and when approved by individual kingdoms. Rapier combat may take place within a kingdom only by rules established by the Marshallate of that kingdom and after the approval of those rules by the Marshal of the Society. The Marshal of the Society will maintain guidelines for rapier combat within the Society. Rapier combat, not having been part of formal tournament combat in the Middle Ages, shall not be a part of formal tournament lists for royal ranks and armigerous titles. ] THIS. IS. HUGE. This, as much and maybe more than anything, is wonderful: the removal of the passage about rapier as an ancillary activity means that fencing is an integral part of the organization in the same way that researching the Middle Ages is integral. If you learn the history of fencing in various kingdoms, you can see why this matters. ADD C. Royal Lists Only Chivalric (rattan) combat shall be used for formal tournament lists for royal ranks. [This last might need some explanation. The current Section IX.C is a holdover from a Governing and Policy decision from October 1979, when the Board decided that rapier combat would be allowed in the SCA as an ancillary activity. Rapier combat is no longer considered an ancillary activity and has not been for many years. Also, the duties of the Society Earl Marshal are properly defined in section VI.D. So this section is reduced to a single clear, unambiguous rule.] No kings and queens from fencing tournaments. No one was expecting rapier crowns, and I doubt too many are willing to die on that hill. Rapiers don’t really fit the Arthurian image of royalty that we have, so I’ve no argument to make against this. There we have it. I think the language works as is, and I like the focus the language gives to aspects specifically rapier-related. As I see it, all we have left to ask is: “If I want to be this, what do I need to do to get there?” Recent Posts Adding Padding to your Gloves for C&T Drills of the week #3: November 15, 2018 Drills of the Week #2: November 1, 2018 Core Italian Rapier Drills: Drills of the Week #1 Drills, Sparring, and the Happy Path Categories Categories Select Category Announcements Events Fight Psychology German HMA Giganti Italian Rapier Journal Melee Musings Newbie Question of the Week Rapier Survey Teaching and Training Uncategorized Wistric’s Weekly Warfare Archives Archives Select Month December 2018 (1) November 2018 (3) October 2017 (1) March 2017 (1) December 2016 (1) November 2016 (2) October 2016 (3) September 2016 (2) August 2016 (1) June 2016 (1) May 2016 (1) April 2016 (2) March 2016 (6) February 2016 (1) January 2016 (9) December 2015 (5) November 2015 (5) October 2015 (6) September 2015 (1) August 2015 (5) July 2015 (5) May 2015 (4) April 2015 (3) February 2015 (2) January 2015 (3) December 2014 (2) November 2014 (5) October 2014 (2) September 2014 (3) August 2014 (5) July 2014 (8) June 2014 (9) May 2014 (10) April 2014 (6) March 2014 (9) February 2014 (4) January 2014 (4) December 2013 (2) November 2013 (1) October 2013 (3) September 2013 (2) August 2013 (4) July 2013 (4) June 2013 (2) May 2013 (3) April 2013 (3) March 2013 (3) February 2013 (2) January 2013 (2) December 2012 (3) November 2012 (4) October 2012 (10) September 2012 (7) August 2012 (4) July 2012 (5) June 2012 (6) May 2012 (7) April 2012 (3) March 2012 (10) February 2012 (6) January 2012 (3) December 2011 (3) November 2011 (7) October 2011 (10) September 2011 (4) August 2011 (5) July 2011 (3) June 2011 (5) May 2011 (2) April 2011 (8) March 2011 (12) February 2011 (7) January 2011 (6) December 2010 (4) November 2010 (8) October 2010 (8) September 2010 (6) August 2010 (6) July 2010 (6) June 2010 (16) May 2010 (6) April 2010 (5) March 2010 (8) February 2010 (5) January 2010 (9) December 2009 (8) November 2009 (5) October 2009 (6) September 2009 (5) August 2009 (7) July 2009 (3) June 2009 (7) May 2009 (7) April 2009 (10) March 2009 (12) February 2009 (15) January 2009 (2)In response to massive Silicon Valley companies like Airbnb pushing them out for their bigoted ideologies, far-right figures are filling the gaps by founding their own startups. According to the Los Angeles Times, Airbnb’s cancellation of accounts hosting properties for the “Unite the Right” rally scheduled this weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia has caused some enterprising members of the right to respond as they have in the past — by ponying up the money and time for their own platforms. Silicon Valley has become the right’s new favorite punching bag following Google’s expulsion of the engineer who wrote the infamous so-called “diversity manifesto,” and their fight with Airbnb has only intensified the enmity. “We’re getting banned from using payment-processing services, so
A quarter-hour SkyTrain ride to the south, Meggs drew his City Hall office blinds and sat down for an extensive interview with The Tyee, declaring his support for a proposal to declare Vancouver a "sanctuary city" where residents can access services without fear of being deported. He revealed that the Mayor's Working Group on Immigration is quietly preparing a report which will include recommendations to council on the issue. It's likely to be submitted before the end of the summer but before November's elections. (With campaigning in full-swing, he admits, the matter won't be decided until after the polls close). A sanctuary declaration would follow in the footsteps of Hamilton this past February, and Toronto a year earlier, as well as dozens of U.S. cities starting with Los Angeles in 1979. Even though councillors had been approached by activists with Sanctuary Health Coalition last year, it was the suicide of Vega Jiménez last December after being detained by Transit Police that sparked a greater sense of urgency for Meggs. In early May, the Vision Vancouver councillor called together a private meeting of advocates with representatives from the Vancouver Police Department, Vancouver Coastal Health, and school board. But partly because TransLink and the transit police board of directors aren't under the auspices of any one municipality, they weren't invited the first discussions. "Once we heard about it," Drennan says, "we made it known that we would very much like to be a part of further discussions, and I believe that is going to occur. "We believe we should be at the table given the level of our involvement, because we encounter so many people." Meggs agrees with the need to include Transit Police in the sanctuary equation, despite jurisdictional challenges -- but for different reasons. "Transit Police are one of the main sources of friction," he argues. "Their ability to stop people and then seek ID is one of the main ways that people who are undocumented are being trapped and sent to detention." But when he approached the immigration working group, they immediately put up "flags" to swiftly passing a sanctuary policy. One concern was that a declaration on paper might be symbolic only, potentially misleading newcomers who might mistakenly assume they are immune from deportation. After all, Transit Police for example operate across 22 different jurisdictions in the Lower Mainland, not just Vancouver. "We can't just do it at the stroke of a pen," he cautions. "We could make a declaration, but that conversation would only be valid within city boundaries. "It would be very easy for someone to misunderstand where they were, given that they're relatively new to the country, and wind up in a very difficult situation." Such a Vancouver-only policy wouldn't have helped Rosales on her one-stop Surrey SkyTrain trip. According to her husband, the mother of three insisted she had validated a ticket from one of the bulk booklets he regularly bought for her. "Why didn't you just show them the ticket?" Inostroza remembers asking her, after she was given two weeks to pack her things and leave the country with a one-year ban from re-entering. "I couldn't find it in the moment," she replied. But her husband had another burning question about her arrest. "But why didn't you show your ID?" "She said, 'Because I was afraid,'" he says. "Maybe she didn't understand, I have no idea. But all her problems started in that moment." Next month, Inostroza may try again to reunite with his wife, once her ban expires. But after a year of only talking by Skype, and each partner blaming the other for the series of "mistakes after mistakes" that led to Rosales' removal, he is not sure their eight-year relationship will survive if she is rejected. "She hasn't overcome this situation very well," he says, his words heavy with disappointment. "She's keeps talking about what happened here, the mistakes she made. "I know she made mistakes. Everybody makes mistakes... If finally everything improves and I'm able to bring her back again, we are going to have a party to celebrate." Running Monday, the next feature in this Tyee series on sanctuary city will look at how Vancouver police are taking a different tack in dealing with undocumented immigrants and border services, and why they believe it could bolster their public safety efforts by reducing fears around reporting crime.3sixteen CS-100x Classic Straight Raw Denim Near the beginning of 2012, 3sixteen began dropping hints of a new cut that would be added to their denim roster. Fast forward to September 2012 and after much anticipation among fans and denim heads, the CS-100x “Classic Straight” is finally unveiled. Utilizing the signature 14.5 Oz. indigo selvedge denim from Kuroki Mills in Okayama, Japan, the CS-100x is built for those in need of a looser fit and more traditional look, but unwilling to trade off the 3sixteen feel and quality they’ve come to adore. Particularly compared to its sister cuts – the SL-100x and ST-100x – the CS-100x possesses a more liberal anti-fit and higher rise from thigh up, and straighter leg toward the leg opening. The vintage nature of this model is especially evident when looking closely at the roomier thigh and relaxed silhouette (from the knee downward). Sticking true to 3sixteen fashion as well, all of the usual hardware and fabric details are maintained. From the Tanner Goods leather patch and specially marked hardware and pocket bags, to the red line selvedge coin pocket and fly detailing, the label were careful to not muddle up this department! Note: We all make mistakes; including yours truly. Despite our efforts, we made an error when sizing the denim and thus the above description is not reflected well in the photos below. Although we can attest to the benefits and quality of the CS-100x, for a more accurate representation of the fit photos, please visit Cultizm and Woodlands. Details Name: 3sixteen CS-100x Classic Straight Weight: 14.5 oz. Fit: Relaxed-straight leg Denim: 100% cotton, raw indigo red-line selvedge denim Source: Kuroki Mill, Okayama, Japan Other: Specially marked gunmetal shanks and rivets Selvedge fly and coin pocket detailing Heavyweight natural, leather patch by Tanner Goods PhotosMany white working-class communities believe their views on immigration are being ignored, while those coming into the country are given preferential access to housing and benefits. The research by the Department for Communities and Local Government found that white working-class communities felt they had been "betrayed" and abandoned by the establishment, which no longer had their concerns at heart. The Communities Secretary, Hazel Blears, said that politicians had to start engaging with the disenchantment among poorer, white sections of society in order to combat growing "myths" over the treatment of immigrants. We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. From 15p €0.18 $0.18 $0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras. Her department's report suggested, she said, that the resentment, unfairness and disempowerment perceived by the group together with the absence of an "open and honest discussion" about immigration had created fertile ground for the far-right to exploit. Its conclusions, based on interviews with people living on council estates in Birmingham, Milton Keynes, Thetford, Runcorn and Widnes, found that while there was a high amount of disquiet over benefits given to immigrants, few of those asked had experienced regular contact with people from ethnic minorities. It said that hostility towards them was worst in deprived, working class areas because "people who have the least are more likely to be afraid of things being taken away from them". Ms Blears warned that branding the views "racist" risked alienating the communities affected even further, and called on politicians to respond to their "real and perceived sense of unfairness". "White working class people living on estates sometimes just don't feel anyone is listening or speaking up for them. Whilst they might not be experiencing the direct impact of migration, their fear of it is acute," she said. "Changes in communities can generate unease and uncertainty. These changes need to be explained and questions need to be answered or the myths that currently surround the treatment of ethnic minorities 'jumping the queue' will become increasingly hard to shift." Conservative community cohesion and social action spokeswoman, Baroness Warsi, said the report proved that New Labour had "completely lost touch with their so-called roots". "The danger for the rest of us is that this has now created a ticking time bomb of racial and class prejudice. "Amongst other things this has also demonstrated the dangers of Labour's past use of identity politics for electoral purposes." We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. At The Independent, no one tells us what to write. That’s why, in an era of political lies and Brexit bias, more readers are turning to an independent source. Subscribe from just 15p a day for extra exclusives, events and ebooks – all with no ads. Subscribe nowFor the first seating of the United States Congress, see 1st United States Congress The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates from twelve of the Thirteen Colonies who met from September 5 to October 26, 1774, at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, early in the American Revolution. It was called in response to the Intolerable Acts passed by the British Parliament, which the British referred to as the Coercive Acts, with which the British intended to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. The Congress met briefly to consider options, including an economic boycott of British trade and drawing up a list of rights and grievances; in the end, they petitioned King George III for redress of those grievances. The Congress also called for another Continental Congress in the event that their petition was unsuccessful in halting enforcement of the Intolerable Acts. Their appeal to the Crown had no effect, and so the Second Continental Congress was convened the following year to organize the defense of the colonies at the onset of the American Revolutionary War. The delegates also urged each colony to set up and train its own militia. Convention The Congress met from September 5 to October 26, 1774. Peyton Randolph presided over the proceedings; Henry Middleton took over as President of the Congress from October 22 to 26. Charles Thomson, leader of the Philadelphia Committee of Correspondence, was selected to be Secretary of the Continental Congress.[1] The delegates who attended were not of one mind concerning why they were there. Conservatives such as Joseph Galloway, John Dickinson, John Jay, and Edward Rutledge believed their task to be forging policies to pressure Parliament to rescind its unreasonable acts. Their ultimate goal was to develop a reasonable solution to the difficulties and bring about reconciliation between the Colonies and Great Britain. Others such as Patrick Henry, Roger Sherman, Samuel Adams, and John Adams believed their task to be developing a decisive statement of the rights and liberties of the Colonies. Their ultimate goal was to end what they felt to be the abuses of parliamentary authority, and to retain their rights which had been guaranteed under both Colonial charters and the English constitution.[2] Roger Sherman denied the legislative authority of Parliament, and Patrick Henry believed that the Congress needed to develop a completely new system of government, independent from Great Britain, for the existing Colonial governments were already dissolved.[3] In contrast to these ideas, Joseph Galloway put forward a "Plan of Union" which suggested that an American legislative body be formed with some authority, whose consent would be required for imperial measures.[3][4] Declaration and Resolves In the end, the voices of compromise carried the day. Rather than calling for independence, the First Continental Congress passed and signed the Continental Association in its Declaration and Resolves, which called for a boycott of British goods to take effect in December 1774. It requested that local Committees of Safety enforce the boycott and regulate local prices for goods. These resolutions adopted by the Congress did not endorse any legal power of Parliament to regulate trade, but consented, nonetheless, to the operation of acts for that purpose. Furthermore, they did not repudiate control by the royal prerogative, which was explicitly acknowledged in the Petition to the King a few days later. Accomplishments The Congress had two primary accomplishments. The first was a compact among the Colonies to boycott British goods beginning on December 1, 1774.[5] The West Indies were threatened with a boycott unless the islands agreed to non-importation of British goods.[6] Imports from Britain dropped by 97 percent in 1775, compared with the previous year.[5] Committees of observation and inspection were to be formed in each Colony to ensure compliance with the boycott. All of the Colonial Houses of Assembly approved the proceedings of the Congress, with the exception of New York.[7] If the Intolerable Acts were not repealed, the Colonies would also cease exports to Britain after September 10, 1775.[5] The boycott was successfully implemented, but its potential for altering British colonial policy was cut off by the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. The second accomplishment of the Congress was to provide for a Second Continental Congress to meet on May 10, 1775. In addition to the Colonies which had sent delegates to the First Continental Congress, the Congress resolved on October 21, 1774, to send letters of invitation to Quebec, Saint John's Island (now Prince Edward Island), Nova Scotia, Georgia, East Florida, and West Florida.[8] However, letters appear to have been sent only to Quebec (three letters in all). None of these other colonies sent delegates to the opening of the Second Congress, though a delegation from Georgia arrived the following July.[9] List of delegates See also Notes References Bancroft, George. History of the United States of America, from the discovery of the American continent. (1854–78), vol 4-10 online edition (1854–78), vol 4-10 online edition Burnett, Edmund C. (1975) [1941]. The Continental Congress. Greenwood Publishing. ISBN 0-8371-8386-3. Henderson, H. James (2002) [1974]. Party Politics in the Continental Congress. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 0-8191-6525-5. Launitz-Schurer, Loyal Whigs and Revolutionaries, The making of the revolution in New York, 1765-1776, 1980, ISBN 0-8147-4994-1 , 1980, ISBN 0-8147-4994-1 Ketchum, Richard, Divided Loyalties, How the American Revolution came to New York, 2002, ISBN 0-8050-6120-7 , 2002, ISBN 0-8050-6120-7 Miller, John C. Origins of the American Revolution (1943) online edition (1943) online edition Puls, Mark, Samuel Adams, father of the American Revolution, 2006, ISBN 1-4039-7582-5 , 2006, ISBN 1-4039-7582-5 Montross, Lynn (1970) [1950]. The Reluctant Rebels; the Story of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789. Barnes & Noble. ISBN 0-389-03973-X. Primary sources Peter Force, ed. American Archives, 9 vol 1837-1853, major compilation of documents 1774-1776. online editionNew Jersey Gov. Chris Christie delivers a speech on the second day of the Republican National Convention. Joe Raedle/Getty Images There is so much that is unprecedented in Donald Trump’s lurid, shambolic Republican convention that it is easy to become inured to each new low. On Tuesday night, the tweet ticker at the Quicken Loans Arena flashed a message from the white nationalist group VDARE: “Rep. Chris Collins has the crowd fired up against illegal immigration and for @realDonaldTrump.” At any other convention this would be a headline-making disaster; here it was just a blip. In the midst of all this ugliness, Chris Christie’s prosecutorial jeremiad against Hillary Clinton on Tuesday night, and the baying bloodlust of the audience, might seem normal. It is not normal. Christie began by criticizing the Obama administration for failing to hold Clinton accountable for her “dismal record” as secretary of state. “Tonight, as a former federal prosecutor, I welcome the opportunity to hold Hillary Rodham Clinton accountable for her performance and her character,” said Christie. The crowd erupted in chants of “LOCK HER UP! LOCK HER UP!” while Christie smiled and nodded. “Give me a few more minutes, we’ll get there,” he continued. “Here’s what we’re going to do. We’re gonna present the facts to you, you, tonight, sitting as a jury of her peers, both in this hall and in your living rooms around our nation.” A series of charges followed. Some, like Clinton’s mishandling of Libya, were at least partly legitimate. Others were bizarre. At one point, Christie faulted Clinton’s response to the mass kidnapping of schoolgirls in Nigeria, which happened after she left office. After each accusation, he asked, “Is she guilty or not guilty?” Each time, the crowd roared, “Guilty!” Certainly, there’s nothing new about Republicans hating Clinton; they’ve been doing it for decades. Nevertheless, American presidential campaigns are not typically built around the dream of jailing the opposing candidate. Prime-time convention speakers usually pay lip service to the cliché of disagreeing without being disagreeable. Convention planners have not, in the past, staged their events like fantasy show trials. They have not sought to work their crowds into ecstasies of hatred. Those chants of “LOCK HER UP!” might be common among conservatives nowadays, but we haven’t seen their like at a modern political convention. Christie’s speech was logically incoherent. Even if you buy his damning interpretation of Clinton’s foreign policy errors, it doesn’t make sense to discuss them as matters of criminal malfeasance. Emotionally, though, that’s in keeping with how Clinton’s bitterest foes talk about her: as a person of absolute corruption, who, through some sort of occult trick, moves through the world with intolerable impunity. As many people pointed out on Twitter, the way that Christie punctuated his inquisitorial brief with the crowd’s cries of “Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!” made him sound less like a contemporary politician than a magistrate condemning a witch. Hating Hillary is the great theme of this gathering. T-shirts and buttons for sale around the convention revel in it: “Hillary for Prison,” “Life’s a Bitch—Don’t Vote For One,” “I Don’t Often Hate, but When I Do… I Prefer To Hate Hillary Clinton.” It’s the one thing that binds together the GOP now that its nominee has blithely jettisoned many of the party’s central principles. It is also, in its dehumanizing fervor, inescapably intertwined with misogyny. It’s not that Republicans don’t hate men—they obviously despise Barack Obama. But their loathing of Clinton is even more primal. They want to see her not just beaten but destroyed and humiliated, dressed in an orange jumpsuit and locked away. And what we saw on Tuesday night was the delirious loathing of the torch-bearing mob. Indeed, just after I wrote the above line, Ben Carson took the stage and tried to link Hillary Clinton to Satan, via her college hero, Saul Alinsky. “Are we willing to elect as president somebody who has as their role model somebody who acknowledges Lucifer?” he asked. The Trump campaign has a way of turning dog whistles into howls, of making the subtext text; this time it happened within the course of two hours. Compared to Carson’s speech, Christie’s seems almost ordinary. In the age of Trump, what was jarring at the beginning of the night is no longer remarkable by the end. That should shock us all.The world’s best-selling book has made it to the small screen in what is thought to be the first religiously themed game show on a secular network. “The American Bible Challenge” tests teams’ knowledge of the Old and New Testaments in a quiz show interspersed with stories of the competitors and the charities they play for. The show represents a bid to tap the religious market by the secular GSN (formerly Game Show Network). The base audience is evangelicals, said consulting producer Maura Dunbar, but she hopes it will appeal to a broader audience, including nonbelievers. “I think people of faith will have a very good comfort level, and I think this is an opportunity for all of us to hopefully open up the Bible to new audiences and engagement,” Dunbar said. Comedian Jeff Foxworthy, coming from Fox’s quiz show, “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?,” will host the Bible challenge. Foxworthy describes himself as a Christian, and details attending Bible study with friends on the American Bible Challenge website. The show tests biblical knowledge in culture, history, literature and current events. In one segment, players try to differentiate “the Word of the Lord” from “the Lord of the Rings” and identify whether a character comes from the Bible or Star Wars. “We find ways to open up the biblical word to references that I think make it easy to relate to,” Dunbar said. “We had fun with the content, never poking fun at the content.” Dunbar is chief content officer of Odyssey Networks, which co-produces the show and has produced Hallmark Channel films based on Christian novels like Angela Hunt’s “The Note” and Beverly Lewis’ ”The Shunning.” The show brings together the religious message of the multifaith Odyssey Networks, the storytelling of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” producer Tom Forman, and the technical expertise of Embassy Row, which produced “The Glee Project” and “The Newlywed Game.” Religion-themed television can be a gamble for networks. ABC canceled “GCB,” after its unpopular inaugural season. Based on the novel “Good Christian Bitches” by Kim Gatlin, the show garnered controversy for its title and raunchy depictions of Christian women. National Geographic Channel’s “American Colony: Meet the Hutterites,” was accused of exploiting the Montana Anabaptist faith community, first by Hutterites outside the colony, and later by colony leaders. But some shows with religious themes have staying power. Episodes of “7th Heaven,” a show about a family with a minister father, spanned a decade. Producers face an interesting challenge in creating a Christian game show for an American audience. A 2010 Pew survey found atheists and agnostics, Jews and Mormons showed the highest levels of overall religious knowledge in the United States. Mormons scored highest on specific biblical knowledge, followed by white evangelical Protestants, atheists and agnostics, black Protestants, and Jews. White mainline Protestants and Catholics scored the lowest. A poll by the American Bible Society — which sponsors the show — found 85 percent of Americans own a Bible. About one-quarter read the Bible several times a week or every day. However, the same percentage never reads it. The majority reads the Bible less than once a month. Readers of the New International Version (NIV) translation might want to play along — it’s the official Bible of the show. Viewers can catch “The American Bible Challenge” Thursdays at 8 p.m. on GSN. Copyright: For copyright information, please check with the distributor of this item, Religion News Service LLC.LAS VEGAS – A security researcher created a cell phone base station that tricks cell phones into routing their outbound calls through his device, allowing someone to intercept even encrypted calls in the clear. The device tricks the phones into disabling encryption and records call details and content before they're routed on their proper way through voice-over-IP. The low-cost, home-brewed device, developed by researcher Chris Paget, mimics more expensive devices already used by intelligence and law enforcement agencies - called IMSI catchers - that can capture phone ID data and content. The devices essentially spoof a legitimate GSM tower and entice cell phones to send them data by emitting a signal that's stronger than legitimate towers in the area. "If you have the ability to deliver a reasonably strong signal, then those around are owned," Paget said. Paget's system costs only about $1,500, as opposed to several hundreds of thousands for professional products. Most of the price is for the laptop he used to operate the system. Doing this kind of interception "used to be a million dollars, now you can do it with a thousand times less cost," Paget said during a press conference after his attack. "If it's $1,500, it's just beyond the range that people can start buying them for themselves and listening in on their neighbors." Paget's device captures only 2G GSM calls, making AT&T and T-Mobile calls, which use GSM, vulnerable to interception. Paget's aim was to highlight vulnerabilities in the GSM standard that allows a rogue station to capture calls. GSM is a second-generation technology that is not as secure as 3G technology. Encrypted calls are not protected from interception because the rogue tower can simply turn it off. Although the GSM specifications say that a phone should pop up a warning when it connects to a station that does not have encryption, SIM cards disable that setting so that alerts are not displayed. "Even though the GSM spec requires it, this is a deliberate choice on the cell phone makers," Paget said. The system captures only outbound calls. Inbound calls would go directly to voicemail during the period that someone's phone is connected to Paget's tower. The device could be used by corporate spies, criminals, or private investigators to intercept private calls of targets. "Any information that goes across a cell phone you can now intercept," he said, except data. Professional grade IMSI catchers do capture data transfers, but Paget's system doesn't currently do this. His setup included two RF directional antennas about three feet long to amplify his signal in the large conference room, a laptop and open source software. The system emitted only 25 milliwatts, "a hundred times less than your average cell phone," he said. Paget received a call from FCC officials on Friday who raised a list of possible regulations his demonstration might violate. To get around legal concerns, he broadcast on a GSM spectrum for HAM radios, 900Mhz, which is the same frequency used by GSM phones and towers in Europe, thus avoiding possible violations of U.S. regulations. Just turning on the antennas caused two dozen phones in the room to connect to Paget's tower. He then set it to spoof an AT&T tower to capture calls from customers of that carrier. "As far as your cell phones are concerned, I am now indistinguishable from AT&T," he said. "Every AT&T cell phone in the room will gradually start handing over to my network." During the demonstration, only about 30 phones were actually connecting to his tower. Paget says it can take time for phones to find the signal and hand off to the tower, but there are methods for speeding up that process. To address privacy concerns, he set up the system to deliver a recorded message to anyone who tried to make a call from the room while connected to his tower. The message disclosed that their calls were being recorded. All of the data Paget recorded was saved to a USB stick, which he destroyed after the talk. Customers of carriers that use GSM could try to protect their calls from being intercepted in this manner by switching their phones to 3G mode if it's an option. But Paget said he could also capture phones using 3G by sending out jamming noise to block 3G. Phones would then switch to 2G and hook up with his rogue tower. Paget had his jammer and an amplifier on stage but declined to turn them on saying they would "probably knock out all Las Vegas cell phone systems." Photo: Dave BullockAnahita Uberoi and Avanti Nagral rehearse for the play. A nun gives birth to a child and claims she is a virgin, leading to a series of investigations by a psychiatrist. Advertising Can this one-line thread force a play to be cancelled, prompt the church to reach the Union Home Minister and force its director to seek police protection? Yes, it appears. Especially if the main leads “are not Christians” and one of the roles is to be played by thespian actor Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal, also famous for her other production Vagina Monologues. Three days after the Mumbai-based Catholic Secular Forum (CSF) launched a protest against Agnes of God, an adaptation by Poor-Box Productions of John Pielmeier’s controversial original, the play continues to make news for all the wrong reasons. On Friday, its director Kaizaad Kotwal, the 46-year-old son of Mahabanoo, visited the Marine Drive police station to pursue his plea seeking protection for himself and the lead cast, including his mother. [related-post] Advertising In Kotwal’s production, Avanti Nagral is to play Sister Agnes, Anahita Uberoi the psychiatrist Martha Livingston, and Mahabanoo the Mother Superior. Mother Superior Miriam knows of Agnes’s pregnancy but attempts to hide the facts. “It’s a play with very powerful roles for two women characters and in keeping with the group’s penchant for women-centric work,” Mahabanoo told The Indian Express. But CSF general-secretary Joseph Dias is not impressed. “The play has been made by a group whose earlier work is Vagina Monologues. They are not Christians and they didn’t involve or consult the Church. The play questions the sacrifice of nuns. Now, they will sell the tickets for hundreds of rupees,” Dias told The Indian Express. The church has not used the language of Dias but has still strongly sought a ban on the play, which it described as a “misrepresentation of the religious belief of the Christian community”, in a letter sent to Rajnath Singh on September 30. “The reason why the Catholic Church is against such a play is that it is the wrongful portrayal of the character of lakhs of our clergy, who are committed to a life of celibacy,” stated the letter sent by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), an apex body. Archbishop Oswald Cardinal Gracias, meanwhile, issued a statement expressing “serious reservations” about the advertisements for the play. “They distort Catholic religious concepts such as the Immaculate Conception and Virgin Birth and hence tend to ridicule tenets of our faith — without understanding their meaning. The screaming headlines and life-size cut outs of religious sisters seem to portray them as characters lacking in integrity and guilty of cover-up of infanticide. Such a depiction will lower the esteem for nuns in the eyes of children to whom nuns impart knowledge and human values,” he stated. Caught in the middle is Kotwal. “I want to ensure the safety of the cast and crew and also protect them against any impending arrest, which Dias has threatened us against several times since Monday. He has a history of igniting passions over religion, he did the same when the Hollywood film Da Vinci Code was released,” Kotwal told The Indian Express. After CSF raised objections, Sophia Bhabha Hall in Breach Candy, where Agnes of God was to be staged on October 4, cancelled the premiere as well as all other shows. Kotwal has rescheduled the premiere on October 5 for invitees at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) on Nariman Point, but has not planned any ticketed shows yet. Incidentally, there are two other productions of the same play underway in Kerala and Hyderabad. The Hyderabad-based production is being directed by Vinay Varma and is to premiere on October 9 at the B M Birla Science Centre. “We don’t know the groups behind these productions but Dias presumes they are affiliated to us… The play has been staged in Mumbai and other parts of the country before. I remember watching it as a child,” Kotwal said. Advertising The original play, the title of which is a take on Agnus dei (Latin for Lamb of God), was also adapted into a movie in 1985 with Jane Fonda as Livingston. The film opened to mixed reviews but won several Academy Award nominations.We’re excited to reveal our new crest for the 2017/18 season onwards Over the past 18 months we’ve been on a journey to better demonstrate who we are to the wider community, to try and make more of the unique aspects of Brentford FC. As a result, we’ve seen a gradual change in the way we communicate with fans of our Club and those we hope to convert into fans over time. As part of this process we have made the decision to evolve our crest, in order to make it more recognisable, iconic, and practical to use. Given that our crest is such a key element to our identity, updating it is not a decision we have taken lightly. During the past 18 months we engaged with a wide range of fans and stakeholders within the Club about our crest and received a clear mandate to look at change. We then looked to the past for inspiration and modernised a range of historic designs. The final crest design is loosely based on the crest we used from 1972-75 and the 1960s Brentford Supporters Club badge. We believe it’s simple, the clean bee design will help us become more recognisable as a Club over time and we hope you will all be proud to wear it for many years to come. “It's always an emotive subject when a club decides to change something as important as its crest but part of our club's philosophy has always been about moving with the times and improving as we go,” says Chief Executive Mark Devlin. “Myself, the Board, and the senior leadership team at the Club believe that's exactly what the change in the crest does. It's simple, it's iconic, and it immediately tells the world who we are without even the need for words. “Like everything we do at Brentford, this isn't change for change's sake, there is always a reason behind it and that reason is to give the club a clearer and more recognisable crest that will help us grow off the field. We all recognise the old crest wasn't really fit for purpose in a digital age where impact has to be instant and that's part of the reason we've changed. “This is not revolution, it's part of the Club's evolution. In the next few years, we will be taking huge strides with the move to a new stadium and the change of crest to a simpler, more striking image is part of that progress.” Peter Gilham, Griffin Park Stadium Announcer for more than 40 years, adds: “I believe that the new crest shows off to good effect, without the complexity of our current one, both our heritage and tradition. We are known as The Bees and the new badge reflects exactly that. It allows for instant recognition, and is one that I believe supporters both young and old will take to." Hall of Famer and incoming B Team Head Coach Kevin O’Connor says: "The current crest has been with me throughout my career at the Club so of course I'm a little bit sad to see it go. I understand that we need to adapt with the times and I think the new crest is really strong. It really catches your eye and says 'Brentford' a lot more instantly than our current one. “I'm sure the players will be proud to wear it and I really think the fans will love it too.” Find more background information about our shift to a new crest online here. For those wanting further information please email [email protected] and we’ll endeavour to get back to you as quickly as possible.DOVER — For some, it was art. For others, a public nuisance. Very soon, however, the well-known fixture off Interstate 4 will cease to exist. "Airstream Ranch," the popular and controversial display of RVs lodged in the ground is being torn down. The display was built in January 2007, when Frank Bates built the project near his dealership, Bates RV. Bates said at the time he was trying to honor the 75th anniversary of Airstream campers, a line of RVs known for their rounded shape. The Stonehenge-like row of RVs was instantly polarizing. While some residents complained about it, thousands supported the campers and viewed it as art. The site quickly became a tourist site. UPDATE: Iconic 'Airstream Ranch' display demolished to make room for new Airstream dealership The project immediately faced opposition from county officials. Hillsborough County Code Enforcement ruled the display violated zoning and sign restrictions and rules against debris and proper storage in 2008. Bates was fined $100 a day after refusing to remove the campers from the ground. He was ultimately victorious in 2010 when a panel of judges found the installation to be legal and reversed his fines. The county decided not to appeal the decision. Bates and his wife, Dorothy, sold Bates RV to RV One Superstores in 2013, and the dealership is now called Tampa RV. The Bateses could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Nor could a representative of RV One Superstores be reached to explain why Airstream Ranch will be no more. Times senior news researcher John Martin contributed to this report.Make you own redneck art Craft Tips by Don Burleson... December 31, 2006 It's always tough to find entertaining and educational craft activities for the kiddies. Here in North Carolina, the redneck kids make realistic gingerbread houses that look just like their real homes: A single-wide gingerbread house But let's face it, gingerbread houses get old, and the tikes crave something new, something that's both fun and exciting. The trick is to find a craft that's both fun and educational, and something that the whole family can enjoy together. The answer is obvious; redneck art. For centuries, families have enjoyed the camaraderie and joy of making alien heads from deer butts. Join the fun! Once you know the secrets, it's easy to transform an ordinary deer butt into a work of redneck fine art. Let's take a closer look at this ancient and noble craft of redneck art. Fine art Deer Butt alien heads In the world of fine redneck art, many of the top-tier deer butt aliens have been showcased by world renowned art exhibitions and galleries. Deer butt head from my private collection As collectible redneck art, the artist's choice of alien features and butt construction techniques reflects the artistic expression and inner angst of the craftsman. If you don't feel comfortable paying inflated prices for investment-quality rump art from a fine art gallery, you can find lots of high-quality animal rump art on eBay. Also, look for
855 to 4,530 square feet Cost: Starting at $240 per square foot Key features: Customizable façades, roof types, finishes, fixtures, lighting options; can integrate photovoltaic panels, wind turbines, rainwater collection, and heat pumps [More info] Size: 352 square feet Cost: Starting at $150,000 Key features: Integrated smart home devices (speakers, lights, thermostat, etc.), airy and minimal interior, built-in furnishings [More info] Flex House by Shelter Dynamics Size: 760 square feet Cost: $125,000 to $150,000 (base) Key features: Built-in seating and storage, smart home integrations, sustainability-minded features like a greywater recycline system, smart irrigation controller, and a EV charging station [More info] Size: 269 square feet Cost: $125,000 Key features: Vacuum-insulated concrete construction, smart home integration, glass wall, open-plan layout, lofted sleeping area [More info]Trump administration officials defended the president's executive order temporarily banning entry to the U.S. from seven mostly Muslim countries, but lawmakers from both parties expressed strong concern or objection. (Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post) Democrats vowed Sunday to introduce legislation to reverse President Trump’s orders implementing a travel ban from certain countries, with at least one senator saying the moves should lead to slower consideration of the president’s top Cabinet nominees. “These orders go against what America has always been about. The orders make us less humanitarian, less safe, less American,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said during his regularly scheduled news Sunday morning conference in New York as he announced that his colleagues were working on new legislation. “We’re demanding the president reverse these executive orders that go against what we are, everything we have always stood for,” he said. Schumer choked up as he described the chaos the orders had caused. Trump’s order was “mean-spirited and un-American,” he said. “It was implemented in a way that created chaos and confusion across the country, and it will only serve to embolden and inspire those around the globe those that will do us harm. It must be reversed immediately.” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Jan. 29 got emotional during a news conference in which he opposed President Trump's executive order barring U.S. entry from refugees, migrants and foreign nationals from seven mostly Muslim countries. (Reuters) “We will fight this,” he added. “Many of you may not know this — my middle name is Ellis. I was named after Uncle Ellis who was named after Ellis Island. This fight’s in my bones. It’s on my birth certificate.” Sen. Christopher Murphy (D-Conn.). (Steve Helber/AP) Senior aides said several Democratic lawmakers were working on legislative remedies. Among them is Sen. Christopher Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, who said he plans to introduce a bill that would overturn Trump’s orders by forcing him to comply with the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, which banned discrimination against immigrants on the basis of national origin. “I think ultimately this ban will be struck down by the courts, but we need to put legislation on the table that Republicans could support, that overturns the ban,” he said in an interview on Sunday. Trump “clearly campaigned on this ban but the fact that he put no thought into how it was drafted or how it would be implemented is incredibly dangerous,” Murphy added. Given that stance, Murphy said Democrats must now “force a debate” this week on Trump’s orders by slowing the consideration of all of his remaining Cabinet nominees, especially Rex Tillerson, set to serve as the next secretary of state. “We should take every ounce of time that we’re allowed on these nominees, to talk about the disaster that has been the first week of this administration especially when it comes to foreign policy,” he said. Murphy noted that the Senate quickly confirmed James Mattis, the widely respected former Marine general, to serve as defense secretary, “because he assured us that he was going to argue against the very ban he watched Trump sign. Many of us gave the president and his Cabinet a little benefit of the doubt last week. I don’t see that there’s any reason that that should continue.” “Almost every single one of these nominees try to prop up their nomination by contradicting Trump in their confirmation hearing. It’s pretty clear now that Donald Trump and Steve Bannon are running this administration and the nominees that have been confirmed thus far have been marginalized,” Murphy added. Schumer said he believed legislation could easily move through the Senate given the growing opposition from key Republicans, including Sens. John McCain (Ariz.), Ben Sasse (Neb.) and others. “If we get a few more Republicans I think we might be able to get legislation to overturn it. It’ll be up to getting more Republicans,” he said. On Saturday, Murphy tweeted an image of Alan Kurdi, a 3-year old Syrian boy who drowned as he and his parents were trying to flee their home country. “To my colleagues: don’t ever again lecture me on American moral leadership if you chose to be silent today,” Murphy tweeted.We review the Metropolis algorithm — a simple Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling method — and its application to estimating posteriors in Bayesian statistics. A simple python example is provided. Follow @efavdb Follow us on twitter for new submission alerts! Introduction One of the central aims of statistics is to identify good methods for fitting models to data. One way to do this is through the use of Bayes’ rule: If $\textbf{x}$ is a vector of $k$ samples from a distribution and $\textbf{z}$ is a vector of model parameters, Bayes’ rule gives \begin{eqnarray} \tag{1} \label{Bayes} p(\textbf{z} \vert \textbf{x}) = \frac{p(\textbf{x} \vert \textbf{z}) p(\textbf{z})}{p(\textbf{x})}. \end{eqnarray} Here, the probability at left, $p(\textbf{z} \vert \textbf{x})$ — the “posterior” — is a function that tells us how likely it is that the underlying true parameter values are $\textbf{z}$, given the information provided by our observations $\textbf{x}$. Notice that if we could solve for this function, we would be able to identify which parameter values are most likely — those that are good candidates for a fit. We could also use the posterior’s variance to quantify how uncertain we are about the true, underlying parameter values. Bayes’ rule gives us a method for evaluating the posterior — now our goal: We need only evaluate the right side of (\ref{Bayes}). The quantities shown there are $\\ \\$ $p(\textbf{x} \vert \textbf{z})$ — This is the probability of seeing $\textbf{x}$ at fixed parameter values $\textbf{z}$. Note that if the model is specified, we can often immediately write this part down. For example, if we have a Normal distribution model, specifying $\textbf{z}$ means that we have specified the Normal’s mean and variance. Given these, we can say how likely it is to observe any $\textbf{x}$. $p(\textbf{z})$ — the “prior”. This is something we insert by hand before taking any data. We choose its form so that it covers the values we expect are reasonable for the parameters in question. $p(\textbf{x})$ — the denominator. Notice that this doesn’t depend on $\textbf{z}$, and so represents a normalization constant for the posterior. $\\$ It turns out that the last term above can sometimes be difficult to evaluate analytically, and so we must often resort to numerical methods for estimating the posterior. Monte Carlo sampling is one of the most common approaches taken for doing this. The idea behind Monte Carlo is to take many samples $\{\textbf{z}_i\}$ from the posterior (\ref{Bayes}). Once these are obtained, we can approximate population averages by averages over the samples. For example, the true posterior average $\langle\textbf{z} \rangle \equiv \int \textbf{z} p(\textbf{z} \vert \textbf{x}) d \textbf{z}$ can be approximated by $\overline{\textbf{z}} \equiv \frac{1}{N}\sum_i \textbf{z}_i$, the sample average. By the law of large numbers, the sample averages are guaranteed to approach the distribution averages as $N \to \infty$. This means that Monte Carlo can always be used to obtain very accurate parameter estimates, provided we take $N$ sufficiently large — and that we can find a convenient way to sample from the posterior. In this post, we review one simple variant of Monte Carlo that allows for posterior sampling: the Metropolis algorithm. Metropolis Algorithm Iterative Procedure Metropolis is an iterative, try-accept algorithm. We initialize the algorithm by selecting a parameter vector $\textbf{z}$ at random. Following this, we repeatedly carry out the following two steps to obtain additional posterior samples: Identify a next candidate sample $\textbf{z}_j$ via some random process. This candidate selection step can be informed by the current sample’s position, $\textbf{z}_i$. For example, one could require that the next candidate be selected from those parameter vectors a given step-size distance from the current sample, $\textbf{z}_j \in \{\textbf{z}_k: \vert \textbf{z}_i – \textbf{z}_k \vert = \delta \}$. However, while the candidate selected can depend on the current sample, it must not depend on any prior history of the sampling process. Whatever the process chosen (there’s some flexibility here), we write $t_{i,j}$ for the rate of selecting $\textbf{z}_j$ as the next candidate given the current sample is $\textbf{z}_i$. Once a candidate is identified, we either accept or reject it via a second random process. If it is accepted, we mark it down as the next sample, then go back to step one, using the current sample to inform the next candidate selection. Otherwise, we mark the current sample down again, taking it as a repeat sample, and then use it to return to candidate search step, as above. Here, we write $A_{i,j}$ for the rate of accepting $\textbf{z}_j$, given that it was selected as the next candidate, starting from $\textbf{z}_i$. Selecting the trial and acceptance rates In order to ensure that our above process selects samples according to the distribution (\ref{Bayes}), we need to appropriately set the $\{t_{i,j}\}$ and $\{A_{i,j}\}$ values. To do that, note that at equilibrium one must see the same number of hops from $\textbf{z}_i$ to $\textbf{z}_j$ as hops from $\textbf{z}_j$ from $\textbf{z}_i$ (if this did not hold, one would see a net shifting of weight from one to the other over time, contradicting the assumption of equilibrium). If $\rho_i$ is the fraction of samples the process takes from state $i$, this condition can be written as \begin{eqnarray} \label{inter} \rho_i t_{i,j} A_{i,j} = \rho_j t_{j,i} A_{j,i} \tag{3} \end{eqnarray} To select a process that returns the desired sampling weight, we solve for $\rho_i$ over $\rho_j$ in (\ref{inter}) and then equate this to the ratio required by (\ref{Bayes}). This gives \begin{eqnarray} \tag{4} \label{cond} \frac{\rho_i}{\rho_j} = \frac{t_{j,i} A_{j,i}}{t_{i,j} A_{i,j}} \equiv \frac{p(\textbf{x} \vert \textbf{z}_i)p(\textbf{z}_i)}{p(\textbf{x} \vert \textbf{z}_j)p(\textbf{z}_j)}. \end{eqnarray} Now, the single constraint above is not sufficient to pin down all of our degrees of freedom. In the Metropolis case, we choose the following working balance: The trial rates between states are set equal, $t_{i,j} = t_{j,i}$ (but remain unspecified — left to the discretion of the coder on a case-by-case basis), and we set $$ \tag{5} A_{i,j} = \begin{cases} 1, & \text{if } p(\textbf{z}_j \vert \textbf{x}) > p(\textbf{z}_i \vert \textbf{x}) \\ \frac{p(\textbf{x} \vert \textbf{z}_j)p(\textbf{z}_j)}{p(\textbf{x} \vert \textbf{z}_i)p(\textbf{z}_i)} \equiv \frac{p(\textbf{z}_j \vert \textbf{x})}{p(\textbf{z}_i \vert \textbf{x})}, & \text{else}. \end{cases} $$ This last equation says that we choose to always accept a candidate sample if it is more likely than the current one. However, if the candidate is less likely, we only accept a fraction of the time — with rate equal to the relative probability ratio of the two states. For example, if the candidate is only $80\%$ as likely as the current sample, we accept it $80\%$ of the time. That’s it for Metropolis — a simple MCMC algorithm, guaranteed to satisfy (\ref{cond}), and to therefore equilibrate to (\ref{Bayes})! An example follows. Coding example The following python snippet illustrates the Metropolis algorithm in action. Here, we take 15 samples from a Normal distribution of variance one and true mean also equal to one. We pretend not to know the mean (but assume we do know the variance), assume a uniform prior for the mean, and then run the algorithm to obtain two hundred thousand samples from the mean’s posterior. The histogram at right summarizes the results, obtained by dropping the first 1% of the samples (to protect against bias towards the initialization value). Averaging over the samples returns a mean estimate of $\mu \approx 1.4 \pm 0.5$ (95% confidence interval), consistent with the true value of $1$. %matplotlib inline import matplotlib.pyplot as plt import numpy as np # Take some samples true_mean = 1 X = np.random.normal(loc=true_mean, size=15) total_samples = 200000 # Function used to decide move acceptance def posterior_numerator(mu): prod = 1 for x in X: prod = np.exp(-(x - mu) * 2 / 2) return prod # Initialize MCMC, then iterate z1 = 0 posterior_samples = [z1] while len(posterior_samples) < total_samples: z_current = posterior_samples[-1] z_candidate = z_current + np.random.rand() - 0.5 rel_prob = posterior_numerator( z_candidate) / posterior_numerator(z_current) if rel_prob > 1: posterior_samples.append(z_candidate) else: trial_toss = np.random.rand() if trial_toss < rel_prob: posterior_samples.append(z_candidate) else: posterior_samples.append(z_current) # Drop some initial samples and thin thinned_samples = posterior_samples[2000:] plt.hist(thinned_samples) plt.title("Histogram of MCMC samples") plt.show() Summary To summarize, we have reviewed the application of MCMC to Bayesian statistics. MCMC is a general tool for obtaining samples from a probability distribution. It can be applied whenever one can conveniently specify the relative probability of two states — and so is particularly apt for situations where only the normalization constant of a distribution is difficult to evaluate, precisely the problem with the posterior (\ref{Bayes}). The method entails carrying out an iterative try-accept algorithm, where the rates of trial and acceptance can be adjusted, but must be balanced so that the equilibrium distribution that results approaches the desired form. The key equation enabling us to strike this balance is (\ref{inter}) — the zero flux condition (aka the detailed balance condition to physicists) that holds between states at equilibrium.Assassin attempt had bomb close to Kennedy in 1960 On a bright Sunday morning nearly 43 years ago, a ramshackle Buick crept through the streets of Palm Beach, Fla., toward a sprawling, Mediterranean-style mansion. At the wheel was a disheveled, silver-haired madman. His aged right hand rested near a switch wired to seven sticks of dynamite. Inside the two-story stucco home was his target -- President-elect John F. Kennedy -- readying for morning Mass. Richard Pavlick stopped a short distance from the house and waited, unnoticed by U.S. Secret Service agents outside. It was decades before today's proliferation of suicide bombers, but Pavlick's plan on Dec. 11, 1960, was as simple: ram the president-elect's car and detonate the dynamite, research by The Blade of Toledo, Ohio, showed. Pavlick's suicide note had been written to the people of the United States, reading in part: "It is hoped by my actions that a better country... has resulted." The mansion's door opened. Kennedy emerged. The 73-year-old Pavlick hesitated, then relaxed his fingers. What saved the future president from assassination that day was neither the intervention of law enforcement nor a malfunction of Pavlick's device -- a bomb that the Secret Service chief later said would have "blown up a small mountain." It was timing and perhaps a moment of conscience for Pavlick. Just steps behind the president, his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, appeared with toddler Caroline and newborn John, Jr. "I did not wish to harm her or the children," Pavlick would later explain. "I decided to get him at the church or someplace later." Pavlick never got the chance: He was arrested the following Thursday by authorities acting on information about his deep hatred for Kennedy. Sticks of dynamite were found in his vehicle. Word of the assassination attempt was quickly hushed at the time, apparently by the White House and a press corps warned of the national security threat from potential copycats. Two years after the Palm Beach incident, the U.S. Secret Service Chief U.E. Baughman would begin his memoirs, in part, with Pavlick's assassination attempt. "The closeness of the call was appalling," Baughman wrote. "Hardly anybody realized just how near we came one bright December morning to losing our president-elect to a madman." For Pavlick, Kennedy represented twin evils: He was Catholic and, in Pavlick's belief, had won the presidency because of the influence and money of his father, Joseph Kennedy. And then one day, the former postal worker turned over his shack at the edge of Belmonst, N.H., to a local youth camp, loaded his few belongings into his Buick and vanished. It was the local postmaster, a 34-year-old father of six, who first became suspicious and was later credited with saving Kennedy's life. Thomas Murphy had more than a few times been on the receiving end of Pavlick's rants about Kennedy. And in the days after Pavlick's disappearance, a succession of cryptic postcards arrived at the post office from the eccentric retiree, foreshadowing a disastrous event. Murphy was startled to note that the postmarks on the postcards were from the same cities, dated the same day, as Kennedy's visits. Murphy called the local police, who contacted the Secret Service. They interviewed locals, and the montage of a madman began to form. Perhaps most terrifying, they learned he'd been buying dynamite. On Thursday, Dec. 15, 1960, Patrol Officer Lester Free spotted Pavlick's car as he cruised into Palm Beach via the Royal Poinciana Bridge. Police immediately surrounded the car and took him into custody. The vehicle was still laden with dynamite. Pavlick confessed, according to authorities and to Baughman. Ultimately found incompetent to stand trial, he was sent to a federal mental institution. Murphy, the postmaster, was honored for his work by the U.S. government, and wore the tiny pin of commendation to work and on his suit coat. First published on November 22, 2003 at 12:00 amBiotech Food Myths, Misconceptions and Misinformation -- A Response to False Activist Claims AgBioWorld June 21, 2003 ( PDF Version ) On June 15, a group of anti-biotech organic food activists calling themselves the "Independent Science Panel" issued a report called The Case for a GM-Free Sustainable World, regarding crops and foods improved using modern biotechnology techniques. That report makes a series of claims regarding bioengineered crops that is not supported by the depth and breadth of extensive scientific and economic data collected in laboratory tests, field trials and commercial cultivation over the past two decades. The following report from the AgBioWorld Foundation is a point-by-point refutation of those assertions. Myth 1. Activists say: "GM crops failed to deliver promised benefits." FACTS: Crops improved through biotechnology enjoy farmer satisfaction levels in the high 90% ranges, and these new varieties have penetrated the market at rates never before seen in agriculture. The reasons are very simple: Despite the desperate denials of activists, these crops deliver value to farmers, including lower overall costs and more efficient methods for controlling insect pests, weeds and diseases with reduced environmental impacts. This is why the overwhelming majority of farmers have freely chosen to plant biotech improved crops year after year once they try them. As a direct result of the introduction of biotech improved crops, pesticide use has been dramatically reduced, and herbicide use has shifted from older, narrow spectrum and higher toxicity compounds to the newer generation of broader spectrum lower impact formulas (see Gianessi et al. studies at www.ncfap.org). There have been no confirmed crop failures with biotech-improved crops. The rare, ephemeral case of alleged under-performance seems to be associated with the use of inferior starting varieties unrelated to the biotechnology-mediated improvement. Myth 2. Activists say: "GM crops [are] posing escalating problems on the farm. The instability of transgenic lines has plagued the industry from the beginning, and this may be responsible for a string of major crop failures. A review in 1994 stated, 'While there are some examples of plants which show stable expression of a transgene these may prove to be the exceptions to the rule. In an informal survey of over 30 companies involved in the commercialisation of transgenic crop plants almost all of the respondents indicated that they had observed some level of transgene inaction. Many respondents indicated that most cases of transgene inactivation never reach the literature.'" FACTS: Predictions of widespread problems based on this ten-year-old article have since been shown by vast experience with commercial crops to be incorrect. Commercialized biotech varieties go through more screening and scrutiny, in advance, in depth and detail, than any other new crop varieties in history. The sort of instability alleged, which does happen rarely during product development, is routinely eliminated by companies for obvious reasons. In fact, data demonstrating stable Mendelian inheritance of the transgene are required as a matter of law by regulators. Myth 3. Activists say: "Triple herbicide-tolerant oilseed rape volunteers that have combined transgenic and non-transgenic traits are now widespread in Canada. Similar multiple herbicide-tolerant volunteers and weeds have emerged in the United States." Facts: Claims that herbicide-tolerant volunteer plants have become problematic for Canadian growers of oilseed rape (known as canola in North America) are both false and misleading. Most canola growers in Canada do not have any problem with herbicide tolerant volunteers, as different herbicides or cultivation remain satisfactory control measures. Unlike conventional or organic crops, biotech improved pest resistant crops have, from the beginning, been marketed with stewardship programs in place to forestall the evolution of the type of pest resistance scientists have in fact seen with conventional and organic crops. Indeed, as the activists note in the quoted passage above, the few cases of herbicide tolerant canola (oilseed rape) volunteers includes those that have inherited the herbicide-tolerance trait from conventionally modified, rather than bioengineered varieties. Myth 4. Activists say: "Extensive transgenic contamination [is] unavoidable. Extensive transgenic contamination has occurred in maize landraces growing in remote regions in Mexico despite an official moratorium that has been in place since 1998." FACTS: It is odd that some activists find the natural process of pollen flow to be alarming when it comes from precisely improved biotech crops that require fewer pesticide sprays, but are unremarkable from conventional crops or wild plants. To use this natural biological phenomenon as a tool to foment fear represents a significant departure from anything supportable by science. IF pollen from biotech crops has carried DNA from biotech improved varieties into Mexican landraces, it is because the landrace stewards have continued their age-old practice of importing foreign genetic material as a source of new variation to use in improving the ever dynamic and evolving manmade corn varieties. The biotech traits involved, if transferred, would not present any kind of threat; instead, they would add value to these varieties by enabling the landraces to resist insect pests or herbicides. If the landrace stewards do not find these traits desirable they can easily eliminate them through selection. A pure or static crop landrace has never existed and could not exist. Myth 5. Activists say: "GM crops [are] not safe." FACTS: Crops improved through biotechnology have undergone more safety and environmental testing than any crop varieties in history, and have been produced and consumed by humans and animals in millions of tons around the world for years. They have been proven as safe as the scientific method permits, by every valid method known to science and medicine. There is, to date, not a single solitary confirmed case of human or animal illness or disease associated with a biotech crop. Nor has a single negative environmental impact been credibly attributed to biotech-improved varieties. The entire body of this vast experience has shown these crops to be at least as safe as, and in many ways safer than, conventional crops and foods. See the recent International Council for Science report (www.icsu.org) for a synthesis of the scientific studies on this topic, or refer to the bibliography of published scientific studies on the AgBioWorld Foundation website (http://www.agbioworld.org/biotech_info/articles/gen_safety.html). Beyond the safety approval of three U.S. government agencies, both the American Medical Association and British Medical Association, as well as dozens of other scientific bodies, have said that there are no food safety concerns with currently commercialized biotech crops. Myth 6. Activists say: "The principle of'substantial equivalence', on which risk assessment is based, is intended to be vague and ill-defined, thereby giving companies complete licence in claiming transgenic products'substantially equivalent' to non-transgenic products, and hence'safe'." Facts: The concept of "substantial equivalence" is misrepresented in the passage quoted above. Transgenic products are not assumed to be safe, allowing them to be exempt from safety testing. Substantial equivalence is a conclusion that can only be reached AFTER testing to ensure that the biotech improved crop is, in fact, equivalent to its conventional counterpart in nutritional and safety aspects. Myth 7. Activists say: "Dangerous gene products are incorporated into crops." FACTS: Bt proteins are used because of their excellent and well-documented specificity for narrow groups of insect pests, as well as their long history of safe use by organic and non-organic farmers. Activists inconsistently claim there are safety issues when used in biotech crops, but they make no such representations when they are used indiscriminately and without regulatory oversight by organic farmers. This appears to demonstrate that the activists do not believe their own arguments about safety. Myth 8. Activists say: "Food crops are increasingly used to produce pharmaceuticals and drugs." Facts: Food crops used to produce pharmaceutical compounds provide a highly promising way to increase the safe and effective production of vital medicines to treat crippling diseases at lower costs to producers and patients. Furthermore, scientists have vast experience deriving medicinal and industrial compounds from plant sources. Indeed, canola (oilseed rape), which is one of the most important food crops in North America, is a conventionally modified variety of the same plant species used to produce industrial lubricants that are toxic to human beings. It is disingenuous to oppose the use of biotech improved food crops for producing medical or industrial substances, while condoning the use of canola. Perhaps activists do not oppose canola consumption precisely because growers and processors have an outstanding record of safe production and segregation. Myth 9. Activists say: "Terminator crops spread male sterility. Crops engineered with'suicide' genes for male sterility have been promoted as a means of 'containing', i.e., preventing, the spread of transgenes. In reality, the hybrid crops sold to farmers spread both male sterile suicide genes as well herbicide tolerance genes via pollen." FACTS: Sterile plants, by definition, cannot leave offspring and so are incapable of "spreading sterility." Furthermore, no "terminator" plants have ever been marketed. They remain an abstract concept described in a patent application. But if some day in the future they are ever produced, or if other genetic use restriction technologies are developed and deployed, they are likely to be an excellent, safe, and robust method of mitigating potential gene flow in those rare instances where such gene flow might be undesirable. Myth 10. Activists say: "Broad-spectrum herbicides [are] highly toxic to humans and other species. Glufosinate ammonium and glyphosate are used with the herbicide-tolerant transgenic crops that currently account for 75% of all transgenic crops worldwide. Both are systemic metabolic poisons expected to have a wide range of harmful effects, and these have been confirmed." FACTS: Allegations that herbicides like glyphosate pose realistic safety threats to humans and animals are simply false, as can be ascertained by anybody who takes the time to consult the review documents prepared by government safety regulatory agencies or the toxicological literature. These compounds target cellular receptors and metabolic pathways unique to plants that are absent from animals. They have received the strongest findings of safety from regulatory agencies and none of the negative consequences alleged by activists for human health are confirmed from their use. Even the group Environmental Defense, rates glyphosate as among the least hazardous of the chemicals included in its extensive database (http://www.scorecard.org/chemical-profiles/). Myth 11. Activists say: "Genetic engineering creates super-viruses." FACTS: Recombinant DNA techniques for the first time enable researchers to study viruses in detail and in ways previously unavailable. These help scientists determine the functions and modes of action of virus genes as a prelude to developing effective new therapies and means of disease prevention. Recombination among viral strains is commonplace in nature, and this is neither new nor limited to crops improved through biotechnology. In order to ensure that biotechnology does not unwittingly exacerbate this problem, regulators routinely follow the recommendation of experts in the field and prohibit the introduction of sequences from exotic viruses into crop plants being grown outside the natural ranges of those viruses. Myth 12. Activists say: "Transgenic DNA in food [is] taken up by bacteria in [the] human gut. There is already experimental evidence that transgenic DNA from plants has been taken up by bacteria in the soil and in the gut of human volunteers. Antibiotic resistance marker genes can spread from transgenic food to pathogenic bacteria, making infections very difficult to treat." FACTS: There is ZERO EVIDENCE to support concerns that functional genes might be taken up from food, transgenic or otherwise, by bacteria in soil or the human digestive tract. Even if the antibiotic marker genes occasionally used in early biotech crops were so absorbed, they would not even be detectable against the pre-existing background of antibiotic resistance genes found widely in human intestinal flora. There is a strong consensus among medical experts in microbial antibiotic resistance that the clinical problems of antibiotic resistance stem from medical or patient mishandling of antibiotics, to which the mechanics of agricultural biotechnology are wholly irrelevant. Myth 13. Activists say: "Transgenic DNA and cancer. Transgenic DNA is known to survive digestion in the gut and to jump into the genome of mammalian cells, raising the possibility for triggering cancer. The possibility cannot be excluded that feeding GM products such as maize to animals also carries risks, not just for the animals but also for human beings consuming the animal products." FACTS: This is a totally fabricated concern contradicted by vast experience and for which there is absolutely no supporting data. Any link between transgenes and cancer is purely fictional. Myth 14. Activists say: "CaMV 35S promoter increases horizontal gene transfer." FACTS: There are no data to support this fantasy. The ubiquity of widespread natural mosaic viruses in cauliflower and its close relatives, broccoli, cabbage, canola and others, and the demonstrated anti-cancer effects of a diet rich in such vegetables, eloquently refutes this manufactured concern. Myth 15. Activists say: "[There's] a history of misrepresentation and suppression of scientific evidence." FACTS: Activist claims have been thoroughly evaluated by the community of scientists and measured against replicable findings in published and peer-reviewed literature. Their speculative and sometimes bizarre claims routinely and repeatedly fail to survive this scrutiny. This is not because evidence is suppressed, but rather because activists are consistently frustrated in their search for credible evidence that might justify their claims. Myth 16. Activists say: "In conclusion, GM crops have failed to deliver the promised benefits and are posing escalating problems on the farm. Transgenic contamination is now widely acknowledged to be unavoidable, and hence there can be no co-existence of GM and non-GM agriculture. Most important of all, GM crops have not been proven safe. On the contrary, sufficient evidence has emerged to raise serious safety concerns, that if ignored could result in irreversible damage to health and the environment. GM crops should be firmly rejected now." FACTS: This "conclusion" has been shown to be false in each of its several components by the preceding refutations. The facts are that crops improved through biotechnology have, in advance of their use, been subjected to more rigorous scrutiny, in depth and detail, than any others in history. Wherever farmers have been allowed access to such crops they have adopted them at unprecedented rates and inspired the highest levels of farmer loyalty because they deliver value on multiple levels, to the farmer, to the environment, and to consumers. In the end, if genuine and systemic agricultural problems have arisen from, or ever do arise from, biotech enhanced crops, then farmers will abandon them. The fact that farmers continue to embrace bioengineered crop varieties provides ample evidence that they HAVE been beneficial to the farm. And the fact that the overwhelming majority of scientists, as well as every major scientific organization that has evaluated the safety of biotech crops, find them to be as safe as or safer than conventional crops, provides ample evidence that health and environmental issues have been adequately addressed.“Every time I come up here, I feel invigorated,” he said. “I love this place. I mean, this is, this is, where I spent my life.” Joe Biden seemed to be joking around with a few reporters after a visit to the Senate in order to preside over a vote on a cancer research bill named after his son. Speaking to the scribes after the ceremonial appearance, he waxed sentimental and got hit with a question that was either craftily planted or a complete surprise. “Are you going to run again?” CNN producer Ted Barrett asked. “Yeah, I am,” Biden, 74, replied. “I’m going to run in 2020.” “For what?” Associated Press reporter Alan Fram asked. “For president,” he said, deadpan. “What the hell, man.” “What the hell, man?” seems to be evidence that he is just toying with the idea. NBC News reporter Kelly O’Donnell warned him: “We’re gonna run with that sir, you know.” “That’s okay,” he said, deadpan again. Later, Fram followed up with Biden: “Just to be clear, were you kidding about running for president in 2020?” Biden paused and laid his hand on a Washington Post reporter’s shoulder. (According to NBC News reporter Hallie Jackson, the pause lasted four seconds, an eternity when speaking to reporters.) “I’m not committing not to run,” he said. “I’m not committing to anything. I learned a long time ago fate has a strange way of intervening. Anyway, nice to see you guys.” While it is possible that Biden is planning a run and made sure that the question got asked, the four-second pause gives me pause. I think his last statement, that “fate has a strange way of intervening,” is what is really going on in his mind and heart. He sees that his party has very few strong candidates for national office right now. The bench is so empty that Biden, even though he would be 77 on inauguration day 2021, may be the best alternative for the party claiming the loyalty of the young. Four years is time to build up a “fresh new face” for the Democrats to hype as the next Obama. Keep an eye on Kamala Harris, elected to the Senate with 63% of the vote in California. She's female, articulate, and biracial (Indian/African-American), and good-looking enough to add a bit of glamor to her marketing package. The media branch of the Democratic Party has a lot to work with, building her up over the next four years. If Soros gets behind her, the sky’s the limit.If you want an extremely light and powerful business laptop with a generous display, Lenovo has two compelling 14-inch options in the ThinkPad X1 Carbon and the ThinkPad T460s. Both ThinkPads offer durable, MIL-SPEC-tested chassis, strong performance and high-res screen options. Neither system is cheap, as the T460s starts at $980 and the X1 Carbon base model goes for $1,142, but both notebooks justify the premium for demanding users. Which 14-inch, lightweight ThinkPad is best for you? To help you decide, we've pitted the ThinkPad X1 Carbon
in 1 Latest Price -3 aluminum wands -9 diamond tips -2 spray bottles -2 packs of filters 22 in/Hg +good customer service +adjustable suction power +professional exfoliation -poor suction -bad quality of the tips -poor instructions 1 year Kendal HB-SF02 Latest Price -2 wands -9 diamond tips -240 filters -2 cylinder oil filters -rubber rings -power cable 28 in/Hg +strong suction power +good package +proper customer care +good results -no LCD screen -basic manual instructions 1 year Microdermabrasion at home is a beauty procedure that everybody has heard of at some point, but many don’t know exactly what it does or how it works. We can see the results of this procedure on celebrities who usually spend tons of hours and money in spas, to perfect their skin. But what do we do if we don’t have their amount of money to spend? Or we are just very careful not to easily throw away that hard-earned money, but we still want to look good? Well, luckily, some people thought about us, too and came with Microdermabrasion at home devices. Also, check out our guide on the best home laser hair removal devices and best hair straighteners 2019. Best Microdermabrasion Machines Now You can read our buyer’s guide further down this page if you want to learn more about microdermabrasion at home. Silk’n ReVit Review – Best At Home Microdermabrasion Device Best Price >Amazon How does it work? Silk’n Revit uses a diamond tip for exfoliating the skin to eliminate the dead cells, and then it vacuums all the dead cells and dirt resulted so it cannot enter again in your skin and clog the pores. What accessories come with it? The machine does not come alone, but in a package that includes some accessories meant to help you in the process. However, the package is quite small compared to other microdermabrasion machines for home usage. In the kit are included: 1 power adapter 1 manual 30 filters 3 diamond tips The tips come in three different forms, so you will have a coarse tip, a precision tip, and a fine tip, that can be used for different areas. Suction power The suction power of this device is 6 in/Hg which is quite small, compared to other machines that can go up to 28 in/Hg. However, many customers report that this power is enough for creating good results. Comfortable & easy to use The machine is really easy to use, and because of its small, compact size (15 cm), it is great for traveling and carrying around. You can just throw it in your bag and have it wherever you go. Pros and cons of microdermabrasion An advantage of this machine is that it will not harm your skin, comparing to other devices. It is gentle and works on any type of skin, including sensitive ones. Plus, the customer service is really good, and stay at your disposal for any questions you might have about the product. On the negative side, the machine does not remove blackheads or whiteheads, which is unfortunate as many persons are trying to get rid of them. Also, some customers report that it takes longer to see results, especially in comparison with other microdermabrasion at home machines. To conclude Silk’n Revit is a good product, recommended by many persons. Moreover, the price is really accessible and the replacement parts are cheap as well. PMD microdermabrasion – Trophy Skin Rejuvaderm MD Review How does it work? Rejuvaderm MD uses a dual-action therapy including diamond tipped exfoliation and suction of the dirt resulted. The suction will help in increasing the blood flow to the epidermis, so the collagen and elastin will be faster recreated. It can be used on face, neck, chest, feet, hands-so basically all over the body. What accessories come with the machine? The machine comes in a kit together with other useful tools such as a diamond tip, a pore extraction tip, an infusion tip, a power adapter and of course an instructions manual Suction power The machine is very small and you would think the suction power is the same, but you will be surprised to find out that the maximum power is 22 in/Hg, which is much more than ordinary microdermabrasion at home machines who have around 16 in/Hg. There are also 4 power levels of suction. Comfortable & easy to use Rejuvaderm MD is really easy to use, even by new users. All you have to do is place the head of the device on your skin and move it around the area selected. An advantage of this machine is that it works really fast. For example, it will take about 5 minutes to treat the face. Warranty The product comes with a standard 1-year warranty, which is the same in the case of much other microdermabrasion at home machines. Good vs bad An upside is that the machine is really small (20 cm) which makes it perfect for traveling and carrying around. Besides, it is a dual voltage which is even better. The machine also works fast and offers good results, which are both important factors to consider when purchasing a machine. Unfortunately, the package is quite small and does not offer a lot of accessories. This means you will have to buy the additional ones yourself, and the downside is that they are not really cheap. To conclude Rejuvaderm MD from Trophy Skin is a valuable machine for at home microdermabrasion. Its small size is a nice touch and the results are really good compared to other machines available on market. Best Price >Amazon One of the best at home microdermabrasion machine NewPollar Portable Home Review How does it work? This portable microdermabrasion machine by NewPollar exfoliates the skin with the use of a diamond tip and vacuums the pores in order to result in a healthy and beautiful, new skin. What accessories come with it? The device comes in a kit that includes 4 diamond tips, and adapter, a wireless charger, and the instruction manual. The diamond tips have different forms. The first tip, the course one, removes the dead cells in a more aggressive way, while the second one removes them gently and unlike the first one, this works without problems on sensitive areas. The third one is the precision tip, and it removes blackheads. And finally, the fourth tip strongly removes dead cells, while repairing the skin functions. Suction power This device does not have a great suction power-it can only go up to 10 in/Hg. And this is quite low considering there are some machines with a maximum of 28 in/Hg. However, the standard ones come with a medium power of 10-16 in/Hg. Even though the strength is not very high, the machine does its job and offers good results in the end. The power can be adjusted on two levels: low or high, based on your preference or the sensitivity of the area treated. Comfortable & easy to use The machine is quite easy and comfortable to use, especially due to its small size. Besides, it is very lightweight and compact, so it is perfect for traveling, meaning that you can stick it in your bag and have it all over you go. Good VS bad The icing on the cake is that the machine is so small and practical and many buyers confirm the easiness of using it. There are some positive aspects of it such as the LCD screen included and the 1-year warranty. Also, it is great that the device can be used not only for the face but also for neck, chest, hands and works well on stretch marks. On the negative side, some customers are complaining about the poor instruction manual that is poorly written and tedious to read. Unfortunately, some of them consider that the suction power is not enough and would have preferred a higher one. To conclude New Pollar Portable Home Microdermabrasion machine is a handy device, easy to be used, that offer good results in the comfort of your home. Plus, the price is really accessible, and the value received is decent. Best Price >Amazon NuBrilliance Microdermabrasion Reviews Best Price >Amazon How does it work? NuBrilliance is a non-invasive procedure that exfoliates the dead skin and rejuvenates the skin below the old one. It uses a diamond tip which provides a better exfoliation than other types of machines. What tools come with the machine? This product does not come with the best package, meaning that not a lot of extra tools are included. However, the kit contains the necessary utensils so you can already start using the machine. So, there are included 1 wand, 3 diamond tips, 30 filters, a DVD with the instructions and of course the machine itself. While the DVD is a nice touch as it will help you better understand how the machine works, we think a big turnoff is the number of the filters included. Because let’s be honest, they won’t last too long and it’s you who needs to get new ones. Plus, they are really expensive and you can only use the one from this brand…unfortunate. The diamond tips come in different forms. There is a fine tip that can be used for face and neck, a grit one that can be used for the body and a precision tip that works well on sensitive and delicate areas. Suction power The maximum suction power of this machine is 16 in/Hg, which is the typical power for many other machines. It is relatively good power, as it is enough for creating good results. In fact, many persons prefer a low power than a high one, which can be too aggressive, especially on sensitive skin. Ease to use The machine is quite easy to set up and use, and it is also comfortable. Being very light can be a positive aspect for some, as it can easily be carried around. However, some people don’t like this aspect and consider that it is not solid, but instead easy breakable. Warranty The product comes with a great warranty of 3 years. And this is great thinking that it might be possible to encounter some problems with the machine. This way, you can simply return it or repair it. Pros and cons of microdermabrasion device NuBrilliance is a machine with a very nice aspect which leaves good results. An advantage is that you can adjust the suction power until you reach the desired level. Also, the warranty is a good bonus. Unfortunately, many customers complain about the fact that it gets clogged after a few uses and they are having troubles with the suction. As this is an important aspect, you need to be very careful and always check it and clean it properly. You can decide if this machine is what you are looking for or if you are going to search more. In any case, please feel welcomed to leave me a comment with any questions you might have, tell me about your good or bad experience or simply if you want to get in touch. We are always here to talk with our beautiful readers. Top At Home Microdermabrasion Kit – Trophy Skin MicrodermMD Review How does the machine work? Microderm MD uses the same technique as many other microdermabrasion systems. It removes the dead cells from the top layer of the skin using diamond fragments, and then it vacuums all the dead particles so they cannot enter again on your pores. Therefore, at the end of the process, a new, healthier skin will be revealed. What accessories come with the machine? The product comes in a kit with various other tools that will help you make the procedure successful. There are included: a silicone hose (5 feet long) 100 filters- the same size 1 diamond tip 1 infusion tip- which helps with the application of serums and creams 1 blackhead extracting tip a cleaning brush A disadvantage of this kit is that there is only one diamond tip, while other machines have 6 or 9. However, it is a pretty good kit with quality accessories. Suction power This is a really important aspect of a machine as it can decide the success or failure of the procedure. The maximum suction power of this machine is 22 in/Hg and it goes up on 8 different levels, which is good power, considering that the most microdermabrasion at home machines have a standard power of 16 in/Hg. Comfortable & easy to use This aspect is where Microderm MD is by far the best machine. There are two modes: an automatic one and a manual one. As you probably guess, the manual mode lets you be in control of the timing, while the automatic mode will guide you through the process and different powers will be used for different areas. This mode is a quite unique feature as the others have only the manual one. So, we see it as a great bonus. Good vs bad A great aspect is the 3 years warranty, which is the longest period encountered by us on this type of machines. Also, there is great customer service, which can help you with any possible issue related to the machine. There is an LCD screen that will help you a lot when using the automatic mode. Plus, the machine is compact size, so it is excellent for traveling. On the other hand, the machine is quite expensive and the parts that need to be replaced (filters) are expensive as well. Also, in case you want to get some specific tips, it will also cost you good money. One of them costs 35 $ which is quite insane in our opinion. To conclude Microderm MD is great microdermabrasion at home machine which offers really good results. We definitely believe it is one of the top machines thanks to the features included, the high suction power and the accessories it comes with. Best Price >Amazon Kendal microdermabrasion Kit – Kendal HB-SF01 and Kendal HB-SF02 Review How do they work? Both machines work in the same way. They remove the dead top layer with the help of the diamond tip, then they vacuum all the particles resulted and any other dirt. Basically, they eliminate the ugly, old skin and reveal the fresh one- which will make you look younger and better. What tools come with the machines? Each of the two machines comes in a kit that includes a lot of tools, which means you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get them yourself. The tools are quite the same for both packages, only the filters quantity being different. There are included 2 wands, which is perfect in case you lose one (I say lose because it’s pretty hard to break it) 9 diamond tips 2 cylinder oil filters that enhance the filtering effects. Kendal HB-SF02- 240 small filters Kendal HB-SF01-360 filters (240 small and 120 large) The diamond tips come in 3 sizes: small, medium and big. Each of the sizes has a course, a medium and a fine tip which can be used for different areas. The suction power This feature is a very important aspect, and the bigger is the suction power, the better is the machine. Well, both machines can go up to 28 in/Hg which makes them the most powerful microdermabrasion machines for home usage. Comfortable and easy to use Kendal HB SF01 and Kendal HB SF02 are very easy to use even by new users. In case you’re having any troubles, the manual instructions will guide you through the process. SF01 is lighter, weighing only 5 kg, therefore, being very easy to carry around and transport. Meanwhile SF02 weights 8.5 kg which makes it a bit more difficult to carry. So, you can consider which one you would prefer, considering how often you are planning to move around the machine. Warranty The products have each a 1-year warranty, which is a standard one in many cases. Other machines come with a longer warranty, but they are also more expensive than these ones. Good VS bad SF01 and SF02 are two machines with quality diamond tips, high suction power and come with two very good packages. The price is also quite accessible, compared to others and the value received is high. The difference of the price between the two machines is not so significant, however, it has to be mentioned that SF01 is cheaper than SF02. On the other hand, none of the machines have an LCD screen which can be a disadvantage especially for new users, as no information is displayed. Also, some buyers are claiming that the instruction manuals of both machines are poorly written and could include more information. In fact, some customers hurt themselves while using one or the other machine, because they did not pay good attention to the instructions. So, you have to be really careful to read them and apply what it says, and preferably watch some tutorials in order to be ready to use the machines properly. Conclusion Kendal HB SF01 and Kendal HB SF02 are the most powerful machines available on the market for at home microdermabrasion. They provide good, fast results and treat a wide variety of skin issues. Both of the machines have a lot of good reviews, and many satisfied customers are recommending them. Among the users are also some professional estheticians who report the good quality of the devices. Best Price >Amazon New spa microdermabrasion – NEW SPA Home Review How does it work? NEW SPA Home exfoliates the skin by removing the dead cells from the skin and eliminating them by sucking them up. What tools come with it? The machine does not come alone, but with all the necessary tools so you can start using it properly. The kit has included 2 wands in case you lose one, a silicone hose that connects the vacuum to the wand, 9 diamond tips, 100 filters (50 of 10 mm and 50 of 16 mm, a facial cleanser and an after-treatment serum. You will also find replacement O-rings which purpose is to keep the diamond tip fixed into the wand. The diamond tips come in three different sizes: large, medium and small. Also, each size contains 3 forms of tips: 1 course, 1 medium and 1 fine. You can change the tip depending on the area you are treating, for example, the large tip works best on body areas, while the small one works best on the face. Suction power The maximum suction power of this machine is 16 in/Hg, the same as most ordinary devices for home usage. While is not the highest, this machine gives good results. The power can be adjusted depending on the area you are treating or your level of sensitivity. Comfortable & easy to use NEW SPA Home is quite easy to use. However, it can be tricky to set up the machine, so most probably, you need to follow the manual instructions. After setting up the machine, all you have to do is to move around the wand in the area you want to treat and wait for it to exfoliate your skin and vacuum the dirt. Warranty The machine comes with a 1-year warranty which is the same for most of them. It is not the highest period, but it still can be well used in case any problems appear. Good vs bad NEW SPA Home is a solid machine, that comes in a convenient case and with a decent package. It has a pretty good suction power and delivers good, fast results. The machine is also good when traveling due to its small, compact size. Unfortunately, the machine does not have an LCD screen and it can be inconvenient for some. Also, it can be tricky to set up or use for new users especially, and some of the customers say that the manual instructions are poor. To conclude NEW SPA Home is a good machine that delivers professional results in the comfort of your home. If you think this machine is what you need, then go ahead and get yourself one. It will pay itself over time thanks to the results provided. Best Price >Amazon Zeny 3 in 1 Microdermabrasion Machine Review How does it work? This machine has three built-in functions: diamond microdermabrasion therapy, vacuum therapy, and spray function. First of all, it exfoliates the skin with the help of a diamond tip and after this, it vacuums all the dead cells through suctioning tubes. After peeling and vacuuming, the refreshing spray will help in calming down the skin. What tools come with the machine? Zeny 3 in 1 comes in a pretty good kit that contains what you need, not only for starting but also for having a decent number of treatments. There are included 3 aluminum wands, 9 different diamond tips, 2 spray bottles, and 2 packs of filters (50), small and big ones Suction power The suction power of this machine is a quite good one, namely 22 in/Hg. Even though there are other machines with a higher suction power, this is much better than ordinary ones who have 14-16 in/Hg. An advantage is that the power can be adjusted to the desired level. Comfortable & easy to use The machine is pretty easy to use, but unlucky, it is complicated to assemble the kit and the instructions don’t help a lot as they are poorly written and focuses more on how to perform a microdermabrasion session, then on assembling the machine itself. Warranty Zeny 3 in 1 comes with a standard warranty of 1 year which is not the highest but still good compared to others. We encountered machines with only a few days (30-60) of warranty, which is basically useless. Good VS Bad One positive aspect is that the diamond tips offer a really good exfoliation. The customer service is on the good list as well. One exclusive aspect is the spray function that will refresh and calm down the skin. Many professional estheticians recommend this machine. In fact, if you browse a bit you will find plenty of positive reviews from them. On the other hand, there are also some negative aspects such as the poor manual guide. There are many reviews of the customers that complain about the fact that the manual lacks information and they had to watch plenty of tutorials in order to clarify things. To conclude Zeny 3 in 1 is in the category of professional microdermabrasion systems, being tested and approved for providing good results. We believe it is a keeper due to the good results and for its robustness. PMD microdermabrasion and Neutrogena microdermabrasion are also good choices, but the ones we have presented here are better. Best Price >Amazon What is it microdermabrasion? PMD Microdermabrasion kit is a non-invasive treatment that exfoliates the skin for leaving it bright, smooth and rejuvenated. It is known for being the most efficient anti-aging treatment that someone can get. The procedure has low risks, a fast recovery, and it is also painless. Microdermabrasion at home is a technique that can be done in the comfort of your home. What is great about this technique is that anyone can use it, no matter the age, the skin texture, the skin color or the problem area that needs to be treated. A microdermabrasion machine will remove the dry, dead cells and suck up the dead skin particles. By doing this, the upper layer of the skin will be eliminated and the fresh skin without clogged pores, scars or lines, will be revealed. Once, the old skin is removed, the skin care products will be more effective and will leave the skin smooth and clean just as we all want it. Microdermabrasion devices are easily accessible now and their costs have also decreased a lot over time. So, it’s much easier for you to get perfect skin, then it would have been for your mom, let’s say. How often to use it? In case you wonder how often you should use the machine, let me tell you first that it has to be used more often than it would be in professional salons and spas. For getting good results, you have to use it weekly, or even daily. Most people use it weekly for the first sessions, and then change it to a monthly routine. However, it depends on the tolerance of your skin and also on how fast you want to see the final results. Anyway, you will be able to observe that your skin is smoother already after the first treatment. In case this does not happen, it means that your machine is a scam and you must return it immediately. Microdermabrasion for the body This procedure is not only used for the face, but also for the body. Persons who use it on the body benefit from the same results as for facial treatments, which is smooth, healthy and bright skin. Many persons use microdermabrasion for stretch marks as it has been proved that the procedure increases the collagen production and reduces the appearance of stretch marks. Microdermabrasion facial benefits Microdermabrasion is effective for many skin problems. An efficient machine will help you to: Can reduce fines lines and wrinkles Can help reduce scars and marks (including liver spots) Can make a rough, dry skin smoother Diminish the size of the pores Microdermabrasion for acne, redness or inflammation Reduce hyperpigmentation, also known as age spots. Reduce blackheads and whiteheads Microdermabrasion for stretch marks As you can see, there are actually a lot of issues that can be improved with these machines. But, maybe you still have some doubts about this technique, so we decided to show you what the others think about it and why it is actually good to do it at home, rather than in a clinic. Is microdermabrasion at home worth it? There is no secret that professional clinics and salons use advanced technology that most of the time, gives flawless results. However, at home machines have their advantages. They are great for persons who suffer from sensitive skin, as they are gentler and don’t cause severe reactions. Meanwhile, the professional treatments use more power and because of this, they can cause skin irritations and breakouts. In fact, 7 out of 10 persons that have used at home microdermabrasion are satisfied with the results and recommend it further to others. You can check all the reviews by yourself here. Now if you are decided that you want to try this procedure, there is one more question-how to pick the best machine? This includes a lot of aspects that you should pay attention at, as you don’t want to get a useless product that won’t make any change for you, other than less money in your pocket. In fact, the secret of having great results with at-home microdermabrasion is to pick the right machine. How to pick a home microdermabrasion machine? As I said, there are some aspects that are important to look at when choosing a machine of this type. We investigated and came with this list that will undoubtedly help you pick the best one that will suit you perfectly. So, browse carefully through it and enjoy the learning process! 1. What is its suction power? After the dead skin is separated from the fresh one, the dead cells have to be removed immediately and this will be done through suction. The higher is the suction power, the better are the results. As I said before, at home machines have less power than the professional ones. To be more precise, a machine used in a clinic would have around 28 inches/Hg(Mercury), while an at home machine usually has 16 inches/Hg. However, this should not be a problem if you pick the right one, as 16 in/Hg is enough for proper treatment. Besides, more and more brands are designing professional home machines whose power can go up to 28 inches/Hg, so it’s going to be even greater using microdermabrasion at home. 2. What comes with it? A microdermabrasion unit does not come alone but in a kit. This kit usually contains all the necessary tools so you can start to use the machine. Most products come with an instruction manual, that answers all the important questions, an adaptor, replacement filters and perhaps extra tips. The more things are included, the better, as you don’t need to spend a lot of money to get them yourself. So, when looking for your ideal machine, make sure to take a look at what is included in the set. 3. What kind of tips does it have? There are two types of microdermabrasion machines: diamond ones and crystal ones. Nowadays, the diamond tipped machines are preferred over the crystal ones for multiple reasons. The crystals can get messy and also cause skin irritations, while the diamond tips are better for sensitive skin, more comfortable and also provide a better exfoliation. In fact, the best at home microdermabrasion machines are diamond tipped. The exfoliation of the skin is one of the two processes involved in the microdermabrasion procedure, so you understand how important it is that the machine you want to use has a quality diamond tip. Now, make sure to check this aspect when you are deciding on your next machine. 4. How long will it last? Of course, we all want a machine that will last forever, but this is not quite possible. However, we can get good products that will last for some good years, while we get the desired results. If you are decided to invest in a microdermabrasion machine, be ready to pay a good amount, as usually the more expensive products are better and meant to last more. Pay good attention to the materials that the machine is made of. You don’t want one that is made of cheap plastic and feels more like a toy for kids, rather than a cosmetic device. 5. How easily can it be used? I usually like complicated things, but if I have to choose, I would rather have my movie like that, than my skin care machine. And I am sure you all agree with me. Nobody wants a machine that is too difficult to be used, too heavy, too uncomfortable… you name it. So, make sure that you don’t get one that requires you to read tons of instructions and watch hundreds of tutorials until you figure out how it works. Don’t get one that is uncomfortable to handle, either, as it will be a struggle for you over the time, to treat your skin. Instead, get one that works without difficulty, is comfortable, easy to clean and makes you enjoy the procedure, not hate it. 6. What warranty it has? A warranty is the most important aspect that can keep you away from losing money. In case you get a bad product that does not work properly or gets broken after a few uses, you need the warranty in order to repair the product or get your money back. Make sure to read carefully about the warranty, its length, and the limitations. At the same time, read as many reviews as possible, because you can see there what the existing customers say about it. Microdermabrasion side effects Microdermabrasion is a safe procedure and there are only minor possible side effects. They can be for example skin redness, sensitivity, tightness or bruising. However, these effects usually pass shortly. Aggressive Microdermabrasion treatments may cause bleeding or severe bruising, so be very careful about how you use the machine. Also, if you are on any medication, it is preferable to consult your doctor, as this can restrict the procedure or damage the skin if treated. FAQ Are there any age limitations? While there is no strict limitation, microdermabrasion can work best on persons between the ages between 14 and 65. Can microdermabrasion prevent wrinkles? Yes, it can prevent early wrinkles and lines by slowing down the thickening of the skin. Can microdermabrasion be used for oily skin? Definitely. Microdermabrasion can be used for any type of skin. Moreover, it will help the skin to become less oily. Will there be any downtime? One of the advantages of this procedure is that it has no downtime. You can go back to your ordinary routine and apply any beauty product immediately after you finish the treatment. Who should avoid microdermabrasion? The procedure is not recommended for persons who have deep scars, active acne, sunburns, active rosacea or keloids, eczema, warts, unstable diabetes or skin cancer. Does medical insurance pay for microdermabrasion? Unfortunately, no. microdermabrasion is considered a cosmetic and it is not covered by traditional medical insurance companies. To conclude If you have skin problems and want to get rid of them, stop worrying, the solution is easier than you think. You don’t have to spend lots of money to go to professional clinics, you just have to buy one of this miraculous microdermabrasion machine for home use. The procedure has been tested and approved to be safely used by anyone who wants to perfect their skin. At home microdermabrasion machines have been used by many persons over the time which managed to treat various skin issues. In case you have sensitive skin and problems may occur, you might want to consult a dermatologist first and then start the procedure. Now, if you are decided that you need a microdermabrasion machine, just check my reviews for the best products and start on the road to perfect, flawless skin. Learn more on WikipediaUbuntu 13.04 “Raring Ringtail” may have technically hit beta 1 a few weeks ago, but at the time there was no beta release to test and try out. Rather, the only variations with actual beta images to see were Edubuntu, Kubuntu, Lubuntu, UbuntuKylin, Ubuntu Cloud, Ubuntu Studio, and Xubuntu. Users hungry for a taste of the next main release of Canonical's popular Linux distribution can now get their fill, however, thanks to a second beta release that just came out, complete with software to download and take for a spin. The Wubi installer (Click image to enlarge.) The final version of Ubuntu 13.04 is due for launch on April 25, and we've already learned that it will receive support for the newly shortened period of nine months rather than 18. In the meantime, this last beta version of the free and open source operating system is available for download on the Ubuntu site. Here's a rundown of some key highlights. 1. Goodbye Wubi Wubi, which is short for Windows-based Ubuntu Installer, has long been a fixture in the Ubuntu world, offering users an easy way to install Ubuntu on the same disk partition as Windows. With this final beta version of Ubuntu 13.04, however, Wubi is no longer included. “Due to various bugs in Wubi that have not been addressed in time for this Final Beta, the Ubuntu team will not be releasing the Wubi installer with 13.04,” the software's Technical Overview explains. Whether Wubi is gone for good isn't clear. In any case, its absence doesn't mean it's no longer possible to try out Ubuntu without repartitioning your Windows system. Instead, you can use a live system, booting from either a Live DVD or a Live USB, for example. 2. Upstart User Sessions Also included in the final beta version of Ubuntu 13.04 is a "tech preview" of Upstart User Sessions, which allow the Upstart system to supervise a user's desktop session. The feature is currently disabled by default, but it can be manually enabled for testing. 3. Ubuntu GNOME Fans of Ubuntu may remember that the GNOME remix spin was recently made an official flavor, and with this beta version Ubuntu GNOME 13.04 is now available for testing. It includes GNOME 3.6 along with Firefox, the Ubuntu Software Center and Update Manager, and LibreOffice instead of Abiword and Gnumeric. 4. Updated packages Last but not least, a variety of freshly updated packages are available in this last Ubuntu 13.04 beta as well, including Python 3.3, Upstart 1.8, and the 3.8.0-16.26 Ubuntu Linux kernel, which is based on Linux 3.8.5.Former Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside has confessed that the dimple at the back of the Nexus 6 was originally intended to play host to a fingerprint sensor. Back in 2011, Motorola was a pioneer in bringing fingerprint recognition to its Atrix 4G smartphone, however the company it used then, Authentec, was purchased by Apple a year later for a price of $356 million. Authentec was, in Woodside's judgment, the best supplier around, and "the second best supplier was the only one available to everyone else in the industry and they weren’t there yet." So, with Apple snatching up the best, and the rest not being good enough, the Nexus 6 was left without biometric authentication. The decision not to implement a second-rate fingerprint sensor was probably the right one for Motorola and Google. Devices like the HTC One max have shown what the alternative is: a slow and buggy experience that puts users off trying to use the feature at all. Apple's Touch ID fingerprint scanner, on the other hand, is consistently accurate and fast and sits in a more comfortable spot at the front of the device. It might have been nice to see that same functionality in the Nexus 6 as well, but that exclusivity over the best technology in the market is what Apple paid millions of dollars for.Hi guys! I have tons of things to say and I should really make this an announcement but since I have already finished chapter 21, I figured I may as well squish it all in one post. Scroll down if you really want to read the chapter. I’d like to introduce a new translator, his name is Eric and he’s going to start translating SLKD! He will translate as he pleases on his free time so do not ask when it will be released in a mean way or force your will upon him! Just be happy that someone is willing to pick it up since it was on hold before he magically appeared from the shadows of the interwebs. His exact words: I could probably translate SLKD if you need a translator for that. Read a bit ahead and it seems interesting enough for me. Let me know if you’re interested, I’m feeling free since I’m done my finals so I want something to kill time with. I’m one of those people who checks their “hobby” email once a week so I did not notice that someone had donated! When Eric first signed up for SLKD, I saw my first donation!! Again, I would like to thank all the readers of this blog from the bottom of my heart whether you have donated or not. I made this wordpress on a whim and the donation button on a whim as well. I do not really use paypal so I had to make a paypal account to even make the button.
iessen, a career program officer for Rockefeller Foundation. He said AGRA was not ruling out GMOs and if and when they were introduced it would be with all the appropriate "safeguards." After AGRA was criticized for not having any Africans, Kofi Anan was named Chairman in 2007. He first said GMOs were out of the picture, the next day he recapitulated. Last Spring, Joe DeVries, who runs the AGRA seed program was asked by a Worldwatch blogger if they were engaging in genetic engineering. "Read our lips," said Joe DeVries. "We are not promoting or funding research for GMOs (genetically modified organisms)..." In fact, in Kenya alone AGRA has used funds from the Gates Foundation to write grants for research in genetically modified agriculture. Nearly 80% of Gates' funding in Kenya involves biotech and there have been over $100 million in grants to organizations connected to Monsanto. In 2008, some 30% of the Foundation's agricultural development funds went to promoting or developing genetically modified seeds (See Ending Africa's Hunger).. More to the point is that--as Monsanto and Gates are fully aware--to establish a healthy GMO industry one first needs a strong conventional breeding program in place: labs, experiment stations, agronomists, extensionists, molecular biologists... and farmer's seeds. All of which Gates, Rockefeller, Monsanto and AGRA are actively lining up. They also need the power of U.S. government funding. That is where the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Casey-Lugar come in. USAID is now headed up by former Gates employee Rajiv Shah. The Casey-Lugar Global Food Security act ties foreign aid to GMOs. When the Gates Foundation places a bet, they like to hold all the cards. Africa's seeds are a potential windfall investment for Monsanto. Regardless of the philanthropic side of its intentions, cloaked in the sheep's clothing of AGRA, the Gates Foundation is moving stealthily opening African seed market to global corporations. When the research, extension, and U.S. foreign aid is all in place Monsanto will swoop in for the feast.Matt Hickey Charged with Multiple Counts of Rape Matt Hickey has been charged with three counts of rape in the second degree. Jensine Eckwall Matt Hickey, the tech journalist and former Stranger freelancer accused by multiple women of rape, has been charged by the King County Prosecuting Attorney with three counts of rape in the second degree. The charges, filed in King County Superior Court today, contain allegations from three women, including two women The Stranger wrote about earlier this year. Within the charging documents is a Seattle Police Department report that includes allegations against Hickey from a total of five women. Washington State defines second degree rape as being "when the victim is incapable of consent by reason of being physically helpless or mentally incapacitated." "Based on the prolific nature of the defendant's rapes, the danger to the community, and the amount of prison time faced by him if convicted, the State requests bail set in the amount of $200,000," the charges read. The Stranger, which was cited in the charging documents, published the first public accusations against Hickey in June. That piece, "The Audition," detailed stories from six women who said Hickey told them he was working with a female porn recruiter, and asked them to audition for them. Three of the six women told The Stranger that Hickey then had them have sex with him under the guise of auditioning for a porn shoot. They never received work as a result, and later discovered that the online profile of the female porn recruiter had actually been a fake composite of identities stolen from two other women. Not long after the first piece came out, three more women came forward to accuse Matt Hickey of rape. These women told The Stranger that Hickey got them blackout drunk and raped them while they were unable to consent. Hickey denied all of the allegations. When one woman accused Hickey of having sex with her multiple times while she was unconscious, Hickey told The Stranger that "even back then in my 20s I sadly didn't have that kind of stamina." One of the alleged victims, who did not want to be identified, told The Stranger: "'I'm relieved and very pleased that they're going forward with the arraignment and making efforts to get him off the streets." Hickey's arraignment will take place at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 27 at the King County Courthouse. I'll be there.BLACKPINK and MAMAMOO have swept the charts with their comeback releases! On June 22 at 6 p.m. KST, the two four-member girl groups both put out new releases: BLACKPINK dropping their track “As If It’s Your Last,” and MAMAMOO sharing their song “Yes I Am” off their new mini album “Purple.” As of June 23 at 7 a.m. KST, BLACKPINK’s “As If It’s Your Last” held the top spot on six Korean realtime charts: Genie, Bugs, Naver, Soribada, Olleh, and Monkey3. At the same time, MAMAMOO held the No. 1 spots on Melon and Mnet’s realtime charts with “Yes I Am,” with their success on Melon being particularly significant as the site holds 50 percent of the market share. Congratulations to BLACKPINK and MAMAMOO on the success of their new songs! Source (1) (2)Since 2010, Rob, a community member has been developing Mojo. Mojo is an application which can improve your DAoC client experience. Rob is also known as robbie1687 on PostCount.net and is responsible for Gaheris.net, DAoC-Trophy-Mobs.com and DAoC-TOA.net. This post will show you different ways you can launch your DAoC character with the Mojo application to bypass the login and server selection screens and get straight into your character and is the second in series looking at Mojo features. Setup Account In order to launch a character, Mojo needs to know about your game account. After setting up Mojo you can do the following: From the accounts tab right-click the accounts area and press “Add account to Mojo”. Enter your account username and password and then press the “Show More” button. Important Note You should always be very careful with where you enter your usernames and password in applications or online, you will have to make your own mind up about whether or not you want to use this application. Do some research, check out others feedback on Mojo. In the end you will have to trust that Rob has written a clean application and will continue to do so. Setup Characters In order to launch a character directly, Mojo needs to know about them. You can manually add or import toons. Manually add a toon Enter the information yourself. From the “Favourite toons” tab or “All toons tab” right-click on the blank area of the screen and select “Add a toon to Mojo”. Fill out the information to add a toon, “Favorite” allows you to launch from the system tray. Automatically add a toon Use the game files to grab active character names, realms and servers. From the “Favourite toons” tab or “All toons tab” right-click on the blank area of the screen and select “Import toons from game files”. You will be presented with a list of toons that have been launched on your account, Double-click on an item in the list to add it to Mojo. The toon name, server and realm will automatically be filled out, select the game account and press “OK”. Launching by Shortcut Mojo can create a shortcut on your desktop that will load up a DAoC character immediately bypassing the login, server selection and character selection screen. From the “All toons” or “Favorite toons” tabs an icon representing the toon will be displayed, right-click the icon and select “Create desktop shortcut”. You will find the icon on your desktop, the icon will be representative of the realm of the character. Double-click the icon to launch straight to your character. Launching with Mojo You can launch your character directly from within Mojo itself. From the “Favorite toons” or “All toons” tabs, right-click the character and press “Launch”. Launching from System Tray When Mojo is loaded, there is a blank icon in the system tray, right-click the icon to see the Mojo menu, you can Launch toons flagged as favorite from this menu. Related LinksNovember 23, 2013 — andyextance In 1963, using one of the world’s first transistor-based supercomputers, Syukuro Manabe was supposed to be simulating how Earth’s atmosphere behaves in more detail than ever before. Instead, the young US Weather Bureau scientist felt the frustration, far more common today, of a crashed system. But resolving that problem would lead ‘Suki’ Manabe to produce the first computerised greenhouse effect simulations, and lay the foundations for some of today’s most widely used climate models. After growing up during the Second World War, studying in bomb shelters, Suki entered the University of Tokyo in 1949 to become a doctor like his father and grandfather. The same year Japanese physicist Hideki Yukawa won a Nobel Prize, and helped drive many students into his subject, including Suki. “I gradually realized, ‘Oh my God, I despise biology,’” he told interviewer Paul Edwards in 1998. But to start with, he wasn’t very successful in his new subject. “At the beginning my physics grade was miserable – straight C,” he recalled. Those grades came about because Suki’s main interest was in the mathematical parts of the subjects, but he hadn’t been thinking about what the maths really meant. When he realised this he concentrated on the physics he found most interesting, in subjects related to the atmosphere and oceans, and his grades started to improve. “By the time I graduated from geophysics and went on to a Master’s course at the University of Tokyo, I was getting a pretty solid way of thinking about the issues,” he said. Suki went on to get a PhD, but when he finished the kinds of jobs in meteorology he was qualified for were hard to find in Japan. But he had applied his interests to rainfall, in an approach known as numerical weather prediction pioneered by scientists like John von Neumann, Carl-Gustaf Rossby and Bert Bolin. Another leader in the field, Joe Smagorinsky, was looking at rainfall in a similar way, and had read Suki’s research. Joe was setting up a numerical weather prediction team at the US Weather Bureau in Washington, DC, and in 1958 invited Suki to join him. Their early models split the world into grids reaching into the air and across its surface, calculating what happens within and between each cube as today’s versions still do. But Joe wanted Suki to go further in preparation for the arrival of a transistorised IBM ‘Stretch’ computer in 1963. Joe wanted to develop complex system models that included the role of water movements, the structure of the atmosphere, and heat from the Sun. In particular Joe wanted to push from simulating two layers in the atmosphere to nine. Breakdowns averted So as well as adapting to the US, and fixing the programming mistakes that arose, Suki had to develop new ways to simulate climate physics on their existing computers. For example, he had to create ‘parameterisations’ from direct measurements to stand in for processes smaller than the cubes in his grid, making them as simple as possible. Under these combined stresses, Suki came close to a nervous breakdown, avoided only narrowly thanks to the arrival of less error-prone programmers. When the Stretch machine arrived in what had become the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) its response to the calcuations was similar to Suki’s. It became unstable and crashed. And Joe was suddenly away a lot, organising the Global Atmospheric Research Programme alongside Bert Bolin and others, which would collect data needed to build better models. That left Suki in charge of trouble-shooting, feeling bad that the expensive new computer was sat around idle. So he started simplifying the calculations enough to get it working. “I just single-handedly tossed off some complexity every time he was travelling,” Suki remembered. One element of the physics their general circulation model (GCM) needed was the greenhouse effect, not to study global warming, but to simulate how heat spreads through the atmosphere. “Greenhouse gases are the second most important factor for climate, after the Sun,” Suki explained. “They warm Earth’s surface by as much as 30°C.” But modelling the greenhouse effect using approaches concentrating on heat radiation from some of the scientists most important in highlighting it, like Guy Callendar, caused big errors. Including the magnifying effect of water vapour into the radiative heat budget of the Earth’s surface, sometimes doubling CO2 would cause 10°C cooling, other times it would cause 15°C warming. The problem, Suki realised, was that the models needed to look at more than just heat energy in the form of radiation. Scientists had recently realised that processes related to clouds, called cumulus convection, moved heat upwards from the Earth’s surface into the low atmosphere above, the troposphere. When water vapour in clouds turns into rain it releases latent heat, which can cause a temperature rise known as sensible heat, in the upper troposphere. Suki therefore included cumulus convection and large-scale atmospheric circulation, which also helps heat flow upwards in similar ways, in his models. 500K – what does that get you today? Doing this was so complicated at the time he and teammate Richard Weatherald used a single column of air to model the whole planet’s atmosphere. But the approach, published in 1967, did provide a stable early answer to the question of what effect doubling the level of CO2 in the air would have. They found the amount of warming at Earth’s surface this caused, known as climate sensitivity, would be around 2°C. That was just a third of the first estimates made by Svante Arrhenius. The approach was basic, and without more data it couldn’t be confirmed, but it was a start. Up to that point, Suki’s atmosphere models had been kept separate from ocean models built elsewhere in GFDL by Kirk Bryan. But because oceans can store a lot of heat energy global warming is slower than it would be without them. This fact made Kirk and Suki realise they had to come together. They set up a calculation that would first work out the condition of the atmosphere, then use the results of that stage to model ocean processes. Then, in a final stage it allowed interaction between the atmosphere and ocean. It needed to be simple, as the Univac 1108 computer they were now using had just half a megabyte of memory – smaller than most modern digital photographs. As a result the calculation had to be run for 50 days continuously. That marathon effort would be selected as one of the top 10 achievements in NOAA’s 200 year history in 2007. Running the model for weeks on end took both optimism and vigilance. The scientists monitored it closely to ensure factors like heat and water vapour levels stayed in balance worldwide, Suki told me. “Although we did our best to construct a bug-free program, it is practically impossible to prove that it is absolutely bug-free,” he stressed. Their success marked a turning point in his career – afterwards he would focus more on using ocean-coupled models to study global warming than building them. And though what can be done with climate models has progressed greatly since then, other elements remain remarkably similar. “Thanks to the remarkable advancement of computer technology, the computational resolution of models has improved greatly,” Suki said. “Meanwhile, parameterisation of sub-grid scale processes, like cloud-microphysics, land surface processes and sea ice dynamics, has become much more detailed. However, the basic model structure remains unchanged.” This is the first part of a two part profile. Now read part two. Further reading: Apart from the quotes in the last two paragraphs, which are from questions I asked Suki directly, all the quotes in this blog entry are from an interview of Suki Manabe by Paul Edwards on March 14-15 1998, published by the Archives for the History of Quantum Physics Collection, Niels Bohr Library & Archives, American Institute of Physics, College Park, MD USA. They are copyrighted by the AIP, and used here with its permission. This year I’ve already written about the following pivotal climate scientists who came before Suki Manabe, or were around at the same time: Svante Arrhenius, Milutin Milanković, Guy Callendar part I, Guy Callendar part II, Hans Suess, Willi Dansgaard, Dave Keeling part I, Dave Keeling part II, Wally Broecker part I, Wally Broecker part II, Bert Bolin part I, Bert Bolin Part II Syukuro Manabe and Richard T Wetherald (1967). Thermal equilibrium of the atmosphere with a given distribution of relative humidity Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences DOI: 10.1175/1520-0469(1967)024 Syukuro Manabe and Kirk Bryan (1969). Climate calculations with a combined ocean-atmosphere model Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences DOI: 10.1175/1520-0469(1969)026 Spencer Weart’s book, ‘The Discovery of Global Warming’ has been the starting point for this series of blog posts on scientists who played leading roles in climate science. AdvertisementsUnited States Yvonne Selke and Emily Selke Jen Psaki, the State Department spokeswoman, confirmed that three Americans had been killed and identified two of them as Yvonne Selke, 58, of Nokesville, Va., and her daughter, Emily Selke, 22. In a family statement, Raymond Selke, Ms. Selke’s husband, said: “Our entire family is deeply saddened by the losses of Yvonne and Emily Selke. Two wonderful, caring, amazing people who meant so much to so many.” Yvonne Selke, who was taking a European vacation with her daughter, was an employee of Booz Allen Hamilton in Washington for nearly 23 years. “Yvonne was a wonderful co-worker and a dedicated employee who spent her career with the firm supporting the mission of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency,” which coordinates satellite-based mapping for the Pentagon, said a company statement released by Betty Thompson, an executive vice president. in May 2014 and said she was “a great friend, a caring member, and able to make us all smile.” The younger Ms. Selke was a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts and an alumna of Drexel University, where she studied the music industry, according to her LinkedIn page. At school she was a member of a sorority, the Zeta chapter of Gamma Sigma Sigma, that named her " member of the week"Disclaimer: RWBY and all affiliated characters/titles belong to Rooster Teeth, those wonderful geniuses. After Yang made her decision to speak with Nora about the other night, it seemed as if a large weight had been lifted from her shoulder. She had the ability to think clearly about things, and to think of things other than Nora. She knew this clear headed state might not last and so buckled down to get some school work done. There was a report due in Dr. Oobleck's regarding the use of fire and other passive methods of destruction against Grimm nests and an essay in Professor Port's class regarding the exploits of various Huntresses and the effects these expeditions had on the standing of Huntresses in the hunting community, their contribution to the rise in popularity of hunting among women as a profession and the acceptance of women by the previously male dominated occupation. Their dorm was an incredibly quiet place to study when Ruby wasn't around and when Yang was being quiet. She and Blake both kept to themselves for the rest of the evening, Blake quietly reading a book on her bed and Yang plowing through the research necessary for the two assignments. She would still catch herself occasionally though, hearing a door handle click or the sound of heavy footfalls padding down the hallway. She would cock her head towards the door and listen, again hoping and dreading that it may be Nora. She had made up her mind to speak with the other girl about what had happened but she wanted to do it on her own terms, and definitely wanted to have the conversation in some sort of privacy. After an hour or two of work Yang was beginning to tire of schoolwork, having made significant headway she decided it might be time to head down for some food. She had skipped lunch after all. She pushed back from the desk slightly and stretched her arms above her head with an exaggerated yawn. "Hey Blake, wanna head down for some food? I never ate earlier." Yang twisted her chair about to glance at her partner. "Hmm?" Blake took a moment to mark her place in her book and looked up, "Oh no thank you. I was actually getting lunch when I ran into Pyrrha. I've already eaten." with that she returned to her novel. "Okay, I'll see you when I get back up then." Yang swung her legs down and practically jumped to her feet. She really was feeling better now that she had made a decision. She turned to the mirror and corrected her shorts and blouse slightly, they had been pushed into odd positions while she studied. She ran a quick hand under her hair, ensuring it was all falling in the right places and headed out the door with a quick wave to her partner who was again deeply engrossed in her book. She twisted through the door as she waved, backing into the hallway and spinning about as she closed the door. As she turned she was met with a sight which very much threw her off her current good mood. Nora was headed down the hallway, most likely also going to grab a bite to eat. Yang quickly considered darting back into her room, her hand still on the knob but hesitated, not wanting to run from a problem. Nora stopped and turned at the noise of Yang's door closing. "Yang, oh my Oum, where have you been?" the redheaded girl waved from her end of the hallway, only a couple yards away. Yang forced out a good natured laugh and smiled, she headed down the hallway to meet up with her. "Oh you know me, at the gym mostly. I've been getting in some bag work." Yang caught up with her and they matched pace going down the hallway. "You should have told me. I've been wanting to spar with someone outside my team." Nora delivered a playful jab to Yang's shoulder as they reached the stairs, Yang turned to retaliate but Nora stuck out her tongue and jumped on the railing, sliding down the whole flight and far out Yang's reach, "Catch me if you can, slowpoke." Nora but her thumbs in her ears and waggled her fingers about, shaking her tongue at Yang. She then went sprinting out of the dorm building's front doors. Yang looked after her for a second, feeling that warmth again that she was having such trouble explaining and then went tearing down the steps. She took the first six steps two at a time, then grew frustrated with that pace and leapt the rest of the way down in a single bound. She blew through the door and stopped outside to see where Nora had gone. She saw her hair bobbing away off towards the dining hall and went tearing after her. Yang pushed hard, doing her best to close the gap between the two, but found that without her gauntlets to speed her along the smaller girl was much faster than her. When Yang thought she was catching up, Nora glanced back, stuck her tongue out and just ran faster than Yang could and disappeared around the side of a building. Yang knew where she was headed though and so came barrelling into the dining hall. The doors slammed open as she skidded to a stop in the roughly half-full lunch area. Yang scanned the crowds, trying to find a patch of bright red hair moving amongst the crowd. She finally found her amongst the other students waiting in line. Nora was holding two trays, bouncing slightly from side to side on her heels, as if listening to music. Yang jogged lightly over and tapped her on the shoulder. Nora turned quickly and gave a yang a cool stare. "Oh. Now you decide to show up. You took so long I thought you had decided not to follow me. I was so hurt Yang." Nora turned her head up and away with a huff. Yang was taken aback at first, but saw Nora open one eye slightly and a grin start to spread on her lips, "Hah! I got you didn't I?" Nora started laughing and handed Yang one of the trays. Yang took the tray and laughed too, happy the tension had broken. Why was she so worried about what Nora thought of her? "Where did that come from?" they stepped forward and Yang was hit with delicious smell of cooking meat, she hadn't realized how hungry she was. "Well," Nora leaned in close to Yang and glanced around warily, "You can't tell anyone, but I've been practicing my Weiss impression for a while. How did I do?" Yang lurched her head away, she realized that Nora had sounded just like her sister's partner, not in tone of voice, but definitely in what she said. "I'd say you've got it spot on." they stepped forward again and Yang could see the food past Nora's shoulder, "Oum I'm starving. I don't think I've eaten all day." "Really?" Nora tsked and shook her head side to side, "Well that just won't do." She grabbed Yang by the shoulders with both hands, pinching the still empty tray between her arm and torso and spun Yang so she was in front, "There, now you are one person closer to food." Yang mocked a deep bow. "Oh thank you, you've saved me from starvation." she looked up from her bow, grinning at her laughing friend. Just then the line slid forward again and gave Yang and Nora access to the food. Yang began piling plates of red meat and breads on her tray. She grabbed some bread and began eating it right there in line. Nora stacked a very similar meal on her plate and then added a small boxed salad. Yang saw the salad and quirked an eyebrow. "Salad Nora? Really trying to maintain that girlish figure aren't you?" Yang laughed and took another bite of the roll she had started as they waited for the line to slide forward again. "Pfft no." Nora waved a dismissive hand at Yang, "Ren told me I have to eat at least one vegetable thing with every meal or he will make me drink that terrible juice stuff he makes." "Ahh I see. Well then let me suffer with you," Yang grabbed another of the salad boxes and crammed it into place alongside her other food. The line slid forward and Nora lit up, seeing the chef put down a fresh slab of meat, cut into thin slices. She and Yang hungrily took most of the new piece, leaving an exasperated cook trying to keep up with the voracious appetites most students at Beacon sported. The two girls flashed him uneasy smiles and he just shook his head, returning to the kitchen. "At least we get steak too." Nora set the tongs down and looked at her tray. There was a healthy amount of meat, nearly half the slices of steak, four large pork chops, a pile of cut and buttered bread, a mass of dinner rolls and her salad. Yang realized Nora had about as much food as she did and smiled, the girl could eat too. They looked about the cafeteria and found an empty section of benches. They made their way over and plopped down across the table from each other. Nora immediately began digging in and Yang followed suit. They tore at the food hungrily, only stopping really to cut the pork chops, everything else being manageable the way it was. For a while they just ate, not stopping to speak. Yang finally stopped as she finished a roll and swallowed to clear her throat. "So Nora, what's the deal with you and Ren?" Yang quickly took another piece of steak into her mouth, using it as an easy excuse to not have to explain her question. Nora didn't hesitate in her answer though. "Ren's great. He's been like an older brother ever since we met. Every part of it too, he's fun and nice but also makes me eat things like this salad," Nora poked the unopened plastic container with her fork and returned to stuffing herself with porkchop. "So you've been together a long time?" Yang was running out of food now and wanted to get through the tough part of this now. Nora swallowed hard and looked off to the side to think for a moment. "Yeah, it seems like we've known each other like forever. I can't imagine not having him around. We're like family." Nora smiled and then looked down at her plate, her smile dropped a little as she saw how little was left. "So it's like you're already married?" Yang didn't take another bite, this was the big question and she waited on edge for Nora's response which didn't take long. The girl's head shot up and she locked eyes with a very nervous Yang. "What?" a deep red blush filled her freckled cheeks, "Umm, no, no way. We're not like together like that. I don't - he doesn't - we aren't 'together-together'," she looked at the table in front of her and mumbled under her breath a little, "Why does everyone think that?" Yang smiled and immediately hid it under another bite of pork chops. If they weren't together then there was still a chance at something else here. Yang would have to tread the next few steps very carefully. "Oh I'm sorry," she swallowed most of her food, trying to seem nonchalant about the whole deal, "I didn't mean anything. I guess I just, well everyone just kinda figured you two were a couple." "That's okay. Like you said, basically everyone thinks we are." Nora lifted and dropped her shoulders with a heavy sigh, "Oh well, there's only one thing left to do." Yang's face fell a little, worried that Nora felt the sudden need to dispel these rumors about her and Ren, she went to speak but caught herself when she heard a distinct plastic popping noise. She looked down and saw Nora had opened her salad. The redhead was staring forlornly down at the pile of green leaves and veggies. There were a few croutons and a smattering of thin slices of ham sprinkled throughout. Yang smiled, relieved and slid her salad over and opened it as well. Nora heard her box open and looked up, "You're really gonna eat a salad with me? You don't have to." "Nope, we're in this together. Come one, gotta get to it or we never will." Nora smiled as Yang plunged her fork into the crisp greens and began eating. She dove in as well, obviously not wanting to be outdone by the blonde across from her. In just a few moments the two had cleaned the little clear containers out, there wasn't a lot to them to begin with. The salad had been fine, a varied assortment of crisp greens, a few cherry tomatoes, even croutons and ham to liven it up for those like Yang and Nora who weren't the biggest fans of salad. Yang left her plastic fork in the box and pushed it away. Nora threw her arms up in the air with a giggle. "Hurray we finished!" She then lowered her eyes on Yang and got very serious, "Now we can get ice cream." Yang's face split into a grin and she stood, Nora followed suit, jumping up onto her bench, she put one foot on the table and pointed heroically off into the distance, To ice cream!" The two girls then made their way, laughing, across the dining hall to a soft serve machine in the corner by the other desserts. Beacon's cafeteria usually had a pretty decent spread of deserts, seasonal pies or little sweets, lots of baked goods which Ruby was absolutely in love with, but one thing that never changed was the soft serve machine. Just vanilla or chocolate and a nozzle in the middle that swirled the two together. You could get it in cones or bowls depending on your preference and there was a small collection of toppings off to the side. Nora darted in and grabbed two cones, handing one to Yang, "Alright Yang. This is a test." "Oh it's a test? What kind of test is that?" Yang stepped forward and pulled the lever for chocolate, letting a neat swirl fall into the cone, spinning and twisting her wrist slowly so it fell in an even pile on top of her cone. Nora leaned over and held her head close to the machine, intently watching Yang's process, flitting her eyes between the descending ice cream and Yang's face. Yang stopped when the ice cream came to a point and looked to Nora, the girl's face was unreadable, she stared intently at Yang, waiting. Yang slowly moved over to the toppings, which would Nora expect her to use? She saw sprinkles, chocolate chips, little bits of cookie dough; did Ruby know they had those here? She had no way of knowing what Nora expected of her and so she just went for what she would like and put a very small amount of sprinkles on top of her pile of ice cream, adding a dash of color to the otherwise brown tower. She turned and saw Nora still watching her, "Hey, I know I'm gorgeous and all but are you gonna get any or just stare at me all day?" Nora failed to stifle a loud giggle and managed to gasp out just the word 'gorgeous' between bursts of laughter. She turned to the machine and started making her own ice cream much the same way Yang had but she was able to bring the pile of ice cream much higher, keeping her spiral tight and clean. Then she moved to the toppings, still laughing slightly, she shook her head a little and muttered again 'gorgeous' and then dumped an undeniably unhealthy amount of sprinkles on her ice cream. The surface now looked like a tie dye mess, barely any ice cream was visible under the shell of multicolored sprinkles. Then Nora reached down and grabbed a spoonful of cookie dough bits and dropped them in her mouth. "You haf to lif a litle" Nora pushed the words out around a mouth full of unbaked cookies. Yang watched the entire scene unfold in amazement, the girl may have a bigger sweet tooth than her sister, and that was a feat, Yang wasn't sure if it was something Nora should be proud of but it was impressive either way. They started to walk again, headed back towards their table when Yang had an idea that just might get her where she wanted to be. "Nora, we got 'em in cones and everything. Wanna go outside? It's not that hot." Yang motioned with her head towards the open doors and the mostly empty courtyard outside the cafeteria. Nora nodded and continued devouring her ice cream, she would have to maintain that pace if she had any intention of finishing it before it all melted. They walked outside and started down one of the many stone lined paths leading to and from the cafeteria. It had a central location on campus and so this path could lead anywhere but Yang didn't particularly care where that was. The pair made their way through their ice cream quickly, it wasn't that hot outside but it was plenty hot enough to melt their treat. Yang was most of the way done, confident that it would not make a mess anymore and turned her head to see Nora tonguing the bottom of her cone, desperately trying to get a few sprinkles which had sunk to the bottom. Yang laughed. "You know you can just eat the cone right?" Nora turned to her, a look of shock on her face. Then she smiled and the cone was gone in three bites. "Yeah I know. I just really wanted the sprinkles." Nora smiled and began licking some stray ice cream off her fingers, putting them in her mouth and sucking on them, making a little popping noise when she pulled them out. Yang ran her finger over the side of her cone, now was the time to do this, she couldn't delay any longer or Nora might go running off somewhere. "Hey, can I ask you a question." Nora popped another finger out of her mouth and looked at Yang, waiting for her question. "Of course. I hope it isn't hard though. I'm not really ready for a test." Yang chuckled nervously, trying to dispel a little of her own tension. "Sooo, the other night at Junior's. When those two guys tried to pick us up." Nora interrupted and Yang took the opportunity to eat what little of her ice cream remained, hoping it might cool the heat in her cheeks. "Oh my Oum, they were so rude right? At least it gave us an excuse to hit something." she clenched her fists and a devilish gleam shone in her eyes. "Yeah," Yang laughed again and looked at her empty ice cream cone, "but before that, when you tried to get them to go away. You," she paused, this was the point of no return, "you kissed me and put your arm around me like we were dating or something." Yang saw a trash can and tossed her cone in it, her stomach was suddenly very unwilling to accept anything else. "Oh yeah, well they were all over us and I just thought that might get them to leave. I mean if it was obvious we weren't looking for what they had." Yang shoved her hands in her pockets, that was the same answer she had gotten before. She looked over at Nora though and saw something that had been missing the other night, a deep red blush. Nora had her hands clenched behind her back and was kicking at a loose pebble with one foot, "I'm sorry if it was weird. I was a little drunk from that awesome drink you got us. I usually don't do that, Ren tells me I'm really touchy-feely, but I didn't really think about it." Yang put a hand to the back of her head and rubbed, she really wasn't sure still but she needed to keep Nora talking. "Yeah, no it wasn't weird for me. Well not when you did it. It was later when I started thinking about it. It just felt like, really natural for you. You did it so quick." Yang turned and looked away, she couldn't stand to let Nora see her face now, it was almost as Red as Ruby's clothes. "Well, I guess it was kinda natural. You really are gorgeous you know. I don't know if you're like me, but I just figured it couldn't hurt. The guys trying to hit on us was a good excuse. I'm really sorry if it was wrong. I guess Ren's right, I have to check before
tell the whole story. The numbers are set from lowest possible kill % to the highest possible kill % -- in other words, the highest space in the stage (like the Duck Hunt tree) versus the lowest point in the stage (the base, where you spend most of your time). With an average of ~54%, the only two stages that could be considered to have "low ceilings" at the base are Halberd and Town & City, and Town & City only by 3%. That's one single jab. If you are playing a character who wants a low ceiling, you don't consider Town & City as your "low ceiling counterpick". Same with Duck Hunt. You think of Halberd and Delfino. Halberd because it's constantly small. It's legitimately a low-ceiling stage, like Pokemon Stadium 1 in Melee. Delfino because it provides ample opportunities to get low % KOs due to its dynamic nature. You don't catch people often in the treetops on Duck Hunt, but people end up on the platforms on Delfino all the time after a transformation. If they have really poor positioning you can kill them at % similar to Halberd. Granting two bans completely and totally removes the ability to counterpick a stage with a low ceiling. Your options are, what? Castle Siege, which is closer to the top blastzone during one of three transformations? You're counter-picking yourself here. Having a single ban means your opponent gets the ability to pick their poison -- Delfino or Halberd. Having two bans means your opponent says "You can't counterpick, but I can". What if your opponent is counterpicking you and he wants a longer, flat stage with plenty of room to move around? What would you ban? Stages without much room to move around: Halberd (30-40%%) (he banned it) Duck Hunt (13%-54%) Battlefield (39%-59%) Stages with a lot of room to move around: Delfino Plaza (40%-56%) (he banned it) Town & City (21% - 51%) Final Destination (54%) Smashville (42%-54%) Lylat Cruise (42%-57%) Castle Siege (39%-60%) Well, sucks for you. You can ban FD and Smashville, but he still gets T&C. Ban T&C, he still has Smashville and FD. If he's feeling quirky he has Lylat and Castle Siege. Allowing multiple bans results in a stagelist that favors those who do well on the stages that are left -- the most common ones. If your character doesn't see the difference between FD, SV, and T&C then congratulations! Two bans doesn't affect you in any way whatsoever until you're in a 3 out of 5. Two bans is a knee jerk reaction from people who feel that they deserve the right to never be at a disadvantage. Just because your best stage is a common format doesn't mean it's the standard.I’ve already taken the leap with polka dot Roshes. I’m really trying to act like it’s still summer! Anyway, the Nike Roshe NM Polka Dot Pack in green strike is another release with a “fancier” sole and build thanks to the NM designation. Frankly, I kind of wanted to cop every colorway of these, but it didn’t make sense to have that many polka-dotted shoes. These joints are super comfy as you’d expect from a Roshe and I found that they fit true to size. The green strike colorway is definitely eye-catching and I’m glad to have added it to the collection! Where to Cop: As of the writing of this article, you can buy these and/or the yellow/black pairs directly from Nike for $50 with free shipping! Nike Roshe NM Polka Dot Pack Green Strike Colorway: Green Strike / Black – White Style Code: 810857 300 Year of Release: 2015 MSRP: $100 Affiliate Marketing notice: I get paid when you click on other sites product links and banners on my site and then buy things on those sites. Privacy Policy"What many of us have been saying for quite some time right now is that AIG is the center of the web of the entire economic cataclysm on Wall Street and the only way to understand what happened is to go through those emails. The amazing thing Ed, is we own the company. Taxpayers own the company. it is our right to understand what is being done with our money, what happened, what led to this cataclysm and only from that will we understand what did Tim Geithner do. The New York Fed was instrumental in creating the structure that failed. Tim Geithner was the president of the fed. You go back to who chose him to be there it was the head of the leaders of the New York investment banks that have benefited from the bailout.... Let's not jump to conclusions. But I can tell you... one thing with absolute certainty. Until we get every one of those emails. We Will not know..."When it was announced that the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC) had signed contracts with Hyatt Hotels for upcoming conventions — including their signature Consultation on Conscience and L’Taken Social Justice Seminars — many who stood in solidarity with Hyatt workers believed it was moment of truth for the Jewish community. Would the RAC, one of the most prominent and venerable social justice organizations in the American Jewish community, go ahead with their plans to hold high profile conventions in boycotted hotels? Or would they grasp the critical importance of this moment and opt to hold their events elsewhere? Some background: When they learned of the contracts, concerned Jewish clergy as well as the Hyatt workers’ union, UNITE HERE, formally asked the RAC and the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) to honor the recently announced global boycott of Hyatt. Last month, the URJ and RAC met with union leaders and Hyatt employees. They learned that Hyatt summarily fired nearly 100 housekeepers from three Boston-area hotels in August 2009, replacing longtime housekeepers with temps at far lower rates of pay. They learned that Hyatt has been undermining the stability of jobs by increasingly subcontracting their workers. They learned Hyatt has been undermining the safety of jobs by increasing housekeeping workloads to dangerous levels. And they learned that Hyatt has been actively thwarting efforts by non-union hotel workers to exercise their fundamental right as workers to collectively bargain. The RAC and the URJ also heard from high ranking officials at Hyatt. Not surprisingly, Hyatt challenged the union’s claims of unjust treatment of workers. While they admitted there may have been problems at some of their hotels in the past, they insisted that they had now been addressed. This story "'Solidarity Forever' Means Now" was written by Brant Rosen. After deliberating, the organizations publicized their final decision. In a released statement, the URJ/RAC opened with an affirmation of the Reform movement’s long-time support for unions and the labor movement, dating back to the days of “the historic Jewish garment trade unions.” After laying out an extended description of their deliberation process, they announced their decision: they had “decided not to seek to move the events in question from Hyatt hotels.” The statement concluded: We respect those who disagree with us. For those who do disagree, let us point out that no one has to stay at a Hyatt to participate in our conferences. We hope they will join us in education programs on the situation of workers to be held at the conferences, showing our support for hotel workers, including those at Hyatt. Share Pinterest Email In a subsequent article in the Forward, columnist (and senior adviser to the RAC) Leonard Fein offered what was essentially a condensed version of the original statement. While he recognized “the challenges faced by many hotel workers” and believed the Reform movement was “at the forefront of efforts to provide greater rights and protections for hotel workers,” Fein wrote that the request by UNITE HERE was still “hardly a no-brainer.” For those of us who have long been fighting in the trenches with Hyatt workers for fair treatment and dignity it is particularly galling that the URJ/RAC claim to support “hotel workers, including those at Hyatt” even as they refuse to honor the workers’ boycott. For embattled workers, a boycott is the most important and effective tool for shifting the balance of power. It is plainly disingenuous for the URJ/RAC to refuse the Hyatt workers’ boycott call while claiming to support their cause. Such a stance also misses the essential point of solidarity. In the labor movement, as with all movements of liberation, solidarity means truly listening to the voices of those who are oppressed. It means allowing them – and not us – to be the architects of their liberation. It is patronizing in the extreme for the URJ/RAC to purport to support Hyatt hotel workers by saying, in essence, “we support your cause, but we’re going to support it our way – not your way.” The URJ/RAC noted in its statement that the situation was “complex” and that since boycotts affect “many stakeholders who have no involvement in the disputes,” the URJ/RAC only honors boycotts “in certain exceptional circumstances.” While it is true that there are many “stakeholders” in a boycott, it is it is difficult to deny that vulnerable non-union workers who work for a barely livable wage, who are given increased and often dangerous workloads and who work with the constant risk of replacement by temps have the most at stake in this situation. The “stakeholder playing field” cannot reasonably be considered level when you consider that workers are going up against an aggressively expanding multi-million dollar corporation. (Hyatt recently reported that its third quarter net profit earnings jumped 64% to $23 million compared to this time last year.) On the subject of stakeholders, it bears noting that J.B. Pritzker, a principal owner of Hyatt Hotels Corporation, has long been a significant donor to the URJ and the RAC. Moreover, as late as 2010 he was listed as a member of the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism, serving at the Chair’s discretion. While there is no proof that Pritzker had any undue influence on the movement’s decision, this point is certainly germane to any discussion of significant “stakeholders. As the clergy report on the Hyatt, “Open the Gates of Justice,” states: As religious leaders with a commitment to the moral bottom line, we consider it unacceptable when in good times employers keep their profits for themselves and in bad times they pass on their losses to their workers. We insist that the best business practice is the one that benefits workers, many of whom have served their hotels for over two decades. The best business practice benefits the guests, who want their rooms cleaned by trained and dedicated staff and who have sufficient time to do a thorough job cleaning each room. The best business practice benefits the community, which thrives on good jobs at good wages but which loses economic strength when the workforce is paid below a living wage. Share Pinterest Email I personally know many courageous Reform rabbis who have long stood in solidarity with Hyatt workers – and who are deeply offended that the Religious Action Center will be hosting social justice conventions at boycotted hotels. The URJ/RAC statement certainly does not stand for them and, I wager, for many lay members of the Reform movement who still cherish their denomination’s historic commitment to social justice. My Reform colleagues understand that a real commitment to workers cannot end with the honoring of past struggles. It is simply not enough to invoke the International Ladies Garment Workers Union and offer bland statements about the historic role Jews played in building the American labor movement. True solidarity means understanding that the struggle ever continues. And that there are flesh and blood “stakeholders” in our own day who call on us to support the sacred cause of worker justice. Rabbi Brant Rosen serves a congregation in Evanston, Ill. He is the co-chair of the Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council and the author of Wrestling in the Daylight: A Rabbi’s Path to Palestinian Solidarity (Just World Books)In the past 10 years, there has been a fundamental shift in the capabilities of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA), which for the first time has the ability to project power and defend maritime interests. No country in Southeast Asia has put more military hardware online in the same period of time as Vietnam. This military modernization has been driven almost exclusively by the threat posed by China over territory in the contested South China Sea. What we are seeing now is Vietnam entering a period of consolidation and gradually improved capability, and the gradual development of doctrine. Vietnam has many of the assets in place, but so far, no doctrine in a real sense (beyond “people’s war”) or any sense of cross-service jointness. The groundwork is laid for further military development. Budget Vietnam’s publicly released defense budget (its official budget is a state secret) has grown from $1.3 billion in 2006 to $4.6 billion in 2015, a 258 percent increase. In local currency, the budget increased from VND 20.5 trillion in 2006 to nearly VND 100 trillion in 2015, a 381 percent increase, but reflective of the dong’s decline in value. In 2015, according to SIPRI, Vietnam’s defense expenditures were the fourth largest in Southeast Asia, behind only Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand; all wealthier or significantly larger economies. It was the first year that Vietnam’s spending surpassed Malaysia’s. The defense budget is an estimated $5 billion in 2016, and it is expected to grow to $6 billion by 2020. This, however, is clearly an underestimation and does not include portions of the budget for R&D that may be in other ministerial lines, or from revenue generated from defense-owned industries, especially VietTel, the largest internet and cell phone provider in the country. In terms of share of government spending in 2015, Vietnam’s defense spending was 8.3 percent, the third highest share in ASEAN after Singapore (16 percent) and Myanmar (13.3 percent), though just below the ASEAN average. Its lowest rate of spending in the decade from 2006-2015 was in 2013 at only 7.1 percent of government spending. Over the decade, it has averaged 7.67 percent. Yet, on a per capita basis, Vietnam’s defense spending is quite modest. In 2015, per capita expenditure was only $49 per person, well below the ASEAN average of $388 per person. Even if you removed Singapore, which skews the data, Vietnam still falls well short of the average of $200 per person. Vietnam’s per capita defense spending is the fifth highest in ASEAN, but only above poorer countries: the Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia. Nonetheless, between 2006-2015, Vietnam saw a 300 percent increase in per capita spending. In the period of 2011 to 2015, Vietnam was the 8th largest importer of weaponry in the world, a 699 percent increase from 2006-2010, when it was the 43rd largest. Vietnam accounted for over a third of total ASEAN arms imports in 2015. Although the leadership is committed to rapidly modernizing its military, defense spending has been prudent and linked to economic performance. Defense spending was only 2.3 percent of GDP in 2015, slightly ahead of inflation. This figure has been very constant over the past decade. There have been very steady budget increases on an annual basis, but still a similar percent of GDP persists, and the budget is tied to Vietnam’s fast growing economy, which has made the VPA a key stakeholder in Vietnam’s economic development. Defense White Paper Vietnam’s last white paper was released in 2009, their third. The VPA was reportedly drafting a new version in mid-2015, but suspended the process until after the quinquennial congress of the Vietnam Communist Party (VCP) in January 2016. It was expected that the new leadership would add their imprimatur to the document and that it would be released in mid 2016; but as of the time of writing, there is no discussion of it in the official media. This is most likely due to the fact that VCP General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong was re-elected in January 2016, but was expected to remain in his post for only a half term. As such, political jockeying is already underway, including some high level purges, trials, and crackdowns on dissent. There are several other reasons to explain the delay. The first is the July 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) on the suit filed by the Philippines challenging China’s territorial claims and nine-dash line in the South China Sea. Though the PCA’s ruling in most ways benefits Vietnam more than any other country, Hanoi has been silent on the ruling, and has still not released a formal response. Hanoi is clearly alarmed at the inconsistent statements and policies of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who has sought to distance the Philippines from its traditional ally the United States, and who has pledged to not press China with the PCA ruling, instead calling it a “piece of paper with four corners” and accepting China’s historical rights to the waters. Second, despite the newly acquired defense platforms, it is evident that Vietnam still has not developed doctrines that reflect these newly acquired capabilities. Doctrine has not even begun to keep pace with acquisition. As such, Vietnam has a patchwork of capabilities, without any integrated or joint defense doctrine. That being said, there have been several joint exercises among the branches in the last few years, such as a combined arms exercise between the air force, armored units, and infantry in 2014, or an undated recent joint marine-air force amphibious landing exercise, which involved amphibious armored vehicles attacking from tank landing ships (LSTs) and marines descending from Vietnam People’s Army Air Force (VPAAF) helicopters. Thus, jointness is increasingly emphasized in the VPA, but a full doctrine has yet to be announced or seen. More importantly, the air force and navy are not independent services, and at the end of they day they are commanded by army generals. There are no signs that this is going to change any time soon. Third, Vietnam has been repeatedly caught flat-footed in responding to China’s multilayered operations in the South China Sea, including operations of the People’s Liberation Army Navy, People’s Liberation Army Air Force, Chinese Coast Guard, and its increasingly networked maritime militia. While Vietnam has built one of the largest coast guard forces in the region (much bigger than those of the Philippines, Indonesia, or Malaysia), it has been unable to stop China’s construction of artificial islands and fishing in the disputed region. While the Vietnamese are aware that this is happening, their existing military doctrine remains too rigid, unable to respond in kind, or incapable of utilizing assets in creative and effective ways. Navy No service has benefitted more from modernization than the Vietnam People’s Army Navy (VPAN). Vietnam has acquired six Russian-built Kilo-class submarines, five of which have been delivered, and the sixth will arrive in early 2017. That gives Vietnam the most advanced submarine fleet in the region. Vietnam has already trained nine of 12 submarine crews and at least one submarine is currently patrolling without its Russian trainers and advisers. Vietnam surprised many when it successfully purchased submarine-launched Klub anti-shore missiles from Russia. Yet most evidence, to date, is that the ships are spending most of their training time on the surface, with only occasional dives, rather than prolonged underwater training missions. Vietnam acquired two Gepard-class frigates in 2011, its largest and most modern surface warfare ships. Two more are currently under construction, to be delivered late 2016 or early 2017; these will be equipped with advanced anti-submarine warfare capabilities. A third pair is currently being negotiated. Vietnam acquired two fast Molniya missile attack crafts from Russia. More importantly, it purchased the production license for six more that have already been built, and is currently negotiating the license to build four more. The new Molniya-class will have additional capabilities, including being armed with Klub ship-to-shore missiles, in addition to the existing Uran anti-ship missile. These will give Vietnam the ability to target any facilities China has constructed in the Spratly or Paracel Islands. India provided a $500 million line of credit to Vietnam for the acquisition of Indian defense systems during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Hanoi in September 2016. There has been no information on exactly how that fund will be used, aside from $99 million allocated to produce an undisclosed number of patrol craft for Vietnam’s coast guard, including the license for Vietnam to begin local production. Vietnam may also move toward the acquisition of the BrahMos anti-ship missile (discussed below), though no agreement was reached during Indian Minister of Defense Manohar Parrikar’s visit to Hanoi in June 2016. Vietnam is also trying to acquire niche capabilities to make up for shortfalls in its existing arsenal. One example is the Italian Pluto Plus mine-identification unmanned underwater vehicle, which was revealed in May 2016. It will assist Soviet 1960s Yurka minesweepers currently, but at the very end of their service life, with the VPAN. This acquisition also shows the VPA’s penchant for integrating older Russian systems with new Western weapons and equipment, and for looking westward for new purchases when it needs to. That being said, the skeleton of the VPA’s armory remains Russian, now and at least in the near future. And attempts at integrating Western and Soviet/Russian platforms have historically not gone well. In sum, Vietnam’s naval developments to date have been impressive. Between 2011 and 2015, naval vessels accounted for 44 percent of defense imports. We expect in the coming years for Vietnam to continue with this trajectory, though at a slower rate as the new focus will be on the ground force. Maritime acquisitions will continue, yet the navy remains a small service arm that is unlikely to grow significantly. Air Force Vietnam’s maritime power projection capabilities have not been matched in the air. With extremely costly platforms, Vietnam has lagged in training and maintenance. In 2016 alone, Vietnam suffered the losses of four aircraft (a Su-30MK2 multirole fighter, a CASA 212 patrol/transport turboprop, an L-39 training jet, and an EC-130 helicopter) from its small fleet, killing 13 personnel. Between 1994-1996 Vietnam acquired a full regiment of Su-27s from Russia. Though it suffered only one loss, they are nearing the end of the airframe lifespans. There are reports that Vietnam is currently overhauling the fleet, both airframes and avionics, to extend their lifespan. From 2003-2016, Vietnam acquired 36 Su-30s, or three regiments. At least three regiments, one each of Su-27s, Su-30s, and L-39s, are not complete due to crashes and maintenance issues. Vietnam is currently deliberating the replacement for its large fleet of 1960s era MiG-21s (144) and even the Su-22s, although the latter are still in service. The per-unit cost of modern fourth generation fighters precludes a one-to-one replacement for these aircraft. Vietnam is currently exploring the purchase of the French Rafale and Swedish Gripen (also in the Thai inventory). Though there have been press reports that Vietnam is considering the U.S. F-16 as a possible contender, this is highly unlikely due to U.S. concerns over technology transfer to third parties, as well as Vietnam’s apprehension about purchasing second-hand equipment. With the lifting of the U.S. arms embargo, further speculation fell on the Vietnamese acquisition of advanced maritime surveillance aircraft from the United States. The VPA sent a team to Hawaii in April 2016 to observe the P-3C in action. Though Vietnam enjoys some high level Congressional support for arms sales, it is unlikely that they will receive approval for new and advanced P-3s, having to settle instead for used aircraft from either the United States or, more likely, Japan. While there are suggestions that Japan, having failed in its bid to sell its Soryu-class submarines to Australia, is keen to enter the global arms market with its Kawasaki P1 maritime surveillance aircraft, it is simply too expensive for Vietnam. Other than combat aircraft, in 2014, Vietnam also purchased DHC-6 maritime patrol planes from Canada as well as several Casa C-295 military cargo planes from EADS to replace its aging fleet of Soviet An-26s. The VPAAF also has requirements for additional helicopters. While there are a couple of military helicopter transportation regiments, most of the newest helicopters are assigned to the Ministry of National Defense’s 18th Corps, or the Vietnam Helicopter Corporation. It is equipped with aircraft such as the AgustaWestland AW-189, Eurocopter Super Puma and EC-225, and Russian Mi-171. During peacetime, these are used for economic purposes such as VIP transportation or HADR missions. Should war come, the VPA has suggested that the 18th Corps will be converted into two attack helicopter regiments. This would greatly augment the VPAAF rotary wing force and its close air support capability. In sum, while strides have been made and will be made in the near future, air force modernization is falling short compared to naval modernization. Between 2011-15, air acquisitions accounted for 37 percent of total imports, not far below the navy’s 44 percent, which has seen far more hardware brought on line. The costs of the platforms, training, and maintenance have made the high accident rates unsustainable. Ground Forces The VPA dominates Vietnam’s defense in manpower, though the size of the force has gradually been cut. It remains wedded to its long history and doctrine of people’s warfare. As such, it has lagged behind in modernization. However, General Vo Van Tuan, VPA vice chief of staff, recently announced that ground force modernization will be the next focus of defense modernization. Under the current defense law, the size of the VPA’s ground forces should be kept at or near the current level. A main focus is the armored force. Vietnam has already purchased the KZKT-7428 heavy tank tractor from Russia in preparation for the arrival of a new main battle tank and recently the head of the Russian tank producer Uralvagonzavod revealed that Hanoi is currently negotiating with them for the purchase of modern T-90MS tanks, with the final numbers of tanks and price not yet concluded. Yet, due to the price, Vietnam is unlikely to replace its huge corps of T-55 tanks on a one-to-one basis. As such it is aiming to upgrade its T-55 with a new fire control system and additional armor so as to be more capable in modern warfare. Vietnam is also studying the French 155 mm CAESAR artillery system. A French website said that Nexter, the producer of CAESAR artillery system, revealed that Vietnam has ordered 18 such systems, of a total 108. This has not been verified. Acquiring a 155 mm-caliber system means moving away from the Soviet 152 mm system, and if the acquisition is true, it presents another challenge and strain for the VPA logistic branch. The ground force also needs new Infantry Fighting Vehicles and Armored Personnel Carriers, as its arsenal mostly consists of the 1960-era BTR-60s and BMP-1s. However, it needs to compete with the Marine Corps for the funding for this upgrade, as the Marines are also relying heavily on outdated BMP-1s and PT-76s and also need new amphibious IFVs and APCs. It is possible that the ground force has to contend with updates for its vehicles, while the Marines are slated for new ones; the latter has been featured in state media recently, training for island recapture and amphibious landing using APCs and amphibious tanks, showing their importance. Vietnam has made significant investments in modernizing its small arms for its ground forces. Vietnam has purchased the Galil assault rifle from Israel for general issue for its ground forces, while acquiring Tavor assault rifles, Negev machine guns, and Galatz sniper rifles for the Marine Corps. Vietnam has obtained a production license for the Galil family of weaponry and is now indigenously producing NATO ammunition (NATO 5.56×45) for them. While the ground force remains the most favored and politically influential of the service arms, to date the Navy and the Air Force have seen far greater investment in their modernization due to their pertinence to the South China Sea dispute. The issue for ground force modernization is of course resources. The numbers of pieces of equipment in block modernization programs are enormous. Yet Vietnamese military planners remain concerned about Chinese PLA modernization and ability to make swift small-scale incursions, unlike their costly, large-scale 1978-79 invasion. Missiles While most of the attention in the western media has focused on Vietnam’s new maritime capabilities, it is actually their missile force that probably gives Chinese defense planners the greatest cause for alarm. Vietnam has recently negotiated on purchasing advanced hypersonic BrahMos cruise missiles from India/Russia, as well as submarine- and ship-launched Klub missiles to target Chinese facilities in the Spratlys and Paracels. China clearly has lobbied Russia to block the sale of the BrahMos missiles, but it appears that the deal is proceeding. Vietnam is also in possession of Scud surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, which it imported from North Korea in the 1990s. These are currently based at Bien Hoa, and with a supposed range of 500 km, they can reach the whole of Cambodia and the westernmost Spratly islands. The chief of the artillery branch has said that in the near future, Vietnam will procure a new ballistic surface-to-surface missile, though there are other more pressing acquisitions. Recently, SIPRI and Vietnamese state media revealed that Vietnam has acquired EXTRA and ACCULAR surface-to-surface guided rockets with extremely high accuracy, with 150 km and 40 km ranges, respectively. These are presumably based around Cam Ranh, but foreign reports have surfaced that this equipment may have been moved to Vietnamese held features in the Spratlys. The accuracy of these reports have not been confirmed, and Vietnam has denied conducting such a move. Recently, there have been articles titled “The duty of EXTRA system in protecting the sea and islands” on the Vietnamese media; yet, even with a range of 150 km and based at Cam Ranh, these systems cannot reach any disputed islands, while being stationed at Spratlys will help Vietnam threaten any Chinese installation nearby. The system adds another layer to Vietnam’s coastal defenses. Currently, Vietnam is fielding three coastal defense missile units: one in Hai Phong, equipped with the Redut system with a range of 460 km (to counter any Chinese efforts to blockade the Gulf of Tonkin using the Hainan Island bases); one in Da Nang, with the Rubezh system and 80 km range; and the most modern one in Ninh Thuan, just south of Cam Ranh, with the Russian-built Bastion-P system and a 300 km range. A fourth unit is being built at Phu Yen, north of Cam Ranh; it is very probable that this regiment will also be equipped with the Bastion-P system, or maybe even a BrahMos system. The new regiment will cover the last unprotected coastal stretch of Central Vietnam, as well as providing additional protection for Cam Ranh Bay, where the most costly and modern VPAN assets are based. Vietnam has also acquired a new short-medium range air defense battery from Israel, the SPYDER system. These serve to augment the long range S-300 and the older short-range S-125 and Strela-10 systems that Vietnam currently fields. The SPYDER are positioned close to Hanoi, providing another layer of air defense for the capital. At present, Vietnam has only acquired one regiment from Israel, but news articles say that they want at least four regiments to be deployed across the country. This is a major acquisition from Israel, a country with whom Vietnam hopes to increase defense cooperation. ISR Despite the rapid acquisition of kinetic assets, Vietnam’s ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) capabilities are relatively poor. It has repeatedly been surprised by Chinese operations in the South China Sea. Vietnam recently acquired the Coast Watcher 100 Long Range Coastal Surveillance Radar from France, which provides over the horizon surveillance of up to 170 km and can detect approaching ships in all weather. It can also detect low-flying threats such as helicopters. This system is positioned in the Spratlys, where it allows Vietnam to have a full surveillance and detection in the islands. Vietnamese media revealed that Vietnam has purchased a Japanese ASNARO-2 Earth Observation Satellite. It is capable of taking high resolution pictures at night and in cloudy conditions, and can be used for military purposes. The results from this satellite, coupled with access to an Indian satellite following a 2016 agreement to place a satellite tracking and imaging center in Vietnam, will offer the VPA unprecedented tracking capability in the South China Sea. It is expected that ASNARO-2 will be launched in 2017. VietTel, the VPA-owned telecommunication company, already produces warning radars to support anti-air missile batteries and recently developed a new C4ISR system for the VPA. It has developed several small UAVs and is aiming to manufacture a high-altitude long-endurance drone with Belorussian cooperation. The UAV HS-6L, unveiled in December 2015, has an endurance of 35 hours and a range of 4,000 km and will greatly increase Vietnam ISR capability over the South China Sea. Vietnam is also leasing a Heron long-endurance UAV from Israel, and is clearly seeking to gain technology transfer. These will further support Vietnam’s effort to track new development in the South China Sea. Conclusion Vietnam undoubtedly has made great strides in its military and defense capability, yet it remains to be seen how they will absorb these new systems and link them all together in a credible and effective modern doctrine. Training, especially on incorporating and operating new weapon systems, also needs to be improved. Nevertheless, the large investment over the past couple of decades has given the VPA great potential. How defense planners harness these capabilities and fulfill that potential remains an open question. The forthcoming defense white paper should present crucial details on how the VPA views its roles and responsibilities. For the near future, we can expect to see more new weaponry and equipment, such as armored vehicles and artillery systems, be purchased and developed for ground forces. However, modernization for the Navy and the Air Force will not slow down much: new surface ships are being negotiated and self-produced, and a new lightweight fighter jet will be chosen. Maritime and aerial capabilities will continue to be augmented, as well as ISR, due to urgent needs in the South China Sea. But in the final analysis, we still do not know what Vietnam’s current defense strategy is, beyond fielding a minimal credible deterrent. At present the current strategy seems to be simply to sow seeds of concern in the eyes of Chinese military planners. But with the asymmetry in Chinese defense spending, that approach might not be sustainable. Zachary Abuza, PhD, is a Professor at the National War College where he specializes in Southeast Asian security issues. The views expressed here are his own, and not the views of the Department of Defense or National War College. Follow him on Twitter @ZachAbuza. Nguyen Nhat Anh is a graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas, where he focused on International Political Economy. You can follow him on Twitter @anhnnguyen93.Two Palestinians were killed Thursday night in clashes between thousands of demonstrators and police in East Jerusalem. Over 200 were wounded, at least ten of them seriously. The east side of the capital was in turmoil Thursday, as thousands of police officers and border police deployed across the city in preparations for expected disturbances through the end of Friday prayers. Two policemen were slightly injured by stone throwers on Temple Mount. In the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Wadi Joz, all approaches to the fire station were blocked, and a spokesman for the firefighting services announced that the station would not be in operation. There were also disturbances in near the Old City's Flower Gate, the alleyways of the Old City, Ras al-Amud and Silwan. Palestinians report clashes around the Qalandiya checkpoint, and that the police and the army have closed all major arteries leading to the area. Palestinian ambulances evacuated seven injured demonstrators from the Qalandiya checkpoint to Ramallah. Thursday night is Laylat al-Qadr according to Muslim tradition, the most important night in the month of Ramadan. Police and security officials are concerned that the combination of the holiday and the fighting in Gaza will lead to widespread disturbances in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Thousands of Palestinians marched from Ramallah toward Jerusalem. Ambulances have been moving back and forth, ferrying the injured from the Qalandia checkpoint and keeping close to the demonstrators, which include men and women of all ages. Keep updated: Sign up to our newsletter Email * Please enter a valid email address Sign up Please wait… Thank you for signing up. We've got more newsletters we think you'll find interesting. Click here Oops. Something went wrong. Please try again later. Try again Thank you, The email address you have provided is already registered. Close The thousands of marchers who approached the Qalandia checkpoint were stopped by the Qalandia refugee camp, about 300 before the checkpoint because of rising clouds of teargas and the sounds of exploding stun grenades and gunfire. Confrontations between youths and soldiers at the checkpoint are nearly a daily phenomenon, but a demonstration of this proportion has not been seen for years. It was organized over the past week in an attempt to change Palestinian policy and to express support for the residents of Gaza and in Hamas's "way of resistance." Palestinian police, which a week ago blocked demonstrators on their way to the settlement of Beit El, this time directed traffic at the beginning of the march. Since the murder of teenager Mohammed Abu Khdeir, there have been demonstrations almost every day in most East Jerusalem neighborhoods. Last week, the police for the first time used a so-called skunk vehicle, which disperse demonstrators by spraying a foul smell into the air. Police are expecting heavy traffic around the Old City and in East Jerusalem neighborhoods, and are asking drivers to avoid the area. Jerusalem Police Chief Yossi Pariente decided Thursday to restrict the age of adults praying on Temple Mount to 50 or above. The riots Thursday evening broke out around the checkpoints that prevented youths from ascending to Temple Mount. Police used crowd dispersal methods and arrested 12 youths.Amanda Thompson remembers meeting the other participant in her months-long game of tap-tap. She would tap on her partner’s belly
you don’t need it Here is a suggestion: unless you have a concurrent data modification scenario, consider starting to build your application with some plain RxJs services, leveraging local services and the dependency injection system. Then if the need arises, we can always refactor part of the application into a store if a use case comes up. On the other hand if we have a concurrent data modification scenario in a part of our application, we might as well use a store from the beginning, because that is a great solution for that situation. Other posts on Angular If you enjoyed this post, have also a look also at other popular posts that you might find interesting: Video Lessons Available on YouTube Have a look at the Angular University Youtube channel, we publish about 25% to a third of our video tutorials there, new videos are published all the time. Subscribe to get new video tutorials:Darkest Dungeon is a fantastic roguelike RPG that highlights the psychological stresses that come with adventuring, and it might be on its way to tablets. You lead your band of heroes (or wanna-be heroes) across all kinds of dungeons and see their sanity and mental health slowly deteriorate. As the descent into madness (among other things), they become less effective and will often act not in the ways you asked them to but according to their messed up mental state. They can get paranoid, greedy, angry, and even hopeless, and all those mental states have direct effects on the gameplay. Add to that a lovely, Gothic 2D art and entertaining turn-based combat, and you can understand why the game has been a huge hit on PC. In a recent blog, the developers have announced that they are considering bringing Darkest Dungeon to tablets, since they’ve already “accidentally" designed a “pretty cool touch interface from the beginning." I would love to play this game on my tablet because it would really work well with the 2D side-scrolling art. Fingers crossed we’ll see it on tablets soon.A full decade after voting to construct a secure barrier along the U.S. border with Mexico, Congress continues to refuse to lay out the money required to build the damned wall. This, even after the stunning upset in last year’s elections by the juggernaut presidential campaign of Donald J. Trump, who won the presidency on a clarion vow to voters that he would once and for all build a wall along the border. Mr. Trump’s historic upset came after years and years of both Democrat and Republican politicians talking tough about illegal immigration and promising to crack down on the porous border, yet refusing to actually fix the problem. Because they are politicians. If you fix the problem, then you can no longer campaign on the problem. This wall, Mr. Trump promised during the campaign, would finally halt not only illegal immigration but also the highly destructive drugs, gangs and slavery pouring over the southern border. Despite the clear message from voters last year, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi dismisses the wall as “immoral, expensive and unwise.” Her comment made history as the moment Nancy Pelosi finally discovered morality. Also noteworthy is that it was the first time Nancy Pelosi has every found anything to be too “expensive” to stick to the poor, innocent American taxpayer. As for her mention of wisdom? Well, clearly, that was some kind of typo or another one of her random brain sizzles. It wasn’t so long ago that Ms. Pelosi’s fellow Democrats were all for the immoral and expensive. Her party’s last two standard-bearers — former President Barack Obama and twice-failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton — both voted in favor of the so-called “Secure Fence Act of 2006.” After passing the construction of that barrier into law, Congress balked at actually paying for it and ultimately scrapped much of it in favor of — well, whatever the White House felt like doing. Under former President Bush and then President Obama, that wasn’t much. Since then, problems at the border have only grown worse. Today, there are untold millions of illegal aliens in the United States, including many who are criminals. “Bad hombres,” Mr. Trump calls them. Increasingly, we hear reports of staggering violence committed by the international gang MS-13, made up primarily of illegal aliens from Central America. These vicious thugs peddle the drugs across the border and import slavery in the form of human trafficking. The violence they are capable of is beyond the imagination of civilized people. To be sure, these gangs got much stronger under Mr. Obama. Throughout his entire presidency, the U.S. border had a giant blinking neon “WELCOME” sign, encouraging men, women, children and criminals to storm across the border. This beefed up the ranks of MS-13 and led to who knows how many crimes against Americans. Everyone remembers Kate Steinle, the 32-year-old killed two years ago while walking along a pier with her family in San Francisco. Charged with her murder was an illegal from Mexico who had been deported five times. It is a fair question: How many Kate Steinles are there? The answer is maddening: We have no idea. That is because the federal government, which keeps records of how many toilets every citizen has in their homes, does not keep track of how many Americans are killed by illegal aliens who are supposed to be kept out of the country by said federal government. Such information is scattered, and federal bureaucrats are shockingly incurious about compiling that information. Any information they do have is not shared with the public. “During the Obama administration, it seemed to be very intentional. The numbers were hidden,” explained Timothy Lyng, president of The Remembrance Project, a group dedicated to giving voice to the victims killed by illegals. But there is hope. President Trump says he remains committed to building the wall. Already, he has done more than the last five presidents and 40 years of Congresses to fix the problem. Just since taking office, border crossings have plummeted by an unthinkable 70 percent or more. Mr. Trump has earned the credibility to get the money he wants for the wall from a Congress that has proved itself utterly incompetent when it comes to fixing the border. • Charles Hurt can be reached at [email protected]; follow him on Twitter via @charleshurt.Image caption Jules Rowland shows off the fifth-place prize in the gun raffle Gun sweepstakes have been a feature of life in parts of the US for years. But now elected officials offer guns as prizes for prospective voters. There are all the trappings of a normal raffle draw; a tombola drum filled with tickets and a table where the prizes are proudly laid out on display. But instead of the usual fare of food hampers or boxes of chocolate, the owners of the winning tickets stand to gain a new gun. The grand prize is a Remington 870 Wingmaster 12-gauge shotgun with gold inlay. Four other firearms are also up for grabs. The raffle is part of Steve Wagner's campaign to win the Republican primary for Sheriff of Hendricks County in Indiana. Tickets cost $10, and the winners must pass a background check at a local gun shop before collecting their prize. "It's a very popular notion in this country that the guns are in danger," Wagner says. "By raffling off these five shotguns in a very public way there is no doubt about my commitment to the right to keep and bear arms." Image caption Steve Wagner says a gun raffle would both raise money for his campaign and make clear his commitment to the Second Amendment Gun owners are an important constituency in this competitive primary. Wagner estimates that guns are kept in around 80%-90% of homes in Hendricks County. He says the attempt by the Obama administration to bring in new firearm controls has made people more pro-gun than ever. "In our Sheriff's department we used to process an average of 20 gun permits a month. In recent years that number has shot up to 300 a month," he says. Over slices of pizza and glasses of ice tea, people at the raffle agree that guns are part of the fabric of life in this area. "We grew up on farms. We hunted for sport and sometimes for food. Guns are very much a part of the American culture," says Wagner's campaign manager, Ron Sparks. "This country was nothing but a wilderness, and you dared not go out into the wilderness unarmed." Image caption Winners must pass a background check before they can claim their prize But now that the US has moved beyond its frontier days, many argue that more gun controls are needed to prevent the type of mass shooting seen at the Sandy Hook elementary school in 2012, when 20 children and six staff were killed. That crime inspired President Obama's attempts to tighten gun restrictions "If more people were armed, there would be less crime," says Sparks. "The problem is that if the citizens don't have guns, the criminals will always find a way to get them." Gun giveaways have featured prominently in many Republican primary races around the country this year. In Colorado, gubernatorial candidate Tom Tancredo raffled off an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle. Joe Carr, a tea party challenger for a US Senate seat in Tennessee, offered his supporters the chance to win a Beretta pistol. Lee Bright, who is running in the Republican primary for the US Senate in South Carolina, found his first gun giveaway was so successful that he held two more. Five thousand people entered each competition. "It undoubtedly has helped us reach voters we wouldn't otherwise have reached. People here are sick of being browbeaten by liberals and the media about guns; when somebody like Lee Bright comes along and shows that he supports their second amendment rights they are very drawn to him," says his campaign manager, Michael Stevens. "We've picked up a lot of support as a result.". Image caption Tickets were $10; people participated both for the chance to win a gun and to make a political point The concept is not new. The National Rifle Association has been holding gun sweepstakes for years. But John Hudak, an expert in political campaigns from the Brookings Institution, says that Republican candidates have only recently started using the tactic. "The gun issue evokes existential passions on both sides, and that's the point of the gun raffle," he says. "It's to incite emotion, to point eyes to a candidate that would otherwise be unable to capture that kind of attention, and that's what makes them an effective campaign tool." At the raffle in Hendricks County, five winning tickets have been plucked from the tombola drum. One of them belongs to Jules Rowland's brother. "He'll be really happy," she says. "He's a hunter and he'll be glad to add a new gun to his collection." But for some taking part is a chance to make a political statement. Sitting at a trestle table among of group of friends, Linda Peterson says, "You've got to understand that this isn't about the guns. The government is sticking their thumb in our eyes. Americans are starting to say 'One more regulation that takes away our freedom and we're going to do what you tell us you can't.' If they said we don't want you to have cotton candy, we'd have been raffling cotton candy." Image caption Candidate for sheriff Steve Wagner picks the winning raffle ticket at a campaign fundraiser For people in this rural county, President Obama's attempt to introduce modest gun controls - currently stalled in Congress - is just one of his policies they vehemently oppose, from healthcare to the economy. The gun raffle is not just a campaign tactic, it's also a protest, a symbol of the anger and frustration that many conservative Americans feel about the changes in their country.Former senior U.S. diplomat Dennis Ross confirmed for the first time on Tuesday night that Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has explicitly warned the U.S. that if Iran obtains nuclear weapons, Saudi Arabia will seek to do so as well. “If they get nuclear weapons, we will get nuclear weapons,” Abdullah told Ross during a meeting between the two in April 2009. Ross said he responded to the King’s assertion with a lengthy appeal against nuclear proliferation, but after hearing him out, the king responded by repeating the same line: “If they get nuclear weapons, we will get nuclear weapons.” Ross’ on-the-record confirmation of Abdullah’s threat was made in a joint public appearance with Washington Institute researcher David Makovsky at New York’s 92nd Street Y. The two co-authored a book on the Middle East peace process entitled Myths, Illusions, and Peace: Finding a New Direction for America in the Middle East. Ross’ direct quote of the Saudi king appears to be the first public confirmation of the Saudi position and the threat of a Middle East nuclear arms race if Tehran acquires a nuclear bomb. It was reported previously, though not confirmed, that Abdullah had made a similar assertion in his February 2007 summit in Riyadh with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In June 2011, Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former Saudi intelligence chief and ambassador to Washington, warned senior NATO military officials that the existence of an Iranian bomb "would compel Saudi Arabia...to pursue policies which could lead to untold and possibly dramatic consequences." In February of this year, the London Times quoted a “senior Saudi official” as saying that Riyadh would launch a “twin-track nuclear weapons program” should Tehran realize its ambition of obtaining a nuclear weapon. The Saudi threat is one of the prime factors motivating Washington’s campaign to stop Tehran’s nuclear program. Extending the non-proliferation regime is one of U.S. President Barak Obama’s most cherished foreign policy and national security goals, analysts in New York said Tuesday night. Keep updated: Sign up to our newsletter Email * Please enter a valid email address Sign up Please wait… Thank you for signing up. We've got more newsletters we think you'll find interesting. Click here Oops. Something went wrong. Please try again later. Try again Thank you, The email address you have provided is already registered. Close Ross said that while it would be “unrealistic” to expect serious progress in the nuclear talks with Iran after only two rounds of negotiations, the U.S. and the other P5+1 countries should set a deadline for the conclusion of diplomatic contacts – and make Tehran aware of it. He added that recent public statements, including those made by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, about the U.S. being “militarily ready” for an attack on Iran “are not coincidental” and are aimed at increasing pressure on Tehran. According to Ross, Iran is much more concerned about an American military attack than an Israeli one because “an Israeli attack is not regime-threatening, while an American attack is.” Ross also laid out a four-point plan for resolving the situation in Syria and reaching a “tipping point” that would see the ouster of President Assad. Ross said the Russians need to be brought on board to participate in the effort; the Alawites must be assured that there will be no acts of revenge by the Sunnis in a post-Assad era; the opposition Syrian National Council should be recognized as the alternative to the regime; and the U.S., together with Turkey and NATO, should set up “safe haven” areas in northern Syria. Both Ross and Makovsky appeared to be impressed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement on Tuesday to the INSS think tank that his aim is to prevent the establishment of a binational state, saying this new formula gives rise to optimism that Netanyahu will use his 94-seat majority in the Knesset to advance the peace process. Ross, who resigned at the end of the year from his position in the Obama administration’s National Security Council, lavished praise on the president’s “unprecedented support” for Israel’s security. Israel’s security is “inviolable” in Obama’s eyes, he said, adding that as someone who has worked with five previous U.S. administrations, he is of the opinion that Obama’s level of support and cooperation with Israel is “better than all of his predecessors.” King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia welcomes Gulf Arab leaders in Riyadh, May 14, 2012. APRoyals to Wear Gold-Trimmed Uniforms in 2017 Click to enlarge After the Royals won the 2015 World Series, they began the 2016 season by wearing gold-trimmed uniforms for their season-opening series against the Mets. Then they requested and received permission from MLB to keep wearing the championship unis for Friday home games. And now, as had been teased earlier the week, they’ve announced that they’ll keep wearing gold for Friday home games in 2017. But the gold-trimmed unis they’ll be wearing next season aren’t the same as the ones they wore in 2016. Here’s a side-by-side comparison — last season on the left, next season on the right (click to enlarge): As you can see, they flipped the gold treatments of the chest insignia (which used to be gold outlined in blue and is now blue outlined in gold) and the front uni number (vice-versa). Also, the white outline that had been used in 2016 on the cap logo has been scrapped. Both changes seem like upgrades. The back treatment — gold numbers outlined in blue, with blue NOB lettering outlined in gold — is unchanged: Is this “gold creep”? Yeah, definitely. When the Red Sox came up with the idea of wearing gold-trimmed uniforms to celebrate a championship in 2005, they only wore the gold attire for their ring ceremony. Then teams started wearing the gold in their season-opening game; then one game became two games, and two games become the season-opening series, and then that become a season’s worth of Fridays, and now that has morphed into a second season of Fridays. Seems like another case of the ratchet only turning in one direction, resulting in overkill. But if any team could get away with this, it’s the Royals: Gold is a Royals team color, and it’s also a “royal” color, so it makes a certain kind of sense. Incidentally, when the Cubs finally closed out Game 7 two weeks ago, the champagne corks hadn’t even started popping when people started emailing and tweeting me to ask, “Will the Cubs have gold-trimmed uniforms in April?” and “What do you think the Cubs’ gold uniforms will look like?” and so on, which just shows how rote and predictable the gold thing has become. It would nice to see the Cubs skip the gold bandwagon, if only to buck the trend. Like, “Yeah, if the Royals wanna own that gold thing, they can have it.” But I’m not holding my breath. Finally, one more thing about the Royals: If you look again at the photo at the top of this entry, you’ll see that the bat Eric Hosmer is holding has a “4” sticker on the knob. Hosmer was using one of teammate Alex Gordon’s bats! Great spot by reader Blair Riffel to catch that one. • • • • • And speaking of gold uniforms…: Gotta love that design the Saints wore last night. Sure, the sleeve and pant striping was nice, but the key was those gold uni numbers. So much better than the black numbers on their regular white jerseys. Allow me to be the 1,474,376th person to say, “They should make this their regular look.” One other note: The 50th-season patch that the Saints have been wearing in 2016 was not included on these jerseys. Oh, and the Panthers wore mono-blue, but we’ve seen that before. Additional photos here. • • • • • Click to enlarge Custom cleat artists: This has been a big year for custom-designed NFL cleats. You might think the sneakers companies are the ones coming with the custom designs, but a lot of them have actually been produced by two guys in Buffalo (including the pair they created for Bills running back LeSean McCoy, shown above). I’ll have that story today on ESPN. Check it out here. • • • • • The Ticker By Paul ’Skins Watch : Dan Steinberg, a clever and entertaining sportswriter who’s been doing great work for The Washington Post for many years, sees parallels between the media’s handling of Donald Trump and the media’s handling of the ’Skins name debate. Good stuff — highly recommended (from Tommy Turner). NFL News : The Browns will wear their orange alts on Sunday (from Robert Hayes). … “I picked up some old Packers/Cardinals and Cubs/Reds home movie footage on eBay and got it transferred to DVD,” says Ryan Dowgin. “Trying to pinpoint the year of the games based on the unis and numbers and am leaning towards 1940/1941.” If you’d like to help him on this, look here and here. … Here’s the ceremonial shovel used for the groundbreaking of the Rams’ new stadium (from 37 Days). … RB Christine Michael wore SrOB while with the Seahawks but he’s apparently going with a conventional NOB with the Packers — at least on his practice jersey (from Dean E.S. Richard). … Some Dolphins fans have started a petition to have the team’s throwbacks reinstalled as the primaries (from Kerri Pedersen). College Football News : Cincinnati will honor its seniors tonight by including their names and numbers in the team’s helmet striping (from @AdamtluA). … Here are this week’s uni combos for UNC (which will also have a stars/stripes end zone treatment), New Mexico, Syracuse, and Columbia. Hockey News : “Most mornings (every day?), NPR morning news reader Korva Coleman does a Facebook Live video session answering viewer questions about the day’s news and NPR’s coverage,” says R. Scott Rogers. “On Thursday, she was wearing a No. 42 Joel Ward Capitals jersey. At the end of the Q&A, she took a final question about the jersey and explained that she was wearing it to celebrate the previous night’s 7-1 rout of the Penguins. Most of the comments in the comments sidebar during the video were about the jersey, mainly praise for ‘rocking the red’ or Ward fans saying she should get a Sharks jersey.” … Rangers G Antti Raanta has written a piece about the meaning of his mask design (from Jim Earing). … Some Calgary Flames players tossed a football around the ice while wearing Calgary Stampeders helmets the other day (from Nick Maibroda). … A Fox Sports writer has reviewed all 30 NHL teams’ uniforms (thanks, Mike). … Wayne Gretzky is apparently going to appear on The Simpsons, wearing an Oilers-esque uniform, completely with the jersey tucked in at one hip, but without the jersey crest (from @GKG_77). … Purple “Fight Cancer Night” jerseys upcoming for the Cincinnati Cyclones. NBA News : Drake was given a Toronto Huskies jacket (from Marc-Louis Paprzyca). … Color vs. color last night in DC, as the Wizards wore their orange Bullets fauxbacks against the Knicks (from Brian S). College Hoops News : Akron has a new kangaroo-themed set. … Check out last night’s Oregon/Valpo game. If only the NFL’s Thursday-night program looked even half that good! (Thanks, Phil.) Soccer News : FIFA has opened a disciplinary case against England and Scotland for wearing poppies on Armistice Day, which they had been warned not to do.Greetings Citizens, Since last year’s Gamescom, we have traditionally given backers a choice of Star Citizen posters at our events, as a small thanks for all the support they’ve given us. This year is no different, with two cool new designs to choose from being printed now! We’ve decided to go one step further, though, and let every backer add one of the new posters to their Hangar. We’ve added 1,000 UEC to every ‘ready’ account, which will allow you to choose any poster from the Voyager Direct store for free. The new designs are a 2944 Murray Cup racing poster, celebrating the Origin M50 and 350R, and a Constellation poster, celebrating the soon-to-be-revealed Constellation lineup! You are also free to spend your UEC on other decorations or weapons if you would prefer. You can check out both of the new posters here, or browse the entire selection in the Voyager Direct store.Streaming SIMD Extensions (SSE) SSE — An Overview SSE is a newer SIMD extension to the FPU registers, SSE adds a separate register space to the microprocessor. Because of this, SSE can only be used on operating systems that support it. Fortunately, most recent operating systems have support built in. All versions of Windows since Windows98 support SSE, as do Linux kernels since 2.2. SSE was introduced in 1999, and was also known as "Katmai New Instructions" (or KNI) after the Pentium III's core codename. SSE adds 8 new 128-bit registers, divided into 4 32-bit (single precision) floating point values. These registers are called XMM0 - XMM7. An additional control register, MXCSR, is also available to control and check the status of SSE instructions. SSE gives us access to 70 new instructions that operate on these 128bit registers, MMX registers, and sometimes even regular 32bit registers. is a newer SIMD extension to the Intel Pentium III and AMD AthlonXP microprocessors. Unlike MMX and 3DNow! extensions, which occupy the same register space as the normalregisters, SSE adds a separate register space to the microprocessor. Because of this, SSE can only be used on operating systems that support it. Fortunately, most recent operating systems have support built in. All versions of Windows since Windows98 support SSE, as do Linux kernels since 2.2.SSE was introduced in 1999, and was also known as "Katmai New Instructions" (or KNI) after the Pentium III's core codename.SSE adds 8 new 128-bit registers, divided into 4 32-bit (single precision) floating point values. These registers are called. An additional control register,, is also available to control and check the status of SSE instructions.SSE gives us access to 70 new instructions that operate on these 128bit registers, MMX registers, and sometimes even regular 32bit registers. SSE — MXCSR The MXCSR register is a 32-bit register containing flags for control and status information regarding SSE instructions. As of Pnemonic Bit Location Description FZ bit 15 Flush To Zero R+ bit 14 Round Positive R- bit 13 Round Negative RZ bits 13 and 14 Round To Zero RN bits 13 and 14 are 0 Round To Nearest PM bit 12 Precision Mask UM bit 11 Underflow Mask OM bit 10 Overflow Mask ZM bit 9 Divide By Zero Mask DM bit 8 Denormal Mask IM bit 7 Invalid Operation Mask DAZ bit 6 Denormals Are Zero PE bit 5 Precision Flag UE bit 4 Underflow Flag OE bit 3 Overflow Flag ZE bit 2 Divide By Zero Flag DE bit 1 Denormal Flag IE bit 0 Invalid Operation Flag FZ mode causes all underflowing operations to simply go to zero. This saves some processing time, but loses precision. The R+, R-, RN, and RZ rounding modes determine how the lowest bit is generated. Normally, RN is used. PM, UM, MM, ZM, DM, and IM are masks that tell the processor to ignore the exceptions that happen, if they do. This keeps the program from having to deal with problems, but might cause invalid results. DAZ tells the CPU to force all Denormals to zero. A Denormal is a number that is so small that FPU can't renormalize it due to limited exponent ranges. They're just like normal numbers, but they take considerably longer to process. Note that not all processors support DAZ. PE, UE, ME, ZE, DE, and IE are the exception flags that are set if they happen, and aren't unmasked. Programs can check these to see if something interesting happened. These bits are "sticky", which means that once they're set, they stay set forever until the program clears them. This means that the indicated exception could have happened several operations ago, but nobody bothered to clear it. DAZ wasn't available in the first version of SSE. Since setting a reserved bit in MXCSR causes a general protection fault, we need to be able to check the availability of this feature without causing problems. To do this, one needs to set up a 512-byte area of memory to save the SSE state to, using fxsave, and then one needs to inspect bytes 28 through 31 for the MXCSR_MASK value. If bit 6 is set, DAZ is supported, otherwise, it isn't. Theregister is a 32-bit register containing flags for control and status information regarding SSE instructions. As of SSE3, only bits 0-15 have been defined.mode causes all underflowing operations to simply go to zero. This saves some processing time, but loses precision.The, androunding modes determine how the lowest bit is generated. Normally,is used., andare masks that tell the processor to ignore the exceptions that happen, if they do. This keeps the program from having to deal with problems, but might cause invalid results.tells theto force all Denormals to zero. A Denormal is a number that is so small thatcan't renormalize it due to limited exponent ranges. They're just like normal numbers, but they take considerably longer to process. Note that not all processors support, andare the exception flags that are set if they happen, and aren't unmasked. Programs can check these to see if something interesting happened. These bits are "sticky", which means that once they're set, they stay set forever until the program clears them. This means that the indicated exception could have happened several operations ago, but nobody bothered to clear it.wasn't available in the first version of SSE. Since setting a reserved bit incauses a general protection fault, we need to be able to check the availability of this feature without causing problems. To do this, one needs to set up a 512-byte area of memory to save the SSE state to, using, and then one needs to inspect bytes 28 through 31 for thevalue. If bit 6 is set,is supported, otherwise, it isn't.Could it actually be happening?! Rumours are spreading of a Box Car Racer reunion and there are a lot of people that want to be involved. Box Car Racer was the side project of Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker from Blink-182, but they only ever released one album. Here's what they sounded like... Recently, Tom's been making hints on Twitter that there could well be a reunion in the works, and everyone is pretty stoked about it. It all started with this... @travisbarker and I had a good conversation today, this time it was a bit more serious and not just a crazy photo that I get suckered into. — Tom DeLonge (@tomdelonge) May 6, 2017 Then he retweeted this... @tomdelonge What about that Box Car Racer reunion??? �� #please — Marcus Rogers Jr. (@marcusROGERS) May 7, 2017 And then said this, which TOTALLY means it's going to happen, right? Ha- All this talk about Boxcar Racer, who should we have guest on the album? (If there was one) :) — Tom DeLonge (@tomdelonge) May 8, 2017 If it does happen, then they're going to have plenty of people wanting to appear on it, like Kellin Quinn from Sleeping With Sirens... Ben Barlow from Neck Deep... @tomdelonge I'll pay you to let me do it — Ben Barlow (@ben_barlyo) May 9, 2017 Ryan from Yellowcard... And Anthony Green from Saosin... @Nasnod @tomdelonge yeah Anthony green would be perfect — anthony green (@AnthonyGreen) May 8, 2017 Basically, if this album happens then it's going to be pretty amazing. Now we sit and wait with all of our fingers crossed.Goalie Matt O’Connor will wake up Saturday morning, make three difficult phone calls, and then call his new National Hockey League general manager with the fourth. The 6-foot-5 free agent from Boston University has decided on his NHL destination, and will inform each of Vancouver, Edmonton, Ottawa and the New York Rangers which organization he will sign his Entry Level Contract with. The teams should know by 1 pm Eastern time Saturday afternoon, Sportsnet has learned. The Senators, Rangers, Oilers and Canucks are all that remain from a long list of NHL suitors O’Connor led the Boston University Terriers to the 2015 NCAA Championship Game, losing 4-3 to Providence. In 35 regular season appearances, he registered a 25-4-4 record with a.927 save percentage and a 2.18 goals-against average. The Toronto, Ont., native was not selected in the 2010 NHL Draft, when he was first eligible.The Pakistani on Thursday unanimously passed resolutions condemning recent anti- statements made by the Indian leadership. A resolution was tabled in the National Assembly by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar. Addressing the assembly, Dar said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi openly accepted India's role in breaking up in the 1971 war, Geo News reported. Dar urged the UN to take notice of the Indian leadership's "hateful" statements, adding that was continuously working to establish peace in the region, but foreign hands were involved in terrorism and suicide bombings in Pakistan to sow instability in the country. The Indian prime minister's statement of admission made this clear, he added. Earlier, the Senate of Pakistan also approved a resolution against statements made by the Indian leadership. The Senate resolution was tabled by the Leader of the House, Senator Raja Zafar ul Haq. The resolution likened Modi's statements to an attack on Pakistan. It reiterated that the Pakistan Army was fighting a war against terrorism and was fully prepared to respond to any form of aggression. The response comes in light of the Indian prime minister's statements relating to the 1971 war during his visit to Bangladesh earlier this month.Microsoft and Dell have just raised the bar. Again. The best Windows ever meets the best Dell ever. The result? A whole new era of power, performance and productivity. Windows 10 gives you all the features you know from the world’s most popular operating system, plus great improvements you’ll love. Enhance all you do with new Windows 10 features: Here to help - Choose a Dell PC equipped with MaxxAudio® by Waves to use Cortana, your own personal digital assistant. Using Cortana with a Dell PC equipped with MaxxAudio by Waves gives you a natural voice interaction experience. Start it up - You’ll feel like an expert from the get-go since your Windows Start menu is back in an expanded form.Plus, all your pinned applications will carry over so your experience is familiar, productive and better than ever. The speed you need - Windows 10 starts up and resumes fast with InstaGo so there’s no buffer between you and your to-do list. Even your updates reach you as soon as they are available so you always have the latest and greatest features that are built to keep up with your on-the-go lifestyle. Stay untethered for even longer - All Windows 10 devices now have Battery Saver to automatically conserve power – so you can work longer and play harder.Democrats will be able to go online at www.demconvention.com/platform to either submit written or video testimony or request to testify in person. In addition, there will be four regional events that will be open to the public. They will be held in the following locations: Mid-Atlantic – Washington, DC on June 8 th and 9 th (forum with testimony) , DC on and 9 (forum with testimony) Southwest – Phoenix, Arizona on June 17 th and 18 th (forum with testimony) , Arizona on and 18 (forum with testimony) Midwest – St. Louis, Missouri on June 24 th and 25 th (drafting committee meeting) on and 25 (drafting committee meeting) Southeast – Orlando, Florida on July 8 and 9th (platform committee meeting) "I want all Democrats to have their voices heard in this process," said Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. "We are the Party of substance, ideas and diversity. We expanded the platform process to provide greater opportunity for Democrats to express their views and we look forward to hearing different perspectives from across the nation." "We are broadening the process to welcome and include input from across the nation," said Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD). "I want to ensure we take up the issues at the center of people's lives, so I hope Democrats will make time to share their perspectives." This year, in an effort to welcome every voice, the DNC Chair elected to allocate 75% of the committee's seats to the presidential campaigns, appointing the slots proportionally according to the current vote tally. This year's platform process will be the most representative and inclusive in history. Contact: April Mellody 215-760-5943 Dana Vickers Shelley 215-519-0105 @DemConvention –Twitter –Facebook –Instagram Related Links http://www.demconvention.com SOURCE 2016 Democratic National Convention CommitteeThere’s little pressure on the Chicago Bears to shock the NFL world, but what are the expectations for this team and its players? The Chicago Bears head into a season without lofty expectations. Most NFL pundits feel the 2016 NFC North title belongs to the Minnesota Vikings or the Green Bay Packers. The Bears fell apart down the stretch in the previous year, losing four of the last five games to end the 2015 season. The team finished last in the division at 6-10. Whether injuries or lack of continuity factored into another disappointing season, general manager Ryan Pace decided to infuse the defense with proven talent via free agency and young talent atop the draft. The Bears will see improvement in the upcoming season, but where will the upgrades show up? Will this team reach a.500 record or above? How good can this defense perform in unison? What are the expectations for quarterback Jay Cutler? We’ll address a combined five season outlooks between player and team projections. Who’s set to hit the mark in 2016?Tottenham Hotspur tried to sign Slaven Bilic when he was at West Ham United, according to their former manager. Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has been speaking to the London Evening Standard about the time Spurs tried to bring Slaven Bilic to White Hart Lane. The former Croatian international recently took charge at West Ham United and had things gone a little differently he could have spent some of his playing days at Tottenham. Redknapp was in charge at West Ham when Tottenham are said to have come in for the player, but the Hammers managed to keep
and everyone was friendly,” he said. “I wouldn’t say the interviews themselves were hard despite the barrage of questions aimed at understanding who I am as an employee, writer and developer.” Among that barrage, Abreu was asked how he would implement and write about the hamburger menu at Caffè Macs, Apple's employee cafeteria, and how he would go about writing a cookbook. At one point, Abreu was told, “We don’t waste time with the dumb,” referring to the ones who don’t make it to the interview. The interviews ended as they had started with a brief chat with the internal recruiter. >See also: It’s time to say no to Apple and its iPhones A week after the interviews, back in the UK, Abreu was told that Apple would not be moving forward with his application. Given the time and money Apple had invested in the process, he was surprised and has since criticised the manner of the interviews. “The process was extremely long, especially considering the outcome. More than a dozen people and their time, [and] $2000 worth of travel expenses, spanning across four months. “The interviews seemed based on indirect questioning – this leaves too much room for bad judgements and assumptions in my opinion.”The winner of this year's James Dyson award is the Titan Arm, a battery-powered upper-body exoskeleton. Image: Dyson It was created by a group of students at University of Pennsylvania--the first American team to win the award in its nine year run. Image: Dyson The Titan Arm isn't the first exoskeleton, but it may be the first of its kind. Image: Dyson With a powered elbow, it adds about 40 pounds of strength to the wearer. Image: Dyson The most promising application is in rehabilitation. Since the self-contained device doesn't have to be tethered to any other source, it could be used by patients in their homes. Image: Dyson A detail of a machined part. Image: Dyson With the $45,000 prize, the team hopes to continue exploring the device's possibilities. Image: Dyson Elysium proved that even doughy dudes like Matt Damon could be futuristic action heroes with the help of a high-tech exoskeleton. That may have been science fiction, but there's still hope for the rest of us. The Titan Arm, a breakthrough upper-body exoskeleton developed by a group of students at University of Pennsylvania, offers a very real taste of Hulk-like super strength. Even more usefully, though, the device stands to totally change the way we think about physical therapy. Today, the Titan Arm was announced as the winner of this year's James Dyson Award, the serial innovator's annual student competition. an annual competition held by the serial innovator. The University of Pennsylvania team, made up of Elizabeth Beattie, Nick McGill, Nick Parrotta, and Niko Vladimirovm, will get $45,000 (with another $15,000 or so going to their school) and an avalanche of publicity for their project. They're the first American team to take the top prize in the competition's 9 year history. It's certainly not the first working exoskeleton, but in many ways it's the first of its kind. Development started last year when the students were fishing around for something "sufficiently complex" to for their undergraduate senior project. Research started by taking a close look at what was out there. The tea found that there were many lower body exoskeletons, designed to help with locomotion, and several full body devices for augmenting strength but far fewer that focused specifically on rehabilitating the upper body. "There were a few that existed, but they were in the research phase," McGill explains. //www.youtube.com/embed/rwPbxWSv1aw One of those was a project out of a lab in Tokyo that used pressurized air to drive the super-strength poweres. That, however, required that the exoskeleton was tethered to a pneumatic pump–severely limiting both the rehabilitative and world-saving potential. The students started thinking about the benefits of a totally independent exoskeleton–something that was battery-powered, and thus could be worn freely. A device, for example, that could allow a patient to do their physical therapy in their own home, even if it were in the countryside. With the goal settled, they got down to work. In its current form, the Titan Arm focuses on one mechanized joint–the elbow–giving the user roughly a 40-pound boost in strength. The team settled on a cable drive system which works similarly to the brakes on a bike. The main advantage was that it let the arm draw from a battery pack that could be worn on the back, thus allowing for the mobility they'd set out to achieve. What's more is that they did it all with just $2,000 or so in components. "We loved the way it had been executed," Sir Dyson himself says of the design. "The previous versions of this thing were mounted on the necks and shoulders, or the lower back, but utilizing the whole back was a great step forward. We liked the fact that they'd actually made it work. And the fact that they know how to make it much cheaper than existing exoskeleton arms is really important. I gather this kind of thing isn't usually covered by medical insurance." Indeed, even in their early prototyping phases, emails started to trickle in to the team from people who'd caught wind of the work. For individuals who have suffered from a stroke, for example, something as simple as cooking with a cast iron skillet can be too burdensome. With the Titan Arm come the promise of rebuilding strength in their own home–and even in their own kitchen. McGill says the team will use the prize money to continue development on project. The powered elbow can already offer a rehab patients a crucial boost in strength, but adding a second powered joint could open up all sorts of exciting options. With two points of actuation, for example, the team could measure resistance to see how those joints are being used–in effect quantifying the process of recovery. That would be a huge step forward for this sort of rehab, for both doctors and patients alike. "Some people don't know they're even improving," McGill says. Dyson was impressed with the project's ambition, but he wasn't surprised. Young designers and engineers are instinctively inclined to build things that help people, he says. "Students naturally want to do projects that are worthy. And I mean that in a very positive way. The first three winners this year were all people trying to help other people. I think that's a great characteristic of all student projects. They're people who want to change the world and make the world a better place. Often they're not thinking commercially. Which is great, because companies think commercially. Students don't."1943 battle in the Pacific during World War II The Battle of Rennell Island (Japanese: レンネル島沖海戦) took place on 29–30 January 1943. It was the last major naval engagement between the United States Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Guadalcanal Campaign of World War II. It occurred in the South Pacific between Rennell Island and Guadalcanal in the southern Solomon Islands. In the battle, Japanese naval land-based torpedo bombers, seeking to provide protection for the impending evacuation of Japanese forces from Guadalcanal, made several attacks over two days on U.S. warships operating as a task force south of this island. In addition to approaching Guadalcanal with the objective of engaging any Japanese ships that might come into range, the U.S. task force was protecting an Allied transport ship convoy carrying replacement troops there. As a result of the Japanese air attacks on the task force, one U.S. heavy cruiser was sunk, a destroyer was heavily damaged, and the rest of the U.S. task force was forced to retreat from the southern Solomons area. Partly because they turned back the U.S. task force in this battle, the Japanese successfully evacuated their remaining troops from Guadalcanal by 7 February 1943, leaving it in the hands of the Allies and ending the battle for the island. Background [ edit ] South Pacific area in 1942–1943. The U.S. troop convoy and warship task forces heading towards Guadalcanal (upper center) on 29 January 1943, originated at the major Allied bases at Espiritu Santo and Efate (center right) and Nouméa (lower right). Headquarters for Japanese land-based aircraft in the Solomons area was at Rabaul (upper left). On 7 August 1942, Allied forces (primarily U.S.) landed on Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and Florida Islands in the Solomon Islands. The landings on the islands were meant to deny their use by the Japanese as bases for threatening the supply routes between the U.S. and Australia, and to secure the islands as starting points for a campaign with the eventual goal of isolating the major Japanese base at Rabaul while also supporting the Allied New Guinea campaign. The landings initiated the six-month-long Guadalcanal campaign.[6] The last major attempt by the Japanese to drive Allied forces from Guadalcanal and Tulagi was defeated during the decisive Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in early November 1942. Thereafter, the Japanese Navy was able to deliver only subsistence supplies and a few replacement troops to Japanese Army forces on Guadalcanal. Because of the threat from Allied aircraft based at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal, plus nearby U.S. aircraft carriers, the Japanese delivered these supplies at night, usually by destroyer or submarine, in operations the Allies called the "Tokyo Express."[7] However, these supplies and replacements were not enough to sustain Japanese troops on the island, who by 7 December 1942, were losing about 50 men each day from malnutrition, disease, and Allied ground or air attacks.[8] On 12 December 1942, the Japanese Navy proposed that Guadalcanal be abandoned. Despite initial opposition from Army leaders, who still hoped that Guadalcanal could eventually be retaken from the Allies, on 31 December 1942 the Imperial General Headquarters, with approval from the Emperor, agreed to evacuate all Japanese forces from the island and establish a new line of defense for the Solomons on New Georgia.[9] The evacuation was code-named Operation Ke (ケ号作戦), and was scheduled to begin on 14 January 1943.[10] An important element in the plan was an air superiority campaign starting 28 January 1943, to inhibit Allied aircraft or warships from disrupting the final stage of the Ke operation, which was the actual evacuation of all Japanese troops from Guadalcanal.[11] Allied forces misinterpreted the Ke preparations as the beginning of another Japanese offensive to try to retake Guadalcanal.[12] At the same time, Admiral William Halsey Jr., the Allied theatre commander, was under pressure from his superiors to complete the replacement of the 2nd Marine Regiment, which had been in combat on Guadalcanal since August, with fresh Army troops.[13] Halsey hoped to take advantage of what he believed was an impending Japanese offensive to draw Japanese naval forces into a battle, while at the same time delivering the replacement Army troops to Guadalcanal.[14] On 29 January 1943, Halsey sent five task forces toward the southern Solomons area to cover the relief convoy and to engage any Japanese naval forces that came into range. These five task forces included two fleet carriers, two escort carriers, three battleships, 12 cruisers, and 25 destroyers.[15] In front of this array of task forces was Task Group 62.8, the troop convoy of four transports and four destroyers.[16] Ahead of the troop convoy, between Rennell Island and Guadalcanal, was Task Force 18 (TF 18) Rear Admiral Robert C. Giffen, a close support group of heavy cruisers USS Wichita, Chicago, and Louisville, light cruisers Montpelier, Cleveland, and Columbia; escort carriers Chenango and Suwannee; and eight destroyers. Admiral Giffen commanded TF 18 from Wichita.[17] A fleet carrier task force—centered on the carrier Enterprise—steamed about 250 mi (220 nmi; 400 km) behind TG 62.8 and TF 18. The other fleet carrier and battleship task forces were about 150 mi (130 nmi; 240 km) farther back. Admiral Giffen, with Wichita and the two escort carriers, had just arrived in the Pacific after participating in Operation Torch in the North African Campaign.[18] Also, Chicago had just arrived back in the South Pacific, after completing repairs from damage suffered during the Battle of Savo Island almost six months before.[17] Battle [ edit ] Prelude [ edit ] Wichita. USS Chicago is in the right center, with Louisville in the distance. U.S. cruisers of Task Force 18 at sea en route to Guadalcanal on 29 January 1943, just hours prior to the Japanese night air attack off Rennell Island. Photographed from USS. USSis in the right center, within the distance. In addition to protecting the troop convoy, TF 18 was charged with rendezvousing with a force of four U.S. destroyers, stationed at Tulagi, at 21:00 on 29 January in order to conduct a sweep up "The Slot" north of Guadalcanal the next day to screen the unloading of the troop transports at Guadalcanal.[3] However, the escort carriers, under Commodore Ben Wyatt, were too slow (18 kn (21 mph; 33 km/h)) to allow Giffen's force to make the scheduled rendezvous, so Giffen left the carriers behind with two destroyers at 14:00 and pushed on ahead at 24 kn (28 mph; 44 km/h).[19] Wary of the threat from Japanese submarines, which Allied intelligence indicated were likely in the area, Giffen arranged his cruisers and destroyers for anti-submarine defense, not expecting an air attack. The cruisers were aligned in two columns, spaced 2,500 yd (2,300 m) apart. Wichita, Chicago, and Louisville, in that order, were to starboard, and Montpelier, Cleveland, and Columbia were to port. The six destroyers were in a semicircle 2 mi (1.7 nmi; 3.2 km) ahead of the cruiser columns.[3] Giffen's force was tracked by Japanese submarines, who reported its location and movement.[19][20] Around mid-afternoon, based on the submarine reports, 16 Mitsubishi G4M Type 1 bombers from the 705 Air Group (705AG) and 16 Mitsubishi G3M Type 96 bombers from the 701 Air Group (701AG) took off from Rabaul carrying torpedoes to attack Giffen's force. One Type 96 turned back with engine trouble, leaving 31 bombers in the attack force. The leader of the 705AG aircraft was Lieutenant Tomō Nakamura and Lieutenant Commander Joji Hagai commanded the 701AG planes.[3][21] Action on 29 January [ edit ] Chart of Japanese air attack (dashed red line) on U.S. Task Force 18 (solid black line) between Rennell Island and Guadalcanal on the evening of 29 January 1943 At sunset, as TF 18 headed northwest 50 mi (43 nmi; 80 km) north of Rennell Island and 160 mi (140 nmi; 260 km) south of Guadalcanal, several of Giffen's ships detected unidentified aircraft on radar 60 mi (52 nmi; 97 km) west of their formation. Having previously insisted on absolute radio silence, Giffen gave no orders about what to do about the unidentified contacts, or any orders at all, for that matter.[17] With the setting of the sun, TF 18's combat air patrol (CAP) from the two escort carriers returned to their ships for the night, leaving Giffen's ships without air cover.[22] The radar contacts were, in fact, the approaching 31 Japanese torpedo bombers, who circled around to the south of TF 18 so that they could attack from the east, with the black backdrop of the eastern sky behind them. From this direction, the Japanese bombers were hidden by the night sky, but Giffen's ships were silhouetted against the twilight of the western horizon. The 705AG aircraft attacked first, beginning at 19:19. Nakamura's aircraft missed with all of their torpedoes and one was shot down by anti-aircraft fire from Giffen's ships.[23] Believing the attack was over, Giffen ordered his ships to cease zigzagging and continue towards Guadalcanal on the same course and at the same speed. Meanwhile, a Japanese reconnaissance aircraft began dropping flares and floatlights to mark the course and speed of TF 18 for the impending attack by Hagai's bombers.[24] At 19:38, 701AG attacked, planting two torpedoes in Chicago, causing heavy damage and bringing the cruiser to a dead stop. Another torpedo hit Wichita but did not explode. Two bombers were shot down by anti-aircraft fire, including Hagai's; he was killed. At 20:08, Giffen ordered his ships to reverse direction, to slow to 15 kn (17 mph; 28 km/h), and to cease firing their anti-aircraft guns. The absence of muzzle flashes concealed the ships from the Japanese aircraft, who all departed the area by 23:35.[23][25] In pitch darkness, Louisville managed to take the crippled Chicago under tow and slowly headed south, away from the battle area, escorted by the rest of TF 18.[26] Action on 30 January [ edit ] Louisville (right) tows the crippled Chicago on the morning of 30 January 1943. USS(right) tows the crippledon the morning of 30 January 1943. Halsey immediately took steps to try to protect Chicago, notifying the escort carriers to make sure they had a CAP in place at first light, ordering the Enterprise task force to approach and augment the escort carrier CAP, and sending the fleet tug Navajo to take over the tow from Louisville, which was accomplished at 08:00.[24] Between daybreak and 14:00, numerous Japanese scout aircraft approached TF 18. Although they were all chased away by the CAP, they observed and reported the position of Chicago. At 12:15, a force of 11 Type 1 torpedo bombers from the 751 Air Group (751AG), based at Kavieng and staging through Buka, launched to attack the damaged U.S. cruiser. An Australian coastwatcher in the Solomon Islands warned the U.S. forces of the bombers, and estimated their arrival time as 16:00. However, Halsey ordered the other cruisers to leave Chicago behind and head for Efate in the New Hebrides. They departed at 15:00, leaving behind six destroyers to protect Chicago and Navajo.[27] At 15:40, Enterprise was 43 mi (37 nmi; 69 km) away from Chicago, with ten of her fighters forming a CAP over the damaged cruiser. At this time, four of the CAP fighters chased and shot down a scout Type 1 bomber. At 15:54, Enterprise's radar detected the incoming bomber flight, and launched 10 more fighters. The escort carriers, however, had difficulties in getting their aircraft launched, and their aircraft did not attack the bombers until the engagement was over.[28] Chicago (yellow dot) on the morning of 30 January 1943. Black arrows are U.S. carrier fighter aircraft. Japanese aerial attack (dotted red line) on(yellow dot) on the morning of 30 January 1943. Black arrows are U.S. carrier fighter aircraft. At first, the Japanese bombers appeared to be trying to approach and attack Enterprise but turned toward Chicago after six Enterprise CAP fighters began to engage them. Four other CAP fighters chased the 751AG aircraft as they entered the anti-aircraft fire from Chicago's escorting destroyers. Two of the bombers were shot down before they could release their ordnance. Six more were shot down moments later, but not before they dropped their torpedoes.[29] One torpedo hit the destroyer USS La Vallette in her forward engine room, killing 22 of her crew and causing heavy damage. Chicago was hit by four torpedoes, one forward of the bridge and three others in her engineering spaces. Captain Ralph O. Davis of Chicago ordered the ship to be abandoned, and she sank, stern first, 20 minutes later. Navajo and the escorting destroyers rescued 1,049 survivors from Chicago,[30] but 62 of her crew died.[31] A final attack force of Japanese torpedo bombers failed to find the remaining U.S. ships. Navajo took La Vallette under tow, and all of the remaining ships of TF 18 made port at Espiritu Santo without further incident.[32] Aftermath [ edit ] The Japanese widely publicized the results of the engagement, claiming to have sunk a battleship and three cruisers.[33] The U.S. on the other hand, tried to conceal the loss of Chicago from the public for some time, with Admiral Chester Nimitz threatening to "shoot" any of his staff who leaked the loss of Chicago to the press. Halsey and Nimitz blamed Giffen for the defeat and so stated in Giffen's official performance report for the period.[34] The defeat and resulting recriminations did not affect Giffen's career; he continued to lead Allied battleship and cruiser task forces in the Pacific until 1944 and was later promoted to Vice Admiral.[35] With Japanese aircraft engaged with TF 18, the Allied transports completed their mission of replacing the remaining Marines on Guadalcanal over the last two days in January 1943. During this time, the other Allied task forces, including the two fleet carrier task forces, took station in the Coral Sea, in anticipation of an expected Japanese offensive in the southern Solomons.[33] With TF 18 forced to retreat, very few Allied naval forces were left in the immediate Guadalcanal area, allowing the Japanese to retrieve most of their remaining ground forces from Guadalcanal (Operation Ke) over three nights between 2 and 7 February 1943. The Allies were not aware of the Japanese withdrawal until it was over,[10] but the evacuation of a small number of starving troops and the loss of one cruiser became a footnote to the securing of Henderson Field and Guadalcanal, which provided the air support springboard to successfully complete the Solomon Islands campaign, a major turning point in the Pacific War.[36] Notes [ edit ] References [ edit ] Further reading [ edit ] Domagalski, John J. (2010). Lost at Guadalcanal: The Final Battles of the Astoria and Chicago as Described by Survivors and in Official Reports. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-5897-4. Roscoe, Theodore (1953). United States Destroyer Operations in World War II (Ninth printing, 1986 ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-726-7. Stafford, Edward P. (2002). The Big E: The Story of the USS Enterprise. Paul Stillwell (Introduction) (reissue ed.). Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-998-0. Coordinates:Autumn is my favorite time to fish, because I prefer to catch pike and bass, which also happen to be two species that are great for fall fishing. My dream is to fish for pike in Scandinavian waters (where pike are much larger than in the United States,) and angle for bass in Ireland. But until I can manage a fishing trip to Europe, I’ll content myself with the fine northern waters of the U.S. and Canada. In fact, some of the best fishing I’ve ever had has been in Minnesota and Montana. There’s plenty of big pike to be had on this side of the Atlantic, and I’ve caught some beauties because I’ve honed my skills and learned from experience over the years. The same is true for Bass fishing. Finding and Catching Pike After feeding all summer long, the food supply for pike starts to dissipate, and as the temperature starts to drop in the fall, Pike start moving closer to the shore seeking both food and more conducive water temperatures. As for me, I am happy to find pike without motoring too far out as it saves gas and time. I seem to have the best luck right about the place where the deep water begins, and I catch the most at about midday. Some people have a lot of luck catching pike right at dusk, but that’s never been the case with me. You really need to use lures to catch some serious pike. I have a few favorite lures I use just for pike, but believe it or not, I’ve caught a lot of pike simply using a bobber and a minnow. I cast my line near the weed line where they like to lurk. It sometimes takes a while, but generally a Pike finds the dangling bait too tempting to resist. I’ve also had great luck using a KandleFish lure. I’ve also experimented with some of my dad’s favorites: trollers’ plugs, spoons and baitfish rigs, but if I can’t get a bite using a bobber or a Kandlefish, I’ll usually start trolling the edge of the deep water. I sometimes attach a planer to my line so that I don’t rile them up by driving my boat directly above them. Bass Fishing There is nothing, and I mean nothing, as good as a fresh-caught bass battered and fried. The best thing about fishing for bass in the fall, especially late fall, is that they, like other fish, are working on stockpiling for the winter. By late fall, the pickings are getting slim, so my bait starts looking better and better. I know that bass love to feed on shad, and I’ve tried tracking the shad just to get to the Bass, but I mostly think that’s a waste of time. Besides, I’m not a big fan of shad, and when I’ve tried to fish for bass where they love to feed, I end up getting more shad than bass. I try to find spots where there are bait fish of any kind because the Bass will go for anything to get themselves prepped for winter. Other than searching out good bait fish areas (I’ve had great luck with known blue gill spots), I look for green weeds. The weeds provide more oxygen and attract more bait fish, so that’s where the bass go. That or rocks because the rocks retain some heat and all the fish are looking for a little more warmth. Here’s something else you should know: bass run in schools in the autumn. If you catch one, stay in the same spot for a while, you’ll probably catch another half dozen. Knowing where the bass are likely to be feeding is the first step, but knowing where they are likely to be won’t help you unless you use the right lure to catch them. I’ve caught tons of bass with a KB amphibian spoon; I just drag it across the weeds. I also use lures that are close to the same color as the bait fish the bass are feeding on. Happy Fishing, A fellow fishermanI don’t know what is contained in the emails allegedly found on Anthony Weiner’s electronic device, which occasioned the “review” and the heads-up the FBI felt constrained to give Republican committee chairmen in Congress 11 days before a general election. Neither do you. So any hard predictions of what the incident might mean politically are simply not in order. Assuming there is nothing literally incriminating in the emails (or nothing that will come out before Election Day, anyway), the scariest thing for the Clinton campaign involves the conventional wisdom that the candidate who can best avoid media attention down the stretch is likeliest to win. In a contest where both candidates are unpopular, the reasoning goes, you don’t want voters to head to the polls freshly reminded of what they most dislike about you. The final week or so of the campaign looked like it would be dominated by ever-more-shrill statements by Donald Trump about rigged elections and the women peddling “fake” accusations of sexual misconduct against him. The spotlight had largely focused away from Clinton, aside from thoughts about the prospect of her breaking the glass ceiling, which even a fair number of the people intending to vote against her might appreciate. That’s now changed, for the moment at least. But the underlying “story” of the emails isn’t some sort of bombshell, and the odds are that the negative attention and any lingering substantive concerns among voters will be too little, too late to make much of a difference. As Nate Silver points out in a very clear-eyed reaction to today’s news, the original Comey press conference on the emails, which was mainly reported as a stern official confirmation of very bad behavior by Clinton, only cost her about two points in the polls. It’s hard to imagine an echo of that bad story for Clinton having a greater impact, particularly with early voting already underway and the number of undecided voters steadily declining. But in any event, she could probably weather a two-point drop in support right now. On the other hand, the new email story — unless the FBI or press leaks take the air out of it right away — is a heaven-sent opportunity for the Trump campaign to convince its supporters he can still win, and that his ranting and raving about Clinton’s supposed criminality is being vindicated. It won’t get him 270 electoral votes, but it could boost Republican turnout enough to make a difference in down-ballot races, and maybe make the evening of November 8 suspenseful, even if fears of voting-machine hacks or Trumpian violence prove fanciful.I love Iron Fist, so of course I watched the new Netflix series Iron Fist. I'll withhold comment on whether it's any good because I'm a physicist, not a TV critic. But I will say the show provides some fun opportunities to look at physics with questions like how much energy he packs into his superpowered punch. One in particular involves.... oh. Wait. This isn't a big spoiler, but I'll warn you just in case. Spoiler ahead. There. You've been warned. So in one early episode, Iron Fist falls some distance before catching himself on a pole. It got me thinking about how far he could fall and still safely stop himself. Then I wondered what kind of acceleration he'd experience on impact, and what magnitude of arm strength force he would need to stop. Let me draw the scene in question: In this diagram, Iron Fist falls some distance h and stops over some distance s (I will estimate values for h and s later). Seeing this, the first thing you need to know is that time doesn't matter. Well, maybe it matters, but not here. This scenario deals only with forces and displacement, so the best approach is the Work-Energy Principle: I hear you saying, "Well that doesn't look like much." Maybe so. Nevertheless, this is a very powerful equation. It states that the work done on a system is equal to the change in energy for that system. What is work? Here is a basic definition: In this expression, θ represents the angle between the force and the displacement of the force (Δr). To use this, I must first choose a system. In this case, I will make Iron Fist the system. That means two forces can perform work on the system: the gravitational force and the pole. With Iron Fist as the lone system, the only change in energy will be in kinetic energy. Yes, you also could have gravitational potential energy, but only if you didn't also have the work done by gravity (you can't have it both ways). Putting this together, I get: Here I am calculating the work and the change in energy for the motion from point A to point C—but you could do this for any two points. If Iron Fist falls from rest at point A, his velocity (and thus kinetic energy) will be zero at that point. When he stops at the end of the fall, his velocity is zero there, too (at point C). This means that the work done by gravity must be the opposite of the work done by the pole. Notice that the gravitational force does positive work since the angle between gravity and the displacement is zero (cosine of zero is 1). For the pole, it pushes up while Iron Fist moves down, so it does negative work. Using the definition of work, I get: Now that I have an expression for the magnitude of the force the pole exerts on Iron First, I can find some real answers. All I need are estimates for these values: Mass of Iron Fist = 75 kg. Falling distance of three stories, (h + s) = 10 meters. Stopping distance = 1 meter (this is the distance from when he first touches the pole to when he stops). Using these values, I get a pole force of 8,085 Newtons. This is the force the pole exerts on Iron First, but because forces are an interaction between two objects, this is also the force that Iron Fist must push on the pole to stop. A force this large might be too high for normal humans using only their arms. But what if he also hits the pole, using more than his arms to stop? Is it possible to survive something like that? It might be better to examine the acceleration instead of the force. Knowing the pole force, I can calculate the net force (gravity plus pole)—but remember these are in opposite directions for a total of 6,615 Newtons. Using the force-acceleration relationship, I can find the acceleration (in one dimension): This gives a stopping acceleration of 107.8 m/s2 or 11 G's. According to NASA data on the human tolerance of acceleration, this should be survivable. Of course, this calculation is just for the average stopping force and the average stopping acceleration. The real acceleration wouldn't be quite so constant and probably would peak at some higher value. Still, Iron Fist is a superhero and can do things you can't, so I'm going to say surviving this fall is plausible if you're Iron Fist. Anyone who isn't Iron Fist probably shouldn't try it. Homework In case you need something to do, I thought up some homework questions.Shoppers scurry across a Costco parking lot in Calgary with colossal carts full of jumbo toilet paper and pork tenderloins by the dozen. Many of them don't seem particularly thrilled to be there. Bonnie, one such shopper, admits the whole experience has made her rather cranky. "It's the way other people act. It gets to me and then I become part of the problem. Some days are pretty good. Today I wasn't in the mood," she said. She's not alone. It turns out we're hard wired to act like hunter-gatherers when we get into big box crowds. The battle for a parking spot, the lineups outside the store, the oversized carts clogging up the aisles — it's enough to put even the most seasoned Costco shopper on edge. Yet they are willing to buy a membership just to shop there. Bargain hunting gives many shoppers an adrenaline rush that's very similar to the one we get in competitive sport, according to one researcher. (Paul Sakuma/Associated Press) And there are plenty of Costco shoppers in Canada. With revenue from its Canadian operations ringing it at $17 billion US last year, versus $86.6 billion in the U.S., the company makes significantly more, on a per-capita basis, on this side of the border. So what happens to otherwise pleasant Canadians when they cross that threshold into the big box world? Bargain shopping adrenaline rush Bargain hunting gives many shoppers an adrenaline rush that's very similar to the one we get in competitive sport, says Nancy Puccinelli, a marketing professor at the University of Bath who holds a psychology degree from Harvard. "We actually refer to it as the treasure hunt phenomenon. It's almost competition with other consumers to find that treasure." So you're not so much shopping with people, you're shopping against them. Puccinelli says the layout of Costco stores just makes everything worse. "If you think of the types of carts they're making available to people, the layout, that does make it more difficult to find things. We know that customers don't like really high shelves. Research has shown that people don't go to Costco because they need to save money. Instead, a typical Costco shopper earns $30,000 to $40,000 more than average. (Paul Sakuma/Associated Press) And in fact, one of the things that CVS [an American pharmacy chain] did was make a conscious decision to lower the height of their shelves because they knew that 80 per cent of their customers were women. And so even though they knew they were taking a huge loss on inventory, they did it because they knew their customers preferred it aesthetically." Group polarization While there are bargains to be found at other grocery chains for those looking to bring out their inner-primitive competitive streak, the Costco experience stands out as particularly aggravating on a busy day due to the crowds. Crowd dynamics are something that Wendy James, who holds a PhD in psychology, has written about before. "A common psychological term is group polarization. It's the tendency for people in crowding areas and groups to become more extreme in their views. There's a theory called contagious theory. They become irrational and emotional. And their charged behaviour becomes a crowd frenzy." To help deal with shopper emotions, retail environments are painstakingly designed by many big chain stores. (Rick Bowmer/Associated Press) To help deal with these emotions, retail environments are painstakingly designed by many big chain stores. Mellow music, for example, has been found to relax shoppers in busy environments. Less busy stores have seen improved sales while upbeat music plays in the background. Costco shoppers have higher salaries Other big box stores are finding creative ways to keep the cranky factor down, too. Another store known for big crowds, The Real Canadian Superstore, introduced its click and collect program a few years back. People order their groceries online and then for a small fee, they are delivered to your car right in front of the store. The uptake has been even bigger than expected, with shoppers buying three to four times more stuff online than if they go into the store, according to Superstore's parent company. But one thing that might surprise you about the average Costco shopper is that even though they love the thrill of the bargain, Puccinelli's research
great returns in short span of time. There are many in the same industry, but why not try this out? A genuine and reliable software! My way is designed to be understood virtually immediately—it is designed to be irrefutable and easily accessible to Stupidparty disciples and those of us who need to put such people in their place, whilst also being fully aware of the fact that trying to explain the academic argument, trying to explain the real history, is a bit like flogging a dead horse. But an academic, a true Gnostic, some one who wants an in depth understanding of the relevance of the second amendment as it relates to today—well they will truly appreciate Brian’s enlightening discussion. Patrick Andendall My Way: Second amendment sloganeering and bumper stickers. This is dead simple a) The 2nd amendment is not unambiguous, plus there remains controversy over the precise grammar that impacts its intentions, b) the Constitution by definition changes every time the Supreme Court makes a ruling, and there have been such rulings and most importantly c) if any action taken by the Government is unconstitutional—then that is why we have the Supreme Court in the first place—so what the hell are they worried about. Like all things Stupidparty—it is simplistic sloganeering to rile up an uninformed fearful base. Brian’s Way: By Brian E. Frydenborg LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter (you can follow me there at @bfry1981) The individual right to keep and bear arms as part of the state militia is guaranteed by the Second Amendment. What does that have to do with today’s citizenry? Nothing. Perhaps the most depressing thing about the gun-control debate in the United States, apart from the continuous stream of deaths that still have yet to merit not even a modestly serious policy response, is that for as many times as the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution—part of what is termed the Bill of Rights—is invoked, nearly as many times there is a total lack of historical context of that very amendment presented alongside. Into this vacuum all sorts of creative reasoning has flooded, to such a degree that the highest law courts and judges of the land, too, have fallen to such erroneous thinking that ignores the history and tradition from which the Second Amendment emerged. J. G. A. Pocock correctly notes that “[i]t is notorious that American culture is haunted by myths, many of which arise out of the attempt to escape history and then regenerate it,” and the Second Amendment is a textbook example of this phenomenon. J. G. A. Pocock correctly notes that “[i]t is notorious that American culture is haunted by myths, many of which arise out of the attempt to escape history and then regenerate it,” and the Second Amendment is a textbook example of this phenomenon. The roots of this amendment go back to Saxon culture in the era of the Roman Empire. When Rome decided to withdraw from its provinces in the British Isles early in the fifth-century to consolidate its withering power in the rest of the West, the Saxons, Angles, (from which England got its name) and other Germanic tribes eventually filled the power vacuum the Romans left. The most visible presence of Roman governmental authority had been the army, the professional, standing Roman legions that had been stationed in Britain. Security after their withdrawal became nonexistent, but the Saxons, after a bloody conquest, imported a tradition of theirs from mainland Europe with them: that of the fyrd, as the U.S. Army’s official history explains. In this system, all adult males had to engage in military training, and, in times of war, would be expected to fight. This tradition continued throughout English history. The English freemen, like the Saxons before him, were given the right to bear arms as part of a contract in which their responsibility was to train in their local militia and defend the realm when necessary. This part is important: there is no tradition in English history of the local peasants having an institutionalized right to keep and bear arms without the responsibility of being part of an organized militia which would act to defend the land when needed; the right to bear arms does not exist without the militia, and the militia does not exist without the peasants being trained for and participating in a militia. There is no tradition in English history of the local peasants having an institutionalized right to keep and bear arms without the responsibility of being part of an organized militia which would act to defend the land when needed; the right to bear arms does not exist without the militia, and the militia does not exist without the peasants being trained for and participating in a militia. Fast forward centuries later to the establishment of English colonies in the New World, in particular the colonies that would form the United States of America’s original Thirteen. Most of these colonies were founded by the English, and those that were not came under English rule long before the American Revolution. The state militias were merely the continuance of the colonial militias after America broke off from Britain by declaration in 1776, by treaty in 1783. One has to think of the massive technological changes that occurred between 1791, when the Second Amendment was added to the Constitution, and today, and then it should be obvious that the same system is not in place. For one thing, back then almost the whole population lived in the countryside, not cities, where there were lots of dangerous animals and pesky French, Spanish, and British troops prowling around, plus many Native Americans tribes that did not like their land being taken from them. This militia system made perfect sense in such a physical environment for almost all Americans except for a tiny minority in coastal cities lived in rural areas and on the frontier. It also made sense especially when one considers that many of the founders had a philosophical opposition to a large standing army, keeping in mind the warlords of republican Rome and the more recent example of Oliver Cromwell’s New Model Army which had not helped the brief experiment of England with republicanism in the mid-seventeenth-century. Theoretically, an army composed of state militias, tied to their localities, would be harder for a tyrant manipulate. Yes, some units of the Massachusetts colonial militia have survived in some form as they morphed, along with other units, into the U.S. National Guard, the direct descendant of the state militia system referenced in the Second Amendment. Yes, all adult males do register for the draft via the Selective Service. But registration is generally all that is required for adult males except for a few drastic eras in U.S. history. And the average men today do not regularly train, and are not expected to keep and bear arms of their own. Even those in the military, Guard or otherwise, do not own the weapons they will use in combat and cannot keep them in their homes. Even just by 1865, the state militia system, which evolved dramatically during the course of the four years of the Civil War, bore little resemblance to the system referenced in the Constitution, and after the first two decades of the twentieth-century, only a few vestiges of that system nominally existed. From WWI forward through the Vietnam War, the federal government brought in, trained, and equipped the vast majority of troops that fought, not the National Guard, which today is only a small part of the overall U.S. Military. The average adult man is not the only one, then, in the U.S. that has nothing to do with the National Guard; the average U.S. man in a military uniform has nothing to do with the Guard either and is part of a force structure that is only supplemented by the Guard. That should not, of course to discount the brave service of Guard units that served in Afghanistan and Iraq, or those that helped after Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. But the U.S. Military today is overwhelmingly a professional, fully federalized, standing army. Even the Guard itself is composed of units structured in such a way that they bear virtually no resemblance in practice (even if they may in spirit) to the state militias referenced in the Second Amendment when it was written in 1789 and adopted in 1791. As far as the arms that need to be “kept” and “borne,” if you’re in the Guard today you cannot bring a personal firearm you keep and own as an individual to bear while on active Guard duty. No, the weapons that will be borne into battle are owned by the U.S. Government, are kept on base, and not taken home or owned by the Guardsmen. Effectively, modern Guard practice destroys the traditional relationship between keeping and bearing arms and wholly separates those acts from service in the militia. In the end, all three major components of the Second Amendment—keeping, bearing, and serving in the militia—are transformed by modern Guard practice into relics from a past era that do not function or work together at all in the way they did in the late 1700s. Both its rights and the duties might still exist on paper, but they do not exist at all in practice and they apply to no one since no one keeps their own arms to bear in the capital M “Militia.”WASHINGTON — The Senate in the early hours of Friday morning rejected a new, scaled-down Republican plan to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act, derailing the Republicans’ seven-year campaign to dismantle President Barack Obama’s signature health care law and dealing a huge political setback to President Trump. Senator John McCain of Arizona, who just this week returned to the Senate after receiving a diagnosis of brain cancer, cast the decisive vote to defeat the proposal, joining two other Republicans, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, in opposing it. The 49-to-51 vote was also a humiliating setback for the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who has nurtured his reputation as a master tactician and spent the last three months trying to devise a repeal bill that could win support from members of his caucus.Egypt’s Grand Mufti said on Saturday that a dance show performed by nude artists in Jerusalem on Friday as part of the Israel Festival was offensive and “contributed to the spread of terror, extremism and instability” in the region. Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam made the remarks a day after the dance performance “More than Naked” by Austrian choreographer Doris Uhlich was staged at the Jerusalem Theater on Friday. Allam said the 12 dancers who performed naked in the show were stirring provocation, and offended the sensibilities of the followers of the three monotheistic faiths. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up He added that the show was humiliating to the sanctity of the holy city, according to Army Radio.The crackdown on RT has been a rapidly evolving story, and I do not know the whole truth of it. However what is clear is that it is a tale of arrogance and stupidity on the part of a Western establishment that has lost its nerve. First there were reports that RT’s bank accounts in Britain had been frozen. Then RT released a letter from its British bank – NatWest, which is 70% owned by the British government – saying that its bank accounts were being closed. No reason was given and the letter said that the decision was final and was not subject to review. RT complained that it had been given no notice and that the letter had come as a total surprise out of the blue. A storm of criticism then followed and significantly not just from Russia, with many British individuals and organisations complaining about an attack on free speech. The British government avoided comment, the Treasury denied involvement, and amid rumours that the Russians were threatening to freeze the BBC’s accounts in Russia and to bring complaints to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and to other multinational institutions about an attack on free speech, with some talk of a possible challenge to the European Court of Human Rights, NatWest was left throughout the day hanging out to dry. Later, after markets closed, NatWest put out a statement saying that the decision would be reviewed after all, and that RT’s accounts with NatWest were still open and operating, and that it was in talks with RT about their future. There have been unconfirmed reports that the closure of RT’s accounts has now been put back to December, and that no final decision to close the accounts has been made. The London Times is talking about a British climbdown. Simultaneously, on the same day, it became known that the Ecuadorian authorities are denying Julian Assange internet access. What is happening and are these two events connected as many people think? The first thing to dispose of is the claim of some people in Britain (eg. Dominic Lawson in The Times) who are trying to defend the British actions against RT by saying they are not an attack on free speech because NatWest’s decision was supposedly a purely a commercial decision, made solely by the bank, with politics playing no part in it. This claim is silly. This was a decision made out of the blue with no warning and no reason given. Given how controversial it was, if there had been some genuine commercial reason for it the bank would have told RT about it. Given the storm of controversy which followed throughout the day, if NatWest had acted for purely commercial reasons it would have put out a statement saying so. This would certainly have been the case if the reason for the decision was the one suggested by Dominic Lawson: that RT is about to be sanctioned. Besides saying this begs the question who told NatWest RT was going to be sanctioned? As it happens there is no evidence RT is going to be sanctioned, and a meeting of the European Council which took place on Monday ended with no announcement of further sanctions whether against RT or against anyone or anything else connected to Russia. The fact that the whole day went by without NatWest publicly saying any of these things should put the claim that this was a purely commercial decision to rest. Frankly I doubt many of the people who make it really believe it. It is no secret the British authorities have been angry and worried about RT for a long time. Supposedly the previous Prime Minister, David Cameron, even convened a special meeting to discuss the channel, where he expressed his frustration on being given legal advice that were no grounds to act against it. It is also no secret that this anger is shared by other Western governments, including the US government. US Secretary of State Kerry after all has famously called the channel a “propaganda bullhorn”. It is also no secret that RT is the subject of a relentless and highly vituperative campaign against it by the Western media, including especially the media in Britain. That RT should therefore have come under this sort of attack is hardly a surprise. Why however did it happen now? Here I am going to align myself with Adam Garrie and with those who think that it is no coincidence that this attack came on the same day as Julian Assange was denied internet access. Moreover this clearly points to the US Presidential election, and the roles Julian Assange, Wikileaks and Russia, are taking or are supposed to be taking in the election, being the reason for the attack. Hillary Clinton’s campaign has been hit by a series of leaks of emails published by Julian Assange and Wikileaks. Hillary Clinton, her campaign, the Western media, and US intelligence, are all blaming Russia for these leaks, and are saying that it is Russia that is providing the hacked and stolen emails to Assange and Wikileaks. The implication is that Assange and Wikileaks, whether consciously or not, are Russian agents. I have said previously why I personally doubt this is so, and I have explained why the statement US intelligence has published blaming Russia cannot be taken as proof of this. The US nonetheless publicly insists it is the case, and it has been talking openly of taking retaliatory action against Russia because of the leaks. The cutting off of Assange from the internet and the action against RT look to me like precisely the sort of retaliatory action the US has been talking about. To be precise they look to me like an attempt to plug the leaks by simultaneously acting against the person who is producing the leaks and the operation in Britain – the country where Assange is located and where Wikileaks is mainly based – of the Russian television channel the US believes Russia is using to disseminate news of the leaks The coincidence of the simultaneous actions against Assange and RT is just too strong to leave me personally in any doubt that the two events are connected. Presumably Ecuador was warned that Assange by meddling in the US election is abusing his asylum status, and that unless Ecuador takes steps to silence him it will itself be the target of US retaliatory action. Ecuador, a small country with a fragile economy which uses the US dollar as its currency, had no option but to comply. As for RT, legal attempts to close the channel having failed, an attempt was made to close down its British operation by denying it banking services. The latest news from Britain suggests that the action against RT has miscarried. The British authorities seem to have underestimated the strength of the Russian reaction and the unpopularity of the action taken against RT in Britain. I should say that I have not discussed what has happened with anyone I know at RT – including with Peter Lavelle who writes for The Duran – and I have no inside knowledge of what has happened or of what is going to happen next. However I here express my confidence that RT’s British operation will continue, and that this attempt to close it down will fail. I also believe the attempt to plug the leaks by denying Assange internet access will also fail. I have met some of the people who work for Assange and Wikileaks, though I have never met with or had any contact with Assange himself. I have had no contact over the last few days with any of these people, and I have not discussed recent events with them, and I do not know what they are going to do. However they have struck me as extremely determined and resourceful, and I have no doubt they will find a way round. I therefore have no doubt the leaks will continue. Which brings me to what stands out most for me from this affair, which is its sheer stupidity. Since I have no doubt the leaks will continue, I cannot see the point of this whole exercise, which can only make the Western authorities look simultaneously overbearing and ineffective. More to the point, though I have no idea what any of the leaked emails Assange and Wikileaks may be about to publish contain, I strongly doubt they will have any negative impact on Hillary Clinton’s campaign. In my opinion the US public decided long ago that Hillary Clinton is someone they don’t like and who is not to be trusted, which is why she has struggled to ‘seal the deal’ with them in the election. Nothing in the emails is going to make the US public think any the worse of Hillary Clinton than they already do. The veteran and highly professional spin doctors who work for Hillary Clinton’s campaign – with the unstinting help of US intelligence and of the Western media – have anyway managed to divert the whole story from a discussion of the content of the emails to a discussion of their alleged theft and leak by Russia. Successfully plugging the leak of the emails – even if that were possible – therefore achieves nothing. Whilst there was nothing to be gained by going after Assange, by doing so the US and the British have not only managed to make themselves look thuggish and vindictive, but the US has also given the impression that it and Hillary Clinton are afraid of him and of whatever it is he is going to leak. That in turn creates the impression that they really do have something to hide and be afraid of, when on any cool and objective assessment they don’t. As for RT, not only has the channel and its British staff been treated with a callous and unconscionable brutality – with many of its workers made cruelly frightened for their next pay cheque – but this banana republic style behaviour, which would be rightly and roundly condemned if it happened anywhere else, betrays an astonishing loss of nerve on the part of the Western establishment. The deluge of comments which have flooded the media threads in response to the attack on RT show that many of its viewers in Britain and elsewhere reject the label of “propaganda bullhorn” the West is trying to impose on it, and that they have come instead to value RT’s wide international news coverage and its critical point of view. Going after RT not only reeks of fear – not just of the channel but of the news it is broadcasting – but calling it a propaganda channel insults the millions of people in the West, including in Britain, who regularly watch the channel by implying that they are too stupid to realise the fact. Moreover going after RT in this tawdry way – indirectly through its bank accounts whilst hiding behind NatWest – is an implicit admission that there are no actual grounds to close it, and that the claim that it is a propaganda channel not entitled to a broadcasting licence is untrue and a sham. In truth it is astonishing that the political, security and media establishment of the West is today so frightened of a single television channel, especially a Russian one. Not so long ago such a thing would have been considered inconceivable. During the Cold War the idea that the mighty Western media and the Western establishment would be running scared of a single Russian television channel would have been thought ridiculous. That more than anything else shows the extent to which the West is losing the plot, and how the actual balance of power in the world, what some old fashioned Russians still like to refer to – far more accurately – as “the correlation of forces”, is changing and has now shifted decisively against the West.President Donald Trump Donald John TrumpREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails Trump urges North Korea to denuclearize ahead of summit Venezuela's Maduro says he fears 'bad' people around Trump MORE’s Jan. 25 executive order's enforcement “priorities” include the removal of serious criminals and national security risks, but virtually every other undocumented immigrant as well. For good measure, the order calls for the “execution of the immigration laws...against all removable aliens.” A report released by the Center for Migration Studies illustrates just how disastrous such a policy would be for US citizens, the housing market, and the broader economy. ADVERTISEMENT The report covers primarily the effect of a mass deportation policy on mixed-status households, i.e., those with both a US citizen child and an undocumented resident, typically a parent. It relies on estimates of the U.S. undocumented population developed by CMS Senior Fellow and the report’s lead author Robert Warren. It finds that: Nearly two-thirds of the undocumented have resided in the United States for ten or more years. 5.3 million US households contain undocumented residents, including 3.3 million mixed-status households in the United States in 2014. 6.6 million US-born citizens share 3 million households with undocumented residents (mostly their parents). Of these US-born citizens, 5.7 million are children (under age 18). 2.9 million undocumented residents were 14 years old or younger when they were brought to the United States. Three-quarters of a million undocumented residents are self-employed, having created their own jobs, and in the process creating jobs for many others. A total of 1.3 million, or 13 percent of the undocumented over age 18, have college degrees. Of those with college degrees, two thirds, or 855,000, have degrees in four fields: engineering, business, communications, and social sciences. Six million, or 55 percent of the total, speak English well, very well, or only English. Seventy-three percent had incomes at or above the poverty level. Their median household income was $41,000, about $12,700 lower than the national figure of $53,700 in 2014 (US Census Bureau 2015). To engage in the large-scale deportation of this population would exact immense social costs. In particular, the report estimates that to remove US undocumented residents from mixed-status households would reduce their median household income from $41,300 to $22,000, a drop of $19,300, or 47 percent, which would plunge millions of US families into poverty. The situation of the US citizen children left behind would be particularly grim. The report assumes that one-third of US-born children would remain in the United States following the deportation of an undocumented household member and that potential deportees now account for 50 percent of the support for these children. Based on these conservative assumptions, CMS estimates that the total (unmet) cost of raising these US-citizens children to maturity (without their deported parents) would be an astronomical $118 billion. The project also projects that mass deportation would lead to defaults on a large percentage of the 2.4 million mortgages held by households with undocumented immigrants. To put this danger to the U.S. housing market into perspective, there were just under 3 million foreclosure filings each year in 2009 and 2010, at the height of the housing crisis. In addition, according to a recent study by economists Ryan Edwards and Francesc Ortega, mass deportation would also reduce gross domestic product (GDP) by 1.4 percent in the first year, and $4.7 trillion over 10 years. Center for Migration Studies has consistently made the case for a broad legalization program based on the U.S. undocumented population’s long tenure (1.9 million have resided in the US for 20 years or more), eligibility for a visa (4.4 million have been tentatively approved for family-based visas, but languish in visa backlogs), immense economic contributions (7.6 million are in the labor force), and strong equitable ties to the United States. The paper illustrates the importance of keeping mixed-status families intact, whether through executive action or, far better, a legalization program for their undocumented members. Such a program would benefit far more than the undocumented. As the report indicates, the alternative would be disastrous. Donald M. Kerwin, Jr. has directed the Center for Migration Studies of New York (CMS) since September 2011. He previously worked for the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. Robert Warren is senior visiting fellow at the Center for Migration Studies He served as a demographer with the United States Census Bureau and served as director of what was the Immigration and Naturalization Service Statistics Division from 1986 to 1995. The views expressed by Contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.ANALYSIS/OPINION: Is America in its twilight years? Patrick J. Buchanan argues it is. Americans, especially conservatives, should heed his warnings. The very future of our republic is at stake. Mr. Buchanan has written the political book of the year - and maybe of our time. In “Suicide of a Superpower” (Thomas Dunne Books, 2011), the nationally syndicated columnist and TV commentator delivers a damning indictment of the past two decades. His thesis: America is in decline. Unless it is reversed, the United States - like great republics before it - will be swept into the dustbin of history. Mr. Buchanan argues that our leaders have embraced the “New World Order.” Unlimited immigration, free trade, open borders, strident multiculturalism, globalism, a cradle-to-grave welfare state, neo-pagan morality, massive deficit spending and democratic imperialism - together they have triggered the moral, economic and spiritual disintegration of America. Mr. Buchanan was one of the few conservatives to directly challenge the Great Society Republicanism prevalent throughout the George W. Bush administration. He opposed No Child Left Behind, the Medicare prescription-drug benefit, runaway spending, amnesty for illegal aliens, economic globalization and the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). He argues that the GOP establishment had lost its ideological way, abandoning principle in favor of power. Niccolo Machiavelli trumped Ronald Reagan. The author insists that President Obama has accelerated - and deepened - the failed Bush policies. Mr. Obama is seeking to erect a European-style nanny state. Bailouts have propped up big business and big banks, as Middle America was forced to pay for it. Mr. Obama’s trillion-dollar deficits have brought us to the brink of bankruptcy. His economic stimulus failed to create jobs, while it expanded the reach of government - providing more beneficiaries and voters loyal to the Democrats. Obamacare is another massive entitlement program Americans cannot afford. Mr. Buchanan states that the exploding debt threatens our economic future. It will force America into default or to devalue our currency, leading to Weimar Germany-style inflation. Cherished programs - Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, defense spending - must be slashed, capped and reformed or America is doomed. Yet there is a lack of will among our political class. Both parties, Republican and Democrat, lack the stomach to impose the necessary, difficult cuts. Mr. Buchanan understands that welfare liberalism is like a “narcotic,” slowly making entire classes addicted to government handouts and sapping the nation’s moral fiber. Like the ancient Romans, we know we are in decay but are unable to stop it. Our debt crisis ultimately is a crisis of democracy. Mr. Buchanan asks: With so many dependent upon social programs, can America avoid the fate of Greece? Mr. Buchanan has been ostracized for years by some conservatives. In particular, they argue that he represents the worst traits of the 1930s old right - nativism, anti-Semitism, protectionism and isolationism - that make his politics beyond the pale. In fact, the very opposite is true: Mr. Buchanan is the last true conservative. He is the heir of postwar conservatism’s intellectual founder, Russell Kirk. Like Kirk, Mr. Buchanan is a Burkean traditionalist who champions the organic society and America’s distinct cultural identity. For Mr. Buchanan, like most conservative traditionalists, nation-states, faith, family and community are not abstract concepts, as secular progressives claim. Rather, they are real, historic and eternal institutions necessary to a viable, just and free social order. This has been Mr. Buchanan’s central insight. It is why he is despised by many liberals and neoconservatives. His Christian nationalism stands in stark contrast to the rootless globalism and MTV morality of our age. He staunchly opposes abortion, pornography, homosexual marriage, drugs, euthanasia and the West’s hedonism. He understands that a nation is held together by a common culture, language, civilization, heroes, history and myths. Multiculturalism combined with open immigration is a recipe for national suicide. This is not racial chauvinism; it is common sense and proved by history. Austria-Hungary, the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia (and most likely, the European Union) all were torn apart by resurgent ethno-nationalism and centrifugal forces. Multinational empires do not last; only cohesive nations endure. In foreign affairs, Mr. Buchanan has been tarred as an America-hater, one who abandoned the Reaganite vision of U.S. global leadership. This is another lie. Like many conservatives before him - George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Robert Taft - Mr. Buchanan is a continental realist. He champions a foreign policy based solely on protecting vital national interests. He supports maintaining the mightiest military in the world. He seeks to secure our porous southern border. He wants to end entangling alliances, such as NATO. He rightly believes it is time for wealthy Europeans and Asians to protect their own backyards - instead of piggybacking off Uncle Sam. In short, America has become overextended, squandering precious blood and treasure. It must retrench or it will collapse from imperial overstretch. Mr. Buchanan does not care for nation-building. He is loathed by some members of the conservative establishment for opposing the Iraq war. In a cover story for National Review, David Frum denounced Mr. Buchanan and also the late anti-war conservative Robert Novak as “unpatriotic.” They were read out of the movement. Both Mr. Buchanan and Novak, however, have been intellectual giants. Both have championed the Reagan revolution marked by tax cuts, small government and free-market capitalism. Both were leading Cold Warriors who advocated anti-communism during the West’s darkest hour. And both - especially Novak - appeared in the pages of National Review over several decades. The article was shameful. It tried to make support for the Iraq war the litmus test for belonging to the movement. According to Mr. Frum, Mr. Buchanan and Novak were insufficiently conservative. Yet the former Bush speechwriter is really a right-wing liberal. He has urged Republicans to be more open to abortion, gay rights, environmentalism and public education spending. In other words, Mr. Frum has called for surrender in the culture war. His polemics eventually boomeranged against him - and to some extent, National Review. Its founder, the late William F. Buckley Jr., turned against the Iraq quagmire (as did conservative columnist George F. Will). By Mr. Frum’s perverse logic, Buckley and Mr. Will also should be tarred as “unpatriotic.” On Iraq, Mr. Buchanan was right and Mr. Frum wrong. The war became a protracted guerrilla campaign. More than 4,000 U.S. troops were killed, while tens of thousands were wounded and maimed. Iraq has slowly drifted into Iran’s orbit. The country has been fractured along religious and ethnic lines. Iraqi Christians, who date back to the time of Christ, have been murdered or expelled. The campaign has depleted America. Meanwhile, radical Islam continues to expand relentlessly across the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe. Conservatives once derided Wilsonian internationalism - the messianic impulse to spread democracy around the globe - as naive and arrogant. They understood that the warfare state reinforces the welfare state. Both are forms of social engineering. And both must be dismantled. The same holds for free trade. Traditionally, it has been men of the left - Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton - who have been ideological free-traders. It has been the right - Hamilton, William McKinley, Calvin Coolidge, Taft - who have espoused economic nationalism. Mr. Buchanan has opposed the North American Free Trade Agreement, the World Trade Organization and communist China’s privileged access to the U.S. domestic market. Trade liberalization was supposed to usher in an era of unprecedented prosperity. Instead, the results have been disastrous: huge annual trade deficits, the loss of millions of manufacturing jobs, eroding wages for working- and middle-class citizens and the deindustrialization of America. The big winner is China. It has emerged as the world’s premier exporting and manufacturing nation. It is a rising superpower, having enriched itself at our expense. Washington has become a vassal of Beijing. For years, Mr. Buchanan was a lone prophet in the wilderness, decrying America’s economic betrayal. Few have contributed more to modern conservatism than Mr. Buchanan. And even on issues on which I strongly disagree with him - the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, World War II - a rigorous and respectful debate is called for. Liberals silence dissent; conservatives are supposed to uphold freedom of thought and rational civility. Mr. Buchanan represents a dying breed. He is a nationalist, a free-marketer and an unabashed Catholic. His life’s work amounts to fighting for the preservation of Western civilization with America as its bastion. Despite his defunct critics, Mr. Buchanan’s legacy will stand the test of time. Jeffrey T. Kuhner is a columnist at The Washington Times and president of the Edmund Burke Institute. Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.Republican leaders and Mr. Corker, who owns a real estate partnership in Tennessee, say the new loophole was not put in place to win over his vote. Mr. Corker has become more important because his party can afford to lose only two votes, and Senator John McCain will be absent because of the aftereffects from his cancer treatment. Republicans insist, further, that the provision was not “airdropped” — Mr. Corker’s term — into the tax bill during conference committee negotiations, and that its main purpose was to make sure pass-through businesses were not treated unfairly because corporations would be getting a big tax cut to 21 percent, from 35 percent now. Whatever the Republicans’ protestations, this malodorous loophole is further confirmation that congressional leaders are doing everything they can to maximize benefits for the wealthy at the expense of almost everybody else. As for Mr. Trump, he has been going around saying the tax bill would “cost me a fortune” and his accountants “are going crazy now.” This claim has always been “fake news.” But with the new loophole it has become even more nonsensical. Having done nothing to drain the Washington swamp, the president now luxuriates in its warm waters. All told, the 20 percent deduction for pass-through income would cost the government $414.5 billion in lost revenue over 10 years, according to Congress’s Joint Committee on Taxation. To put that number into context, it is about 29 times as much as the roughly $14 billion a year that the federal government spends on the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which covers nearly nine million kids from low-income families. Congress let authorization for that program lapse at the end of September. The tax bill’s generosity toward real estate titans stands in stark contrast to its stinginess toward the average wage earner as well as its very real damage to taxpayers in high-cost states. Average wage earners who would get modest tax cuts in the early years would see them evaporate into thin air after 2025. Homeowners and others in high-cost states like California, New Jersey and New York would see their once-sizable deductions for state and local taxes shrink to a maximum of $10,000 a year, which could in turn reduce home values. Further, the tax bill would permanently change how tax brackets are adjusted for inflation so that more people would be pushed into higher tax brackets over time even if they received only modest raises in salary. Details aside, here in broad numbers is the bill’s impact 10 years from now, according to the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center: Nearly 70 percent of families with incomes of between $54,700 and $93,200 a year would pay more in taxes than they would under current law. By contrast, 92 percent of families whose incomes put them in the top 0.1 percent of the country would get a tax cut averaging $206,280.LONDON (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear chief said on Wednesday that Iran’s allegation his agency may have been infiltrated by saboteurs was baseless and voiced concern about “intensive activities” at the Parchin military installation that his inspectors want to examine. Yukiya Amano, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) speaks during the High-level meeting on Countering Nuclear Terrorism on the sidelines of the 67th United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. Headquarters in New York, September 28, 2012. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid Years of diplomacy and sanctions have failed to resolve a stand-off between the West and Iran over its nuclear activity, raising fears of last-resort Israeli military action and a new Middle East war destabilizing to the global economy. Yukiya Amano, who is seeking to unblock a long-stalled investigation into suspected nuclear weapons research in the Islamic state, also said he hoped for a new high-level meeting with Tehran soon but no date had yet been set. His agency’s relations with Iran have become testy in recent months. Iran

Subsets and Splits

No community queries yet

The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.